Poor Academic or Artistic Performance

Academic Review.  At the end of each semester, the Mason Gross School of the Arts Scholastic Standing Committee, composed of elected department advisers and faculty and the dean of students, reviews the academic records of all students.

Academic Probation.  Any student--including first-semester, first-year students--whose semester average is lower than 1.8 is placed on academic probation. Students are notified in writing of probationary status before the start of the next semester. While on academic probation, students must maintain full-time academic status and must complete successfully at least 12 credits per semester. (See next paragraph for guidelines for academic dismissal.)

Academic Dismissal.  There are no automatic dismissals for first-semester, first-year students. The Scholastic Standing Committee does however reserve the right to academically dismiss a student whose grade-point average is 1.0 or below in their first semester at Mason Gross. Students ordinarily are dismissed when their semester average is 1.4 or less regardless of their cumulative grade-point average or preceding semester average. Students may also be dismissed if their semester average falls below probationary level in any three semesters or in any two consecutive semesters or if their cumulative grade-point average at any time is less than the following: first year, 1.6; sophomore year, 1.8; junior year, 2.0; senior year, 2.0.

Artistic Review.   At regular intervals, the work of each student is reviewed by the department to determine if the artistic achievement and commitment to the professional program warrants retention in the program. Students in music and dance are artistically evaluated at regular intervals throughout the academic year. Students in visual arts receive a departmental review in the spring of their sophomore and junior years. The sophomore review enables the faculty to review and recommend each qualified student for intermediate work in a bachelor of fine arts (B.F.A.) concentration. The junior review, conducted by faculty in the student's studio concentration, sponsors and initiates the third-year student's plan for senior B.F.A. thesis coursework. Students in filmmaking receive a departmental review in the spring of their sophomore year. Theater students are reviewed at midsemester and the end of the semester.

Artistic Warning, Probation, or Dismissal.  Students placed on warning are notified by the department. Students placed on artistic probation are notified in writing by the dean's office, and must satisfy departmental requirements to remain in the program. Students who are being artistically dismissed are notified in writing by the dean's office and in person, either via a face-to-face meeting or phone call by their department adviser. Students whose dismissal has been recommended by the department faculty Scholastic Standing Committee for artistic reasons (deficiency in artistic production and/or quality of work) may request transfer to other programs of the Mason Gross School of the Arts or any other school at Rutgers whose admission requirements they meet. No guarantee of admission to another division or program can be given to students who have received an artistic dismissal, but the dean's office will assist students in completing the necessary transfer forms. Artistic dismissal is subject to review by the dean of the school. The dean's decision is final and binding. If a student is artistically dismissed they may request a single "grace semester" in which they are still enrolled at Mason Gross but are not permitted to take any Mason Gross courses. This "grace semester" is to aid students in making plans to transfer to another school within Rutgers or to an outside institution.

Appeal.  Students placed on academic probationary status may appeal in writing to the dean of students within one week of the date of the letter of probation. Grounds for appeal include technical error and/or changes in temporary grades. Letters of appeal must state the reasons for appeal and must be written by the student, although advice from others may be sought in formulating the appeal.

Students dismissed from the Mason Gross School of the Arts by the school's Scholastic Standing Committee for academic reasons may appeal by letter to the Office of the Dean within one week of notification of the decision. Grounds for appeal include technical error, extenuating circumstances, and/or additional information not previously available to the committee. The letter of appeal must state the reasons for the appeal and must be written by the student, although advice from others may be sought in formulating the appeal.

The Scholastic Standing Committee may determine that the student has presented evidence not previously available and sufficient to require the Scholastic Standing Committee to reconsider the academic case, or that insufficient evidence has been presented to justify further consideration of the appeal. At the student's and/or committee's request, a student may be present at the meeting of reconsideration, unaccompanied by an adviser, family member, or an attorney, to amplify upon his or her appeal request.

The committee may reinstate the student who was dismissed for academic reasons, with or without conditions, or may deny the appeal. Some of the conditions for reinstatement include a semester average of 2.0 or better and no incomplete grades. The committee also may define future courses to be completed. The committee notifies the student of its decision and any conditions within one week of reconsideration. Action by the committee is final. A second academic dismissal after reinstatement will be final without the option to appeal.

Readmission.  Students who have been dismissed from the school for academic reasons are not considered for readmission until they have given satisfactory evidence that they can further pursue academic work satisfactorily. Mason Gross School of the Arts normally requires that students improve their semester or cumulative grade-point average to a level that would have precluded dismissal action. This can be accomplished through work in the Rutgers Summer Session or by earning 12 to 15 credits at another accredited college or university. Each case is considered on its own merit. Students are not usually readmitted after a second dismissal action. Readmission is not automatic. Students who have been artistically dismissed from Mason Gross are not considered for readmission.