Academic Standing

Good Academic Standing

Good academic standing for undergraduate students is determined by at least a 2.00 grade point average (GPA). A student who meets this criteria maintains the eligibility to re-enroll.

Please review the Policy and Procedures for Academic Probation for Undergraduate Students for complete information about academic standing requirements.

Academic standing for financial aid eligibility is separate from academic standing for enrollment eligibility. Please review statements on Eligibility for NYS (Eligibility for New York State Financial Aid Policy) and Federal Financial Aid (Eligibility for Federal Financial Aid Policy), or contact the Office of Financial Aid for more information on financial aid eligibility.

Academic Probation

A student’s academic standing is determined by at least a 2.00 GPA. The first time a student fails to meet this GPA requirement, the student will be placed in academic probation.

While on academic probation, students are restricted to no more than 12 credits of enrollment in a term until they have returned to good standing. Exceptions to this policy can be made at the discretion of the student’s Dean or Associate Dean in consultation with the mentor on the basis of consistent academic achievement.

Students will return to good academic standing once their overall GPA returns to 2.00 or above. Students who maintain a term GPA of at least 2.00 will be granted an additional term of academic probation even if their overall GPA remains below 2.00.

SUNY Empire State College requires a 2.00 GPA to graduate for undergraduate degrees.

Academic Dismissal

If a student fails to achieve a minimum 2.00 GPA while on academic probation, the student will be academically dismissed. If the student has registered for the upcoming term, their registration will be canceled, and they will be notified.

While in academic dismissal, a student may not enroll in any new studies, nor submit requests for credit by evaluation until the dismissal has been cleared. However, the student may complete any studies in which an incomplete was granted. If the student earns sufficient quality points by completing the outstanding work and restores their overall GPA to a minimum of 2.00, the academic dismissal will be cleared.

Students may only return to the college by restoring their overall GPA to a minimum of 2.00 or requesting reinstatement.

Academic Reinstatement

A dismissed student is not eligible to enroll following dismissal for at least one academic term, typically 15 weeks. Reinstatement after dismissal is not automatic or guaranteed. A dismissed student will need to provide evidence that despite past difficulty, they are able to maintain at least a 2.00 GPA. For more specific information regarding reinstatement, contact Student Academic Services via email at AcademicServices@esc.edu or by phone at 800-847-3000, ext. 1278.

Reinstated students will be placed in academic probation status with a credit limit of 12 credits of enrollment unless instructed otherwise as part of the conditions of their reinstatement.

Academic reinstatement may affect financial aid eligibility. Students should direct questions about financial aid to the Office of Financial Aid.