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Academic Dismissal Appeals:
Students who are not in good academic standing are subject to dismissal from the university. The academic statuses that result in immediate dismissal from a GPS program include:

• Any quarter in which a student’s cumulative GPA is below 2.0, including fall quarter of the first year
• Failure to achieve a cumulative GPA of at least 2.8 at the end of Year One
  • For joint degree students (BA-MIA, BA-MPP, BS-MPP), the cumulative GPA of at least 2.8 required at the end of Year One is calculated using only grades in GPS core courses and approved language courses. A Year One cumulative GPA below 2.8 will result in a joint degree candidate not being nominated for admission to the graduate program for Year Two, and therefore dismissal from the joint degree pathway.
• Failure to achieve a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 at the end of Year Two
• Ineligibility to graduate because of an accumulation of more than eight (8) units of “F” and/or “U” grades
• Failure to maintain satisfactory progress toward completion of degree requirements without approval of Incompletes, Leaves, or less than full-time enrollment

Students who receive letters of dismissal from the Associate Dean may submit an appeal, using the following process:

• Within one month of the dismissal decision, a student may submit a written appeal to the Associate Dean. The appeal must provide a full explanation of the circumstances that directly resulted in the student’s academic status and include a specific, viable academic plan for returning to good standing and completing the degree.

Appeals are considered only in exceptional circumstances where the student can demonstrate that factors beyond their control prevented satisfactory academic performance. Appeals will not be considered when the circumstances presented indicate that a Leave of Absence or other administrative action would have been the appropriate course, unless the student can provide clear documentation demonstrating that it was impossible to request or take such action at the relevant time.

• If the Associate Dean denies an appeal for continuation, the student may then appeal directly to the Dean of GPS, within two weeks of the initial appeal decision.
• If the Dean of GPS denies reinstatement but the student believes non-academic criteria has been applied to the dismissal decision, they may then follow the non-academic appeal process to the Dean of the Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs.

Grade Appeals:
A student may appeal a final exam result or course grade only if they believe non-academic criteria not directly reflective of academic performance in the course were used in determining the result.

Nonacademic criteria means criteria not directly reflective of academic performance in the course. It includes discrimination on political grounds or based on a protected trait, including but not limited to a student’s gender, race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, or disability.

Please see: UC San Diego General Catalog and Academic Senate Regulation 502.

• The student appeal must first be made to the individual faculty member who made the decision, within the first month of the following regular academic quarter.
• If the grievance is not resolved to the student’s satisfaction, the student may then attempt to resolve the grievance through written appeal to the department chair or equivalent, who shall attempt to adjudicate the case with the instructor and the student within two weeks.
• If the grievance still is not resolved to the student’s satisfaction, the student may then attempt to resolve the grievance through written appeal to the provost of the student’s college, or the Dean of the Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs, who shall attempt to adjudicate the case with the instructor, the chair, and the student within two weeks.
• If the grievance is not resolved to the student’s satisfaction by the provost or Dean, the student may request consideration of the appeal by the Educational Policy Committee (hereinafter called the Committee) according to the procedures outlined below. This request must be submitted before the last day of instruction of the quarter following the quarter in which the course was taken.

Non-Academic Conduct Appeals:
Students accused of violating policies on conduct will find appeal procedures outlined in the UC San Diego Student Conduct Code.

All suspected cases of academic dishonesty will be referred to campus for adjudication. Academic violations consist of the following three categories.

Cheating includes the attempt to:

• give or receive any unauthorized aid or assistance;
• give or receive any unfair advantage on any form of any academic work; and
• use of electronic aids including calculators, translation programs, dictionaries or cellphone apps without explicit permission.

Plagiarism includes the attempt to:

• pass off as your own original work the language, argument structure, ideas and/or thoughts that have been copied from another’s written or spoken work;
• paraphrasing without attribution; and
• the use of someone else's data, code, or model or rationality for a model or variable selection.

Falsification includes the attempt to use:

• statements of any untruth, either verbally or in writing, that misrepresent one’s academic performance such as the forgery of official signatures, tampering with official records, adding or deleting information on academic documents, changing/removing a grade on an assignment, or changing/removing comments on coursework; and
• turning in work for a course assignment that was produced for another course/employer without the explicit permission of both instructors or one’s employer and professor.

