Academic Policies and Procedures

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Registration

Matriculation

Matriculated students are those who have been admitted through the Office of Admission as candidates for a degree. A nonmatriculated student is one who has not been admitted as a degree candidate, but has received approval to register for credit courses.

Classification of Students

Class standing is determined by the number of credits the student has completed:

Year or Classification Credits Completed
Freshman 0-29
Sophomore 30-59
Junior 60-91
Senior 92 and above

Official Registration

Fordham University recognizes that the responsibility for each student’s academic success is shared by the student, the faculty, and the administration. Therefore, before a student registers for coursework at the University, preregistration counseling is provided.

First- and second-year students normally register for five three-credit courses. Third- and fourth-year students normally register for four four-credit courses.

By way of exception, third- and fourth-year students who have achieved a 3.700 cumulative grade point average are eligible for a scholarship for a fifth course taken to enrich their academic program: one in the student’s third year and one each in the semesters of the fourth year. Such scholarship courses and credits may not be used to make up for previous course withdrawals or incomplete registrations and may not accelerate graduation, that is, to reduce the number of full-time semesters a student spends in Fordham College at Rose Hill. To register for a fifth course, approval of the appropriate class dean is necessary.

For students approved to take an additional course, but who do not qualify for the scholarship, payment per credit above the student’s allocated credit limit per semester is required.

Juniors and seniors with a grade point average lower than 3.000 may not take an additional course except for unusual reasons and with the approval of the class dean.

Registration at a date later than the day designated may be permitted for serious reasons by way of exception. Students registering late are held accountable for any class absences thus incurred.

Course Changes

By the last day of course changes, as specified in the academic calendar, students should recognize that they have made a serious commitment to complete the courses for which they have registered. Alterations in registration after the last day for course changes will be allowed only if the class dean determines that such a change is important to the academic program of the student. Students’ non academic commitments should be arranged so as not to interfere with coursework to which the student is committed by registration.

Change of Address or Name

Students are expected to notify the class dean and the Office of Academic Records immediately of any change of address or change of name.

Registration in Other Fordham Schools

Students matriculated in Fordham College at Rose Hill are required to complete their core curriculum in their home school. Courses for the major and minor should be taken at the home school or at Fordham College at Lincoln Center; however, with departmental approval, a limited number of these courses may be taken at Fordham School of Professional and Continuing Studies. Elective courses not within the major or minor may be taken at FCRH, FCLC, PCS, and GSB. No more than six of the total courses required for graduation may be taken in the Gabelli School of Business, and no more than 40 percent of the credits taken at Fordham may be taken outside the home school.

Credit Limits

Full-time status is achieved by registering for 12 or more credits per term; part-time status involves a credit load of fewer than 12 credits. Full-time status is needed for financial aid.

Sophomores completing a B.A. degree have a credit ceiling of 20 credits. Sophomores completing a B.S. degree, requiring additional lab courses, have a credit limit of 22 credits. This is a result of the Core Curriculum, which encourages sophomores to begin taking upper-level and major courses at an earlier stage in their studies.

Juniors and seniors pursuing a B.A. degree have a credit ceiling of 18 credits. Juniors and seniors completing a B.S. degree have a credit ceiling of 20 credits, allowing them to register for up to 20 credits. If students exceed their credit ceiling, they are charged for each credit above their ceiling.

Academic Rank in Class

In Fordham College at Rose Hill, a student’s rank in class is computed on the basis of a minimum of 24 graded credits in a regular academic year. No rank in class will be computed for a student who has fewer than 24 graded credits in an academic year.

Rank in class will be computed only once at the conclusion of the academic year. If grade changes of any kind are made after this time, rank in class will not be recomputed.

Academic Progress

Academic progress toward a degree must be maintained to continue study in Fordham College at Rose Hill. Satisfactory academic progress, as defined by the College, must be maintained to receive financial aid.

Full-time students are expected to complete their coursework in four years. Students who need additional time to complete their degree due to special circumstances, such as illness, death in the family, a change in major, etc., must complete their coursework in a period not to exceed six years.

Restrictions on the use of grades W, ABS, and INC are intended to preserve the character of a Fordham education. Permission to have such grades is the recognition by the University of a pressing need due to an individual’s circumstances. However, a pattern of reliance on these grades contradicts the intentions of a strong academic program. In addition, a pattern of reliance on grades of W, ABS, and INC will be taken as evidence of failing to maintain reasonable academic progress. Repeated courses will be calculated into a student’s GPA and will not replace the original grade.

In Fordham College at Rose Hill, both the grade point average and number of credits earned are considered in determining satisfactory academic progress. For each of these criteria, the college has developed minimal standards.

The minimal GPA required for acceptable academic standing is shown in Table 1 by year of attendance and by semesters until graduation. Use the expected degree term of the student to determine the number of fall or spring semesters until graduation. The expected degree term of transfer students is initially determined in their first month of study. Failure to meet this standard may result in academic probation, suspension or dismissal.

