Academic Advising: Academic Status Policy

While the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s (SAIC) staff and faculty want to help every student enjoy academic and personal success, it remains the students’ responsibility to seek assistance, understand institutional policy, and know their academic status. It is important that all students are familiar with the guidelines for academic satisfactory progress as well as those for financial aid satisfactory progress.

Financial aid satisfactory progress is calculated separately from academic satisfactory progress. Please be sure you are familiar with both of these policies. Questions can be directed to the Academic Advising and Student Success or Student Financial Services, as applicable.

Undergraduate Academic Status

Requirements for maintaining academic good standing at the SAIC apply to full-time and half-time (6 credit hours or more) undergraduate, degree-seeking students and pertain to all fall and spring semesters for which the student is enrolled at SAIC.

Undergraduate student academic progress is evaluated twice a year, first in the winter and then in the summer. The number of credit hours completed is divided by the number of credit hours attempted to determine a credit-hour completion ratio.

Academic Good Standing

Students are expected to complete grades of credit (CR) for at least two-thirds of all credit hours attempted each semester. Courses assigned a grade of W are not counted as credit hours attempted when calculating academic standing.

Academic Warning

In a given semester, undergraduate students who fail to successfully complete at least two-thirds of all the credit hours attempted are placed on academic warning. Students on academic warning receive written notice from the Director of Academic Advising and Student Success and are encouraged to meet with an Academic Advisor. The students can return to academic good standing if, during the fall or spring semester following the academic warning, they complete credit for at least two-thirds of all credit hours attempted in that semester.

Academic Probation

Undergraduate students who fail to complete two-thirds of all credit hours attempted during the fall or spring semester following academic warning are notified in writing that they have been placed on academic probation.

Undergraduate students in academic good standing who fail 100 percent of credit hours attempted in the fall or spring semester drop from good to probation. These students must make an appointment to meet with an Academic Advisor. They are required to work under the supervision of an academic advisor to register for courses and are not eligible for study trips, exchange programs, or Co-op internships. They must work toward returning to academic warning by completing at least two-thirds of all credits attempted in the following spring or fall semester and must do the same in the next fall or spring semester to return to academic good standing.

Academic Suspension

Undergraduate students who fail to complete at least two-thirds of all credit hours attempted in the fall or spring semester subsequent to being placed on academic probation or fail to complete 100 percent of credit hours attempted in the fall or spring semester subsequent to being placed on academic warning are notified in writing that they have been placed on academic suspension.

A permanent notation is also made on these students’ records. Students placed on academic suspension are not permitted to enroll at SAIC the following summer/fall or winter/spring semesters. Any of these students who have preregistered for the following semester prior to being placed on academic suspension will be dropped from all classes for that term.

Students may appeal academic suspensions to the Academic Review Board they believe extenuating circumstances exist. Appeals must be made in writing and be received by the Registrar at least one week prior to the first day of classes of the following spring or fall semester. A meeting with the Assistant Director or Director of Academic Advising and Student Success is recommended prior to submitting an appeal.

Upon return to SAIC, suspended students must meet with the Assistant Director or Director of Academic Advising and Student Success before they are allowed to register for classes. Students are required to return in a fall or spring semester, register full-time (including two academic courses), and successfully complete credit for all credit hours attempted in that semester. Students cannot drop or withdraw below 12 credits or receive any incompletes during the return from suspension semester.

The suspended student who successfully completes 100 percent of credit hours attempted in the return from suspension semester is placed on academic probation at the end of that semester.

The suspended student who fails to complete 100 percent of credit hours attempted during the return from suspension semester is dismissed from the degree program (see academic dismissal below) and is not eligible to earn a degree from SAIC.

More than one suspension during a student’s career will result in academic dismissal.

Academic Dismissal

Undergraduate students who are dismissed from the degree program permanently lose eligibility for earning a degree from SAIC. Students dismissed for academic reasons receive written notice of academic dismissal and a similar notation is made on the students’ academic records.

Appeal of Academic Dismissal

Students may appeal an academic dismissal to the Academic Review Committee if they believe that extenuating circumstances exist. Appeals must be made in writing and be received by the Registrar at least one week prior to the first day of classes of the following fall or spring semester. A meeting with the Assistant Director or Director of Academic Advising and Student Success is recommended prior to submitting an appeal.

Graduate Academic Status

Requirements for maintaining academic good standing at SAIC apply to full-time and half-time (6 credit hours or more) graduate degree-seeking students and Post-Baccalaureate Certificate-seeking students and pertain to all terms for which the student is enrolled at SAIC. Graduate student academic progress is evaluated twice a year: summer and fall terms are evaluated in the winter, while winter and spring terms are evaluated in the summer.

Academic Good Standing

Graduate and certificate students are considered to be in academic good standing when they receive credit in all credit hours attempted each semester.

Academic Probation

Graduate degree or certificate students who fail or withdraw from one or more courses attempted are notified in writing that they have been placed on academic probation. These students must then make an appointment to meet with their respective academic department chairs.

While on Academic Probation, students are required to work under the supervision of their respective department chair to register for courses. A student on academic probation is not eligible for study trips, exchange programs, or Co-op internships.

To return to academic good standing, graduate degree or certificate students must receive credit in all credit hours attempted in the following term.

Academic Dismissal

Graduate degree or certificate students who are on academic probation and fail or withdraw from one or more courses in the following term will be dismissed.

Students who are dismissed from either the graduate degree or post-baccalaureate programs permanently lose eligibility for earning a degree from SAIC. Students dismissed for academic reasons receive written notice of academic dismissal and a similar notation is made on their academic records.

Appeal of Academic Dismissal

Graduate and certificate students may appeal an academic dismissal to the Academic Review Committee if they believe that extenuating circumstances exist.

Appeals must be made in writing and be received by the registrar at least one week prior to the first day of classes of the following fall or spring semester. Prior to submitting an appeal, it is recommended that students meet with their department chair and graduate division chair. The assistant director and director of Academic Advising and Student Success are available to assist students in arranging this meeting.

In addition to this general statement of academic status, specific departments and programs may require graduate and post-baccalaureate students to comply with standards applicable to that department or program. These specific standards shall be in addition to the requirements set forth herein.