Academic Standards

Application

The college will monitor satisfactory progress through an Academic Alert process for students who have completed fewer than nine credit hours. These students are not subject to Academic Standing.

Academic Standing applies to all students who have attempted nine or more credits at a CCCS college regardless of the number of term credits they attempt from that point forward. Academic Standing shall be applied consistently and uniformly within each CCCS institution.

All colleges will determine Academic Standing after posting the majority of term grades for each semester. Students placed on probation or suspended will be notified of their status. Suspended students will not be allowed to attend any CCCS college in the subsequent semester(s) unless an appeal is approved.

Academic Standing status will be noted on the advising, official, and unofficial transcripts. A student's Academic Standing is not specific or limited to the home institution and impacts a student's enrollment at other CCCS colleges.

Guideline

Recognizing the value of measuring academic progress for all students, the Colorado Community College System (CCCS) has established the following practice and procedures for measuring and notifying students of their academic standing. This procedure is intended to be informational and helpful, but also establishes clear standards of academic progress that must be met and maintained to be a successful student in our colleges.

CCCS colleges are encouraged to devise and implement appropriate Academic Alert strategies early in the term to assist students experiencing academic difficulties. A student's academic standing at one college will impact academic standing at another CCCS college.

Definitions

Only college-level classes are used to calculate term and cumulative GPAs. This includes summer term courses.

Only courses taken "in residence" will be used for this procedure; "in residence" means taken at the student's home institution. Courses taken elsewhere and transferred in do not apply. The GPA calculations for this procedure may not match those used for financial aid purposes or athletic eligibility.

Cumulative Grade Point Average is abbreviated as CGPA. Term Grade Point Average is abbreviated as TGPA.

Practice Standards:

Initial Standing

The student has completed fewer than nine cumulative credit hours with a CGPA is equal to or greater than 2.00 for all classes completed.

Academic Alert

The student has completed fewer than nine cumulative credits with a CGPA less than 2.00 for all classes completed.

Good Standing

The student has completed at least nine cumulative credit hours and has a CGPA greater than or equal to 2.00 for all classes completed.

Performance Support

The student has completed at least nine cumulative credit hours and has a CGPA less than 2.00 for all completed classes. This value was previously referred to as "Academic Probation."

Returning Support

By the conclusion of the Returning Support term, the student must raise their CGPA to at least 2.00. If this condition is met, the student returns to Good Standing.

Performance Improving

If a student on Performance Support or Returning Support earns a TGPA of at least 2.00 for all classes completed during the term but fails to raise their CGPA to at least 2.00 for all classes completed, the student will be allowed to attend the next term as Performance Improving. This value was previously referred to as "Probation Continuing." 

• As long as the student continues earning a term GPA of at least 2.00 during each term, they will be permitted to continue attending. The student will remain on Performance Improving until the cumulative GPA is at least 2.00, at which time they will return to Good Standing.
• If the student does not earn a term GPA of at least 2.00 while on Performance Improving, they will be placed on Academic Suspension.

Academic Suspension

If a student on Performance Support, Returning Support or Performance Improving earns a term GPA of less than 2.00 for all classes completed during the term, the student will be suspended and will not be allowed to enroll at the College issuing the suspension for the next term unless an appeal is approved. The student may be dropped from all registered courses for an upcoming term at the College based on the College’s procedures.

Suspension Rules:

1. Summer term may be used as a "suspension term."
2. All suspensions are for one term.
3. If a student who has served the suspension wishes to return, the student will be allowed to re-enroll only after meeting with an academic advisor at the CCCS College that the student wishes to attend. The student will be placed on Returning Support for their return semester. 

Suspension Appeals:

1. Students may appeal their suspension based on procedures identified in the Northeastern Academic Standards Handbook.
2. If the student's suspension appeal is approved, the student will be placed on Returning Support.
3. If the student's suspension appeal is not approved, they will be dropped from all courses registered for the upcoming term at their home college. Students are ultimately responsible for their enrollment and must check their enrollment schedule for accuracy.
4. The student needs to check with Northeastern Student Services regarding enrolling for summer term classes.

Academic Appeal Procedure

Any student suspended for the next semester has the right to appeal. The following procedures will be followed:

After notification of suspension, the student must write a letter for reconsideration of this action to the Chair of the Academic Standards Committee requesting to be re-admitted on academic warning, stating all reasons for this consideration. This letter must be received before the academic standards review date.

The Academic Standards Committee will review the student's academic record and appeal letters. The chair will consider the committee’s recommendation and inform the suspended student in writing if re-admittance is approved or denied.

The Academic Standards Committee can require a re-admitted student to take a specific course load, take the success seminar, assign counseling, or train the student to have successful study skills. Weekly progress checks can also be part of the re-admittance requirements.

Any re-admitted student who shows little or no academic progress (more than two D or F grades at midterm) based upon the mid-term report of the re-admit term may be administratively withdrawn and placed on suspension.

Academic Assistance - Full-Time Students

All full-time students (enrolled in more than 12 credits) placed, continued, or re-admitted on Academic Warning are required to do the following:

1. The student may be scheduled for up to eight (8) weekly success appointments or enroll in a student success seminar as determined by the Student Success Team.
2. The student may be assigned weekly study skills assistance in the Monahan Learning Center with tutors or help sessions as determined by counseling/or study skills evaluation.
3. The student will continue the counseling appointments and study skill assistance in the Monahan Learning Center if academic progress is insufficient by mid-semester.

Academic Assistance - Part-Time Students

All part-time students (enrolled in fewer than 12 credits) placed, continued, or re-admitted on Academic Warning are required to do the following:

1. Consult an academic advisor or Student Success Team to review the student's academic transcript and plan tutorial or personal assistance before completing preregistration for additional classes.
2. Receive an academic advisor's or Student Success Team's approval to enroll in any classes while on academic warning.
3. Part-time students enrolled in day or evening classes at locations that are not on the NJC Sterling campus (e.g. Yuma, Haxtun, Holyoke) are encouraged to seek weekly progress appointments with a Student Success Team member to enroll in a student success class or request tutorial and study skill assistance at a convenient place and time.

Satisfactory Progress - Financial Aid

Because of increased demands from the public and federal and state authorities, regulators are placing increased accountability standards on colleges and universities. One of these standards is a satisfactory academic progress policy for financial aid recipients.

The policy monitors three different aspects of a student's academics: 1) Course Completion Standards, 2) Qualitative Standards, and 3) Quantitative Standards.

Academic Progress - Summer Term

No matter when the suspension was instituted, a first-year student on academic suspension may enroll for the summer term. If the student on academic suspension achieves above 1.50 GPA for the summer term, earning five credit hours or more, the suspension is changed to an academic warning. The student could continue the next academic term on academic warning.

Academic Assessment Program

General education at Northeastern leads students to career, technical, and transfer competencies. The skills and abilities developed through general studies enable students to pursue personal, professional, and academic goals. NJC has established five institutional learning outcomes; upon graduation, all NJC students, regardless of program or credential, will be able to do the following:

1. Think critically and creatively to solve problems.
2. Communicate ideas, values, and perspectives effectively.
3. Demonstrate skills to fulfill professional expectations and prepare for chosen career. 
4. Recognize the interconnectedness of global, national, and local concerns in regards to cultural, political, social, and environmental issues.
5. Apply scientific and mathematical concepts.