Table 1. Academic Standing as Reflected in Grade Point Averages

First Year
Years of Attendance/Semesters Until Graduation Minimally Acceptable Academic Probation Academic Suspension Academic Dismissal
7 semesters until graduation 1.350 1.200-1.349 1.000-1.1999 less than 1.000
6 semesters until graduation 1.600 1.500-1.599 1.450-1.499 less than 1.450
Second Year
Years of Attendance/Semesters Until Graduation Minimally Acceptable Academic Probation Academic Suspension Academic Dismissal
5 semesters until graduation 1.700 1.600-1.699 1.550-1.599 less than 1.550
4 semesters until graduation 1.800 1.700-1.799 1.650-1.699 less than 1.650
Third Year
Years of Attendance/Semesters Until Graduation Minimally Acceptable Academic Probation Academic Suspension Academic Dismissal
3 semesters until graduation 1.900 1.800-1.899 1.700-1.799 less than 1.700
2 semesters until graduation 2.000 1.900-1.999 — less than 1.900

Minimally acceptable standards for credits earned are outlined in Table 2. Independent of the student’s GPA, the satisfactory completion of fewer credits than stipulated in Table 2 may warrant dismissal for failure to maintain satisfactory progress toward the bachelor’s degree.

Table 2. Minimum Credit Completion Policy

Year of Attendance/Semesters Until Graduation Percentage of Attempted Credits Completed 1 Percentage Completed 1
First: 6 semesters until graduation 65 18-20
Second: 4 semesters until graduation 70 42
Third: 2 semesters until graduation 75 69
Fourth: 0 or 1 semester until graduation 80 99-100

Please note: Academic progress standards differ slightly for students receiving funds from the New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP). A schedule is available at the Office of Academic Records.

Appeals Process

Academic progress decisions may be appealed, in writing, to the dean of the college. The appeal must be made within three business days of the notification of academic standing. The decision of the dean shall be final.

Academic Probation

Probation (conditional promotion) is a serious warning that the student must improve his/her academic performance. Students on probation may continue to study at Fordham and may be awarded financial aid. Probationary status is not automatically acquired by the student but must be granted by the dean and is restricted to two consecutive semesters.

Students on probation for two semesters may be subject to dismissal if they are judged not to be making satisfactory progress. No student may enter her/his fourth year on probation or with a deficiency. Students who do not have a cumulative index of 2.000 at the end of their junior year may be permitted to raise their index to 2.000 but only by taking courses during the first session of Fordham University’s summer school.

Students on academic probation are prohibited from participating in extracurricular activities, serving on the University’s residence hall staffs, or representing the University in intervarsity athletic competition.

Academic Suspension

Suspension is an enforced termination of formal studies and will be granted to a student only once for a minimum of two semesters in the course of her/his college career. A student may be liable to suspension if

  1. He/she fails to maintain satisfactory academic standing as indicated by GPA.
  2. He/she receives three failing grades in any semester.

If, after a period of suspension a student wished to continue her/his studies in the college, she/he must formally apply for readmission to the college. In order to be readmitted to the college the student must achieve a 2.750 GPA at an approved baccalaureate institution and show that the deficiencies that caused her/his suspension have been addressed and remedied.

Academic Dismissal

Academic dismissal is the ultimate sanction imposed for failure to perform satisfactorily in a program of studies. A student may be dismissed from the College for any of the following reasons:

  1. He/she fails to maintain satisfactory academic progress as indicated by GPA.
  2. He/she attains an index of 1.000 in any semester.
  3. He/she is placed on academic probation for three successive semesters.

Once a student has been dismissed from the College for academic reasons, he/she may not take courses in Fordham College at Rose Hill.

Dismissal Policy Appeal

The academic dismissal policy for FCLC has been revised as follows: Beginning in Fall 2016, all academic progress decisions may be appealed, in writing, to the dean of the college. The appeal must be made within three business days of the notification of academic status. (Prior policy permitted an appeal period of two weeks.) 

Academic Course Failures and Removal of Deficiencies

A student who has incurred a failure in a course prescribed for a degree in Fordham College at Rose Hill or in an elective must rectify the deficiency by taking a course approved by the class dean. If the failure is in the student’s major field, the deficiency must be rectified by taking an identical or equivalent course approved by both the department adviser and the class dean.

No grade lower than C will be accepted in rectifying a deficiency. Grades received by rectifying a deficiency through attendance at one of the colleges of Fordham University will be used in computation of the student’s grade index. Grades received at other universities will not be computed in the index. In both cases the original failing grade remains on the transcript and is computed in the index.

To rectify a deficiency, a student is normally obliged to attend a summer session of an approved college during the summer following the academic year in which the failure was incurred.

Students who, with prior approval of the class dean, register for an extra course to make up a deficiency, will be charged for the course.

Banner, which handles preregistration for courses, only allows students who failed a course to retake that course. If a student did not fail a course, but wants to retake it for a better grade, she/he needs to see both the department adviser and the class dean.

Business Coursework

Undergraduate liberal arts students in all three liberal arts colleges (FCRH, FCLC, PCS) may take up to six courses in the Gabelli School of Business. Students should be aware that business courses are three-credit courses, rather than four-credit courses, typically offered in FCRH and FCLC for juniors and seniors. Hence, when considering these minors, students should consult with the junior or senior class dean to be sure they will have the number of credits (124) required for graduation.

Please note that all of the business school courses must be taken at Fordham University.

A number of minors in business are available to students at FCRH and FCLC. While not all minors are available to all students, a list of their requirements is listed here.