MiraCosta College is committed to fostering an environment that encourages and supports students in achieving their educational goals. It is expected that students enrolled in credit courses will actively strive to complete coursework with a passing grade. Students who do not make satisfactory progress are subject to academic progress notice or separation, as outlined in the district's established policies and procedures.

Note: Students should contact the Financial Aid Office regarding academic progress requirements for federal aid eligibility; different requirements may apply.

Academic and Progress Notice

Academic and progress notice policies apply to college credit students only.

• Academic notice--A student shall be placed on academic notice if the student has attempted a minimum of twelve (12) semester units resulting in an evaluative grade and a grade point average of less than a 2.0.
• Progress notice--A student shall be placed on progress notice if the student has attempted a total of at least twelve (12) semester units and fifty (50) percent or more of the units attempted resulted in grades of withdrawal (W), incomplete (I), or no pass (NP).

Academic and progress notice is calculated for the spring and fall semesters based on the student's enrollment after the deadline to drop without a withdrawal (W). Summer grades are included in overall calculations for the spring and fall semesters. Academic and progress notice are posted to the student's permanent record.

The Admissions and Records Office shall make every reasonable effort to notify a student of academic and/or progress notice in a timely manner. Upon notification of academic and/or progress notice, the student shall be directed to see a counselor before the next registration period to discuss ways in which the student can improve their academic standing. Information on support services and appeal procedures will be included in the notification.

A student placed on academic or progress notice may submit an appeal to the Committee on Exceptions.

Removal from Academic or Progress Notice

• Academic notice--A student on academic notice for a grade point deficiency shall be removed from academic notice when the student's cumulative grade point average is 2.0 or higher.
• Progress notice--A student on progress notice because of an excess of units for which entries of withdrawal (W),  incomplete (I), or no pass (NP) are recorded shall be removed from progress notice when the percentage of units in this category drops below fifty (50) percent.

Removal indicates no academic or progress notice notations for the successful term and does not mean removal of previous notations.

Academic and Progress Separation

• Academic notice--At the end of each semester, a student who is on academic separation after two consecutively enrolled semesters shall be subject to separation if the student earned a cumulative grade point average of less than 2.0 in all units attempted.
• Progress notice--At the end of each semester, a student who has been placed on progress separation shall be subject to separation if the percentage of units in which the student has been enrolled for which entries of "W"--withdrawal, "I"--incomplete, "NC"--no credit, or "NP"--no pass are recorded in at least two consecutive semesters reaches or exceeds 50 percent. (Summer intersession is not considered a consecutive term or semester.)

For the purpose of separation, semesters shall be considered consecutive based on the student's enrollment after the deadline to drop without a "W"--withdrawal, so long as the break in the student's enrollment does not exceed one full primary term. Separation is posted on the student's permanent record.

Notification of Academic and Progress Separation

The Admissions and Records Office shall make a reasonable effort to notify a student of academic and progress separation in a timely manner.

Upon notification of separation, the student shall be directed to sit out for one regular semester, consult with a counselor to determine whether the reasons that led to the dismissal have been sufficiently corrected to enable improved performance, and submit a new credit application upon return to the college if they sat out for two or more primary semesters. Information on support services and appeal procedures will be included in the notification.

Fall Separation

Special circumstances exist for separation after the fall semester due to the fact that students enroll prior to fall grades becoming available.

1. A student who is enrolled in the spring semester will be permitted to continue on academic or progress notice without submitting an appeal. Separation status will be reevaluated at the end of the spring semester.
2. A student who is not enrolled in the spring semester has the right to appeal by submitting a petition to the Committee on Exceptions. Students who have not enrolled in the spring will be separated unless their petition is approved.

Spring Separation

1. A student who is enrolled in the summer intersession will be permitted to continue on academic or progress notice without submitting an appeal for the summer only.
2. A student who is enrolled in the fall semester has the right to appeal by submitting a petition to the Committee on Exceptions. Provided the petition is approved, the student will be permitted to continue on academic or progress notice for the fall semester; otherwise, the student will be removed from classes for the fall.

