Academic Standing

Records of all undergraduate and pharmacy students are examined at the end of each semester, including summer. Academic progress is measured by grades and credits earned. To be eligible to register continuously without restrictions, an undergraduate or pharmacy students must maintain good academic standing, which is defined as meeting or exceeding a 2.00 semester GPA on a 4.0 scale. Students are notified at the end of a semester via their NDSU email account if they become academically deficient.

Some academic majors have academic standards that are higher than the University minimum of 2.00. This information should be clearly outlined on the official major curriculum found in the University Catalog. Students may also consult with their academic adviser or academic department for information about program specific requirements. A graphic illustration of academic progress and standing is available on the One Stop website at standards of satisfactory academic progress. 

Academic standing is defined as follows:

Good Standing

Good standing is achieved when a student's cumulative GPA is at or above 2.00. (Prior to fall 2022, this standing was achieved when a student's semester GPA and cumulative GPA were 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. (Administered prior to fall 2022. Beginning fall 2022, this standing is no longer being issued; instead, students with a semester GPA below 2.00 and a cumulative GPA at or above 2.00, their standing is considered good.)

Academic Alert

An academic alert is issued when a student who entered the grading period on good standing (or academic warning) earns both a semester and cumulative GPA below the minimum 2.00. An academic alert does not appear on the student's official academic transcript, but does appear on the unofficial transcript. Students are notified of their academic alert status via official NDSU email. (Prior to fall 2022, this standing was Academic Probation.)

Continued Alert

Continued alert is a formal extension of the academic alert status. It is issued when a student enters the grading period on academic alert or continued alert, shows adequate progress by attaining a minimum semester GPA of 2.00, but the cumulative GPA is still below the minimum 2.00. Continued alert does not appear on the student's official academic transcript, but does appear on the unofficial transcript. Students are notified of their continued alert status via official NDSU email. (Prior to fall 2022, this standing was Continued Probation.)

Academic Suspension

Academic suspension is issued when a student enters the semester on either academic alert (formerly academic probation) or continued alert (formerly continued probation) and earns both a semester GPA and cumulative GPA below the minimum 2.00. This includes students admitted on alert (formerly probation) for their first semester at NDSU or readmitted on alert (formerly probation) following an academic suspension. A suspension hold is placed on the student's record by the Office of Registration and Record which prevents future registration.  If a student has registered for classes in a future semester, these courses are administratively removed by the Office of Registration and Records. Students who are suspended are notified of their suspension status via official NDSU email. An academic suspension appears on the student's official academic transcript. A student may not be considered for readmission for two semesters following an academic suspension.

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 Undergraduate Reactivation/Petition for Readmission Form to the Office of Registration and Records a minimum of 30 business days prior to the beginning of the semester in which the student is eligible for readmission. The petition is reviewed by a college committee and if approved, the student will be readmitted on academic probation and may register for classes.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Students who enrolled in courses at another institution while serving the terms of an NDSU academic suspension should review the NDSU repeated courses policy and transfer credit policy (#2). Students 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 earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00 in those classes. NDSU reserves the right to revoke readmission if official transcripts are not received or the final cumulative GPA from a sending institution is below 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 may be subject to dismissal or loss of credit or both. Courses previously completed at NDSU may only be repeated at NDSU for grade and GPA improvement on the NDSU academic record, with the exception of Tri-College courses (see Repeated Courses section for more details).

Dean's List

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 the developmental course MATH 098.  MATH 098 does not satisfy graduation requirements and does not calculate into the cumulative grade-point average on the academic record, but it is factored into the overall attempted credits and honor points for Dean's List consideration. 

The Dean’s List is only maintained for undergraduate students and Pharm.D. students.  Credits taken simultaneously via transfer, accelerated graduate coursework, and collaborative or consortium registration are not included in the NDSU Dean’s List calculation and do not count toward the NDSU minimum credit requirement.  These courses are considered transfer credit (see transfer credit). No exceptions can be considered for Dean's List consideration.

NOTE: The Office of Registration and Record notifies University News of Dean's List honorees.

Academic Forgiveness

A former student who has not completed a baccalaureate degree and has not been in attendance at for six (6) or more years*, but who is presently enrolled and attending classes 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 absence.

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 so it is in the student's best interest to understand all implications and to work with a knowledgeable advisor to determine the outcome before submitting the request. Qualified students can expect the forgiveness to be processed on the academic record after the 50% refund deadline, which is approximately 10 weeks into the semester. If the request is received between semesters or during the summer, the request will be processed after the 50% refund deadline of the next full semester.  

A qualifying student wishing to request academic forgiveness should submit a letter addressed to the Office of Registration and Records, 110 Ceres Hall, NDSU Dept. 2801, PO Box 6050, Fargo, ND 58108-6050 (or by fax to 701-231-8959 or email to ndsu.registrar@ndsu.edu) that includes the following:

• Student full name
• Student ID number
• Mailing address
• NDSU email address
• Prior full semesters you would like considered for forgiveness 

Notification of the request will be sent to the student's NDSU email account.