University Academic Appeals

Students who violate the University’s FUSS regulation regarding academic standing will be subject to placement on academic suspension or academic dismissal. Upon designation of suspension or dismissal, you will be dropped from your courses for the subsequent term you were enrolled in and will no longer be considered an enrolled NCCU student.

If you believe your academic suspension or dismissal occurred under extraordinary circumstances, you may file an academic appeal for consideration of academic reinstatement. Academic appeals must be submitted by the corresponding deadlines below in order to continue enrollment for a subsequent term. After a review of your academic appeal submission, a decision will be made regarding your eligibility to continue enrollment at NCCU.  

Note: Students who are not currently enrolled in a fall or spring term and wish to return must first apply for readmission.

There are four (4) steps in the Academic Appeals Process.

Step 1. Review Your Academic Standing: Check your academic standing and/or review email notifications from the Office of the Registrar

Step 2. Submit Academic Appeal Materials for Consideration: Submit any materials that provide an explanation for the circumstances that led you to academic suspension or academic dismissal. Obtain documentation, if applicable, that verifies statements made in your written narrative. Appeal submissions that do not include supporting documentation (e.g., a doctor’s note, a letter from a professor or a financial statement) are more likely to be denied. If you have questions regarding appropriate supporting documentation, contact your assigned advisor.

For example, if you were under the care of a medical professional during the semesters in question, provide documentation of this care, including dates of service.

You should also include a narrative of the circumstances and explain why you have not been as academically successful as you anticipated. This statement should:

• Be typed and no longer than one page in length but thorough
• Address your efforts with past academic recovery plans
• Include a clear plan for achieving academic improvement

Note: It is important that when submitting your academic appeal, you select the correct school/college. Students with less than 53 earned credit hours should select University College as their school/college.

Step 3. Wait for the Decision of Your Academic Appeal Submission: Upon submission of your appeal, your academic advisor and the committee in your school/college will review your materials and render a decision of approved or denied for your eligibility to continue enrollment for the subsequent term.

This decision will be communicated with you via email.

Due to the volume of academic appeals received, it may take several days (up to a week) for a decision to be made. All students will be notified of a decision by the corresponding deadline and should plan accordingly. Students planning to live on campus should not move into the residence halls without an approved appeal notification.

Step 4. Proceed with Next Steps Listed in the After the Academic Appeal Results Section: Questions regarding the Academic Appeal Process can be directed to your academic advisor or academic dean in your school/college.

Academic Appeal Student Submission Process Workflow

The identified Academic Appeals Review chairs are listed below:

Spring 2023 Academic Appeals Submission & Review Timeline

Continuing Students (enrolled in Fall 2022 courses) Academic Appeal Timeline for Consideration of Spring 2023 reinstatement

Summer 2023 Academic Appeals Submission and Review Timeline

Below is the continuing student (enrolled in Spring 2023 courses) academic appeal timeline for consideration of Summer 2023 reinstatement.

Note: Students approved for summer academic appeals will likely only be able to begin in Summer Session II.

Fall 2023 Academic Appeals Submission and Review Timeline

Below is the continuing student (enrolled in Spring 2023 or Summer 2023 courses) academic appeal timeline for consideration of Fall 2023 reinstatement.

The goal of the FUSS regulation is to monitor the academic progress of our undergraduate students, ensuring that appropriate support is made available to them. The regulation now includes a monitoring component of probation to ensure that students are provided the opportunity to improve in order to return to good academic standing with the university.

Check Your Academic Standing:  To check your academic standing, please review your academic records (transcript) in Banner SSB or Degreeworks.

Academic Warning: All undergraduate students who do not achieve a cumulative GPA of 2.0 after the first semester at NCCU will be placed on Academic Warning for the following enrolled semester.

Academic Probation: If a student has not earned a cumulative GPA of 2.0 at the end of the Academic Warning semester, the student will then be placed on Academic Probation for the following enrolled semester. Academic Probation provides the student with an opportunity to return to good academic standing. Students who do not achieve a cumulative GPA of 2.0 at the end of the Academic Probation semester will then be placed on Probation Monitoring Status the following enrolled semester. Students on Academic Warning or Probation who return to Good Academic Standing, but later fall below the minimum cumulative GPA requirement of 2.0 in a subsequent semester, will again be placed on Academic Probation.

Academic Suspension: Probation monitoring status will be maintained each semester that a student earns a minimum semester GPA of 2.0. Students’ progression will be monitored by their academic advisor each semester. If at any point during the monitoring status, a student does not achieve the required semester GPA of 2.0, they will be Academically Suspended for the next enrolled semester (which is the period of one semester). Students may appeal an academic suspension to their academic dean.

Academic Dismissal:  Academic Dismissal occurs when a student was academically suspended and returns to the university but subsequently does not meet the requirements for good academic standing. Additionally, students who are granted an appeal for dismissal will be placed on Academic Probation. If a student does not meet good academic standing after two (2) dismissals, the student will be permanently dismissed from the university.

Approved Appeal

If your appeal is approved, please reach out to your academic advisor about course registration for the approved term. Please be aware that a change of major may be required as a contingency of your academic appeal. Upon reinstatement, you will be placed on Probation Monitoring. This means you will have one semester to earn a term GPA of 2.0 and thus remain eligible to continue enrollment. If this does not happen, you will be dismissed. If seeking financial aid, please contact the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid for eligibility status.

Denied Appeal

Suspension Academic Appeal Denied: If you submitted an academic appeal after being suspended that is denied, you will be unable to enroll at NCCU for at least one semester (fall or spring). We highly encourage you to meet with your academic advisor to discuss your plans during your time away from NCCU. If there are extenuating circumstances in which additional information or substantial documentation has become available since your first appeal, you may file an additional level of appeal to the dean of your school or college. The decision of the dean is final. Appeals will not be accepted after the deadlines.

Dismissal Academic Appeal Denied: If you submitted an academic appeal after being dismissed that is denied, you will be unable to enroll at NCCU for at least two years. We highly encourage you to meet with your academic advisor to discuss your plans during your time away from NCCU. If there are extenuating circumstances in which additional information or substantial documentation has become available since your first appeal, you may file an additional level of appeal to the dean of your school or college. The decision of the dean is final. Appeals will not be accepted after the deadlines.

Students living on campus should immediately contact the Office of Residence Life to ensure the termination of their housing contract and vacate the residence halls.

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Financial Aid Appeal Process

Students who do not meet the University’s SAP requirements may lose their eligibility to receive federal, state and institutional financial aid.

If you have lost your financial aid eligibility, you will be required to submit a Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Appeal.

A SAP appeal is independent from any review of your academic record conducted by various academic departments.

For more information about the Satisfactory Academic Appeal Progress Form, please visit https://www.nccu.edu/ssa/satisfactory-academic-progress.