Frequently Asked Questions
Online Graduate Student Center

What grade point average do I have to maintain in graduate school?

Here’s the answer from the Roosevelt Student Handbook 2007-2008 (you can access the full handbook by clicking here (PDF, 1,303K)):

"To be in good academic standing, graduate students at the MA level must maintain a cumulative grade point average (for all graduate work attempted within the student's degree program) of 3.0 or higher. Transfer grades are not included in the GPA. For doctoral students, criteria of good academic standing allow only three semester hours of C grades and require a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 or higher."

How many grades of C am I allowed?

"Not more than two courses with up to seven semester hours of credit with grades of C may be included in the course credits accepted for the master's degree." (This is also from the student handbook. Note, however, that students seeking a doctorate are only permitted three semester hours of C grades.)

What happens if my grade point average falls below 3.0?

Well, it’s not good news. Again, from the student handbook: "Students who fall below these academic standards during their course of study will be placed on probation. They will be notified in writing by the Graduate Dean and must contact the appropriate advisor in their program area as soon as possible. Graduate students must remove the probationary status and return to good academic standing within one semester (or at least six semester hours of study) or be dismissed from the university. They may do this by retaking a failed course or by replacing it with an equivalent course. Up to seven semester hours of courses with grades of C or lower can be excluded from the cumulative GPA; these courses do not count toward program completion. Students with two grades below C in two consecutive semesters will be dismissed without first being placed on probation. At the recommendation of their program area, students who fail to attain good academic status in their first semester of study also may be dismissed immediately. Students admitted on probationary status must be in good academic standing after their first semester of studies (or at least six semester hours) at Roosevelt University, or they will be dismissed."

What do I do if I’m dismissed?

This is serious news. Dismissal basically means you are no longer a graduate student and will not be permitted to register for further graduate classes at Roosevelt. However, the Student Handbook does provide an appeals process:

Academic Dismissal from the University and Appeals Process

The Office of the Graduate Dean will notify students of their dismissal in writing. Students who have been dismissed from the university will be barred from registering for further courses. If they have already registered, their registration will be dropped.

To appeal this decision, the student must write a letter to the director of the graduate program in which the student wishes to be reinstated. The letter must contain the following information:

1. An explanation of the conditions that were responsible for the student's poor academic performance;

2. A statement about the changes that bode well for an improvement in future academic performance;

3. A detailed statement concerning the actions that are required to allow the student to achieve good standing within the shortest possible time period.

The program area makes a written recommendation concerning the appeal, outlining briefly the reasons for the recommendation, and forwards the recommendation and all supporting documents to the Associate Provost for Graduate Studies. The Associate Provost presents the case to the Executive Committee of the Graduate Council at its next monthly meeting. The decision of the Executive Committee is presented to the Graduate Council. The decision of the Graduate Council is final.

The Office of the Graduate Dean will notify students of the decision of the Graduate Council in writing. If granted reinstatement, the academic status of students will be probationary. If the dismissal is upheld, this will be reflected in the student's academic record.