Graduate students may be terminated from the program at any time if, in the judgment of the degree-granting Department/Program and the Graduate School, a student fails to make satisfactory progress towards the completion of the degree (regardless of grades) or violates the NC State Code of Student Conduct. The definition of satisfactory progress toward completion of the degree program may differ among degree-offering units. Examples of unsatisfactory progress may include, but are not limited to, inadequate GPA, inadequate research and/or research skill or progress, failure to obtain satisfactory grades in required courses for the program, or failing the preliminary or final oral examination.

An overall GPA of at least 3.000 is required for graduation.

A. Academic Warning

Graduate students are given a notice of academic warning if they have accumulated 18 or fewer hours at the 400 level or above and have less than a 3.000 GPA. Students on academic warning may continue to hold an assistantship or fellowship provided the DGP supplies a justification as well as continuing to receive financial aid.

B. Academic Probation

Graduate students will be placed on academic probation if they have accumulated more than 18 hours at the 400 level or above and have a GPA in the range of 2.667 to 2.999. Students placed on academic probation will be ineligible for financial aid and appointment or reappointment to an assistantship or fellowship.

C. Termination

Graduate students will be terminated from their program of study if they have accumulated more than 18 hours at the 400 level or above and have a GPA below 2.667, or if they have accumulated 30 or more hours and have less than a 3.000 GPA. When terminated, a student may no longer register in a graduate classification (see Section 3.16 – Withdrawal from the University for more information on program termination.)

If a student’s graduate degree program is terminated, s/he cannot use courses taken in PBS status after termination for credit toward the same graduate degree program.

D. Reinstatement

Under extenuating circumstances, the Director of Graduate Programs (DGP) may recommend and provide justification to the Graduate School to reinstate a student’s graduate classification using the Reinstatement Form. This recommendation must be in writing and must be signed and approved by the advisory committee and the DGP or the Department Head before it will be considered. It must include a reasonable academic and mentoring plan for achieving at least a 3.000 average.

If approved, the Graduate School will execute a “Matriculation” action in SIS, accompanied by a confirmation letter to the DGP and a request to Registration and Records to update the student’s academic standing. To register, the “advising service indicator” must be removed by either the Graduate School or the program as early as the following day. Students who request reinstatement of their assistantships/fellowships should ask their DGP to submit a request to the Graduate School along with the academic reinstatement request. The expectation is that the student’s GPA will be at least a 3.000 at the end of the semester. Please refer to Section 4.2.