Academic Course Load

The average semester load for full-time students is 15 to 17 semester (or credit) hours. Students must carry at least 12 semester hours to be classified as full time.

Academic overloads during fall and spring semesters (18 or more semester hours for students in the College of Liberal Arts and the College of Science and Technology; 19 or more semester hours in all other schools and colleges) need special approval of the dean of the school or college in which a student is matriculated. Tuition for full-time students covers 12 to 17 hours. Credits over 17 carry additional tuition charges. See Tuition and Fees in the Financial Information section of the Bulletin.

Summer sessions: Undergraduates must get overload approval for 9 credits or more.

Academic Credit

A credit hour is a measure of the amount of work represented in intended learning outcomes and verified by evidence of student achievement. A credit hour is an institutionally established equivalency that reasonably approximates: (1) not less than one hour of classroom instruction or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of out of class student work each week for approximately fifteen weeks for one semester of credit or the equivalent amount of work over a different amount of time; or (2) at least an equivalent amount of work for other academic activities such as laboratory work, internships, practica, studio work, and other academic work leading to the award of credit hours.

Academic credit may be earned through traditional coursework at Temple University, courses approved for transfer from other institutions, Advanced Placement Tests, International Baccalaureate Exams, the College Level Examination Program (CLEP), DANTES Subject Standardized Tests (DSST), military experience, cooperative work experience, and prior work or life experience. See the Admissions section of the Bulletin and the policy on Credit for Prior Learning (formerly Non-Traditional Credit).

Courses evaluated for transfer from colleges and universities with different credit systems (quarter hours, units) are converted to semester hours (i.e., 2 quarter hour credits are equivalent to 1.5 semester hour credits; 3 quarter hour credits are equivalent to 2.0 semester hour credits; 4 quarter hour credits are equivalent to 2.5 semester hour credits).

Academic Forgiveness (Undergraduate)

Scope of Policy & Rationale

Former undergraduate, baccalaureate degree-seeking students who have not taken any coursework at Temple University for a minimum of four consecutive years are eligible for Academic Forgiveness

(policy # 02.10.17).

Definitions

1. Re-enrolled - Students are re-enrolled when they are approved to return to the university after leaving of their own accord.

2. Reinstated - Students are reinstated when they are approved to return to the university following dismissal.

3. Academic Forgiveness - Academic Forgiveness is a status that enables students to return to the university with a renewed cumulative grade point average (GPA).

4. Four Consecutive Years - A total of eight consecutive fall and spring semesters.

Policy Statement

Undergraduate, baccalaureate degree-seeking students who re-enroll or are reinstated following a four-year consecutive absence from the university may petition to have their cumulative GPA recalculated from the time of re-enrollment/reinstatement to the university.

Upon successful petition:

• Cumulative GPA will be reset to 0.00.
• All prior courses and grades will remain on the student's academic record and transcript.
• The notation of "Academic Forgiveness" will be recorded on the student's transcript.
• Courses previously earned at Temple University with grades of D+, D, D-, F and NC will not be used for credit. Credit will be considered for courses with grades of A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C- and CR. The student's department has final approval of credits that will count towards graduation. Schools/Colleges may disallow credits towards graduation for some older courses.

Re-enrolled or reinstated students electing the forgiveness option may repeat a course one additional time if they previously exhausted their repeat options for that course under the policy on Repeating a Course (#02.10.12).

Once enacted, the reset GPA cannot be reversed.

Students are afforded one opportunity for Academic Forgiveness.

Notes

1. Dates of official enactment and amendments

Adopted by the president on February 8, 2011. Effective August 30, 2011 (Fall 2011).

2. History

Supersedes previous policies concerning Withdrawal; Repeat; and Academic Warning, Probation and Dismissal with effective dates prior to May 16, 2011.

 

3. Cross References

Policy # 02.10.12, Repeating a Course (Undergraduate)

Policy # 02.10.14, Withdrawal from Classes (Undergraduate and Graduate)

Policy # 02.10.11, Academic Standing (Undergraduate)

[Note: Academic Forgiveness students wishing to qualify for Latin honors at Graduation must complete a minimum of 60 earned credit hours at Temple following their reinstatement (i.e., excluding their earned credit hours allowed at the time of academic forgiveness)]

Academic Residency Requirements

Temple University requires that all undergraduate degree candidates complete 30 hours of the last 45 hours of the degree or program as matriculated students at Temple University. If a matriculated student previously took Temple courses on a non-matriculated basis, those courses are counted towards this requirement. See the policy on Transfer Credits.

To graduate with Latin Honors, a student must complete at least 60 semester hours of the program matriculated at Temple. See Honors.

Students should consult their school or college for additional academic residency requirements.

Academic Rights and Responsibilities

See Academic Rights and Responsibilities in the Student Rights section of the Bulletin.

