Academic Standing and Progress
The baccalaureate degree program at Immaculata University requires a minimum of 126 credit hours. Normal progress toward achieving a degree in four years for a student in the College of Undergraduate Studies requires eight semesters of 12 to18 credits, depending on the curriculum sequence of each major.
Full-time students taking more than 18 credits per semester will be charged the current per credit rate for each additional credit. Music lessons will be billed separately.
To be classified as full-time, an undergraduate student must carry a minimum of 12 credit hours each semester. A student carrying 11 or fewer credit hours is considered part-time. Part-time status may impact billing, financial aid and eligibility for residence. Normally, a full-time student may only have one part-time semester.
As listed below, a student’s academic status is determined by the number of credit hours earned:
| Credit Hours | Completed Class |
| 0-23 | Freshman |
| 24-53 | Sophomore |
| 54-89 | Junior |
| 90 or more | Senior |
A student’s academic progress is evaluated at the end of each semester. Additionally, undergraduate students are required to complete a credit check during the second semester of the junior year with the Registrar or their professional advisor. Students are responsible for designing their course schedules to ensure that requirements set forth in the credit check are met.
Academic Probation
Since a cumulative grade point average of 2.00 is the minimum requirement for graduation, a student whose cumulative GPA falls below 2.00 at the end of any semester will be cautioned that this level of performance is insufficient to satisfy the requirement for graduation. A student with a cumulative GPA below the minimum levels indicated in the table below will be placed on academic probation.
| Semesters Completed | Minimum GPA |
| 1 | 1.60 |
| 2 | 1.70 |
| 3 | 1.85 |
| 4 or more | 2.00 |
Ordinarily, an undergraduate student may not be on academic probation for more than two consecutive semesters. Conditions of probation may include any or all of the following: regular academic coaching, reduction of total credits per semester, required academic workshop attendance and participation, minimum semester GPA. If probation conditions are not met, student will be eligible for academic dismissal at the end of the subsequent term. A student may receive federal, state, and/or university financial aid during the probation period. A student on academic probation must show improvement during the following semester to remain at the University. In some cases, a student may be dismissed without any previous probation if the student’s academic standing is so poor that probation would not be in the student’s best interest.
In addition, Financial Aid requires that the student maintain satisfactory academic progress, which means that a full-time student must earn at least 75% of credits attempted. Part-time students must be enrolled in at least six credits per semester to remain eligible for aid. For further explanation, see Financial Aid.
Academic Dismissal and Readmission
A student who has been academically dismissed from the University must meet standards for re-admission set by the dean of the appropriate college. Transcripts documenting acceptable work completed at another college or university after the student’s dismissal from Immaculata must be presented in the office of the appropriate dean prior to application for re-admission. If all standards for re-admission have been met, then the student must follow the normal admission process for the appropriate college as a transfer student.
Change of Status
An undergraduate student must follow the change of status process for the following:
- Stop-Out* (applies to full-time students who will not be attending classes for one semester)
- Withdrawal from the University
- Study Abroad
- Change of College
- Part-time to Full-time
- Full-time to Part-time
Students must submit the Change of Status form to the Center for Undergraduate Advising. *Please review the Leave of Absence/Stop Out policy (below) for additional information.
Declaration/Verification of Major
Full time, undergraduate students should declare a field of concentration major in the second semester of freshman year and no later than the end of the first semester of the sophomore year. Each department will verify the eligibility of students to continue in the major at this time with the Executive Director in the Center for Undergraduate Advising. A part-time student generally declares a major at the time of admission.
To change a major program of studies, a student must complete the Change of Field of Concentration form available the Center for Undergraduate Advising.
Enrichment Study
Non-degree seeking students, which includes non-matriculated, enrichment, or dual enrollment students, may not enroll for more than the maximum credit limit (per term and overall) permitted for those not enrolled in a degree or certificate program. The maximum number of credits, per term and overall, are as follows:
| Per Semester/Time Period |
Maximum number of credits |
| Fall or Spring |
12 |
| Winter |
3 |
| Summer |
9 |
| Overall (total) Credits Permitted |
24 |
Independent Study
Students interested in an independent study must consult with their division chair and the appropriate dean for approval. Generally, independent studies are not given in regularly scheduled courses.
Leave of Absence / Stop Out
A student in good standing may interrupt a college program by requesting a leave of absence of one or two semesters in duration from the dean of the appropriate college. This arrangement allows the student to return to the college within one year without having to go through readmission procedures.
