​Academic Standing for Undergraduate Students

Policy

Academic Standing for Undergraduate Students- Policy.pdf

Undergraduate students at Minnesota State Mankato are expected to meet academic standards set by the university and to demonstrate satisfactory academic progress towards earning a degree.

Good Academic Standing for undergraduate students is defined as

Achieving a Minnesota State Mankato (“local”) cumulative grade point average (GPA) of

• 1.7 or higher for 0-30 attempted credits,
• 1.85 or higher for 31-59 attempted credits, and
• 2.0 or higher for 60+ attempted credits.

Transfer credits accepted by Minnesota State Mankato are counted for the purpose of determining the applicable credit hour range.

AND

Maintaining a cumulative credit completion rate of at least 66.67% (transfer credits are included for purposes of calculating credit completion rate).

Grade Point Average (GPA) refers to the total number of quality points earned by the student, divided by the total number of credit hours attempted on a regular grade basis. Please refer to the Grading Policy for the quality point calculations. Courses in which a P or NC is earned are not included for purposes of calculating GPA.

Credit Completion Rate (CCR) refers to the ratio of earned and attempted credits.

• Courses that received grades of A (+/-), B (+/-), C (+/-), D (+/-), IP, and P are considered attempted and earned
• Courses assigned grades of F, NC, I, W or Z are considered attempted credits
• Courses taken as Audit (AU) have no grade point value and are not included for calculation of the Credit Completion Rate. Please refer to the Grading Policy for additional grade information.
• Remedial/developmental credits (e.g. MATH 098) are included in the GPA but excluded from calculations of completion rate (starting in Fall 2021) per System Procedure 2.9.1.
• When courses are repeated, only the highest grade is used in calculation of GPA, but all attempts are included in calculation of CCR. See the Undergraduate Course Repeat Policy for more information.

CCR is calculated as follows: CCR = Cumulative Earned Credits / Cumulative Attempted Credits

When a student falls below academic good standing requirements, it will result in:

Academic Warning: After one term (fall, spring, or summer) of not meeting good academic standing requirements, the student is placed on academic warning. Academic warning alerts students that adjustments need to be made to improve academic success. After students’ next term of enrollment, their record will be re-evaluated for satisfactory academic progress, and academic warning will be end-dated if the student achieves good academic standing requirements.

Academic Suspension: After two consecutive terms (fall, spring, or summer) of not meeting the good academic standing requirements, the student is academically suspended from the University. Academic suspension gives students an opportunity to pause and regroup before attempting further study. Students on academic suspension may not enroll in courses at the University unless specific conditions have been met (see below). The University will administratively drop the suspended student’s enrolled courses after they have been suspended.

Academic Probation: Students who are academically suspended are eligible to continue their enrollment immediately if they meet academic probation requirements, defined as a term GPA of 2.5+ and a term credit completion rate of 66.67%+. In this situation, a student will be moved to academic probation status. The student can continue to re-enroll while on academic probation as long as they meet term probation standards and/or achieve good academic standing. Failure to meet the academic probation requirements results in academic suspension (refer to reinstatement procedures below).

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Rationale

This policy is intended to guide undergraduate students through the academic warning, suspension, reinstatement/re-enrollment, and probation processes to support them in achieving satisfactory academic standing while progressing toward their goals. We understand students encounter academic difficulty for a variety of reasons, and our goal is to support students as they make changes to ensure success. A continued record of failure to meet satisfactory academic standing requirements jeopardizes admission to major programs, precludes graduation, and may prevent transfer to other institutions. Our goal is to support students as they make changes to ensure success.
The policy follows federal regulations and established in accordance with the guidelines authorized under Minnesota State Board Policy 2.9 and Procedure 2.9.1.

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History of Revisions

• Effective Date of Last Review: August 23, 2021
• Date of Last Review: July 2021
• Revisions Made:
  
  • 2025: Updated procedures to account for changes in advising structures that support students in academic recovery (warning, probation or suspension). Examples of extenuating circumstances were brought into alignment with examples from the University Student Financial Aid Eligibility Policy.
• References:
  
  • Minnesota State Board Policy 2.9
  • Minnesota State Board Procedures 2.9.1
  • Minnesota State University, Mankato Student Financial Aid Eligibility Policy
  • Minnesota State University, Mankato Grading Policy
  • Minnesota State University, Mankato Undergraduate Course Repeat Policy

