Policies and Procedures

Familiarize yourself with the important policies and procedures that govern the NYUSPS community of students, faculty, and staff. Knowledge of and adherence to these policies will guide you through your academic journey and help ensure your success. 

In addition to the highlighted policies and procedures below, read through all NYUSPS Undergraduate Policies and Procedures. 

Pass/Fail Policy

Students can take a maximum of sixteen credits (16) on a Pass/Fail basis and no more than one (1) course per semester.  The grade of Fail “F” is calculated into the GPA.  The grade of Pass “P” has no impact on the GPA. Courses with the REBS1-UC prefix cannot be taken as Pass/Fail.  Language requirements in GNU locations: Berlin, Buenos Aires, Florence, Madrid, Paris, Shanghai, and Tel Aviv cannot be taken as Pass/Fail. All other courses can be taken as Pass/Fail. 

Dropping/Withdrawing from Courses

The deadline for dropping a course is the end of the second week of the semester. If you need to drop a course after the second week of classes, you must see your advisor. To find out the drop/withdrawal deadlines for short-session terms, see the Registrar's Calendar.

Occasionally, students may withdraw from a course if, because of reasons beyond their control, they cannot continue. Courses dropped during the first two weeks of the term will not appear on the transcript.  Those courses dropped from the beginning of the third week through the ninth week of the term will be recorded with a grade of "W."  The grade of "W" is a Registrar's grade, without numerical value, and is assigned when a student officially withdraws from a course. It is not computed in the student's GPA but may significantly impact the student's progress toward degree completion and financial aid eligibility.  Please be sure to consult with the Office of Financial Aid.

Transfer Credit Policy

Credit for courses taken at other colleges will be considered if the courses were completed at a regionally accredited college and the grade received was a minimum of C. Courses must have been taken prior to enrolling in any School of Professional Studies program. Course work taken ten (10) years or more prior to matriculation at this School may be transferable only if approved by the Associate Dean. Courses that are transferred carry no grade point value at New York University.

Continuous Registration

Enrolling is mandatory for the fall and Spring semesters. If you cannot attend class in the Fall or Spring, please contact your Advisor.

Repeating a Course

Students may repeat a required course only once and will be dismissed from the program if they do not pass it after the second attempt. For the grade of a repeated course to be included in the GPA and recorded on the transcript, students must register and pay for the course. Credit is earned one time only.

Academic Concern

All students begin with a Good Academic Standing. Any student whose record demonstrates unsatisfactory progress will receive a formal notice of academic concern noting a departure from good standing.

Criteria of Academic Concern

Students whose cumulative grade point average (CGPA) falls below a 3.0 or who do not successfully complete at least 50% of the cumulative hours attempted during a semester will be placed on Notice of Academic Concern and receive formal written notification. Students return to good academic standing and are removed from Notice of Academic Concern when they raise their CGPA to a minimum of 3.0 or better and successfully complete the required cumulative attempted hours by the end of the semester in which they are on Notice of Academic Concern. Students who do not return to good academic standing after one semester are subject to the following changes in academic standing: 

 Notice of Academic Concern

An initial alert in the first semester that the student is no longer in good academic standing. 

Notice of Continued Academic Concern Status

This notice will be issued if a student does not return to good academic standing after one semester. 

Notice of Continued Academic Concern: Pre-Dismissal Status 

This is the most serious notice and serves as final warning before potential dismissal from SPS. All dismissals will be determined in accordance with SPS policy and by the Academic Standing Committee. 

Restrictions While on Notice of Academic Concern

Students on Notice of Academic Concern are subject to certain conditions and restrictions. These restrictions will remain in place until the student's academic performance results in their returning to good academic standing.

Students on Notice of Academic Concern require advisor approval to register for classes for the semester following their Notice of Academic Concern term, unless they have succeeded in achieving a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 or better during the Notice of Academic Concern term. Additional restrictions include the inability to hold student government positions; inability to participate in study away; needing permission to participate in competitions and extracurricular activities outside of advisor-approved courses.

Students on Notice of Academic Concern:

• must achieve a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 or better during the term on Notice of Academic Concern with an advisor-approved course load;

• cannot receive any grade of Incomplete;

• may not withdraw from any course;

• must meet with their academic advisors on a monthly basis.

All undergraduate students receiving federal or state financial aid or other forms of external financial aid are subject to specific regulations tied to terms of their award requirements.

Students with Pre-Dismissal status are not permitted to register for classes. 

Dismissal

The SPS Academic Standing Committee determines that the student is no longer eligible to continue in their program of study at NYU SPS.

 Academic Dismissal

A student whose performance falls into Notice of Academic Concern: Dismissal Status will be dismissed from the School. The Academic Standing Committee will make the dismissal decision and inform students in writing, as soon as possible, but no later than thirty (30) days after the end of the semester. In addition, a student who fails a required course twice will be dismissed from the School.

When students are academically dismissed, the Registrar will be notified and the designation "Academic Dismissal" will appear on their transcripts. Students who receive notice of academic dismissal after they have begun attending classes will be withdrawn from those classes and tuition and fees will be cancelled.

Students are not permitted to register for or attend classes while appealing an academic dismissal.

Appeal of Academic Dismissal
Students will receive a formal letter with information on how to appeal. Students can appeal the dismissal action taken by the Academic
Standing Committee no later than fifteen (15) calendar days from the date of their email notification of dismissal.

There are limited grounds to an appeal. Appeals will be reviewed only if:

There is new, additional, relevant information that was unavailable at the time of the original decision and thus was not considered; and/or

There was a material violation in procedure.

A student’s appeal must include:

• Student’s name and NYU ID number (“N” number)

• An explanation of the circumstances contributing to the academic dismissal.

• Identify and elaborate on the grounds for your appeal that fall under the two allowable reasons for an appeal:

• There is new, additional, relevant information that was unavailable at the time of the original decision and thus not considered.

• There was a material violation in procedure.

Attach all critical documentation supporting your appeal, including:

• Official email/letter that informed the student of their dismissal.

• Documents that support details provided in the written statement for the appeal.

Anticipated grade changes from outstanding Incompletes do not constitute evidence for an appeal to be granted.

Once the written appeal is received, the Dean or the Dean's authorized Designee has the sole discretion to determine whether an appointment or interview is necessary and, in any case, will forward a written decision within thirty (30) days after receiving the appeal. Academic dismissals by the Dean of the School are final, and there are no further avenues of appeal.

Attendance Policy

Although the administration of NYUSPS does not supervise attendance of classes, students are expected to attend all classes. Please be aware that some faculty take attendance into consideration in final grades. Students who, in the judgment of the instructor, have not substantially met the requirements of the course, or who have been excessively absent, may be considered to have withdrawn unofficially and may be given the final grade of "F."  Students who miss class for medical reasons are required to notify their instructor of their absence and may be asked to produce a doctor’s documentation of treatment at the next class.

Students who plan to miss class for religious reasons are expected to inform instructors beforehand and to be responsible for assignments given during their absence. 

Grades

Grading for undergraduate programs is by letter grade: A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, and F.