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General University Information
GRADES
ACADEMIC ALERT REPORT
Academic Warning Reports are sent to students who are doing
D or F work in any course before the last day to drop a course.
Faculty also have the option of providing students with constructive
feedback relating to their attendance and the quality of their
work. Academic Warning Reports are due on the 30th class day.
ACADEMIC STANDING, PROBATION AND DISMISSAL
At the end of each semester the University shall determine
whether a student is in Good Academic Standing, on Academic
Probation, or subject to Academic Dismissal. Some schools
and colleges may have exceptions to the Good Academic Standing,
Academic Warning, Academic Probation and Academic Dismissal
policies listed below.
Good Academic Standing
To be in Good Academic Standing a student must not be on
Academic Probation or subject to Academic Dismissal.
Academic Warning
A student whose semester grade-point average (SGPA) or cumulative
grade-point average (CGPA) falls below 2.0 shall receive an
Academic Warning. All students who receive an Academic Warning
must meet with their academic advisor prior to the following
semester. The advisor may require a reduced course load.
Freshmen who receive a mid-term grade of D or F in any course
shall receive an Academic Warning and must meet with their
academic advisor within two weeks of the distribution of mid-term
Academic Warnings.
Academic Probation
Students other than first-semester freshmen whose UM cumulative
grade-point average (CGPA) in University of Miami courses
is below the following levels shall be placed on Academic
Probation.
* Total credits earned including work taken elsewhere and
accepted by the University of Miami.
First-semester freshmen who have a semester grade-point average
below 1.3 shall be placed on Academic Probation. In addition,
students who fail to make satisfactory progress toward meeting
the degree requirements specified by their School or College
may be put on Probation by the Academic Standards Committee
of the School/College. Students on Academic Probation must
meet with their academic advisor prior to the following semester
and shall be restricted to a 13-credit load.
Academic Dismissal
A student who remains on probationary status after two consecutive
semesters on Academic Probation shall be subject to Academic
Dismissal. A student who has been on Academic Probation for
one semester and has a CGPA below 1.0 shall also be subject
to Academic Dismissal. The decision to dismiss shall be made
by the Academic Standards Committee of the School or College
in which the student is enrolled. If a decision is made not
to dismiss, the student shall be on Academic Probation.
Appeals and Readmission
Students who wish to appeal their Academic probation or dismissal
for academic reasons, must do so in writing to the School
or College Academic Standards Committee within thirty days
of the notice of dismissal. Those who have been dismissed
for academic reasons shall not be considered for readmission
to any school or college at the University until at least
two regular semesters have elapsed since their dismissal.
Faculty Senate Student Affairs Committee Standard Academic
Appeals Process
The Faculty Senate Student Affairs Committee (FSSAC) has
responsibility for undergraduate student academic appeals.
The FSSAC includes faculty representatives from all undergraduate
schools as well as three non-voting ex officio representatives:
a graduate and undergraduate student representative and the
University ombudsperson. The FSSAC reviews undergraduate student
academic appeals that have not been resolved at the department,
school, or college levels. As noted in section II below, the
FSSAC hears cases only after they have gone through the departmental
and college process. The processes are the same for grade
and non-grade appeals except as noted below.
I. Time Constraints
Appeals must be filed within a year of the occurrence of
the academic action resulting in the appeal and prior to the
completion of all degree requirements or withdrawal from the
University. Exceptions to this deadline may be permitted by
the FSSAC for good cause.
Each level of appeal should aim to review the appeal and arrive
at judgment within a two month period from the date the appeal
reaches them. The entire process should be completed within
one year.
II. Order of Appeal
A student appeal regarding a faculty or administrative academic
action must be addressed to the following entities or persons
in this order:
A. The faculty member or administrator responsible for
the course, program, or activity.
B. The department/program chair/director or administrative
superior of the faculty member or administrator.
C. The Dean or designee of the school or college offering
the course, program or activity.
D. If the school, college or administrative unit has a
committee constituted to hear student appeals, that committee
must be consulted before proceeding to the next level.
E. The ombudsperson. The student is to provide the materials
listed in Section III below to the ombudsperson who will
review the merits of the appeal, and attempt to resolve
the matter. The ombudsperson, as part of his/her review
should give the student a preliminary assessment as to whether
the matter, as presented by the student at that time, is
reviewable by the FSSAC.
If the matter is the appeal of a final grade, and only
after all the other steps are taken, the ombudsperson may
refer the matter to the Provost who will decide whether
or not to refer the appeal to the FSSAC.
For a non-grade-appeal, the student has the final authority
to decide whether to take the appeal to FSSAC. If s/he chooses
to do so, the ombudsperson shall forward the appeal and
the accompanying documentation to the FSSAC via the Faculty
Senate Office.
F. The Provost may request that the FSSAC review an appeal.
If, but only if, s/he does so, the FSSAC shall have jurisdiction
to review a grade-related appeal.
1. As part of the request, the Provost shall forward
to the FSSAC, via the Faculty Senate office, the materials
submitted by the student as indicated in Section III,
below.
2. The FSSAC will review the student's written appeal
(see section III below), confer with the appropriate faculty,
administrators, and others as it deems necessary in making
its recommendation to the Provost. The FSSAC may request
an interview with the student, additional information
or access to records, interviews with relevant faculty
or administrators, or additional information or access
to records kept by faculty or administrators.
3. The FSSAC will communicate its findings and recommendations
to the Provost. Copies shall be provided to the Faculty
Senate.
G. The final decision with respect to the grade-related
appeal will be made by the Provost and communicated to the
student in writing. Copies shall be provided to the Faculty
Senate Office and to the Chair of the FSSAC.
H. For non-grade-related academic appeals:
1. The FSSAC shall act upon those appeals and report
its findings and decision to the Provost. Copies shall
be provided to the Faculty Senate.
