Academic Standards

ACADEMIC PROBATION

Academic probation results when a student's record calls into question his/her long-range chances for academic success and eventual graduation. At the end of any semester in which his/her Berry cumulative grade-point average is below 2.0, a student is placed on academic probation for the succeeding semester. A student may be removed from probational status only by achieving a 2.0 Berry cumulative average.

ACADEMIC SUSPENSION

While on academic probation, a student is subject to suspension from the college if his/her cumulative average on all hours undertaken at Berry College is below that required for the designated number of total hours attempted. Students will not be subject to suspension for academic reasons if they meet the standards listed below after one semester on academic probation or if during each successive semester of probation they complete a minimum of 12 semester hours and earn a minimum semester average of 2.3. Any time a student who has attempted a minimum of 20 hours earns less than a 1.0 grade-point average for a term and his/her cumulative grade-point average on all hours undertaken at Berry College is less than the minimum cumulative average required for the total hour attempted, the student may be suspended.

"Total Hours Attempted" means the total of (a) credit hours of courses taken at Berry for which any grade other than I, W, or WS, has been recorded; (b) the number of hours accepted as transfer credit from another institution, if any; and (c) the number of hours of CLEP and/or CBE credit earned by the student, if any. A student will be considered enrolled for any semester in which he/she has received a grade or grades affecting the grade-point average. A student will not be subject to suspension for academic reasons if he/she meets the standards listed above at the end of two semesters of academic probation or if during the second semester, or successive semesters, of probation he/she completes a minimum load of 12 semester hours and earns a minimum semester average of 2.3. 

READMISSION AFTER SUSPENSION

After the required period of absence from Berry, a student may request readmission through the office of the dean of admissions. Following an original suspension, a student may request readmission after a period of one semester; after a second suspension, the student is eligible to apply for readmission only after the lapse of one calendar year. In either case, readmission is based on the college's judgment that such an action would be in the best academic and other interests of both the student and Berry College. Before applying for readmission, the student should be certain that the conditions which led to the original academic problems have been or can be corrected. 

DISMISSAL

Dismissal for academic reasons represents a permanent separation from the institution and is a step of such seriousness that it is taken only after the most deliberate consideration. Dismissal may result when a readmitted student does not attain good academic standing for his/her classification after two semesters or reenrollment following a second suspension. 

CHANGING MAJORS OR ADVISORS

Students desiring to change majors, to select a second major, or to declare a major or minor should initiate with their advisor the Major(s)/Minor(s)/Advisor(s) form, obtain the signatures required on it, and leave the completed form with the chair of the department in which the new major is declared. The department chair assigns an advisor in the student's selected discipline and sends the form to the associate provost. 

Students wishing to change advisors should consult with their advisor. Undeclared majors in such circumstances should consult with the associate provost. 

CLASS ABSENCES

Students are expected to attend classes regularly. Each student is responsible to the instructor in matters pertaining to class attendance. The student should explain the cause of each absence; if the absence is deemed justifiable, the instructor may grant the student an opportunity to make up the work. Because the college is concerned about the academic success of the student, instructors are encouraged to keep records of class attendance and to report those with attendance issues. Instructors should explain to each of their classes at the beginning of every semester what constitutes “excessive absences.” A student with excessive absences may be withdrawn from the class at the request of the professor, in accordance with the policies explained on the course syllabus. Students who fail to attend all courses regularly may be withdrawn from the college.

CLASSIFICATION

Students are classified according to the number of hours of credit earned. The undergraduate student with fewer than 30 hours is classified as a freshman. One with as many as 30 but fewer than 60 is a sophomore. A junior is a student with at least 60 hours but fewer than 90, and a senior has 90 or more hours. 

DROPPING/ADDING COURSES

Students should see their advisor to obtain a drop/add form. A drop/add form signed by the advisor must be brought to the registrar's office. Students may drop/add courses during the first four days of each term. Withdrawals may continue after the fourth day. However, these changes will affect HOPE hours.  

STUDYING AT ANOTHER INSTITUTION AS A TRANSIENT

A student who wishes to take courses at another institution must request permission to do so in advance from the registrar. This is done by taking a signed transient-student permission form to one's advisor for signature and then to the registrar, with a list of the desired courses and the institution the student will be attending. Students must request that official transcripts be sent to the registrar when the course have been completed. Students must earn a C or better on any course to be transferred to Berry. 

WITHDRAWAL FROM BERRY COLLEGE

To withdraw, a student must obtain withdrawal forms from the secretary in the office of the associate provost, fill out the withdrawal form, obtain the signature of the advisor and a staff member in the student-business services office, and return the signed form to the office of the associate provost. This procedure DOES NOT apply to students who are full-time transient students for one semester. Also, students working full time on campus, co-op students, and graduating students do not withdraw from the college. 

These forms must be completed in order for withdrawing students to leave the college with a clear record. Students initiating the withdrawal process after the final date of the official pre-registration period for the subsequent semester will forfeit the enrollment deposit and the housing deposit. A student who has a Perkins Loan must complete an Exit Interview form in the business office. A student who has a Guaranteed Student Loan/Stafford Loan must complete an Exit Interview form in the financial-aid office. 

Students who will be absent from campus for at least one full semester but are not classified as full-time transient students must complete the withdrawal form. Prior to returning, the student must submit to the dean of admissions an application for readmission. No application fee will be charged. 

INVOLUNTARY WITHDRAWAL FROM BERRY COLLEGE

Berry College may require at any time the withdrawal of any student whose conduct or academic standing it regards as undesirable, either for the student's sake or for the college's. 

If the undesirable conduct is unintentional but suggests that the student may be harmful to self or others or is incompatible with the good order and operation of the college, the matter will be referred to the dean of students. The dean of students will consult with health-care providers, professors, counselors, and other individuals as appropriate. The dean of students may require interim, temporary, or permanent withdrawal of such student. 

If the undesirable conduct is deliberate, the student will be subject to the rules and procedures provided in the Code of Student Conduct and Judicial Board of Student Conduct Bylaws. 

Students who leave the campus under the above conditions, either voluntarily or involuntarily, may be readmitted to the college only after being cleared by the dean of admissions with concurrence of the dean of students. Permission for readmission may take into account the student's demonstrating a period of stable behavior outside the college and may require a statement from a physician, psychologist, or other qualified professionals that the student is ready to return and cope successfully with college life. Follow-up services or special conditions may be required as part of the readmission decision.