Standards and Regulations Home

Loyola University Chicago understands education to be a process of academic development and growth; therefore academic progress is an important element in an individual's life at the university. The university has instituted formal procedures for warning and ultimately dismissing those who are not progressing as required. Academic probationary status and even academic dismissal should be understood as necessary, although unfortunate, consequences for those students directly involved. During the period of academic probation no student will be allowed to represent the university publicly. Any exception to this restriction must come explicitly from the student's academic dean. The student's academic dean determines when a student is placed on academic probation or dismissed for academic reasons.

Generally, academic standing is determined using a basic grade point average (GPA) criteria. Students must maintain a grade point average of at least 2.00 to be in good academic standing. Graduation from the university requires at least a 2.00 average for all coursework attempted and a minimum of a least a 2.00 average in a student's major.

Note - some majors have additional GPA requirements. Students must check with their major department to learn of the minimum grade point guidelines.

Probation

There are 2 types of academic probation: Academic Standing and Progress Toward a Degree.

Any student whose cumulative GPA falls below 2.00 and who has a Quality Point Deficit of between 1 and 14 points will be placed on probation. Quality Point Deficit refers to the number of Quality Points below a 2.00 GPA on a student's record. For example, a student who has completed 34 semester hours with a 2.00 GPA has 68 Quality Points. A Quality Point Deficit refers to the number of quality points below 68. This formula is the same for any number of semester hours completed - 2.00 times the number of semester hours equals the minimum Quality Point Standard.

Students may also be placed on probation for not making progress toward degree completion. Any student whose cumulative GPA is 2.00 or better but who fails to show timely progression toward completion of his/her degree requirements may, at the discretion of his/her dean, be placed on probation. In such cases, the dean may require a contract defining the terms under which the student can remove him/herself from probation.

Continued on Probation

Any student who achieves a term GPA of at least 2.33 during the probationary semester, while not yet achieving a cumulative GPA of 2.00, will be continued on probation.

Multiple Probations

Any student who is placed on probationary status more than one time will be allowed only one semester in which to return to good standing. If the student does not return to good standing at the end of that probationary semester, he/she may be dismissed for poor scholarship.

Dismissal for Poor Scholarship

Any student who has a quality point deficit of 15 or more points, even if he/she has not had a previous semester of probationary status, may be dismissed for poor scholarship. Any student who fails to achieve a term GPA of at least 2.33 for the probationary semester (unless he/she restores his/her cumulative GPA to a minimum of 2.00 at the end of that semester) will be dismissed for poor scholarship.