Administrative Withdrawal and Academic Dismissal

Excelsior University reserves the right to academically dismiss students from a degree or certificate program or to administratively withdraw students from the University when warranted. Academic dismissal from a program may be the result of a student’s failure to maintain good academic standing, make satisfactory academic progress, earn required grades in certain program requirements, follow the University’s academic integrity policy, etc. Administrative withdrawal from the University may be the result of unresolved fiscal matters, violation of University policies, behavioral misconduct, etc.

Academic Dismissal

Students may be academically dismissed from their degree or certificate program for the following reasons:

1. Failure to maintain good academic standing (i.e., Academic Probation). Students academically dismissed from a program for this reason are not eligible to appeal their dismissal.
2. Accumulation of 6 Administrative Withdrawal (AW) course grades in undergraduate courses or 4 AW grades in graduate courses. Students academically dismissed from a program for this reason are not eligible to appeal their dismissal.
3. Exceeding program completion time limits. See below.
4. Failure to complete required non-nursing Excelsior University courses after three attempts. See program catalogs for details. See below for further procedural steps.
5. Failure to earn the minimum grade required in any undergraduate nursing component requirement of an undergraduate nursing program within two attempts (exception: see point 7 below). See program catalog for details. See below for further procedural steps.
6. Failure to maintain a minimum nursing component GPA of 2.00 in all undergraduate nursing programs. See program catalog for details. See below for further procedural steps.
7. Failure of an associate degree nursing phase 3 required nursing course. See program catalog for details. See below for further procedural steps.

Students academically dismissed from a program for reasons 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7 above may not appeal their dismissal, but may be eligible to transfer to a different program within 60 days of their dismissal, provided they meet the admission requirements of the new program. If the student has not transferred after 60 days, they will be administratively withdrawn from the University.

For all academic dismissal reasons listed above other than reason 3, non-nursing students may appeal to apply for readmission to a program one year after academic dismissal and nursing students may appeal to apply for readmission to the program five years after academic dismissal. The appeal must be submitted to the dean of the school offering the program. The student must provide information on what has changed since their previous enrollment that will allow them to be successful. If the appeal is granted, students will need to reapply to the University and will be subject to policies in effect at the time of admission. Students academically dismissed for reason 3 may not be readmitted into the same program as they have reached their program time limit. However, they may select a different program, assuming enrollment eligibility requirements are met.

Administrative Withdrawal

Students may be administratively withdrawn from the University for the following reasons:

1. By request of the student. Students who wish to withdraw from the University should either use the online withdrawal request form located in the MyExcelsior portal or send a signed request to the Office of The Registrar. Students administratively withdrawn from the University for this reason may reactivate their enrollment to their original academic policy date within 90 days of withdrawal with a new signed request by the student, which must be sent to the attention of the Office of the Registrar. After 90 days, the student will need to reapply to the University and will be subject to the policies in effect at the time of admission.
2. For failure to resolve student account balances. Students administratively withdrawn from the University for this reason may reactivate their enrollment to their original academic policy date within 90 days of withdrawal by resolving any balance on their student account. After 90 days, the student will need to reapply to the University and will be subject to the policies in effect at the time of admission.
3. For failure to meet credit accumulation requirements as outlined in the Admission and Enrollment policy. Students administratively withdrawn from the University for this reason may reactivate their enrollment to their original academic policy date within 90 days of withdrawal by contacting their academic advisor with a plan for degree progression. After 90 days, the student will need to reapply to the University and will be subject to the policies in effect at the time of admission.
4. For violation of University policies. The student will be notified in writing that they have been suspended pending administrative withdrawal from the University. Students will have 30 calendar days to appeal to the provost regarding the pending administrative withdrawal. See the Student Complaints, Appeals, and Exceptions policy for additional information about possible reengagement with the University.
5. For failure to maintain the health, safety, or welfare of the campus community. Students administratively withdrawn from the University for this reason may appeal to the provost for permission to reapply to Excelsior after one year. They will need to provide information on what has changed since their previous enrollment that will allow them to be successful. If the appeal is granted, students will need to reapply to the University and will be subject to policies in effect at the time of admission.
6. For behavioral misconduct. The University reserves the right to involuntarily withdraw a student if there is sufficient evidence that the student is engaging in, or is likely to engage in, behavior that either poses a danger or disrupts the learning or living environment of others. Students withdrawn from the University for this reason are not eligible for reengagement with the University.

If a student is administratively withdrawn for reasons 4, 5, or 6, the student’s file will be annotated to reflect this action. The student will first be suspended and has 30 days to appeal the pending administrative withdrawal. If the student appeals and the appeal is not successful or the student does not appeal, their academic record will be changed to an administrative withdrawal. The student’s file will be flagged to block future enrollment and course registration. All advising and evaluation services previously available to the student will be terminated. Once administratively withdrawn for these reasons, a student cannot appeal again.

Appeal Process: Please contact our Student Support Team at studentsupport@excelsior.edu for more information on submitting an academic appeal.