2020-2021 SEAS Student Handbook

Academic Standing
Academic Honors
Dean’s List
To be eligible for Dean’s List honors, an undergraduate student must achieve a gradepoint
average of 3.5 or better and complete at least 15 graded credits with no
unauthorized incompletes, UWs, or grades lower than C.
Honors Awarded with the Degree
At the end of the academic year, a select portion of the candidates for the Bachelor of
Science degree who have achieved the highest academic cumulative grade-point
average are accorded Latin honors. Latin honors are awarded in three categories
(cum laude, magna cum laude, and summa cum laude) to no more than 25 percent
of the graduating class, with no more than 5 percent summa cum laude, 10 percent
magna cum laude, and 10 percent cum laude. Honors are awarded on the overall
record of graduating seniors who will have completed a minimum of four semesters at
Columbia upon graduation. Students who enter Columbia through the Combined Plan
program are eligible for honors based on three semesters at Columbia. Students may
not apply for honors.
Academic Monitoring
The Undergraduate Committee on Academic Standing determines academic policies
and regulations for the School except in certain instances when decisions are made by
the faculty as a whole. The Undergraduate Committee on Academic Standing is
expected to uphold the policies and regulations of the Committee on Instruction and
determine when circumstances warrant exceptions to them.
Academic performance is reviewed by advisers at the end of each semester. The
Undergraduate Committee on Academic Standing, in consultation with the
departments, meets to review undergraduate grades and progress toward the degree.
Indicators of academic well-being are grades that average above 2.0 each term, in a
coordinated program of study, with no incomplete grades.
Possible academic sanctions include:
• Warning: C– or below in any core science course or in a required course for their
major; low points toward degree completion
• Academic Probation: Students will be placed on academic probation if they meet
any of the conditions below:
o Fall below a 2.0 GPA in a given semester
o
o
Have not completed 12 points successfully in a given semester
Have not completed chemistry, physics, University Writing, The Art of
Engineering, and calculus during the first year
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