Maintenance of Academic Standards

Kenyon reserves the right to require any student to withdraw from the College if the student fails to meet the standards of scholarship expected, cannot remain without endangering his or her own health or that of other students, or has been found to have fallen seriously below the standards of behavior set forth in this catalogue and the Student Handbook.

Satisfactory Progress Toward the Degree

Satisfactory progress toward the degree is defined as the maintenance of at least a 2.0 cumulative average and earning credit at the normal rate of 4 units per year.

Substandard Academic Performance

The Committee on Academic Standards is charged with reviewing cases of substandard academic performance by students. Normally, the Subcommittee on Academic Standing acts for the full committee.

At the end of each semester, this committee routinely reviews the records of all students who fail to meet the minimal requirements as defined above. Based on this review, the committee may take any of the actions outlined below. The committee examines deficiency reports from instructors and receives reports from such offices as that of the dean of students, dean for academic advising, the health center, and so on. The committee strives to find the causes for the deficiencies if at all possible.

In addition, the committee may ask for a report from the faculty advisor, as well as a written statement from the student. Tentative grades in year courses are considered by the committee.

Committee Actions

The academic record of any student who cannot accomplish a 2.0 (C) average during any period of enrollment in the College raises serious questions about the student’s will or capacity to graduate from Kenyon. Likewise, the academic record of any student who is more than 1/2 unit behind his or her class raises the same questions.

In its deliberations, the committee strives to weigh all pertinent factors before reaching a decision about the student’s will or capacity to make satisfactory progress toward graduation. In addition to the reports mentioned above, positive or negative trends in the student’s record are taken into account.

The following are the most common actions taken by the committee.

Letter of warning. This is a letter explaining the deficiency and possible consequences if improved performance is not forthcoming in the following semester or year.

Conditional enrollment. This letter sets forth conditions for continued enrollment at the College. Some of the more common conditions include prohibition from taking more than four courses, requiring regular class attendance, restrictions on extracurricular activities, requiring approval by the committee of subsequent course selections, and specification of minimal grade averages to be earned if the student is to continue at Kenyon. Students on conditional enrollment are not in good academic standing.

Advised withdrawal. It may be the judgment of the committee that it is advisable for a student to withdraw for some extended period of time. If the student declines this advice, some of the conditions stated above may be imposed.

Required withdrawal. When it becomes obvious that a student will have little or no chance to graduate, or when some time away from Kenyon is clearly indicated, the student’s withdrawal will be required. The committee may require withdrawal for a specific period (usually one year), or in extreme cases the committee may require withdrawal indefinitely or permanently.

Records of Committee Actions

Copies of letters concerning actions taken by the Committee on Academic Standards are placed in the students’ folders in the registrar’s and dean of students’ offices. Summary records of the committee’s actions are maintained by the dean for academic advising.

A note of the committee’s actions is kept as a part of the student’s permanent academic record. The fact that a student has received a letter of warning or has been placed on conditional enrollment does not appear on copies of the student’s transcript that are sent from the College. A student advised to withdraw or required to withdraw from Kenyon is given the opportunity to complete a Declaration of Withdrawal form. By so doing, the student will have voluntarily withdrawn from the College, and his or her transcript will so indicate. If a completed Declaration of Withdrawal form is not submitted by a student who is required to withdraw, the student’s transcript will indicate “Required to withdraw: date.”

Deficiency Reports from Instructors

College policy requires instructors to report academic deficiencies in the cases of first-year students, students on conditional enrollment, and others with deficient grades at the midpoint of each semester. A deficiency is defined as a C– level of performance or below. In addition, instructors are encouraged to report deficiencies for any student in case there is some cause for concern about the student’s coursework.

Deficiency reports are sent to the student’s advisor and to the dean of students or dean for academic advising. The advisor and/or dean of students use these reports to counsel the student. Ordinarily, no action is taken by the committee at the time these midterm reports are submitted. At the end of each semester, instructors are required to comment in cases where they report a grade of C– or below. Deficiency reports are read by committee members and considered in their deliberations at the end of each semester.

Procedures for Withdrawing from the College

Withdrawal from the College. Students who plan to leave Kenyon for the remainder of a semester, or for a semester or more (except students studying under the auspices of the Office of International Education), or permanently, must declare their intentions to the dean of students or the dean for academic advising by completing a Declaration of Withdrawal form.

Grades and credit. Grades and credit for students withdrawing from the College depend on the time of the withdrawal. Here is the policy:

• Before the end of the Thanksgiving vacation: W (no credit or grade) in all courses.
• Between Thanksgiving and the end of the first semester: W in all year courses*; F in all semester courses, unless the courses have been completed (in which case grade and credit are recorded), or unless the deans find that the withdrawal is justified (e.g., because of illness), in which case WI is recorded.
• Between the beginning of the second semester and the end of the spring vacation: W in all year courses* and all second-semester courses.
• After spring vacation but before the end of the second semester: F in all courses* unless the deans find that the withdrawal is justified.

Financial arrangements. Students who withdraw during the academic year are subject to tuition charges as stated in the Fees and Charges booklet. The general fee, other fees, and book charges are not refundable. Rebates for board may be granted on a weekly prorated basis.

Readmission to the College (after having withdrawn)

Students who have voluntarily withdrawn must submit a letter of application for readmission to the dean of students. Students who withdrew during or at the end of a semester in which they had been warned of academic deficiencies, or had been advised or required to withdraw by the Committee on Academic Standards, must apply for readmission to the committee via the dean of students. If such students are admitted, the committee may impose special conditions on their enrollment.

Transfer of credit. Students who enroll at other institutions during their absence from Kenyon must so note in their letter of application. Official transcripts of such work must be sent directly to Kenyon’s registrar. The registrar may grant Kenyon transfer credit for work successfully completed (with grades of C– or better) elsewhere during the student’s absence in accordance with the regulations guiding the transfer of credit.

Certain study-abroad programs and courses are explicitly prohibited for transfer credit. Students who fail to follow College procedures regarding off-campus study, or who withdraw from Kenyon in order to circumvent existing College regulations regarding off-campus study, will not receive credit for work done off campus.

Readmission deadlines. Students applying for the fall semester should initiate the application process before March 1 if they wish to become eligible for returning-student privileges. Upon acceptance and payment of the advance registration deposit (due April 15), returning students may participate in the housing-selection process and in April enrollment for fall-semester courses. Students applying for the spring semester should initiate that process by November 1 of the preceding semester.