Once grades are in for the spring semester student records are automatically reviewed using a complex Infosource query. Students are assigned an academic standing status based on their performance for the spring semester, their cumulative GPA, and their cumulative Quality Point Deficit.
To learn more about the dismissal appeal process refer to the Undergraduate Dismissal Appeal Process (pdf). The criteria for dismissal from the university can be found in the Academic Standards Review (Academic Dismissal) section of the Undergraduate Catalog.
Once the results of the Academic Review query have been checked and are accurate, dismissed students are notified via UB email and via U.S. mail at their permanent address on file in SIS. Students are notified that they have until June 26 to file an appeal, should they wish to do so. We set this deadline based on the date of the first billing cycle, which is in mid-July. We must have all appeals processed prior to that date so that we can deregister students from their classes before bills are sent.
Advising Administrators are sent a list of the students who are in any of the following categories: probation, warning, concern, or dismissal. They will also receive generic copies of the emails that went to each of these categories of students.
The Dismissal Committee notifies the following offices of this preliminary list of dismissed students so that they can take appropriate action or prepare to take appropriate action once dismissals are final:
If a student wishes to appeal, s/he needs to work with an advisor to complete and submit the following:
3a. Undergraduate Dismissal Appeal Form
- This form is available online (pdf)
- Advisors should verify the first bullet of section 4 based on the student’s Quality Point Deficit as follows:
Students’ QPD Amount by which the student must reduce his/her QPD 20-29.99 6 30-39.99 9 40-49.99 12 50 or above* 15 *Most appeals for students with a QPD of 50 or above will be denied.
3b. Academic Plan Worksheet
- The worksheet is available online (xls)
- The Academic Plan Worksheet provides an opportunity for the student and advisor to work together to develop a plan that will help the student to meet his/her target Quality Point Deficit reduction. It also demonstrates to appeal reviewers that the student has given thought to his/her academics and is aware of what must be done to recover from his/her deficit.
- Current student schedule should match the Academic Plan. We recognize that this is not always possible due to course availability at the time the plan is made, but the schedule should closely resemble the Academic Plan. Students should also be realistic about the grades that they expect to receive in the fall semester.
- On the worksheet, the data can be entered in the blue cells, and other cells are automatically completed using formulas. Explanations of each of the terms are available by hovering over the text.
- If a student completes the worksheet before coming to his/her advising appointment, then the advisor should be sure to double check the information entered in blue, especially cumulative UB GPA hours attempted and cumulative UB quality points, since the sheet’s calculations are based on these figures.
- Note: If there are differences between the hours attempted and quality points listed on SIS and those listed on DARS, then the numbers on SIS should be used. Once the appeal has been submitted, please contact Academic Processing Services at 645-5698 or file a DARS Change Form so that they can address the discrepancy.
- When assisting students with the appeal process and in formulating an academic plan, advisors should be sure to review and make recommendations for change to the student's fall semester schedule, if necessary.
- If students are taking summer courses, two Academic Plans must be submitted (one with summer courses and one with fall courses).
3c. Statement regarding past academic performance
- All students must attach a statement to their Dismissal Appeal Form that explains the circumstances and decisions that may have led to their academic difficulty.
- If there is any documentation relevant to the student's statement, it should be attached to the statement.
- If the student is applying for an academic withdrawal the original Request for Academic Withdrawal Form and appropriate documentation must be included with the student’s dismissal appeal form. The dismissal committee will use this information to make a decision about the appeal and withdrawal request. If the request for academic withdrawal is not included the dismissal appeal will not be considered.
3d. Optional statement from the advisor
If the advisor has any additional information or recommendations to the Dismissal Committee that may help with making a decision in this student’s case, s/he should attach a note or memorandum to the student’s appeal before submitting the packet.
When meeting with the student, it is recommended that the advisor place an A checkstop on his/her record. The A can then be overridden for the fall semester so that the student can register if his/her appeal is approved, but the A checkstop will be in place for the Spring so that students who are granted a dismissal deferral will need to meet with the advisor prior to registering for the spring.
