Bryn Mawr College

Academic Probation & Required Withdrawals

At the end of every semester, there are students whose work has failed to meet the academic standards of the College.  These standards may be summarized as follows:

 

The Merit Rule
A student must attain grades of 2.0 or above in at least one-half of the total number of courses taken while at Bryn Mawr. 

 

The Standard of Work in the Major Subject
Every student is expected to maintain grades of 2.0 or above in all courses in her major subject.  No student may choose as her major subject one in which she has received a grade below 1.0 or one in which her average is below 2.0.

 

Satisfactory Progress Towards the Degree
A student is expected to complete her coursework satisfactorily and, in most cases, to earn four or more units of credit each semester toward the 32 units required for graduation.  Therefore, a pattern of failure (e.g., grades of 0.0 or NC in two or more courses over the course of her undergraduate career) or a serious deterioration in the quality of her work will be seen as a violation of this standard.

 

The Council on Academic Standing, composed of the deans and five faculty members, reviews the records of all students in violation of these standards. A student whose record is brought before the Council may be placed on probation, required to withdraw for a semester or a year, or, more rarely, permanently excluded from the College. The Council will also consult with members of a major department when appropriate and may require a student to change her major.

 

A student placed on probation is normally required to meet regularly with her dean, attend classes and complete coursework faithfully, and keep non-academic commitments to a minimum. 

 

In some cases, normally after repeated review of continually unsatisfactory work, the Council may require the student to withdraw from the College and present evidence that she can do satisfactory work before applying for readmission.  Once readmitted, the student is placed on probation for one semester.

 

The Council may also recommend to the president that the student be excluded from the college.  An excluded student may not be readmitted.

 

Any student whose record has been reviewed by the Council on Academic Standing will receive a letter informing her of the reasons for and results of the Council's review. These letters will also stipulate the standards she must meet in order for probation to be lifted or in order for her to readmitted to the College. A copy of this letter is also sent to her parent(s).

 

For a complete description of these rules, see the Catalog.