Students should be aware that there must be a reasonable expectation that students will return from a leave of absence. Leaves of absence will not be approved for students subject to disqualification or dismissal due to academic deficiencies or disciplinary action. The dean of the appropriate college will determine any conditions that must be met for the student’s return to the University and will notify the Office of the Registrar of the leave. The Registrar will then take the following actions:
- Student will be issued grades of W for each course in the current semester (if applicable).
- Student will be dropped from all future courses.
Undergraduate students who are placed on a leave of absence from the University are not permitted to take courses at another college unless they have obtained permission from the dean. Additionally, students on leave may not live in the University residence halls during the term of their leave, nor may they participate in and/or hold leadership positions in a registered University organization or athletic team. A student granted a leave of absence is not considered to have withdrawn, and if the student is a Title IV recipient, no return calculation will be required. Upon the student’s return from the leave, the student will continue to earn the federal student aid previously awarded for the period.
Once the student is ready to return from leave, the student must meet with the dean of the college, who will assess whether the conditions for return have been satisfied. If a student does not return at the end of the leave, the student’s withdrawal date will be the first date of the leave. If the student is a federal loan recipient and fails to return within two semesters, Immaculata University is required to return the funds to the appropriate lenders at that time and will also cause the expiration of the student’s loan grace period. If a student withdraws from the University or fails to return from a leave of absence status within two academic semesters and then reapplies, the tuition and financial aid will be assessed based on the current transfer tuition and financial aid rates.
The tuition and financial aid for students in the College of Undergraduate Studies who have remained in part-time status studying at Immaculata for more than two semesters (fall/spring) and who seek to return to full-time status, will be assessed based on the current transfer tuition and financial aid rates. Exemptions for special circumstances will be reviewed by the Vice President for Finance and Administration.
Students returning from a leave of absence/stop out (within two semesters) will continue in the catalog under which they were initially admitted.
Off-campus/Summer Study
Once matriculated, students must seek approval to take courses at other institutions. Ordinarily, students may not earn more than twelve credit hours in the time span of a summer, nor may they take courses in their field of concentration without permission from the department/ division chair. Students in the College of Undergraduate Studies may take courses in the summer at approved colleges only with prior approval from the Office of Academic Advisement. Necessary forms for off-campus summer session enrollment may be obtained from the Academic Advisement Office. For transfer of credits earned at colleges other than Immaculata University, a grade of C or better is required. Students must have approval of the dean should extenuating circumstances necessitate taking classes off-campus during the fall and spring semesters.
Full-time students who plan to study at Immaculata University during the summer should seek advisement prior to registration.
In exceptional circumstances, a matriculated part-time student may receive permission to enroll in a course at an accredited institution. Permission must be granted by the dean of the college prior to enrollment. Courses that have been approved to be taken at another institution will be transcripted and included in the cumulative GPA. However, the transfer course will not count towards 60 Institutional Hours required for honors at graduation.
Readmission
Students granted readmission to the university after an absence of more than one full calendar year (12 contiguous months or longer) are subject to the rules and policies of the catalog under which they are readmitted. Readmitted students may be re-enrolled in their previously-declared major if the program is available at the university at the time of their readmission. (See separate procedures associated with leave of absence/stop out above.)
Discontinued Programs
Occasionally, programs may be put on hiatus / discontinued. Programs which have been discontinued will be unavailable to readmitted students. Readmitted students who were previously enrolled in a now-discontinued major must select a new major from those available in the current catalog.
Withdrawal from the University
Students initiating a withdrawal from the College of Undergraduate Studies must schedule an exit interview with the dean to obtain a withdrawal form. No withdrawal will be considered official until this action has been taken. A student receiving financial aid should notify the Financial Aid Office at the time of withdrawal.
Immaculata reserves the right at any time to require the withdrawal of students for unsatisfactory academic performance. If students are withdrawing from the University prior to the end of the semester, they must follow the procedure outlined for withdrawal from classes in order to avoid receiving failing grades for their courses.
A student requesting readmission to Immaculata University after withdrawing or having been dismissed due to academic failure must address the request to the dean of the college to which readmission is sought. The dean will consider the grades a student has earned from an institution of higher learning attended since the withdrawal or dismissal and will decide on an individual basis whether the student may be readmitted.
Part-time students may choose not to attend classes every semester. However, students will become inactive after one (1) year of absence from the University.