Minimum Grade Requirements

A student will be placed on academic probation at the close of a term when the cumulative grade-point average is less than 2.0. At the close of a term, the Office of the Registrar will notify students who are on academic probation of their status, including any requirements the University establishes to help improve their academic performance.

Students on academic probation may be required to repeat courses, enroll in no more than 18 credits, take courses in reading and study skills, attend academic progress meetings sponsored by the Office of the Registrar, attend workshops and seminars on academic success, obtain advisor’s approval to make schedule changes, and enroll in class sections that offer supplemental instruction. Students who are informed by the Registrar that they have been placed on academic probation should immediately meet with their academic advisor to discuss plans for improvement.

Academic standing is determined at the end of a semester. To avoid academic dismissal a student on academic probation must meet the following conditions:

• A student with less than 30 earned credits at the end of the semester, (including transfer credit and other credit granted) is required to earn a 2.0 term grade-point average at the end of the probation term and each following term until the cumulative average reaches 2.0 or above.

• A student with 30 or more earned credits at the end of the semester, (including transfer credit and other credit granted) is required to earn a 2.1 term grade-point average at the end of the probation term and each following term until the cumulative average reaches 2.0 or above.     

Transferred credits from other colleges and universities will be included in determining the number of completed credits. The grades from those institutions will not be used in figuring the cumulative grade-point average.

Students dismissed from Ball State for academic reasons cannot be reinstated for at least two semesters (summer is considered a semester). To be reinstated, students must complete an application form available from the Office of the Registrar and submit it to the Office of the Registrar for review by the appropriate date for the term of enrollment. The application cannot be reviewed if a “university hold” has been placed on the student record or if the university has not received official transcripts of grades from all other schools attended since the last semester of attendance at Ball State. Reinstatement to the university does not ensure admission to a particular college or program of study.

Ball State is not obligated to reinstate students who have been dismissed. Students granted reinstatement must show that they have sufficient aptitude to pursue their intended program of study. They must also show signs of increased maturity, increased commitment to education, and adequate financial resources to attend Ball State without excessive employment. Students may not apply for reinstatement more than once in a twelve-month period. Students who have been disqualified will not be reinstated more than once in a three-year period.

All degree programs require that students earn a grade-point average of at least 2.0 overall and in each major, minor, certificate, and the University Core Curriculum. Some programs—for example, teacher education—have higher minimum requirements.

Academic Clemency. Undergraduate students who were not enrolled at Ball State University for a five-year period may petition the Office of the Registrar to have grades and credits earned before that period removed from the calculation of their cumulative grade-point averages. Students participating in the program are specifically required to comply with the following provisions:

• The student must not already have an earned degree from Ball State University.

• University records must verify that they were not registered in any capacity at Ball State University for a period of at least five years.

• For students who qualify for academic clemency, all previous Ball State University course work with grades of C or above will be counted for credit only. However, students will lose credit for all courses with grades below C and resume their academic program with no cumulative grade-point average and marks placed in the student record.

• The student’s academic records will be inscribed with the note “Academic Clemency Granted (date).”

• Academic clemency may be used only one time by a Ball State University student.

• Academic clemency is final and irreversible.

• All other policies of Ball State University apply.

Call the Office of the Registrar, 765-285-1722, for more information on the deadlines for applications for reinstatement or academic clemency.