The academic advisor should sign the Dismissal Appeal Form and submit the packet to the Dismissal Committee in 232 Capen Hall.
The Dismissal Committee will review dismissal appeals once they are received. When reviewing appeals, the committee will consider the following:
Please note that submitting an appeal does not guarantee that the student will be able to return to UB. The Dismissal Committee will send a letter to the student’s mailing address as listed on the Dismissal Appeal Form (with a copy via UB email). This letter will contain the final decision, as well as any conditions that the student must meet in the fall semester in order to register for the spring. A copy of this letter will be emailed to the academic advisor that signed off on the student’s appeal.
The Dismissal Committee makes the final decision regarding student appeals. The final decision will be one of the following:
Once the deadline for dismissal appeals has passed and review of the submitted appeals is complete, all students for whom dismissal is final are deregistered from their fall classes.
S checkstops are overridden for the fall for dismissal deferral students and removed for students who received full reinstatement. Dismissal notations are removed from the transcripts of those who received full reinstatement.
The Dismissal Committee notifies the following offices of the final list of dismissed and dismissal deferral students so that they can take appropriate action:
At this time, there will be some students for whom the committee is waiting for summer grades in order to make a decision. Final decisions about these students will be made as their summer grades come in, the students will be notified, and the offices mentioned above will receive an updated list.
At the beginning of the following fall semester, S checkstops are overridden for the following spring semester for dismissal deferral students so that they can register for the spring during their normal registration window.
At the end of the fall semester (usually the Monday after grades are due, but earlier if the student’s grades are in), dismissal deferral students are reviewed by a committee member to determine if they have met their conditions for returning to UB for the spring semester. Those students who have met their conditions receive another semester of dismissal deferral for the spring semester. Those students who have not met their conditions are dismissed, their registration for the spring semester is cancelled, and their S checkstop override for the spring is removed. These students must wait a full year before reapplying to UB.
At the beginning of the following spring semester, S checkstops are overridden for the following fall semester for dismissal deferral students so that they can register for the fall during their normal registration window.
At the end of the spring semester (usually the Monday after grades are due, but earlier if the student has a complete semester of grades), dismissal deferral students are reviewed by a committee member to determine if they have met their conditions for returning to UB for the following academic year. Those students who have met their conditions are fully reinstated (although they may be on probation if their cumulative GPA remains below 2.0). Those students who have not met their conditions are dismissed, their registration for the fall semester is cancelled, and their S checkstop override for the fall is removed. These students must wait a full year before reapplying to UB.
Answer: The reason that there may be differences in quality points and hours attempted between SIS and DARS is because the programming behind these tools allows them to recognize different anomalies in our courses. When Degree Auditors notice these differences, they correct them manually in SIS. Some common examples are as follows:
When you see a discrepancy between quality points and hours attempted between SIS and DARS, please contact Academic Processing Services staff at 645-5698 or submit a DARS Change Form. They will make the appropriate manual correction to the student's record.
Answer: Dismissal deferral and reinstated students' financial aid eligibility will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. A financial aid notification will be sent to the students via postal mail. Students can schedule an appointment with a Financial Aid Advisor to discuss their financial aid notification by calling 716.645.6013 or stopping by 109 Norton Hall.
Answer: Probationary status is not a permanent notation on a student’s record, but serves as a warning system so that students can work towards recovery from academic difficulty. As such, students cannot appeal probation based on circumstances that affected their academic performance or claims that they are improving in the current semester.
Appeals of probation are only considered in three situations:
In the case of grade changes, only changes that are the result of instructor error will be considered, and resolved Incomplete grades will not be considered. If a student qualifies for an appeal of probation, s/he should send a letter to the Dismissal Committee which provides justification for the request.
If you have additional questions or concerns about the dismissal process, feel free to contact Jacqui Hollins at jhollins@buffalo.edu or 645-2836.
Last updated: May 11, 2009 8:34 am EST