A student who has concerns or questions about how these academic principles apply to any assignment or classroom-related circumstance is responsible for obtaining specific guidance from the instructor before submitting the assignment.

Detailed procedures for the disposition of academic dishonesty cases are fully described in the UC San Diego General Catalog.

All students must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 (be in good academic standing) in order to receive a degree.

• Students with more than eight (8) units of “F” and/or “U” grades or a cumulative GPA below 2.0 will be dismissed.
• Students with a cumulative GPA below 3.0 in any quarter will receive notices of probationary standing from both the Associate Dean of GPS and the Dean of the Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs.
• The student is required to make an appointment with either an academic advisor or the Associate Dean of GPS to review the conditions of probation and establish an academic plan.

For MIA, MPP and MCEPA and part-time MAS-IA students (two-year programs)

In the quarter subsequent to the first notice of probation:

• If the student raises their cumulative GPA to a 3.0 or above, they will be returned to good standing;
• If the student earns a second quarter below the required cumulative 3.0 GPA, academic probation will be extended and they must meet with Student Affairs staff to review the conditions of probation and establish an academic plan; and
• If the student fails to achieve a cumulative GPA of at least 2.8 by the end of spring of their first year, they will be dismissed from the program.

Second-year students on probation must attain the required cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 by the end of the second year. Failure to do so will result in dismissal from the program.

For second-year BA-MIA, BA-MPP, and full-time MAS-IA students (one-year programs)

In the quarter subsequent to the first notice of probation:

• If the student raises their cumulative GPA to at least a 3.0, they will be returned to good standing; or
• If the student fails to achieve a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0, they will be dismissed from the program.

Academic probation disqualifies all students from:

• student leadership positions;
• academic appointments (including teaching assistant, research assistant, apprentice teacher, tutor, intern or reader);
• enrolling in Independent Research (GPGN 499) courses;
• receiving merit-based financial aid; and
• receiving non-School financial assistance.

The ability to enroll for any quarter does not imply that probation has been lifted or that a student will be allowed to remain in a program.

All degrees:

• Enrollment and registration deadlines must be met to avoid a required late fee.
• All fees, including late fees, must be paid in full by the end of the second week of instruction to avoid cancellation of enrollment.
• Reinstatement requires payment in full of all fees and approval from both Student Affairs and the Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs, following resolution of any appeal.
• Non-payment by the end of the fourth week will result in cancellation for the entire quarter.
• Fees/stipends paid by the School or other award sources will not be credited to a student’s account until enrollment is complete.

The MIA, MPP, MCEPA, BA-MIA, and BA-MPP are full-time degree programs:

• MIA, MPP, and MCEPA students are expected to take at least 16 units each quarter.
• Second-year BA-MIA and BA-MPP students are expected to take at least 16 units each quarter.
• UC San Diego policy requires enrollment in at least 12 units per quarter to maintain full-time status.
• Registering for fewer than 12 units requires formal approval from Student Affairs staff and the Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs.
• Students enrolled in seven–11 units will pay full-time tuition and fees.
• Students enrolled in six units or fewer must pay professional fees and student health costs.
• Visa status requires full-time enrollment in at least 12 units per quarter.

The MAS-IA may be pursued at either a full-time or part-time pace:

• MAS-IA full-time enrollment is at least 16 units each quarter.
• MAS-IA part-time enrollment is eight units each quarter.

All degrees require students to:

• maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0, including UC San Diego courses taken outside the School; and
• have no more than eight (8) units of “F” and/or “U” grades appear on transcript.

Please see the Academic Probation section for further information about the consequences of failing to remain in good standing.

All GPS courses are graded using the School’s grading guideline as follows:

• In classes with enrollments of 25 or more, the median grade should be no higher than a B+; and the number of letter grades strictly above and below a B+ should be roughly equal.
• Non-GPS students may be included/excluded from the curve at the discretion of the instructor.
• In classes with 10-25 students, A grades (including A+ and A- grades) may not be given to more than half of the class.
• In classes with fewer than 10 students the grade distribution is at the discretion of the instructor.
• Capstone courses are subject to the GPS norm of adequate work deserving a grade in the B+ to B range. However, faculty retain discretion over grades in any particular quarter based on the work produced.
• All GPS classes are letter graded.

