button button button button button button button button button button button button
Side Image

FAQ's Regarding "Subject to Suspension" Status

If you plan to appeal your suspension, continue going to class. If you do not appeal by the deadline, your schedule will be cancelled.

If you do not plan to appeal your suspension and you are registered for the upcoming term, please contact the Registrar immediately. You will be refunded your tuition for the upcoming term.

Definition of Subject to Suspension status

A student is Subject to Suspension if any of the following are true:

  • The student has earned a term GPA below 2.00 for two consecutive terms.
  • The student has earned cumulative GPAs below 2.00 for two consecutive terms.
  • The student has earned cumulative major GPAs below 2.00 for two consecutive terms.
  • The student has failed the same class twice.

How do grade replacements affect academic status?

Academic status is determined based on the GPA earned for each term. This earned GPA is not affected by grade replacements. Hypothetical example: The term GPA you earned in fall was a 1.75; that GPA included an F in your math class. Then in winter, you earned a 1.90, but you grade replaced your math class from fall. The grade replacement brought your fall GPA to 2.10. However, just because you grade replaced your fall math grade doesn't mean that you had a good fall quarter. There were still some issues in fall that should be addressed. The fact that your winter GPA was not above 2.00 means that there are still some things that are getting in the way of being academically successful. Therefore, you status is still ‘subject to suspension'. You must still appeal.

How does a change of program affect academic status?

Academic status is determined based on the GPA earned for each term. This earned GPA is not affected by having courses removed from the calculation of your GPA because of a change of program; therefore, you must still appeal by the deadline. Rarely is the program itself the reason for the academic difficulty. Is your difficulty due to weak skills in a certain academic area or due to lack of motivation? Why do you believe you will be more successful in your new program? Often, there are factors other than just your choice of program that caused your GPA to be below the acceptable level.

What if I have incomplete grades that have caused my ‘subject to suspension' status?

If you have earned incomplete grades that have caused you to be ‘Subject to Suspension', you still must appeal by the deadline. Your appeal should include the following: the reason for the incomplete grade, the schedule to complete the work, and a general idea of how much work needs to be completed.

What if I have received a grade change, and I think I am OK now?

If you have received a grade change since you received your original report card, and you believe that grade change has made your academic status change, please contact the registrar. Your academic status will be evaluated and changed if appropriate. Academic status is not something that can be automatically updated in the computer system. If you are expecting a grade change but it is not officially received by the Registrar's Office prior to the appeal deadline, you must still write an appeal explaining the circumstances of the impending grade change or your schedule may be cancelled.

Details about the written appeal:

  • This is a formal written appeal for you to stay enrolled at MSOE. It should be typed and free of typographical and grammatical errors. Although there is no length requirement, typically these appeals are approximately one page in length, single spaced.
  • You can mail your appeal as long as it will arrive by the deadline. You can also drop off your appeal in the Registrar's Office (CC365). If you must, you can email the appeal to the registrar but if you do, please send it as an attachment not as the text of the email.

    Address your appeal to:

    Student Advancement Committee
    c/o Registrar's Office
    1025 N Broadway
    Milwaukee WI 53202
  • Please provide current contact information within your appeal.
  • If at all possible, do not wait until the deadline to submit your appeal. The appeals are taken to the committee in the order they are received by the Registrar.

What should I write in my appeal?

Before you write your appeal, you should take some time to think about the past two quarters. What has kept you from achieving the 2.00 required to be in good standing? If you need help in determining what the issues may be, you may wish to make an appointment with your academic advisor or with one of the counselors in the Counseling Services Office (K230).

The first part of your appeal should be an explanation of what the issues were that led to your suspension status. There are many reasons for academic difficulty, and the reasons are different for every student. Reasons can be various things like health issues, uncertainty about major, study skills, time management issues, too much fun and not enough studying, roommate issues, personal issues outside of MSOE, etc. The more specific you can be in this part of the letter, the better. The appeal committee needs to see that you have done some soul searching and know what needs to be changed.

The second part of your appeal is a plan of action. In the first part of your appeal you identified the issues that are hindering your academic success. How are you going to work through those issues to be more successful in the future? The committee wants to see that you have things you are willing to try to be more successful. This part of your letter should be very specific. If you need help with this part of the appeal, often your academic advisor, the Counseling Services staff or Learning Resource Center staff can help.

What happens after I submit my appeal?

The Student Advancement Committee reviews your letter and your academic records. One of two things happens:
  • One outcome would be that the committee would deny your appeal to remain enrolled. If this should happen, there is a second level of appeal that enables you to talk to the committee in person. You will be asked questions to try to get at the heart of the problem. Students only get one chance in their academic career at MSOE to do a personal appeal with the committee. If both the written and personal appeals are denied, you will be withdrawn from classes and will be eligible to re-appeal in two terms.
  • The other outcome would be that you will be put on probation. This would mean that you are allowed to continue as a student on probation. If this happens, you are given various stipulations that you need to adhere to. Most often the stipulations include a maximum of 4 courses, a requirement to meet with one of our counselors and often a requirement to meet with your academic advisor. Various other stipulations may be required based on your appeal.

In either case, you will receive a letter from the Registrar indicating the result of the appeal.

Who is on the Student Advancement Committee?

The committee is made up of faculty and staff from both the academic and administrative departments. The members are: all of the degree granting department chairpersons, the Vice President of Academics, the Director of the LRC, the Coordinator of Student Support Services, the Director of Student Financial Services, the Director of Counseling Services and the Registrar.

Who should I contact if I still have questions?

Mary Nielsen
Registrar and Chairperson of the Student Advancement Committee
CC365
(414) 277-7216
nielsen@msoe.edu