Guidelines for Academic Actions

This information pertains to College of Education undergraduates ONLY. Graduate students must contact Tim Emrick with The Graduate School to pursue any academic action.

The College of Education offers several services to support our student’s academic and personal success. The Academic Action Specialist seeks to provide mediation, guidance, and support for students who are making little or no progress due to academic or non-academic circumstances. To initiate these services or to pursue an action below, please contact Thomas Cantrell.

For Students

• Academic Probation, Suspension & Reinstatement
• Academic Bankruptcy
• Appeals
• FERPA Document Completion
• Full University Withdrawals
• Post-midterm Withdrawals
• Retroactive Withdrawals
• Two-Year Waiver Appeal for Retroactive Withdrawals

For Faculty

Faculty members who suspect an academic offense has been committed can access the University regulations on academic offenses in Section 6.3.0 in the University Senate Rules, beginning on page 178.

Any situation involving potential plagiarism is to be initiated by the professor and must follow S.R. 6.3.0 per the University of Kentucky Senate Council.

*This information pertains to College of Education undergraduates ONLY. Please consult the college in which you are enrolled for college-specific contacts and procedures.

Academic Probation and Suspension (Undergraduates)

The academic probation and suspension standards that are used to determine a student’s academic standing University-wide are based on grade-point average. Individual colleges may establish policies regarding academic probation and suspension with regard to a student’s academic standing within the college in addition to the University-wide policies prescribed in Senate Rule 5.3.1. If a college establishes such a policy, the policy must be approved by the University Senate and made available in writing to the students.

A student suspended from a college or program may transfer to another college or program which has a 2.0 grade-point average admission requirement for transfer students, even if the student has a GPA lower than 2.0, provided he or she is not subject to the provisions for suspension from the University. However, the student must meet all other admission criteria established by the college or program. If the student would have been placed on academic probation by the college to which he or she is transferring had he or she been previously enrolled in that college, then the college may place the student on probation at the time of admission.

Scholastic Probation

Students are placed on scholastic probation if:

1. Their cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) falls below 2.0.
   
   Students on probation for this reason who achieve a cumulative 2.0 GPA or higher shall be removed from probation.
2. They have two consecutive UK academic terms with term GPAs below 2.0 regardless of their cumulative GPA.
   
   Students who achieve a 2.0 or better in the next term and have a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher will be removed from probation.
3. If the student has completed all the academic and procedural requirements for the degree while still maintaining an overall GPA of 2.0 or higher (or the minimum GPA established by a specific college), the degree shall be awarded and the student placed in good standing.
4. The Summer Session and Summer Term are considered two separate academic terms and are subject to the same probation and suspension provisions as Spring and Fall.

Removal from Probation

Except as provided for by specific college probation policy, an undergraduate student may be removed from probation by the dean of the college when the student on scholastic probation has earned 90 semester hours (senior standing), and at the end of a semester or session has a cumulative grade-point standing of 2.0.

Academic Suspension

Students are subject to suspension if:

1. They fail to earn a 2.0 term GPA for any term while on probation;
2. They have three consecutive UK terms in which their cumulative GPA remains below 2.0; or
3. Their GPA is below 0.6 after their first term, if the semester’s GPA is based on at least 9 hours of grades, A, B, C, D, or E.

Notwithstanding the provisions above, in the case of a student eligible for suspension, the dean of the student’s college may continue a student on academic probation if the individual case so justifies with notification to the Director of Undergraduate Studies.

General Rules Pertaining to Students Under Academic Suspension

A student academically suspended from the University may not enroll in any courses (including courses taken through the Office of Independent Study) offered by the University nor take any special examination for University credit. Students already enrolled in correspondence course(s) will be allowed to complete the course work upon notification of his/her suspension.

A student academically suspended from the University a second time shall not be readmitted to the University except in unusual circumstances and then only upon recommendation of the dean of the college in which the student plans to enroll and approval of the University Senate Council.

Once reported to the Registrar, an academic suspension may be rescinded by the dean only in the event of an error in the determination of the student’s eligibility for suspension, an official grade change that alters the student’s suspension eligibility, or exceptional circumstances.

