Bright College balances opportunities for students whose Grade-Point Averages (GPAs) fall below 2.0 to improve their academic standing with student accountability. In addition to the University-wide policies and procedures governing minimum GPA, probation, and suspension for full-time students described below, Bright College students must meet the requirements outlined below to remain enrolled and in good standing.
Satisfactory Progress toward Degree
A student must pass all required courses and maintain a 2.0 over-all GPA to graduate. A student may not have failed more than one course or seminar component without having repeated at least one of them to remain enrolled at Bright College, as explained in the Repeating a Course Policy below, except in rare cases.
In this policy, the word “student” means an undergraduate student. The term “academic year” means any period of 12 consecutive months embracing two regular semesters, a summer term, and a January term. The “cumulative G.P.A.” refers only to credits taken at Drake University. The provisions of Drake University’s probation and suspension policy are grounded in the philosophy that any student enrolled at the University should:
The academic records of students subject to probation and suspension are reviewed immediately after final grades are recorded. Between the fall and spring semesters, when time is of the essence, assistant/associate deans may gather information before grades are processed by the Office of the Registrar and begin a preliminary review.
Suspension decisions are made by the associate/assistant dean of each college and school. Before the final decision is made, input from various sources, including the student, adviser, professors and other relevant sources may be obtained. Students are suspended from the college/school and the university.
It is the university's practice to email suspension letters within five working days after grades are due from faculty. Suspended students are received notification of their suspension via their official Drake University email address. A link to the probation and suspension rules is included in the email.
A student shall be suspended from the University for at least one academic year if he/she:
A student shall be suspended from Bright College for one semester if he/she:
Each integrated seminar is composed of three 4-credit components, which appear as separate classes on the student’s transcript.
A student must earn a passing grade in at least two of the three components of any integrated seminar to progress to the next regular semester, in addition to meeting minimum requirements for continuation outlined in the University’s Probation and Suspension policy above. Students who receive one and only one failing grade in a seminar component but still meet minimum requirements of the Probation and Suspension policy above may register for and attend future courses and seminars.
A failing grade in two or all three of the components of an integrated seminar, regardless of GPA, will result in a one-semester suspension effective at the beginning of the next semester, and the student will be required to re-enroll in a subsequent year to repeat the seminar in order to progress in the program. Students who still meet minimum requirements of the Probation and Suspension policy above may register for and attend summer courses, but not future seminars or January courses until the period of suspension expires.
A failing grade in only one component of an integrated seminar will require the student, upon application to the dean, to repeat the failed component the following semester. To repeat a seminar component, a student will enroll in either an independent study bearing the course number of the course or component to be repeated or an approved equivalent course offered in one of Drake University’s disciplinary departments along with a required tutorial, at the discretion of the dean in consultation with the faculty, and pay the associated administrative fees.
A student who fails a repeated component may, with the approval of the dean, continue to repeat the component in following semesters, paying the associated administrative and (as applicable, overload) fees, until they pass the component, provided they continue to pass all other components of concurrent integrated and culminating seminars.
If a student has failed two components of two separate interdisciplinary seminars without making satisfactory progress toward repeating and passing at least one of them, the student will be subject to a one-semester suspension, and must apply to re-take the entire seminar during which the more recent failure occurred and repeat the component failed earlier in a subsequent year.
A student is not automatically granted permission to repeat a course; the student must apply to the dean for permission to do so. The dean will then consult with the faculty and review the student’s overall record before granting permission to repeat. The College does not guarantee the availability of more than one opportunity to repeat a seminar component
January and Summer Courses
A student who fails the January course JBC 025 may proceed in the program, but must repeat the course in a subsequent January or summer and pay associated overload tuition and fees.
A student who fails the summer course JBC 045 may proceed in the program, but must repeat the course in a subsequent Summer and pay the associated tuition and fees.
Students who fail to fulfill the internship component but otherwise pass JBC 045 will be given a grade of Incomplete (I) and required to complete the internship portion in the following summer or during the regular semester.
Students will be responsible for timely paying the associated administrative fees and any tuition overload associated with course repetition.
A student is not automatically granted permission to repeat a course; the student must apply to the dean for permission to do so. The dean will then consult with the faculty and review the student’s overall record before granting permission to repeat. The College does not guarantee the availability of more than one opportunity to repeat a course or internship.
Any student must have a cumulative grade point average (G.P.A.) of 2.00 or better in order to represent the University in intercollegiate or major leadership activities. Consequently, a student on academic probation may not represent the University in such activities. This includes but is not limited to intercollegiate athletics and mock trial competition, non-credit fine arts performances, elected student government positions, residence life positions and student ambassador or peer mentor positions.
Once a student is removed from academic probation, he/she may again represent the University in intercollegiate and major leadership activities. Student organizations within the University are encouraged to adopt a similar policy for persons in or aspiring to leadership positions in such organizations.
Any student who is on probation or is having academic difficulties that might lead to probation is encouraged to contact the associate or assistant dean of his/her college and/or the Associate Provost for Academic Excellence and Student Success, who will assist the student in obtaining additional academic support services.
The information in this catalog does not constitute a contract between the university and the student. The university reserves the right to make changes in curricula, admission policies and processes, tuition and financial aid, academic standards and guidelines, student services and any other regulations or policies set forth in this catalog without giving prior notice.