Minimum Grade Requirement for Core Courses:

Students must earn a grade of C- or better in all required GPS core courses. In the event that a grade below C- is earned in a required core course, the student must retake the course at the next available offering, subject to scheduling and enrollment constraints. Failure to remediate a required core course within the prescribed timeframe may result in academic probation or dismissal, consistent with the policies outlined above.

Eligibility for an incomplete requires the following:

• Student has completed work beyond the fourth week drop deadline that is of passing quality.
• The inability to complete the course must be a consequence of an emergency such as illness or family crisis.
• Students must provide documentation to the faculty of record for the request.

Clearing an incomplete requires the following:

• Students have until the Friday of 10th week of the subsequent quarter to complete work for an incomplete but faculty retain the discretion to set an earlier deadline.
• If an incomplete is not resolved as required, the incomplete grade will convert to a permanent F, and there are no retroactive appeals.
• Extensions on incomplete grades cannot be made retroactively. Allowable extensions on incompletes require campus approval and will go forward from Student Affairs staff only with documentation showing that the original emergency has not resolved.
• Students with pending incompletes are not eligible for a leave of absence.

The No Report/No Record (NR) Grade:

• If a blank appears on a transcript it is the student's responsibility to resolve a No Report/No Record (NR) grade before the end of the following quarter when it will lapse to a permanent “F” or “U” grade.

BA-MIA, BA-MPP, MIA, MPP, MCEPA and MAS-IA courses are listed on the TritonLink Schedule of Classes in the 400 series and in the online UC San Diego General Catalog.

Prior approval via petition is required for:

• upper-division undergraduate courses (100 series); and
• non-School graduate level courses (200 or 400 series).

University Rules for non-School courses:

• No more than 16 units of outside coursework may be used toward the degree, excluding approved language coursework
• Only 12 of these units may be at the undergraduate level

With the exception of the Education Abroad Program (EAP) and the University of California Intercampus Exchange (ICEX), no degree coursework may be taken outside of UC San Diego.

Leave of absence:

• Students are eligible for a maximum of three quarters leave of absence.
• Students must file for a formal leave of absence and/or withdrawal prior to leaving the campus.
• Students must have completed at least one quarter of academic residence and be in good standing to be granted a leave.
• A student on a leave of absence cannot use university facilities or faculty time, be employed at UC San Diego, UC San Diego Medical Center or UC Extension.
• Aid and fellowship recipients are advised to meet with a member of the Student Affairs staff or the UC San Diego Financial Aid Office to discuss the impact of leave on their aid packages.

International students:

• International students are not permitted leaves of absence except in cases of a documented illness or a documented intention to return to their home country for the duration of the leave.
• Leaves of absence for international students must be approved by the UC San Diego International Services and Engagement Office (ISEO).

Withdrawal:

• See Student Affairs staff in the 300 building, bottom floor.

Parental leaves of absence:

• A student who is either expecting a child or has the primary responsibility for the care of a newborn or an adopted child under the age of 5, is eligible for up to three quarters of parental leave. During the quarter in which the childbirth or adoption occurs, the student may, with departmental approval:
  • continue to register as a full-time student and retain eligibility for support;
  • reduce to part-time status (fewer than 12 units);
  • be eligible for up to 25 percent time employment on campus; and
  • take a leave of absence and request a one-quarter extension of all unexpired time limits.

Students are entitled to no more than three quarters of parenting leave total, regardless of the number of children.

Official transcripts must be ordered through the UC San Diego Office of the Registrar. Transcripts are delivered through secure PDF.

Students may petition to waive a (first year) core course, as well as required regional and career-track courses.

To request consideration for a waiver, a student must submit a petition to Student Affairs no later than the end of the first week of the quarter in which the course in question is scheduled. The petition must be accompanied by a transcript showing the following:

• two upper division undergraduate courses with a grade of B+ or higher in the same disciplinary area of the waived course, taken within the last seven years; and
• a graduate-level course in the same disciplinary area and subject matter, taken in the last seven years, and passed with a B or better.

Waiving a course does not reduce the number of units required for the degree.

Students who will miss a required course due to study abroad may be allowed to substitute a similar course. Course substitution must be included in the student's Education Abroad Program study abroad plan and approved by petition by Student Affairs and the Associate Dean prior to departure. Learn more about EAP.