Reinstatement

**For past or potential College of Education students ONLY**

After they have remained out of the University for at least a semester and both summer sessions (Fall and Spring for students academically suspended at the end of a summer session), students who have been academically suspended may only be reinstated by the dean of the college in which they plan to enroll when they present evidence that they are capable of performing at the level required to prevent being suspended a second time. After being reinstated, students must apply for readmission to the University.

If interested in applying for reinstatement to the College of Education, please contact Thomas Cantrell.

Deadline to Apply for Reinstatement:

• Fall semester: May 15
• Spring and Summer semesters: October 1

General Rules for Reinstated Students

A student who has been academically suspended shall, upon reinstatement, be placed on scholastic probation and be subject to final academic suspension from the University if: The student acquires any additional deficit during any semester or session while on academic probation; The student has failed to meet the requirements for removal from academic probation by the end of the third semester following the reinstatement.

Once reinstated students have been removed from scholastic probation, they will be subject to the same conditions for subsequent academic suspension as students who have not previously been academically suspended.

Readmission After Two or More Years (Academic Bankruptcy)

Undergraduate students who have been readmitted through the usual channels after an interruption of two or more continuous years, and who have completed at least one semester or 12 hours with a GPA of 2.0 or better, beginning with the semester of readmission, may choose to have none of their previous University course work counted toward graduation and in the computation of their GPAs. Enrollment for a semester, when terminated by a withdrawal before completion of the semester (grades all Ws), in the two years preceding readmission is not an interruption. Under this circumstance, a student cannot invoke the academic bankruptcy rule.

In addition, the dean of the student’s college may permit such a readmitted student who has elected not to count past work to receive credit for selected courses without including those grades in the computation of the student’s GPA (cumulate or otherwise).

Part-time as well as full-time students can take advantage of the academic bankruptcy rule. Students need not have been originally suspended from the University to qualify for this option.

In calculating the 2.0 GPA, a student must have taken all of the 12 hours necessary to apply for bankruptcy for a letter grade. Course numbers ending with a suffix of R, if taken for a letter grade, shall count toward the 12-hour minimum of eligibility for bankruptcy under this rule.

If a student has completed a bachelor’s degree and re-enrolls, he/she may not apply the academic bankruptcy rule to courses taken for the degree already completed.

The Academic Bankruptcy option may be used only once.

Post-Midterm Withdrawals

*This information pertains to College of Education undergraduates ONLY.

Senate Council [Rule v, 1, 8, 3]: A student may withdraw from a class during the latter half of the term upon approval by the dean of the student’s College of a petition certifying urgent non-academic reasons including but not limited to:

1. Illness or injury of the student;
2. Serious personal or family problems;
3. Serious financial difficulties.

When:

From the day after the deadline to withdraw via myUK (check on-line schedule) to the official last day of classes.

How:

1. Contact Thomas Cantrell to request the Post-Midterm Withdrawal Application(s).
2. Have the instructor for each class, fill out, sign, and date the second page of the form.
3. Obtain and attach explanations and documentation detailing your reason(s) for withdrawing from the course(s).
4. Submit all materials to Thomas Cantrell before the last day of classes for the term.
5. Applicants will be notified via email once a decision has been reached by the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Student Success.

NOTE: If you wish to fully withdraw from ALL current courses before the last day of classes, please contact your academic advisor IMMEDIATELY. Following the last day of classes of the semester, all withdrawals must be performed retroactively.

Retroactive Withdrawals

*This information pertains to College of Education undergraduates ONLY.

A retroactive withdrawal essentially allows students to withdraw from a semester’s courses after the end of that semester. When approved, a retroactive withdrawal appeal allows grades of ‘W’ to be posted for each course for which the approval is granted, and neither earned hours nor the previous grades from those courses are counted in the student’s overall record. Possible rationales for the retroactive withdrawal are the same as they are for the post-midterm withdrawal:

1. Illness or injury of the student;
2. Serious personal or family problems;
3. Serious financial difficulties.

The retroactive withdrawal process typically has two stages: the college level (where, in the College of Education, the Associate Dean reviews the application materials and recommends whether to approve the request, and the University Senate level, where the Retroactive Withdrawal Appeals Committee of the University Senate reviews the application and, weighing the evidence coupled with the Associate Dean’s recommendation, makes the ultimate decision whether to approve the withdrawal.

