Academic Standing & Progress

Academic Standing Status Policy

Students’ academic progress will be evaluated at the end of each quarter. A satisfactory progress report indicating progress and academic standing in the program can be found in the Student Portal in the format of an unofficial transcript.

Good Standing

Students earning a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0 are considered to be in good academic standing. Good Standing will be noted on the student’s official transcript.

2. Honors

Students, enrolled half-time or more, with a quarterly grade point average of 3.25 or higher in a given quarter are eligible for honors, according to the following table:

The appropriate honor will be noted on the student’s official transcript for the term in which it is earned.

Students who graduate from a program with a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 or higher will earn graduation honors, according to the following table:

Academic Probation

A student earning a cumulative grade point average below a 2.0 or being reinstated from an academic dismissal will be placed on academic probation Academic Probation will be noted on the student’s official transcript. Students will receive written notification if placed on academic probation.

Students on academic probation will be required to be advised and/or tutored for assistance prior to registering for future courses. Students on academic probation may still be eligible for financial aid. 

A third subsequent quarter with a cumulative grade point average below the 2.0 minimum will result in academic dismissal. 

Students will return to an academic status of Good Standing once the cumulative grade point average is a 2.0 or higher and/or the reinstatement requirements have been met.

Academic Dismissal

Academic Dismissal results when a student has met at least one of the following criteria:

1. Fails to earn a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 or better for a third quarter in the program.
2. Fails the same course for a second time. This criterion is not applicable to students whose latest signed Enrollment Agreement specifies enrollment or re-enrollment in the Spring 2023 term or any term thereafter.

Academic Dismissal is noted on the student’s official transcript. Students will receive written notification if academically dismissed.

Incomplete Policy

Students who have completed a quarter through week 9 may request to receive an incomplete grade (“I”) if they are unable to complete assignments, projects, and/or a final exam due to documented extenuating circumstances beyond the student’s control (for example, hospitalization or death of an immediate family member). Permission must be granted from the Medical Assisting Coordinator or the Campus Dean/Director of Nursing or designee.

Students receiving an incomplete will have until the start of the following quarter course(s) to submit all work required to complete the course(s). Deadlines for missing work will be outlined by the Medical Assisting Coordinator or the Campus Dean/Director of Nursing or designee, in conjunction with the faculty member who will be working with the student to resolve the student’s incomplete coursework. If the student fails to complete the incomplete coursework within the established timeline, the “I” will be changed to an “F”. Failure of a course will result in the student needing to repeat the course; in addition, the student may be placed on academic probation, or may be academically dismissed.

Students receiving an incomplete may not progress in the program until they have successfully completed the course(s) by earning a “C” or better. Students successfully completing incomplete coursework prior to the end of the allotted quarter timeline must wait until the start of the next quarter to progress in the program.

Repeat Policy

Students must repeat and pass any courses in which they receive a failing grade or from which they have withdrawn or dropped. Students who need to repeat a course may complete an academic advising session to review scheduling options and registration. Students may be required to repeat in an on-ground modality section, if the option is available. Students who need to repeat a course that is no longer offered due to a revised curriculum may have a blended curriculum, which may consist of a revised progression plan. Students cannot repeat a course(s) they have previously passed to simply improve their cumulative grade point average (CGPA).

1. Students on academic probation are not permitted to take any additional course(s) out of sequence when repeating a failed course. Students repeating a course, but not on academic probation, may request to take a general education course, excluding BIO 254, out of sequence if space is available. Students must make the request in writing to the Medical Assisting Coordinator or the Campus Dean/Director of Nursing. Courses taken out of sequence are subject to all policies regarding unsuccessful progression and attendance. Students that are unsuccessful in a course taken out of sequence may be required to successfully complete only that course prior to advancing in their program.
2. All earned grades will become part of the student’s academic record and will be reflected on the academic transcript. Repeated coursework in which a passing grade was earned will be marked with an “R” on the academic transcript to indicate the course was repeated.
3. Once a course has been repeated with a passing grade, only the latest earned passing grade for a repeated course will be used in the calculation of the cumulative grade point average. Withdrawals (W) are not counted as an earned grade when recalculating the cumulative grade point average. If a student is repeating a previously passed course due to starting a program over, only the highest grades earned will calculate into the cumulative grade point average.
4. Repeated coursework must be taken at Hondros College of Nursing.
5. The student is responsible for all costs associated with repeated coursework. In some cases, financial aid may not be available for repeated coursework.
6. The student may not receive Title IV aid for retaking previously passed courses if the student is required to retake those courses because the student failed a different course in a prior term.
7. Students required to repeat a course will be able to do so only when space is available. If the student is required to repeat a course that is not offered in the following term, he or she must repeat the course the next time the course is offered.
8. Students repeating a course may be required to audit an additional course(s). Audit courses may have associated lab/material fees charged to the student.

Out-of-class Academic Work

Students should be aware that for every hour of on-campus lecture, they should expect to spend two (2) to three (3) hours outside of class completing assigned work, including, but not limited to, readings, case studies, papers, homework assignments, and preparation for quizzes and exams, per the course’s topical outline. As an example, in a three (3) credit hour courses, students are expected to spend from six (6) – nine (9) hours outside of class in order to succeed in the lecture portion of the courses. Lab and clinical experiences may also require additional hours outside of the scheduled time to be successful in those portions of the course

Critical Incident Policy

A critical incident is defined as any incident that reflects poor performance in providing nursing care, managing care, or performing as a student in a professional manner. This behavior may or may not result in failure of the course in which the incident occurred. Critical incidents may be given for unsatisfactory behavior in the classroom, lab, and/or clinical. Critical incidents include, but are not limited to, the following: unsafe clinical or laboratory practice, violation of HIPAA, excessive tardiness, violations of the Student Code of Conduct, and dishonesty.

One critical incident, or a pattern of critical incidents, could result in failure of the course, or dismissal from the College, depending upon the severity of the incident. Violations will be reviewed, as applicable, by the Dean of the Medical Assisting Program, the Campus Dean/Director of Nursing, or designee. Documentation of the Critical Incident will be kept in the student file on a Critical Incident Form.