Academic Standing

Academic Standing is calculated based on a student’s cumulative, or total, GPA. A student is considered to be in Good Academic Standing when they are enrolled in class/es and are not on either academic or disciplinary probation.

A 2.0 Cumulative grade point average and Last Semester grade point average are expected of all students, regardless of quality hours earned or attempted. A student on probation who fails to meet the last semester grade point requirement and the cumulative grade point average of 2.0 will be placed on suspension. A student who meets the last semester grade point minimum of 2.0 but fails to achieve the required cumulative grade point average of 2.0 will remain on academic probation. More information on probation and suspension restrictions can be found in the catalog.

Students must maintain a cumulative GPA above 2.0 in order to graduate from Colorado School of Mines.

Students who consistently maintain a high GPA are eligible to receive honors and Dean’s List designations. To be placed on the academic honor roll, a student must complete at least 14 semester hours with a GPA between 3.0 and 3.499, have no grade below a “C,” and no incomplete grade. Those students satisfying the above criteria with a semester GPA of 3.5 or above are placed on Dean’s List. Students are notified by the Dean of Students of the receipt of these honors. The Dean’s List notation appears on the student’s transcript.

Academic Standing

To be in good academic standing, graduate students must:

• maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher and
• not earn any PRU (unsatisfactory progress) grades

Graduate students who do not meet these standards will be placed on academic probation. To view a detailed chart, please go to the Academic Standing Rules chart.

Probation (1st semester):

• Student will be notified by a letter from the Graduate Dean and will need to meet with advisor to address issues
• Students transcripts will note academic probation
  • Student has one semester to rectify issue, or academic probation notation will remain on transcripts for all future semesters.

Discretionary Dismissal (2nd semester):

• Student will be notified by a letter from the Graduate Dean and
• Student will have 10 business days from notification to submit a remedial plan that has been approved by both the advisor and department head. Along with the remedial plan, students facing discretionary dismissal for GPA issues must submit a GPA calculator, demonstrating that it is possible to bring the cumulative GPA to a 3.0 or higher within 2 semesters.
  • If an approved remedial plan is submitted, it will be reviewed by Graduate Dean and
    • If approved by Graduate Dean, the student will be notified of conditions to improve.
    • If not approved by Graduate Dean, the student will be dismissed.
  • If a remedial plan is not submitted, either because the student did not submit a plan or because the student’s advisor and/or department head will not approve the plan, the student will be dismissed.
• Academic probation notation will remain on transcripts for all future semesters.

Mandatory Dismissal (Last semester):

• Students not meeting the terms of the remedial plan will be dismissed.
• Other reasons for mandatory dismissal (departments must notify Graduate Dean in writing for any of the following reasons):
  • Failure to successfully defend the thesis after two attempts
  • Failure to be admitted into candidacy
• Students being dismissed are given the opportunity to:
  • Submit a Withdrawal from Graduate School form to avoid having the dismissal notation on transcripts.
  • Submit a Dismissal Appeal form for extenuating circumstances only. Students must submit along with Dismissal Appeal form, documents regarding extenuating circumstances and the GPA Calculator.
    • If an appeal is denied, the dismissal notation will remain on the student’s transcripts.
    • If an appeal is approved, the student will be given more time to rectify the situation (terms detailed in appeal approval).
      • If the student is unable to rectify the situation under the terms of the appeal, the student will face mandatory dismissal again.

Students who have been dismissed may re-apply for admission, but:

• The previous GPA remains on the transcripts.
• If re-admitted into the same degree program, the student will only have one semester to rectify the situation (earn a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher and/or not earn any PRU grades), or face mandatory dismissal again.