2. The Provost shall communicate the decision of the
FSSAC to the student in writing. Copies shall be provided
to the Faculty Senate.
III. Materials for an Appeal
When bringing an appeal, the student must state in writing
issues s/he wishes to have considered. The appeal must include:
A. An appeal letter clearly stating the conditions as
seen by the student, and offering reasons for granting the
appeal.
B. The appeal letter must indicate if the student wishes
to make a personal appearance and, if so, the reasons why
the appearance is necessary.
C. Documents of support (e.g., examinations, term papers,
syllabi, or medical documentation of illness) that the student
wishes to have examined.
D. All written decisions made at earlier levels of the
appeal by individual faculty/administrators, departments/programs/administrative
units, college or school committees, and deans which are
available to the student or in the student’s possession.
IV. Other Notes and Special Conditions
A. If the appeal is based on or related to a charge made
by the student of discrimination on the basis of race, color,
national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age,
or handicap, a representative of the appropriate University
office will be contacted and, as appropriate, consulted
in the appeal process.
B. If the appeal is based on or related to a disability:
1. The ADA Coordinating Committee shall serve in an advisory
capacity.
2. The student is to include in the materials provided,
the appropriate forms from the Office of Disability Services
documenting:
a. An evaluation of the disability
b. Recommendations related to the disability
3. The FSSAC does not consider appeals based upon the
grant, denial or modification of an accommodation by the
Office of Disability Services. Instead, any such appeal
is as prescribed by the Office of Disability Services
Grievance Procedure only.
THE GRADING SYSTEM
The following symbols are used:*
GRADE POINT AVERAGE
The grade point average is used to determine:
• class rank
• graduation and honor eligibility
• good standing, probation, and dismissal status
• scholarship eligibility
Quality points per credit are awarded as follows:
Courses marked with an “IE” or “IF”
count as credit attempted but are not counted in credits earned
and do not carry quality points.*** Credits marked CR are
counted as credits earned but are not counted in credits attempted
and do not carry quality points. Courses marked with the symbols
I, IP, W, NC, and NG do not carry credits attempted, credits
earned, or quality points.
The grade point average is determined by dividing the total
quality points earned by the total credits attempted.
Military service credit, some foreign university credit,
correspondence course credit, credit by examination, etc.,
are not awarded quality points and do not enter the computation
of the grade point average.
* Faculty Senate legislation #2000-24(B)
**Faculty Senate legislation #83032(B)
***Faculty Senate legislation #85001(B)
****Faculty Senate legislation #85005(B) and #97001(B)
*****Faculty Senate legislation #2001-29(B)
HONOR CODE
The Honor Code, initiated at the request of the Undergraduate
Student Body Government, ratified by student referendum, approved
by the Faculty Senate, by the President of the University,
and administered by students, protects the academic integrity
of the University of Miami by encouraging consistent ethical
behavior among its undergraduate students. The Code provides
standards that prohibit all forms of scholastic dishonesty,
including cheating, plagiarism, collusion, and falsification
or misrepresentation of experimental data. The Code covers
all written and oral examinations, term papers, creative works,
assigned computer related work, and any other academic work
done at the University by an undergraduate student.
All undergraduate students are responsible for reading, understanding,
and upholding the Honor Code. Signed pledges are required
for written work submitted for evaluation, but the absence
of a signed pledge does not free a student from the ethical
standards required by the Code. Procedures for dealing with
infractions of the Code, including provisions for appeals,
are printed in the text of the Honor Code. Copies may be obtained
from the Office of the Dean of Students or from the office
of the Undergraduate Student Body Government, or on-line at
www.miami.edu/honor-council.
In keeping with the traditional prerogatives of university
faculties, nothing in the Code infringes on the faculty’s
assignment of grades undertaken in a class. Instructors are
informed when students have been found guilty of infractions
involving their classes. Courses in which students have been
failed for academic dishonesty may neither be dropped nor
repeated under the terms of the freshman repeat rule.
The Dean’s List
The Dean’s List is composed of those undergraduate
students who are enrolled in a degree-seeking program and
have attained high scholastic achievement for the semester.
To attain the Dean’s List, a student must, for the semester:
- have registered for and have completed 12 or more graded
credits (excluding the credits earned in courses taken for
credit only);
- have attained a quality point average of 3.50 or higher
for the semester;
- have no courses with pending grades (I or NG).
The Dean’s List will be announced by each college and
school at the end of the semester. The Office of the Registrar
will post this achievement to the student’s permanent
record.
The Provost’s Honor Roll
The Provost’s Honor Roll is composed of those undergraduate
students who are enrolled in a degree-seeking program and
have attained a high scholastic achievement for the semester.
To attain the Provost’s Honor Roll, a student must,
for the semester:
- have registered for and have completed 12 or more graded
credits (excluding the credits earned in courses taken for
credit only);
- have attained a quality point average of 3.75 or higher
for the semester;
- have no courses with pending grades (I or NG).
The Provost’s Honor Roll will be announced by the Provost’s
Office. The Office of the Registrar will post the achievement
to the student’s permanent record, and distribute the
Provost’s Honor Roll Certificate.
The President’s Honor Roll
The President’s Honor Roll is composed of those undergraduate
students who are enrolled in a degree-seeking program and
have attained the highest possible scholastic achievement
for the semester. To attain the President’s Honor Roll
a student must, for the semester:
- have registered for and completed 12 or more graded credits
(excluding credits earned in courses taken for credit only);
- have attained a quality point average of 4.0 for the
semester;
- have no courses with pending grades (I or NG).
The President’s Honor Roll will be announced by the
Office of the Registrar who will post the achievement to the
student’s permanent record, and distribute the President’s
Honor Roll Certificate.
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