ACADEMIC STANDARDS
Dean's List
A student in good standing with a semester grade point average of 3.50 (or higher) for 12 or more semester hours of course work will be placed on the Dean’s List for that semester. Students enrolled for credit in courses numbered below 1000 are not eligible for the Dean’s List.
Dean's Merit List
A student in good standing with a semester grade point average of 3.50 (or higher) for 10 or 11 semester hours of course work will be placed on the Dean’s Merit List for that semester. Students enrolled for credit in courses numbered below 1000 are not eligible for the Dean’s Merit List.
Graduation With Honors
To graduate with honors, students must meet all of the following requirements:
- learn a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.50 on all course work attempted at Gordon;
- earn a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.50 when all course work attempted at previous colleges attended and at Gordon is considered; and
- learn a minimum of 18 semester hours of degree credit at Gordon.
If eligible for graduation with honors, a student's particular honors category will be based on a grade point average calculated using credit hours earned at Gordon only. The honors categories are summarized as follows.
| Honors Category | Required Cumulative GPA |
|---|---|
| Cum Laude | 3.50 - 3.79 |
| Magna Cum Laude | 3.80 - 3.89 |
| Summa Cum Laude | 3.90 - 4.00 |
Academic Standards of Progress
To remain in good academic standing, all students are required to maintain an acceptable cumulative grade point average. The minimum acceptable cumulative grade point average (GPA) is based on the number of college level semester hours attempted. Hours taken at Gordon College in courses numbered below 1000 (Institutional credits earned in Learning Support courses) are not included in the Total GPA Hours Attempted column of the table below, nor are grades in these courses included in the Minimum Cumulative GPA column. The table below summarizes the relevant information.
| Total GPA Hours Attempted | Minimum Cumulative GPA |
|---|---|
| 1 – 15 | 1.40 |
| 16 – 30 | 1.60 |
| 31 – 45 | 1.80 |
| 46 – 59 | 1.90 |
| 60 | 2.00 |
All students who do not earn an acceptable GPA will be placed on Academic Probation at the end of the first semester an unacceptable GPA is earned and on Academic Suspension at the end of the subsequent semester if an unacceptable GPA is earned. A student placed on Academic Probation who does not meet the minimum cumulative GPA requirement at the end of the subsequent term may continue on Academic Probation if his semester GPA for the subsequent term is 2.00 or higher.
However, a full-time student making all F’s or WF’s in any given semester will automatically be placed on Academic Suspension. All students, including students classified as Learning Support, who transfer to Gordon College will be governed by these same standards. For transfer students, the Total GPA Hours Attempted column of the table refers only to the sum of hours taken at Gordon College.
The Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty has the discretionary power to suspend any student who is not making satisfactory progress toward graduation, regardless of the categories aforementioned.
The duration of an academic suspension is as follows:
First suspension .................... One semester
Second suspension .............. Two semesters
Third suspension .................. Three semesters
Fourth suspension ................ Permanent exclusion from the College
Students who wish to return to Gordon College after being placed on academic suspension must apply for readmission to the College. If granted, readmission will be on a probationary basis.
Students may appeal an academic suspension by completing a Student Petition and submitting it to the Registrar's Office.
Standards of Progress - Learning Support
In addition to the Academic Standards of Progress and in accordance with policies of the University System of Georgia, students enrolled in one or more Learning Support courses (see Learning Support Program in this catalog for more information) must comply with progression requirements of the Learning Support program. Learning Support attempts are cumulative within the University System of Georgia. Students who fail to exit the first level of the two-level Learning Support English, Reading or Math sequence after two attempts will be placed on Learning Support suspension for a period of three years without the right of appeal. Students who pass the first level of the two-level Learning Support English, Reading, or Math sequence but who fail to exit Learning Support English Reading, or Math after three cumulative attempts may, if they are eligible, appeal for one additional attempt before being suspended. To be eligible to appeal, a student must have reached the limit of three attempts in only one Learning Support area. This appeal must be initiated by the end of the current semester by filing a Learning Support petition. If the petition is approved, the student will be given one additional semester. Failure to exit the Learning Support program after the fourth attempt will result in the student being placed on Learning Support suspension for a period of three years, and the student will not be allowed to take classes in any college or university in the University System of Georgia. Students who have accumulated 20 semester hours or more of college level credit will be allowed to take only the required Learning Support classes. No other classes may be taken.