Academic Standing (Undergraduate)

Scope of Policy & Rationale

Undergraduate baccalaureate and associate degree-seeking students are subject to the academic standing rules addressed in this policy¹ (Policy # 02.10.11).

Definitions

1. Academic Good Standing - A student is in Academic Good Standing if enrolled in an associate or baccalaureate degree-seeking program.

2. Academic Warning - The status of Academic Warning is applied to a student whose:

a) most recent semester grade point average is less than a 2.0 or

b) cumulative grade point average is below 2.0 prior to having earned 30 credit hours (or 20 credit hours for an associate-degree program).

3. Academic Probation - The status of Academic Probation is applied to a student whose cumulative grade point average is below 2.0 after having earned 30 or more credit hours (o r20 or more credit hours for an associate degree program.

4. Academic Dismissal - A dismissed student is not in Academic Good Standing.

The status of Academic Dismissal is applied to a student who:

a) earns more than 30 credit hours (or more than 20 credit hours for an associate degree program); and

b) has had the status of Academic Probation in the most recent semester; and

c) has a GPA below the allowable limit (See Appendix 1: Dismissal GPA by Total Institutional GPA Hours + Total Transfer Earned Hours).

Independently from a, b, and c above, the status of Academic Dismissal is applied to a student who:

d) has not successfully completed the following university requirements or equivalents (including Honors, English as a Second Language or other equivalent versions of these courses) after attempts allowable by policy 02.10.12, Repeating a Course (previous and equivalent versions of all courses included in the count):

• English 0701: Introduction to Academic Discourse
• English 0802: Analytical Reading and Writing
• IH 0851: Mosaic: Humanities Seminar I
• IH 0852: Mosaic: Humanities Seminar II
• Math 0701: Elementary Algebra

(See effective date at the end of this policy)

5. Institutional GPA hours include credit hours in all courses graded "A" through "F". Credit hours for repeated courses are calculated according to the course repeat policy.

Policy Statement

The university assesses academic standing and the statuses of warning, probation and dismissal based on academic performance following the fall and spring semesters. Academic Standing is not assessed as a result of grades earned during summer sessions.

However, those students who make their final attempts to repeat university requirements (as specified in 4d above) during the summer and who fail to achieve grades of C- or above will be dismissed during the summer as a result of not having successfully completed university requirements.

A student on Academic Warning or Academic Probation must meet with and advisor to discuss his/her academic standing. An advisor will help in planning a schedule of courses to assist the student in achieving an acceptable cumulative GPA. A student on academic warning will be able to self-register after this meeting; a student on Academic Probation must be registered by his/her advisor.

Reinstatement

A dismissed student may apply for reinstatement four years from the date of last enrollment at Temple University. At the time of application, all credit hours will be evaluated. Final determination of the acceptability of such courses is the responsibility of the academic unit.

A student may also apply for Academic Forgiveness (policy 02.10.17) at this time.

Notes

Dates of official enactment and amendments:

Amended by the President August 1, 2011. Effective May 16, 2011 (Summer Session I). Beginning May 10, 2012 (End of Spring Semester 2012), students will be dismissed when they fail to complete English 0701, English 0802, IH 0851, IH 0852, and Math 0701 or other equivalent versions of these courses in the requisite number of times per Policy 02.10.12, Repeating a Course.

¹Academic Standing is determined by calculating Total Earned Transfer Hours plus Total Institutional GPA Hours. For Academic Forgiveness Students: Calculation includes Forgiveness Institutional Earned Hours (grades A through C- preceded by an asterisk) + Total Institutional GPA Hours + Total Transfer Earned Hours. Not included in Total Institutional GPA Hours: AU, CR, NC, HC, I, IC, IP, MG, NR, P, PI, R, S, W, WE, WF, WS. See your academic advisor for assistance.

Appendix 1 - Dismissal GPA by Total Institutional GPA Hours + Total Transfer Earned Hours

Assessment of Student Learning

Temple University is committed to providing superior educational opportunities to its students. To help us maintain quality academic offerings, the University and its programs regularly examine the effectiveness of the curricula, teaching, services, and programs the University provides. As Temple University sees appropriate, it may retain representative examples or copies of student work. This might include papers, exams, creative works, or portfolios developed and submitted in courses or to satisfy the requirements for degree program(s).

In addition to regularly collecting and reviewing student work, Temple University may summarize the results of this review, and use the information to improve programs and enhance student learning. Some of this assessment may also be necessary for Temple University or its programs to demonstrate it meets the standards of external review or accrediting bodies.

Typically, results will be reported in a general, summary format and students' names will not appear on the collected examples. Cohorts may be tracked for specific educational purposes, but the expectation is that assessment will be anonymous. Identifiers will only be used when there is a compelling reason and educational value.

Questions about the assessment of student learning at Temple University may be directed to the Office of the Deputy Provost, 215-204-8873 or assessment@temple.edu.