The following instructions come directly from the University Senate’s Retroactive Withdrawal Appeal application:

How to apply. This application should be completed and submitted to the academic dean of the college in which you were enrolled during the semester from which you wish to withdraw. You should consult with that dean for further guidance before you submit the application. If you wish to make multiple requests to withdraw, you must complete a separate application for each semester from which you wish to withdraw.

When to apply. Your completed application – including all the required attachments – must be received in the dean’s office within two years from the last day of classes of the semester from which withdrawal is requested AND prior to graduation.

List of courses and course information. Typically, a student may withdraw from a given semester only if the withdrawal is from all classes. If you choose to apply to withdraw from some but not all classes for a semester and your application is denied, that denial does not preclude you from reapplying to withdraw from all the classes in that semester, so long as the new application is submitted to your dean within the required time period. You may not apply to withdraw from a course in which you received a grade of XE or XF.

Instructor feedback forms. You must submit a completed Instructor Feedback Form from each instructor listed on Page 1, unless the dean who will review your application waives this requirement.

After the application is completed by you, you must submit it to the academic dean of the college in which you were enrolled during the semester from which you wish to withdraw. The dean or dean’s designee will determine whether or not to support your application and will, in either event, forward the completed application to the University Senate’s Retroactive Withdrawal Appeals Committee (SRWAC). The dean’s actions will normally occur within 30 days of receipt of your completed Part 1 of this Application.

Proceedings before the SRWAC. If you wish to appear before the SRWAC in person, you must indicate so on Part I of the form. You have the right to appear before the SRWAC to present your case as well as to answer any questions SRWAC members might have . The SRWAC’s decision will normally be made within 30 days of receipt of the completed application from the academic dean. Your current dean will notify you in writing of the SRWAC’s decision. If your application is granted, the withdrawal will be processed by the Registrar.

*Please note that graduate students who wish to apply for a retroactive withdrawal from a given semester should contact the Graduate School; undergraduates in other colleges in the University of Kentucky should contact the academic services office or their advisers for paperwork and information on procedures.

TEP Appeals Process

Candidates who are denied admission to an educator certification program, not retained in the program, or denied completion of the program, may appeal the decision of program faculty. Refer to the College of Education section of the UK Bulletin titled “Admission, Retention, and Completion From Teacher Education Programs” for more information.

Grade Appeals

If a student believes that he or she has been graded unfairly on a particular paper, test, or other assignment, or if the student believes that his or her final course grade is unfair, the student is expected to share those concerns with the instructor of the course and/or the chair of the department where the course is taught. If the student’s issues are not resolved in conversation with the instructor and department chair, the student may contact the Office of the Academic Ombud at 859-257-3737 or Ombud@uky.edu. The Academic Ombud will discuss the matter with the student to assess the merit of the complaint. If the Academic Ombud agrees that the complaint has merit, the Ombud, with the student’s permission, will contact the instructor and attempt to resolve or mediate the dispute.

If a student’s grade dispute involves a final grade and the Ombud cannot resolve the issue informally, a student is entitled to have the University Appeals Board hear the complaint. That body is the only University entity that can modify a grade. If a student wishes to file an appeal with the University Appeals Board, the student will be asked by the Ombud to prepare a written appeal. The Ombud will also approach the instructor for his or her perspective. If the Ombud determines that the appeal has merit, the matter will be sent to the University Appeals Board for a hearing. If the Ombud determines that the case does not have merit, the student will be notified in writing and will then have 30 days to appeal to the University Appeals Board directly, requesting that a hearing be granted. It is important to know that there is a 180 day statute of limitations for grade appeals. The Academic Ombud is empowered to hear only those grievances directed to the Office of the Academic Ombud within 180 days subsequent to the conclusion of the academic term in which the problem occurred.