Academic Standing, Continuance and Graduation Policy – May 16, 2013

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ACADEMIC STANDING, CONTINUANCE AND

GRADUATION POLICY

Policy Type:

Academic

Initially

Approved:

October 1, 1985

Policy

Sponsor:

Provost and Vice-

President,

Academic

Last

Revised:

May 16, 2013

Primary

Contact:

Registrar

& AVP

Enrollment

Management

Review

Scheduled:

April 2025

Approver:

General Faculties Council

SCOPE

The policies outlined below apply to all current Mount Royal students and relate to students'

eligibility to register in credit courses within a Mount Royal program, their eligibility to continue in

their program, and their eligibility to graduate from a program.

POLICY STATEMENT

PRINCIPLES

1.1

Mount Royal is committed to maintaining high academic standards, promoting

student success, and endeavouring to support students who have difficulty

meeting academic requirements.

1.2

In the event a student is unable to meet academic requirements, Mount Royal will

make all reasonable attempts to ensure that they are aware of potential

consequences and that information about available support services is available.

1.3

The responsibility for being familiar with and fulfilling program requirements rests

with the student.

1.4

Mount Royal commits to a fair and transparent process in determining academic

standing.

ACADEMIC STANDING

The following sections describe the stages, conditions, and consequences for students

who do not meet the criteria of Good Standing.

2.1

Academic Warning

A student will be placed on academic warning when they have:

A minimum of nine (9) earned Credits; and

ii.

A Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) less than 2.00.

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A student can remain on academic warning for two semesters within a

twelve-month period without consequence.

After a student has remained two semesters on academic warning, one

of the following actions will be taken:

When a student's Cumulative GPA exceeds 2.00, their academic

standing will revert to Good Standing; or

ii.

If a student demonstrates Significant Improvement in the most

recent semester with registration activity their academic standing

will remain at academic warning.

iii.

If a student fails to demonstrate significant improvement in the

most recent semester with registration activity their academic

standing will progress to academic probation.

2.2

Academic Probation

A student will be placed on academic probation when they have

previously been on academic warning for a minimum of two (2)

semesters and continues to have a Cumulative GPA less than 2.00.

A student can remain on academic probation for one semester within a

twelve-month period without consequence.

After a student has remained one semester on academic probation, one

of the following actions will be taken:

When a student's Cumulative GPA exceeds 2.00, their academic

standing will revert to Good Standing; or

ii.

If a student demonstrates Significant Improvement in the most

recent semester with registration activity their academic standing

will remain at academic probation.

iii.

If a student fails to demonstrate significant improvement in the

most recent semester with registration activity their academic

standing will progress to require to withdraw.

2.3

Required to Withdraw

A student is required to withdraw from the institution for a minimum of

twelve months when:

They have previously been on academic probation for a

minimum of one (1) semester; and

ii.

Continues to have a Cumulative GPA less than 2.00; and

iii.

Fails to demonstrate Significant Improvement in the most recent

semester with registration activity.

A minimum of twelve (12) months must have elapsed before a student

can apply for readmission. A student is permitted to register for non-

credit classes during this period of absence.

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Students who have been required to withdraw will not be eligible to

receive a Letter of Permission to take courses at another institution.

CONTINUANCE IN A PROGRAM

3.1

A student who remains in Good Standing is eligible to continue in their program

of studies.

3.2

If a student has been removed from a program, they are eligible for readmission

to the same program according to the academic criteria in place at the time of

reapplication.

3.3

Limitations on Eligibility to Continue in a Program

General Faculties Council must approve the criteria that permit a

department to remove a student from a program, academic standing

and/or eligibility to graduate notwithstanding.

General Faculties Council must approve the criteria that make a student

ineligible to return to a program, academic admissibility notwithstanding.

General Faculties Council must approve the designation of a specific

course or courses a department deems critical for continuance in a

program.

A student cannot continue in a program if all graduation requirements for

that program have not been completed within eight (8) years of

admission into the program (baccalaureate/applied degree) or six (6)

years (diploma/certificate).

ELIGIBILITY TO GRADUATE

4.1

Eligibility to graduate from a Mount Royal program requires that a student:

Has been officially admitted into the program; and

Has completed at least 25% of the graduation requirements as a student

within the program; and

Has met all residency requirements; and

Satisfies all program requirements specified in the curriculum at the time

of admission to the program or the current program; and

Meets the requirements for Good Standing at the time the application to

graduate is evaluated.

Exceptions to any of these conditions must be approved, in writing, by

the Dean of the program from which the student is applying to graduate.

