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Your Academic Standing

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Academic Standing Table | Academic Support and Options | Transfer Equivalent Option


To remain enrolled at James Madison University, you must maintain satisfactory academic progress toward attaining a degree. This is measured by your cumulative grade point average (GPA). JMU provides guidelines on this page to help you maintain satisfactory progress. The guidelines should help you to detect whether or not you are having academic difficulty and what to do if you are having difficulty. We are committed to providing you with academic support programs and resources.

Academic Good Standing

An undergraduate student maintaining a cumulative GPA of at least a 2.0 is in Academic Good Standing and eligible to continue to enroll for classes.

Academic Probation

If your cumulative GPA falls below 2.0 but remains above the threshold for Academic Suspension (see the Academic Standing Table below), you are placed on Academic Probation. You may only enroll for 12 credit hours or less each semester until you improve your cumulative GPA enough to achieve Academic Good Standing. The university might also require students on Academic Probation to meet regularly with their academic advisers and to participate in the Educational Skills Development Programs. You must have at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA to graduate.

Academic Suspension

If your cumulative GPA falls below the threshold for Academic Suspension (see the Academic Standing Table below), you will be suspended. You may not enroll for classes for at least one year. Academic Suspension normally begins at the end of the Spring Semester or Summer Session. However, in exceptional cases where your academic performance is persistently unsatisfactory or if you fail to meet reinstatement conditions, you may be suspended at the end of the Fall Semester.

Academic Dismissal

If you are suspended a third time, you will be permanently dismissed from the university. You may not appeal this type of dismissal, nor will you be allowed to exercise the Transfer Equivalent option (defined below).

Academic Standing Table

Total Number of Hours for Standing * Good Standing Academic Probation Academic Suspension
1-27 2.0 and above 1.999-1.500 below 1.500
28-44 2.0 and above 1.999-1.650 below 1.650
45-59 2.0 and above 1.999-1.750 below 1.750
60-74 2.0 and above 1.999-1.850 below 1.850
75-89 2.0 and above 1.999-1.900 below 1.900
90-104 2.0 and above 1.999-1.994 below 1.994
105-119 2.0 and above 1.999 below 1.999
120 or above 2.0 and above   below 2.000

*Total Number of Hours for Standing includes all hours attempted at JMU plus:

  • Credit hours transferred to JMU.
  • Credit hours earned by departmental exam and AP credit.
  • Credit hours for courses taken on a credit/no credit basis (whether the final grade was CR or NC).

In the example below a student has attempted 60 credit hours at JMU and received 30 credits for transfer work and 2 hours of no credit work. The hours attempted plus the no credit and transfer hours place this student in the 92 credit hour category, even though the total number of hours earned is equal to 82. With a cumulative GPA of 1.991, the student is subject to suspension.

JMU Hours Attempted Trans Hours NC Hours JMU Hours Earned Cumulative Hours Earned Hours Standing Cumulative Quality Points Earned Cumulative GPA
60 30 2 52 82 92 119.5
 1.991


Options to Consider After You've Been Suspended

First Suspension

For your first Academic Suspension, you may submit a written appeal explaining the reasons for your academic deficiency. However, if your cumulative GPA is 1.0 or below, your chances of achieving academic James Madison University are in serious jeopardy, and you should consider your options.

If you do decide to appeal, submit your appeal to the office of the dean of your major college. If you have not declared a major, submit the appeal to the Associate Dean for General Education.

If your appeal is approved, you will be reinstated prior to the end of your one-year suspension. The office of the dean of your major college or the Associate Dean for General Education will decide whether or not you will be reinstated and determine the conditions you must meet in order to re-enroll.

Second Suspension

If this is your second suspension, the period of suspension is two calendar years. Students who are academically suspended for a second time are eligible to apply to return to JMU by agreeing to apply for the Transfer Equivalent Option upon their approved return to JMU.

Re-entry is not guaranteed, but is contingent upon review by an academic review committee chaired by the Director of Academic Student Services. Such review may result in a denial or conditional re-entry.

Third Suspension

There is no appeal. You are permanently dismissed from the university.

Transfer Credit from Other Institutions

You may wish to consider taking courses at another institution for transfer credit at JMU. To do this, you must complete paperwork with the JMU Registrar prior to enrolling in the course(s) to verify that the courses will be accepted by JMU. These courses cannot be used to raise your GPA at JMU, but may be considered when evaluating your re-enrollment.

A maximum of 12 credit hours will be accepted as transfer credit. The hours, not the grades, will be transferred to your record once you have been re-enrolled at JMU and have earned a minimum GPA of 2.0 in at least 12 credit hours attempted during the semester of your return.

Academic Support and Options

Academic Support Services

We recommend that you get help from the staff of one or more of the following university support services:

Academic Advising and Career Development

Counseling and Student Development Center

University Writing Center

Science and Mathematics Learning Center

These offices will review your study and social habits. Their help and your academic adviser's aid will support your progress toward graduation.

For more additional information and departments on campus that can assist you, visit our Resources page.

Financial Aid Information

If you received a Federal Stafford Loan while at JMU and were suspended, you must receive exit counseling after you stop taking classes. A packet of information will be mailed to you with forms to complete and return or you can do this online at http://www.jmu.edu/finaid/. The six-month grace period for these loans begins the last day you attended, even if you plan to return to JMU. If you return to JMU, you may or may not be eligible for federal financial aid as determined by the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) policy. You may obtain a copy of the SAP policy from the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships. If you are denied aid, you are responsible for finding other means to pay for your educational expenses.

Residence Life

If you are living on-campus in a residence hall or on Greek Row, you must meet the terms and conditions of the JMU Living Contract. You should contact the Office of Residence Life (540-568-4663) to officially check out of your assignment.

Important Alternatives Once You Are Re-enrolled at JMU

Repeat Forgiveness

You may elect to repeat up to two courses on a Repeat Forgiveness basis, but those courses must be repeated at JMU. This option allows you to repeat a course you previously took and forgive your prior attempt. This replaces the previous grade and credit hours from calculations of your GPA, whether you achieve a better grade on the repeated attempt or not. The grade from any previous course will appear on your transcript, even though it will only be counted once toward satisfying graduation requirements. You must declare Repeat Forgiveness at the time of course registration. This option is helpful if you were reinstated and are trying to improve your academic standing. You can find details on Repeat Forgiveness in the Academic Policies and Procedures section of the JMU Undergraduate Catalog.

Transfer Equivalent Option

If you return to JMU after an absence of two or more calendar years and maintain a 2.0 GPA for 12 credit hours after your return, you may apply for the transfer equivalent option. This allows you the same quality point status of a transfer student admitted to the university. That is, your new GPA will initially be earned in the 12 credit hours taken upon re-entry. To exercise this option, you must submit a written request for approval to the dean of your major college. If you are suspended with a GPA of 1.0 or below, this is a helpful option to consider. Specific regulations and procedures governing this option are described in the Academic Policies and Procedures section of the JMU Undergraduate Catalog.