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Academic Standing, Probation and Dismissal (undergraduate)
Good academic standing is maintained by meeting the
standards for credits attempted and for grade point average. A student
must attempt a minimum of 12 credits in the Fall and Spring semesters
and 3 credits each Wintersession. Courses graded Audit (AU) and
Withdrawn (W) do not count toward the attempted minimum credit loads.
Students must also earn a semester grade-point average at or above the
minimum standard of 2.00. In order to graduate, the minimum cumulative
grade-point average required is 2.00.
The Academic Standing Committee reviews the academic performance of
all students at the end of each term. Students are expected to meet
minimum academic standards, not only for each term, but also
cumulatively. Any student attempting fewer than the required minimum
number of credits, or earning a grade-point average of less than the
published standard, will be subject to Academic Probation. Two
successive semesters or three non-consecutive semesters of substandard
performance will normally result in dismissal of the student from the
College.
In addition, the Academic Standing Committee may decide at any time
that a student should be dismissed from the College for academic
reasons. This decision may be made upon there commendation of the
student’s Division Dean and Department Head.
Once a student is placed on probation, he or she will remain in that
status until the end of the next semester, at which time the Academic
Standing Committee will review the student’s academic record.
For purposes of academic review by the Academic Standing Committee, a
grade of I (for incomplete) is computed in the grade point average as
an F. Students may be subject to conditional academic probation until
the I grade is made up by completion of required work.
Foundation Evaluation:
At the end of the first semester and
at any time during the second semester of the student’s Foundation year,
there may be a review of any student whose performance indicates a
probable inability to meet the requirements of the College. After
review by the Foundation faculty, Foundation Dean, and a member of the
Academic Standing Committee, the student may be academically dismissed.
A student who desires to return to RISD after being dismissed from
Foundation Studies must apply through the Admissions Office for
readmittance.
Foundation Studies courses are prerequisites to program courses. A
student who receives an F or W in Studio: Drawing, Studio: Design, or
Studio: Spatial Dynamics must make up that course in one of the
following ways: (a) Summer Foundation Studies at RISD or (b) retake the
course in the Division of Foundation Studies within 12 months.
Foundation Studies studio requirements and substitutions must be
approved by the Dean of Foundation Studies in order for a student to
move on to sophomore status. Such a provisional approval will be given
if an I, F or W is present, with a final approval necessary once the
course is completed.
Any other student who fails a required Foundation Studies course must
repeat that course within 12 months after the end of the academic year
in which the failure was recorded.
Academic standing committee
The Academic Standing Committee, along with the student’s department
head, reviews the academic performance of all students at the end of the
Fall and Spring terms. This committee also hears petitions from
students seeking exceptions from deadlines or policies (e.g. late course
adds or drops, attending with a reduced course load, walking at commencement
when degree requirements are not yet met). This committee meets
regularly during the academic year and students may file a petition
through the Office of Student Affairs. The Academic Standing Committee
is chaired by the Dean of Students and consists of
one faculty member elected by the Instruction Committee from its
membership, one faculty member elected by the Faculty, the Registrar, an
Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, and the Coordinator of Academic
Advising.