4.2

A student may also be eligible to graduate when their Cumulative GPA is below

2.00 if both of the following conditions apply:

The Program GPA is above 2.00; and

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The student has demonstrated Significant Improvement in all semesters

after admission or readmission into a program.

4.3

A department can set a minimum GPA requirement for graduation that exceeds

the institutional norm (i.e., 2.00) upon approval of General Faculties Council.

4.4

Applied Degree Programs With a Diploma Exit Option

In Applied Degree programs with a diploma exit option, students must meet the

requirements for this option and declare their intention to graduate (without exit

from the program) prior to the relevant deadline indicated in the Academic

Schedule in the Mount Royal Calendar.

RESIDENCY

5.1

Academic Residency Requirements

Normally, 50% of the academic work completed toward the award of a

Mount Royal parchment must be completed by Mount Royal.

At least 50% of the Directed Field Study requirement for an applied

degree must normally be completed as a student of Mount Royal.

5.2

Internal Transfer and Advanced Standing

Students may apply a maximum of seventy-five percent (75%) of the

credits obtained under one Mount Royal credential towards the

graduation requirements of another credential at Mount Royal.

The Dean of the Faculty from which a student wishes to graduate has

the authority to grant an exception to the limit on internal transfer.

Normally, credits earned through an experiential learning course can

only receive transfer credit toward a similar type of course in a new

program.

Regardless of the total number of credits earned through an experiential

learning course, a maximum of three (3) credits will be awarded transfer

credit for a non-experiential (i.e., academic) requirement.

APPEALING A REQUIREMENT TO WITHDRAW

6.1

The only permissible grounds for appealing a requirement to withdraw will be as

follows:

Medical reasons verified in writing by a physician. Documentation must

establish a clear and substantive link to their academic standing over the

period of time the credits were earned;

Severe emotional distress verified in writing by a certified mental health

professional. Documentation must establish a clear and substantive link

to their academic standing over the period of time the credits were

earned.

6.2

The Office of the Registrar is responsible for setting the administrative procedure

for appealing a requirement to withdraw decision. This procedure will include,

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but is not restricted to, specific application and response timelines, clear

requirements for "sufficient documentation," communication documents, and

requisite forms.

POSTHUMOUS AWARDING OF CREDENTIALS

7.1

To be considered eligible for a posthumous credential, a student must:

have completed approximately eighty percent (80%) of their program;

and

be in Good Standing.

7.2

Normally, the student record must also show registration activity within the

previous twelve months.

7.3

The Office of the Registrar will advise the Dean for the student's program

whether or not the student meets the criterial stated above.

7.4

The Dean for the student's program (or designate) is responsible for contacting

the student's next of kin to determine what actions, if any, they wish to take.

7.5

In the absence of the next of kin's explicit consent, no action will be taken beyond

routine administrative record keeping.

7.6

A notation will appear on the academic transcript but not on the parchment (if

awarded).

DEFINITIONS

(1)

Attempted

Credits:

include all courses with a standard letter grade as well as those with

administrative decisions (e.g., withdrawal, in progress, etc.) attached

to them

(2)

Credits:

are awarded when a student receives a standard letter grade for a

course (i.e., ‘A+’ through ‘F’). The numerical values assigned to the

standard letter grade form the basis of a Grade Point Average

calculation.

(3)

Good

Standing:

Normally, a student is considered to be in Good Standing when they

have: accumulated a minimum of nine (9) earned credits, and a

minimum cumulative Grade Point Average of 2.00.

(4)

Grade Point

Average (GPA)

is the standard measure of academic performance that uses an

arithmetical calculation based on the numerical value assigned to a

letter grade and number of earned credits.

Cumulative GPA is based on all courses a student has taken at

Mount Royal without any time restriction.

Semester GPA is based on the courses a student has taken at Mount

Royal in a given semester.

Program GPA is based on Mount Royal courses within the current

program that are specified as requirements at the time of admission

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to a program.

(5)

Policy:

means the Academic Standing, Continuance and Graduation Policy

(6)

Significant

Improvement:

In the context of this Policy, means that a student has a semester

GPA of 2.20 or better based on all course grades in the semester

(minimum of two, three-credit courses).

(7)

University:

means Mount Royal University

REVISION HISTORY

Date

(mm/dd/yyyy)

Description of

Change

Sections

Person who

Entered Revision

(Position Title)

Person who

Authorized

Revision

(Position Title)

10/01/1985

03/16/2013

Major Revisions

08/11/2017

Editorial –

formatting, name

changes, gender

neutral language

Director, University

Secretariat

01/23/2020

Editorial

Template Update

Policy Specialist

University Secretary

02/11/2021

Editorial

Title Updates

University Secretary