Information and resources for COSSPP undergraduate students facing an academic status of Academic Probation, Probation Continued, or Dismissed – Reinstated on Probation.
Information
Academic Standing and Our Commitments
College Commitment to Students
The College of Social Sciences and Public Policy is committed to empowering students through teaching, mentoring, and advising as they pursue their academic goals. When students fall out of good academic standing, the Office of Academic Affairs steps in to provide information, resource referrals, academic advising, and guidance on appropriate University policies and procedures. We are here to support students as they work to improve their standing and make progress towards completing their degree requirements.
FSU Academic Standing Policy
Florida State University’s academic standing and retention policy can be found online in the University Bulletin. Under this policy, if the student fails to earn an overall 2.0 FSU GPA (good academic standing), they are placed on Academic Probation.
- Academic Probation: Any time a student’s FSU cumulative GPA falls below 2.0, they will have a designation of “Academic Probation” placed on their transcript and the student will be placed on academic probation for their next term of enrollment at FSU. Students must enroll in enough credit hours and earn grades high enough in those courses to return their FSU GPA to a 2.0 or higher to return to good academic standing.
- Academic Probation Continued: Students on probation who do not earn a 2.0 FSU GPA but who earn a term (semester) GPA of 2.5 or higher at FSU will be placed on “Academic Probation Continued”. A student may be on “Academic Probation Continued” for a maximum of two (2) consecutive terms.
- Academic Dismissal: Students who do not earn a 2.0 FSU GPA after one semester on academic probation and who earn a term (semester) GPA of less than 2.5 will be dismissed from the university. Students who have not returned to good academic standing after two consecutive semesters of “Academic Probation Continued” status will be dismissed.
Student Commitment to Return to Good Academic Standing
When on academic probation, students must understand and are responsible for following the conditions set forth by the University to return to good academic standing. This requires a minimum that they earn the FSU course grades needed to achieve an overall FSU GPA of 2.0 or higher.
The College requires that students on academic probation complete the following steps as part of their academic recovery process:
- Meet with a COSSPP Academic Advisor between the 2nd and 7th weeks of the semester for Academic Recovery Advising.
- Schedule an appointment through Campus Connect.
- Complete the online COSSPP Academic Recovery Advising Survey.
- Check FSU email weekly (at minimum) for important updates, reminders, and announcements from the Office of Academic Affairs and respond when required by any stated deadline.
- If outlined in their initial or follow-up probation notifications from the Office of Academic Affairs, complete a series of meetings with an Academic Guide over the course of the next semester.
GPA Recovery Points – Credit Hours and Grades
Information about your GPA deficit and how many credit hours or courses will be needed to return to a 2.0 FSU GPA are included in the probation notification sent to you by the Office of Academic Affairs or can be reviewed with a COSSPP academic advisor.
Recovery points (quality points which reduce a GPA deficit) are earned with grades of C+ or better. C grades have no impact on the deficit. Grades lower than C will increase the deficit. The chart below indicates the number of recovery points you can regain in three-hour and one-hour classes based on the grades that you earn.
| Recovery Points | Recovery Points |
| Three-credit hour course | One-credit hour course |
| A = 6.00 | A = 2.00 |
| A- = 5.25 | A- = 1.75 |
| B+ = 3.75 | B+ = 1.25 |
| B = 3.00 | B = 1.00 |
| B- = 2.25 | B- = 0.75 |
| C+ = 0.75 | C+ = 0.25 |
| C = 0.00 | C = 0.00 |
Important Dates and Academic Policies
Dates and Deadlines
- Review the University Academic Calendar for the most up-to-date information on University dates and deadlines
- 7th Week Deadline (Spring 2024 – February 23)
- Last day to drop a class without dean’s permission.
- Last day to change a course from letter-graded to S/U grading.
- Last day to withdraw without extenuating circumstances.
- 12th Week Deadline (Spring 2024 – April 5)
- Deadline for one-time late drop with dean’s permission.
Semester Non-enrollment (“Taking Time Off”)
Undergraduate students are considered active students for two consecutive semesters (Fall, Spring, Summer) from their last term of enrollment at FSU. Many students facing academic probation consider not enrolling in classes or taking time away from the university to rest, recover, or re-evaluate their commitment to their studies or current academic plan. Still active but not enrolled students do not have to apply for readmission to the University before reenrolling in classes.