Reinstatement Following Academic and Progress Separation

A student who has been separated for academic and/or progress reasons may be reinstated when the student (1) does not attend for one primary semester (fall/spring) and (2) consults with a counselor to determine whether the reasons that led to the academic and/or progress separation are addressed to enable improved performance.

Students who believe they should be reinstated after being notified of academic and/or progress separation must immediately petition the Committee on Exceptions. The student must indicate on the petition a clear statement of the grounds on which continued enrollment should be granted.

The decision of the Committee on Exceptions will be communicated to the student in writing by the Dean of Counseling and Student Development. The student may appeal the decision of the Committee on Exceptions in writing to the vice president of Student Services or designee within thirty (30) calendar days of the date of notification of the decision of the Committee on Exceptions. The decision of the vice president is final.

If the academic and/or progress separation appeal is granted, the student will be continued on academic and/or progress notice for an additional semester. At the end of the semester, the student’s academic record will again be evaluated to determine whether the student may be removed from academic and/or progress notice, should be placed on academic and/or progress separation, or should continue on academic and/or progress notice.

Disqualification of Veterans Affairs Educational Benefits

When a veteran student or benefit-receiving dependent is placed on academic or progress notice for a second consecutive semester (not including summer session), the student becomes ineligible to receive veterans benefits for any subsequent semesters until the student has earned academic “good standing” by earning a 2.0 grade point average or above and falls below the fifty (50) percent threshold for total withdrawals (W), incompletes (I), and no pass (NP), regardless of the number of units completed. After two consecutive semesters on academic or progress notice, MiraCosta College’s academic and progress notice and separation policies may allow a veteran to enroll for another. Still, the Department of Veterans Affairs will not allow certification for benefits. Students who are academically separated have possible options for reinstatement for enrollment purposes, but again, will not be eligible for benefits until the overall grade point average for MiraCosta College courses meets or exceeds 2.0 grade point average and the percentage of withdrawals (W), incompletes (I), or no-pass (NP) grades is less than fifty (50) percent for all MiraCosta College courses combined.

Students who lose Veterans Affairs educational benefits may appeal to the Veterans Education Benefits Disqualification Committee and seek restoration of eligibility for benefits for any of the following reasons:

1. The immediately preceding semester, the students’ grade-point average has improved significantly.
2. Documented extenuating circumstances beyond the control of the student.
3. The combined grade point average from MiraCosta College and other institutions accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education for coursework completed after the loss of benefits meets or exceeds district academic standards.

Committee on Exceptions

The Committee on Exceptions deals with the occasional need to deviate from policy or procedure (e.g., course repetition, retroactive withdrawal, excused withdrawal, retroactive drop, academic and/or progress reinstatement). In cases where students feel that such a deviation can be justified by verified extenuating circumstances, they may petition to the Committee on Exceptions within three years when a course is involved and should contain at least the following:

• Clear statement of why the committee should feel compelled to grant the request.
• Documentation of extenuating circumstances.

The Committee on Exceptions is composed of the dean of Counseling and Student Development, chair, the director of Admissions and Records, a Counseling faculty and additional faculty representatives as assigned.  

A student who is subject to academic and/or progress separation may submit a petition to the Committee on Exceptions in compliance with administrative procedures. Academic and/or progress separation may be postponed and the student continued on academic and/or progress notice if the student shows evidence of extenuating circumstances or shows significant improvement in academic achievement. 

Students requesting a grade change from one evaluative symbol to another should first attempt to discuss the request informally with the instructor within 60 instructional days and if not resolved satisfactorily, escalate the request as outlined in MCCD Administrative Procedure 4231. 

(Sources: MCCD Administrative Procedures 4250 and 4255. All MiraCosta College board policies and administrative procedures are located on the Board of Trustees webpage.)