Academic Probation

DePauw University has a tiered approach to identifying and assisting students who encounter acute academic difficulty.

Academic Alerts

As a first step, faculty members are encouraged to contact the student's academic advisor when students are excessively absent from class or repeatedly fail to turn in assignments.

Midterm progress reports also help to identify students who are struggling. Six weeks into the semester, faculty members are expected to provide midterm progress reports on all students. Academic advisors and academic support staff members use these midterm grades in providing guidance to students and referring them to appropriate campus resources.

Academic Warning and Probation

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is used to determine financial aid eligibility and academic standing. The main goal of the SAP system is to make sure that all degree seeking students are making timely progress toward earning a degree. Students who have been doing satisfactorily and then fall below any of the standards are given a warning to improve performance. If they fail to meet the benchmark for the next semester or perform below the minimums for the primary terms, they are suspended. They may appeal the suspension or apply for readmission after spending some time away from DePauw. Students who successfully appeal suspension are placed on probation. The complete policy can be found here: Satisfactory Academic Progress and Academic Standing.

Academic Standing Advising

Students on academic warning or probation are assigned an academic standing advisor. The role of an academic standing advisor is to provide students additional guidance to end their academic probation. This type of advising is often broader than academic advising in the sense that discussions may include time management, study skills, regular check-ins, referrals to campus resources, or otherwise helping the students get back on track. Ideally, the student will improve academically and resume satisfactory academic progress the following semester.