For a complete description of the academic standards of progress required for Learning Support students, contact the office of the Division of Humanities or the office of the Division of Mathematics and Natural Sciences.
Students who have been suspended from the University System and who wish to re-enter Learning Support programs to complete requirements may be retested with the COMPASS (in any unsatisfied area) after a period of three years, if they have not taken any college courses in the University System during that time. The student will be bound by the most current set of COMPASS scores.
Students readmitted under this provision will not be allowed any more than three additional attempts in any Learning Support area before they are initially suspended.
Students who have not been suspended and who wish to re-enter the Learning Support program to complete requirements may be retested with the COMPASS (in any unsatisfied area) if they have not taken any college courses in the University System for a period of three years. The student will be bound by the most current set of COMPASS scores. Students readmitted under this provision will not be allowed any more than three additional attempts in any Learning Support area before they are initially suspended.
If they elect to retake COMPASS, they will be bound by the most current set of COMPASS scores. Students readmitted under this provision will not be allowed more than three additional attempts in any Learning Support area before they are initially suspended.
Changing Majors
A student who wishes to change his or her program of study or major must notify the Registrar's Office in writing. Students who make such changes may have to complete additional hours of course work beyond that required by their previous program of study. Failure to provide such notification may result in delayed graduation.
Regents' Testing Program
Gordon College requires that all students pass the Regents' Test before receiving a degree from the College. The test, which evaluates basic reading and writing skills, is administered each semester in a place and at a time announced in that semester's Schedule of Classes and on the college web site. Beginning fall term 2008, entering freshmen who do not have learning support requirements in Reading or English must take the Regents’ Test in their first semester of enrollment. Any student who fails to take the Regents’ Test at the scheduled time may be administratively withdrawn from the College.
A student with an SAT-I Verbal score of at least 510 or ACT Reading score of at least 23 is considered to have passed the reading section when he/she enrolls to take the Regents’ Test; scores must be from a national (not institutional) administration from the SAT or ACT. The student will then take only the essay section. See the Chair of the Division of Humanities for more information.
Students with College Board Advanced Placement (AP) English scores of at least 3, SAT II English Writing scores of at least 650, or International Baccalaureate (IB) higher-level English scores of at least 4 are considered as having fulfilled the essay requirement of the Regents’ Test and do not need to take the essay portion of the Regents’ Test. These students will then take only the reading section. See the Chair of the Division of Humanities for more information.
Any student who has completed 45 credit hours or more and who has not taken and passed the Regents’ Test must enroll in RGTR 0198 and RGTE 0199 each semester until passing the test. Students who fail the Regents’ Test twice are required to complete the necessary Regents’ Test Skills class/es before retaking the test. Any student who fails the essay section may file an appeal with the Chair of Humanities if the essay received one passing score.
A student whose native language is not English must report to the office of the Division of Humanities to discuss taking the Regents’ Test as an ESL (English as a Second Language) student at least two weeks before the test.
Any student requiring ADA accommodations for the Regents’ Test must bring a copy of the accommodations memo (see ADA Coordinator) to the Office of the Division of Humanities at least two weeks prior to the test. The memo must be submitted each semester that a student takes the test.
A student holding a baccalaureate degree (or a more advanced degree) from a regionally accredited institution of higher education will not be required to complete the Regents' Test in order to receive a degree from a University System institution.
The Regents' Test is a requirement for an Associate of Applied Science degree (AAS) and an Associate of Science degree (AS) in an allied health area.
Application for Graduation
Any student who plans to graduate from Gordon College is required to complete an application for graduation. Graduation applications are available in the Registrar’s Office and are reviewed by the Registrar to insure that all requirements for graduation are or will be satisfied at the anticipated date of graduation.
Students must file graduation applications no later than the official mid-term date of the semester prior to the anticipated semester of graduation. A student who plans to graduate at the end of Spring Semester, for example, is required to complete an application for graduation no later than the mid-term date of the previous Fall Semester.
Although students may graduate at the end of any semester in which all degree requirements are fulfilled, formal commencement exercises are held only at the end of Spring Semester. In the event that a student does not complete degree requirements by the end of the anticipated semester of graduation and therefore does not graduate, a new application for graduation must be completed.
To graduate a student must satisfy the requirements for a degree by meeting all of the requirements listed in any one of the catalogs in effect during the period of enrollment in the College.