Academic Standing Policies
Hiram College Academic Standing Policies
All policies, procedures, and standards regarding Academic Probation, Suspension, and Readmission after Suspension are determined by the Hiram College Academic Review Board (ARB). The ARB consists of eight voting faculty members and additional non-voting resource staff, including representatives from the offices of the Academic Dean and the Dean of Students.
Any student whose cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) is below 2.00 does not meet the academic standards of the college and is subject to Academic Probation or Suspension.
Traditional Students in their First Semester at Hiram College
For a traditional student in his or her first semester at Hiram College, the following guidelines are used by the board:
- 0.00–1.24 GPA: The student will be Suspended from the College.*
- 1.25–1.99 GPA: The student receives Probation.
*A request for exemption may be made to the Academic Review Board ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ). You may also approach a faculty or staff member to request that they write a letter on your behalf. All petitions and supporting documents must reach the Chair of ARB by 9:00am on the Wednesday prior to the start of spring semester classes or one week before the ARB meeting for the May and August meetings. ARB requests the following information be in your letter:
- For each of your classes in which you performed poorly, explain the reason for your grade. We are looking for specific actions of yours that led to this result, whenever possible.
- Identify the courses you plan to take next semester and provide a plan of action for performing well in the courses.
All Other Traditional College Students
A traditional student in his or her second or subsequent semester at Hiram who has a cumulative GPA below 2.00 may be Suspended. If a student has not been suspended, but receives Probation instead, the Conditions of Probation are given below. At the end of each semester, ARB reviews the academic work of all students who are on probation. If a student satisfies all of the Conditions of Probation, then the student will be taken off probation once his or her cumulative GPA is 2.00 or above.
Professional and Graduate Studies Students
- With 0 - 9.99 hours of graded course work, whose cumulative GPA is 0.00 – 1.99 will receive an academic warning.
- With 10.0 – 19.9 hours of graded course work
- whose cumulative GPA is 0.00–0.74 is subject to immediate Suspension from the college.
- whose cumulative GPA is 0.75–1.49 may be Suspended. While on Probation, the student will not be required to take a specific number of credit hours per semester (see Condition 1 below). All other requirements are the same as for Traditional College students.
- Whose cumulative GPA is 1.50-1.99 will receive an Academic Warning.
- With at least 20 hours of graded course work, whose cumulative GPA is 0.00-1.99 will be placed on Probation. While on Probation, the student will not be required to take a specific number of credit hours per semester (see Condition 1 below). All other requirements are the same as for Traditional College students.
Academic Probation
A student on Academic Probation must satisfy all of the following Conditions of Probation for each semester that the student remains on Probation.
Each Fall Semester and Spring Semester on Probation:
1. The student must enroll in and complete at least two courses in the 12-week session and one course in the 3-week session. Each of these three courses must carry at least three semester hours of credit, and they must be graded (not Pass/No Credit). The student may not withdraw from any of these three courses (grade of W) nor take an Incomplete in any of these three courses (grade of I).
2. None of the courses chosen for the semester may be courses taken independently (for example, tutorials or 281 courses), nor may they be courses already taken for which the grade received was a C or better.
3. The student must achieve a GPA for all courses taken in the semester of at least 2.00. Note that Conditions 2 and 3 above apply to all courses taken in the semester, not just the three courses described in Condition 1.
Each Summer Semester on Probation:
1. The student may choose not to enroll in the Summer Session at Hiram. However, if the student does take classes during the Summer Semester at Hiram, he or she must satisfy Conditions 2 and 3 above.
A student who fails to satisfy the Conditions of Probation is subject to Suspension from the college at the end of the semester.
Suspension
A student who has been Suspended once by the Academic Review Board is not eligible or readmission for two semesters (counting the Summer Session). In order to be readmitted, the student must provide to the board convincing evidence that the conditions that led to the Suspension have been effectively dealt with and that he or she now will be able to meet the academic standards of the college. A student who has been Suspended twice by the Academic Review Board is not eligible for readmission for five years.
Requests for Exceptions
A student may request exceptions to these policies. This request must be by written petition to the Academic Review Board. The regular meetings of the board occur in January, May, and August, at the end of each semester. All petitions and supporting documents must reach the Chair of ARB one week before the board meeting. Information about how to contact the Chair or other members of ARB is available at the Associate Dean's Office, Third Floor Hinsdale, 330.569.5126.
Appeals
A student who wishes to appeal an ARB decision must submit a written statement to the Dean of the College within 72 hours after the decision has been communicated. Appeals may be made only on two grounds:
1. The ARB failed to follow its policies and procedures correctly;
2. There is new information that was not available to ARB at the time of the decision.
The Dean will review the case and will make a final decision.
