The purpose of Rockbridge Seminary’s satisfactory academic progress policy is to identify and alert students as early as possible if they are not demonstrating satisfactory academic progress and help them develop a plan for accomplishing their learning goals. Satisfactory academic progress includes both passing grades and timely progression through the program.
Timely Progression: Students are expected to take a minimum of one course every three terms. Students who withdraw from a class, whether they withdraw failing or passing, are of concern to us. Students who withdraw for any reason will be contacted by an academic coach to ascertain the cause of the difficulty and create a plan for timely program completion.
All students must have a Rockbridge institutional GPA of 3.0 (a grade of B) in order to graduate. The institutional GPA does not include grades from credit transferred into Rockbridge from other institutions.
Academic standards of performance have been established to ensure satisfactory progress toward a degree. The classifications of academic performance are:
Good Standing: A minimum institutional GPA of 3.0 (a grade of B) must be maintained to be in good standing.
Academic Warning: A failing (F) grade in a course or a withdraw failing (WF) grade in two consecutive courses will result in an email from the vice president for academic services advising the student of a potential probation if a failing grade or a WF grade happens again.
Academic Probation: A failing (F) grade in two consecutive courses or a withdraw failing (WF) grade in three consecutive courses will result in an email from the vice president for academic services advising the student that they are on academic probation and face dismissal if a failing (F) grade or a withdraw failing (WF) grade happens again. Academic probation is lifted after passing two consecutive courses.
Academic Dismissal: A failing (F) grade or a withdraw failing (WF) grade in a course taken during academic probation will result in dismissal from Rockbridge. Students will be provided a written notification of dismissal.
Academic Coaching: When a student experiences any academic difficulty, an academic coach or faculty member will be assigned to help determine the cause of the difficulty and create a plan to improve academic performance.
Appeal of Dismissal: A student who is dismissed from Rockbridge may appeal for reinstatement by submitting a written appeal to the vice president for academic services. The student must document the circumstances that contributed to poor academic performance and submit the appeal at least one month prior to the desired start date. The vice president for academic services will engage the academic council regarding the appeal within five days. The council will notify the student of its decision within thirty days of receipt of the appeal. Decisions of the academic council are final.
