Sometimes students run into academic difficulties. In some cases, this is a serious indication that Bioengineering may not be a good fit for the student. Students who feel that this may be the case should contact their faculty advisor immediately to discuss options. In other cases, academic difficulty may be simply an indication that time management, study habits, and priorities need to be re-evaluated and adjusted. Below are the policies and guidelines related to academic difficulty.

University Repeat Policy & Freshman Forgiveness

  • Any course may be attempted a maximum of two times
  • Students may repeat up to 18 credit hours.
  • A ‘W’ (withdrawal) counts as an attempt.
  • Both attempts of a course are calculated into the GPA unless the course was originally taken during the student’s first semester at UMCP or within the first 24 credits taken at UMCP (this includes transfer credits from another institution, but not AP/IB credits). For those courses, there is a grace period where only the new grade will be calculated into the GPA. Please note the original grade is not deleted from the transcript.
  • No more than 4 credits may be dropped during one semester.
Appeals of any of these policies will be considered. To appeal, please complete the appropriate Exception to Policy Form.

Academic Probation

An engineering student is placed on academic probation if his/her cumulative GPA falls below a 2.0. If a student has fewer than 60 credits when placed on probation, then the student may be permitted to continue in the major as long as a minimum semester GPA of 2.0 is achieved.

If a student has more than 60 credits when placed on academic probation, then the student will be allowed one probationary semester. If the student’s cumulative GPA remains below a 2.0 after the probationary semester, then the student will be dismissed from the Clark School of Engineering.

All students on academic probation are required to complete the CARE (Creating Academic Responsibility in Engineering) program conducted by the Clark School’s Office of Undergraduate Advising & Academic Support. In addition, all students on probation have an academic hold placed on their file and will not be allowed to add or drop any courses until the CARE program is completed. There are three steps students must complete before an academic hold can be removed:

  • Complete CARE modules (students will receive an email from Engineering Undergraduate Advising Office with instructions to modules)
  • Meet with assigned faculty or departmental advisor
  • Meet with an advisor in the Engineering Undergraduate Advising & Academic Support Office

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