Academic progress is measured by grades and credits earned. Students receive acknowledgment for high academic achievement and are given early warning when they become academically deficient.

To be eligible to register continuously without conditions, an undergraduate or professional student must maintain good academic standing, which is defined as a minimum cumulative institutional grade point average of 2.00 (4.00 scale).

Some programs of study have academic standards higher than the University minimum. Students should consult with their adviser or academic department for program specific requirements.

Records of all students are examined at the end of each grading period. Academic standing relates to the following:

Good

Good standing reflects when a student's term GPA and cumulative GPA are both at or above. 2.00. 

Academic Warning

An academic warning is to alert a student that his/her term GPA is below the minimum required for good standing, even though the institutional cumulative GPA is at or above 2.00. An academic warning does not appear on the official academic transcript, but does appear on the unofficial transcript. Students are notified of their academic warning status via official NDSU email.

Academic Probation

An academic probation is issued when a student who entered the grading period on good standing or academic warning earns an institutional cumulative GPA below the minimum 2.00 for good standing. Students placed on academic probation may not enroll in more than 16 credits for the following semester (or 12 credits for the following summer session) without permission of the student's academic adviser. An academic probation does not appear on the student's official academic transcript, but does appear on the unofficial transcript. An adviser hold is placed on the student's record, and may only be removed after the student has met with his/her adviser. Students are notified of their academic probation status via official NDSU email.

Continued Probation

Continued probation is a formal extension of the academic probation status. It is issued when a student enters the grading period on academic probation or continued probation, shows adequate progress by attaining a minimum term GPA of 2.00, but his/her cumulative institutional GPA is still below the minimum 2.00 for good standing. Students placed on continued probation may enroll in no more than 16 credits for the following semester (or 12 credits for the following summer session) without permission of the student's academic adviser. Continued probation does not appear on the student's official academic transcript, but does appear on the unofficial transcript. An adviser hold is placed on the student's record, and may only be removed after the student has met with his/her adviser. Students are notified of their continued probation status via official NDSU email.

Academic Suspension

Academic suspension is issued when the academically deficient student does not demonstrate an improvement in his or her institutional cumulative GPA at the close of the semester. A student may not be considered for readmission for two grading periods following an academic suspension (includes summer). An academic suspension appears on the student's official academic transcript. Academic suspension is issued when a student who entered the grading period on either probation or continued probation earns both a term GPA and institutional cumulative GPA below the minimum 2.00 for good standing. This includes students admitted on probation for their first semester at NDSU or readmitted on probation following an academic suspension.

Students who are suspended are notified of their suspension status via official NDSU email and letter sent to the 'Home' address as listed in Campus Connection.

Filing a Suspension Appeal Based on Extenuating Circumstances

A student who has been suspended may appeal the suspension but only if there are extraordinary circumstances beyond the student's control that can be supported with documentation. An Appeal Academic Suspension form is available online and must be submitted to the Office of Registration and Records no later than the deadline published on the appeal form. If approved, the student must make satisfactory academic progress in the subsequent term according to the published academic standards of the University (see above).

Readmission After Serving an Academic Suspension

To be considered for readmission after serving an academic suspension, students must sit out a minimum of two grading periods (includes summer) and file a Reactivation/Petition for Readmission Form to the Office of Registration and Records 30 business days prior to the beginning of the semester in which readmission is sought. The petition is reviewed by the College Student Progress committee within the academic college for the program of study being sought.  If approved, the student will be readmitted on academic probation and may register for classes. Students who enrolled in courses at another institution while serving the terms of an NDSU academic suspension must arrange for an official transcript to be sent to the Office of Registration and Records before readmission will be considered. Students re-entering NDSU from an academic suspension who attended courses elsewhere must have earned a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00.

An Academic Suspension from Another Institution

NDSU honors suspensions of other institutions. Transfer and returning students who have been suspended from another institution may not be considered for admission or readmission until one year has lapsed or the suspension has been lifted. Students who fail to report all previous college work are subject to dismissal or loss of credit or both. Courses previously completed at NDSU may only be repeated at NDSU, with the exception of Tri-College courses (see Repeated Courses section for more details).

To be eligible for inclusion on the Dean’s List for any given semester, a student must have earned a minimum grade-point average of 3.50 during that term while completing at least 12 semester hours (nine semester hours during the summer) in graded coursework.  Graded coursework includes developmental courses (MATH 98 and ENGL 100) that are graded but do not satisfy requirements for graduation and are not calculated into the grade-point average displayed on the NDSU academic transcript.  The Dean’s List is only maintained for undergraduate students and professional (Pharm.D.) students.

Credits taken simultaneously via transfer, collaborative or consortium registration are not included in NDSU Dean’s List calculation and do not count toward the minimum credit requirement.

Notification: The Office of Registration and Record notifies the Dean’s Office within each academic college and University News.

A former NDSU student who has not completed a baccalaureate degree and has not been in attendance at NDSU for six (6) or more years, but who is presently enrolled at NDSU, may request to exclude from grade-point-average calculations all grades earned in selected full terms (quarters or semesters) completed at NDSU prior to the six-year interval.

The courses and grades for the terms selected will remain on the student's academic record, but credits, honor points, and grades will be excluded from grade-point average calculations. Excluded courses cannot be used to satisfy any academic requirements. A student may exercise this option only once by submitting a written request to the Office of Registration and Records.