Sometimes things go wrong. Sometimes students get into serious academic trouble. College is an expensive undertaking, and it is Northwest's philosophy that students should not waste their resources, and the College's resources, if they are not succeeding academically.
Probation and Suspension are two College policies which deal with a student's inadequate academic performance. Probation is a formal notice to the student that he or she is not making adequate academic progress. Suspension is a formal decision that the student may not register at Northwest, on a full-time basis, for the next semester.
Probation
Students are considered in good standing when they have a GPA above 2.0. Students whose cumulative GPA falls below 2.0 are placed on probation because of poor academic performance.
So what does probation mean? Well, the big thing is that it's formal notification that if things don't improve the student will be suspended.
A student placed on probation is given one semester to raise his or her GPA. If the GPA for that semester is above 2.0, but the cumulative GPA is still below 2.0, the student is placed on Continuing Probation. (In other words, the student pulled grades up for a semester, but the improvement was not enough to pull the cumulative GPA up above 2.0.)
If the student is unable earn a GPA over 2.0 the semester immediately following being placed on probation, or if the student drops below a 2.0 while on Continuing Probation, then that student is placed on Suspension.
The College Catalog spells this out in detail.
Suspension
Suspension denies the individual the right to register as a full-time student at Northwest. Normally, students are placed on probation first as a warning that they are in serious academic trouble.
If their academic performance fails to improve sufficiently while they are on probation, (that is, if they fail to pull their GPA to at least a 2.0) students are then suspended.
Students placed on suspension for academic reasons have three options for reinstatement: they may enroll as part-time students taking no more than 6 credits a semester until their GPA has been restored to at least a 2.0; they may sit out a semester and then return under Continuing Probation status; finally, they may change to non-degree seeking status and take a full load, but non-degree seeking students are not eligible for financial aid.
Academic Dismissal
If a student's cumulative GPA is 1.5 the student is placed on probation. If the student earns a 2.01 GPA for the semester, the cumulative GPA is still 1.7and the student remains on Continued Probation. Then, if the next semester the student earns a 1.5 GPA, that's it. The student is out of chances. Academic Dismissal kicks in and according to the Catalog, "permanently ends a student's enrollment at NWC."
Appealing Dismissal
Appeal decisions are made by the Admissions, Standards, and Awards Committee. Students may appeal the decision to dismiss them to the Student Appeals Board. During the appeal process students explain circumstances which might cause the Board to modify the decision of the Admission, Standards, and Awards Committee.
