Des Moines Area Community College.

Student Handbook

DMACC Student Handbook: Policies & Procedures

Satisfactory Academic Progress

(Procedure 4560)

Students who have attempted 12 or more credits with any of the grades listed (except “I”) in Procedure ES4552 at Des Moines Area Community College are subject to the following academic progress standards:

  1. Satisfactory academic progress is indicated by a cumulative grade point average (G.P.A.) of 2.00 or higher.
  1. Guidelines for placing a student on “ACADEMIC PROBATION”:
  1. A student whose cumulative G.P.A. falls below 2.00 at the end of any term will be placed on ACADEMIC PROBATION for the next term of enrollment.
  2. A student on ACADEMIC PROBATION who is assigned more than one grade of C- or less at progress report time will be restricted from registering for future credit course work until he/she has developed an Educational Achievement Plan with a counselor/advisor and obtained the appropriate signatures.
  3. A student on ACADEMIC PROBATION will return to a status of “good academic standing” when his/her cumulative G.P.A. is raised to 2.00 or higher.
  4. A student on ACADEMIC PROBATION will continue on probationary status if his/her term G.P.A. for the term following his/her placement on probation is 2.00 or higher but the cumulative G.P.A. remains below 2.00. This rule will also apply for subsequent terms of enrollment.
  1. Guidelines for placing a student on “CONDITIONAL ENROLLMENT”:
  1. A student on probation who earns a term G.P.A. of less than 2.00 will be placed on CONDITIONAL ENROLLMENT for the following term of enrollment.
  2. If the student is registered for the following term and is placed on CONDITIONAL ENROLLMENT for that term, he/she will be required to meet with a counselor/advisor no later than the fifth day of the CONDITIONAL ENROLLMENT term to review his/her course selections. Failure to comply will result in canceled classes.
  3. If the student placed on CONDITIONAL ENROLLMENT is not yet registered for the next term, he or she must meet with a counselor/advisor prior to registering for any credit course work.
  4. A student on CONDITIONAL ENROLLMENT who is assigned more than one grade of a C- or less at progress report time will not be allowed to register for the following term until his/her current-term final grades are recorded.
  5. A student on CONDITIONAL ENROLLMENT who earns a term G.P.A. of 2.00 or higher but whose cumulative G.P.A. remains below a 2.00 will be placed on ACADEMIC PROBATION.
  6. A student on CONDITIONAL ENROLLMENT who earns a term G.P.A. and a cumulative G.P.A. of 2.00 or higher will be placed in good standing.
  1. Guidelines for placing a student on “ACADEMIC SUSPENSION”: A student on CONDITIONAL ENROLLMENT who earns a term G.P.A. of less than 2.00 will be placed on ACADEMIC SUSPENSION and will not be allowed to enroll in credit course work for a period of one semester (or one summer term plus one semester in the case of a suspension at the end of the spring semester).
  1. Guidelines for re-enrollment of SUSPENDED students:
  1. After non-enrollment for a minimum of one semester, as defined above in ‘Guidelines for placing a student on “Academic Suspension”, a student on ACADEMIC SUSPENSION may apply for re-enrollment.
  2. In all instances, a re-enrolled student will be placed on CONDITIONAL ENROLLMENT.
  3. A student seeking re-enrollment must develop an Educational Achievement Plan with a counselor/advisor and obtain the appropriate approval signatures.
  4. A student on Academic Suspension for a second or subsequent time may reenroll only after receiving the written approval of the Director of Student Development.
  5. Individual programs of study may impose additional re-enrollment requirements.
  1. A student placed on ACADEMIC SUSPENSION may appeal that placement to the Director of Student Development before the start of classes. The appeal must be made in writing, and must at a minimum explain the reasons for the past unsatisfactory academic performance and how the student proposes to improve his/her performance. The Director may grant or deny the appeal based on the written statement or may choose to conduct a personal interview with the student or require the student to undergo counseling or academic assessment before making a decision. If the appeal is granted, the Director is authorized to impose reasonable restrictions on the student’s subsequent enrollment.
  1. Establishing additional Academic Progress Standards: No program of study at Des Moines Area Community College may establish academic progress standards lower than those specified above. A program of study at Des Moines Area Community College may establish academic progress standards higher than those specified above, but such standards must first be recommended by the respective academic dean or campus executive dean, approved by the Academic Standards Commission, and approved by the Executive Vice President, Academic Affairs.