If you do plan to take some time away, please let us know. We want to help support you during that time through academic advising, resource referrals, and development of an academic action plan that best helps you succeed on your return to FSU in completing your degree requirements.
Incomplete “I” Grades
Incomplete “I” grades in letter-graded courses do not count toward a student’s FSU GPA hours until they are either resolved or roll to their default grade on the allotted date. However, “I” graded courses do count as attempted enrollment. An “I” grade with no other letter-graded enrollment in that same semester will result in a 0.0 term GPA displaying on the transcript and if a student was previously on academic probation will result in an academic dismissal.
Resolving or defaulting outstanding incomplete “I” grades may either increase or decrease the GPA deficit depending on the letter grade earned. This may alter academic standing in one or several terms as the student’s GPA is updated from that term moving forward.
Resolved or defaulted “I” grades which increase a student’s GPA deficit may result in the transcript being updated to reflect an increased number of terms on academic probation or dismissal. The associated penalties of these updated statuses are applied from the point of the grade update moving forward.
It is the student’s responsibility to remain in contact with their instructor(s) to ensure resolving “I” grades successfully and in a timely manner.
Financial Aid
Academic Probation status can have a serious impact on your financial aid status. Low cumulative GPA and/or low course completion rate may impact satisfactory academic progress and/or make you ineligible for Federal and/or other types of financial aid.
Check your financial aid status before the start of classes – you will need to contact the Office of Financial Aid with any questions regarding financial aid eligibility and/or Student Business Services with questions tuition and fees, payments, university debt, and financial customer service.
Grade Disputes and Appeals
Students who feel they were given a grade in violation of the instructor’s specified grading statement in the course syllabus may attempt to appeal the grade. This must be initiated first with the instructor within 15 class days, and if unresolved within that period, submitted to the Department Chair or Director within 10 class days. The Office of Academic Affairs plays no role in the grade appeals process.
Additional and detailed information on this process is available through the Office of Faculty Development and Advancement.
Drops and Withdrawals
Students enduring personal hardship or experiencing severe medical or mental health complications during the semester in question that impacted course attendance, assignment completion, and/or final grade may contact the Office of Academic Affairs (coss-academic-dean@fsu.edu / 850-644-5470) to discuss potential petitions for course drops or semester withdrawals.
All COSSPP drop and withdrawal petitions must be initiated through our online petition form. Retroactive drop and withdrawal petitions (made after grades have posted for a given semester) are only considered in the case of failing “F” or unsatisfactory “U” grades.
Additional, detailed information on the drop and withdrawals process can be found in our Drop and Withdrawals FAQ page.
Resources and Referrals
Academic Resources
FSU offers a variety of academic support services across campus and many times accessible virtually. We encourage students to take advantage of these opportunities as well as many others on campus.
- Tutoring through the FSU Academic Center for Excellence and/or the FSU Library
- Academic success workshops
- Writing assignment assistance through the Reading Writing Center
- Specialized support offices for transfer students, students in distance learning programs, and student veterans
- Student success courses (recommended but not required) – letter graded so they can help build your GPA while also building academic skills
- SLS 1122 Strategies for Academic Success – for students who started college at FSU (1 credit hour)
- SLS 3140 Academic Success for Transfer Students – for students who transferred to FSU (1 credit hour)
- SDS 3340 Introduction to Career Development – build life/career planning skills (variable 1-3 credit hours)
Health and Life Wellness Resources
Every student faces the possibility of enduring some type of personal hardship outside of classes that can directly impact their academic performance. In addition to the following common resources, the Department of Student Support and Transitions and other offices on campus can offer assistance and guidance on a variety of issues.
- Case Management Services – provides emotional support, counseling, advocacy, and identification of immediate needs, and makes referrals to campus and community resources
- Counseling and Psychological Services – services including counseling, alcohol and drug assessments, anxiety management programs, peer support, and emergency walk in appointments
- Food Pantry – an on-campus food pantry supporting students experiencing food insecurity
- Office of Accessibility Services – supporting student access and success though academic, housing, and dining accommodations; testing support; assistive technologies; and more.
- Victim Advocate Program – confidential advocates offer emotional support, instructor notification, referrals, crisis intervention and assistance in student conduct, legal, and medical matters