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Procedure

Academic Standing for Undergraduate Students- Procedure.pdf

1. Registration & Academic Records runs the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) reports after grades are due each semester (fall, spring and summer).
2. SAP reports are shared with Academic Affairs, University Advising, and other relevant campus partners.
3. Academic Affairs notifies students via MavMail of their warning, suspension, or probation status and relevant next steps.
4. Academic Recovery Advising (within University Advising) reaches out to students on warning or probation with intervention information, including the opportunity to create Student Success Plans for warning or probation terms. Opportunities to create plans after week ten of the term are limited.
5. Students who are suspended are ineligible to continue their enrollment for at least one calendar year (3 consecutive terms, including summer).
   1. Students qualify for academic re-enrollment to the university after completing their term of suspension (see Re-enrollment after Suspension below).
   2. Students who have experienced documentable extenuating circumstances leading up to academic suspension and/or have an eligible Student Success Plan can appeal for early reinstatement consideration (see Early Reinstatement below).

Re-enrollment after Suspension

Students planning to return to the University after suspension (3 consecutive terms, including summer) should contact Academic Recovery Advising in University Advising. Next steps with Academic Recovery Advising include an advising appointment and creation of a Student Success Plan. Students are encouraged to schedule this advising appointment 2-3 months before the term they want to return to maximize course availability; appointments scheduled less than a month before the intended re-enrollment term are limited. Note: Appointments to re-enroll after suspension cannot occur before the course schedule for the intended re-enrollment term is posted.

Early Reinstatement

Students who experienced documentable extenuating circumstances leading up to academic suspension and/or who demonstrate significant academic improvement with an eligible Student Success Plan with Academic Recovery Advising can appeal to return sooner than one year (3 consecutive term, including summer) away from the University. Early reinstatement appeals need to be submitted no fewer than 14 calendar days before the Summer or Fall term and no less than 7 calendar days before the start of the Spring term. See the Academic Appeals webpage for specific deadlines and the early reinstatement form.

Extenuating Circumstances may include but are not limited to:

• Serious physical illness, disease management, mental illness, accident, or injury experienced by the student, the student’s dependent, the student’s immediate family member, or someone for whom the student is a primary caregiver.
• Death of a member of the student’s immediate family, which shall include spouse or domestic partner, children (including stepchildren, foster children, or wards), siblings, parents, parents of the spouse/partner, grandchildren, grandparents.
• Divorce experienced by student or their parent.
• Documentable legal, criminal, or personal hardship issues with immediate family, roommate, or other significant persons.
• Early reinstatement appeals are reviewed by the Assistant Provost for Accreditation, Assessment, and Curriculum Innovation, as the delegate for the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, and by the Undergraduate Academic Reinstatement Panel as needed. Appeals must include: Student statement describing the appeal request and rationale

AND

• Detailed documentation/evidence of extenuating circumstances

OR

• Evidence of significant academic improvement on the student’s transcript while working with a University Advising on a Student Success Plan

The student and Academic Recovery Advising receive notification about early reinstatement decisions within 7 calendar days after the appeal deadline. The decision is communicated from Academic Affairs via the email address the student shared in their reinstatement application.

The following information may be considered during review of application for reinstatement:

• Previous terms where good academic standing has been achieved
• Number of previous suspensions
• Length of time following suspension from Minnesota State Mankato
• Academic performance at institutions attended prior to and/or following suspension from Minnesota State Mankato
• Progress toward degree
• Evidence that the extenuating circumstance is fully resolved or will no longer be an impediment to academic success
• Evidence of substantial academic progress and an eligible Student Success Plan

Undergraduate Academic Reinstatement Panel

The Undergraduate Academic Reinstatement Panel serves as a consultative body when additional review of reinstatement applications is warranted. Recommendations will be made through simple majority vote. The panel includes representation from the following groups:

• Faculty Association
• University Advising
• Registration & Academic Records
• Financial Aid
• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
• Global Education
• Convened by Assistant Provost for Accreditation, Assessment, and Curriculum Innovation

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History of Revisions

• Effective Date of Last Review: August 1, 2026
• Date of Last Review: September 2025
• Revisions Made:
  
  • 2025: Updated procedures to account for changes in advising structures that support students in academic recovery (warning, probation or suspension). Examples of extenuating circumstances were brought into alignment with examples from the University Student Financial Aid Eligibility Policy.
• References:
  
  • Minnesota State Board Policy 2.9
  • Minnesota State Board Procedures 2.9.1
  • Minnesota State University, Mankato Student Financial Aid Eligibility Policy
  • Minnesota State University, Mankato Grading Policy
  • Minnesota State University, Mankato Undergraduate Course Repeat Policy

Rationale