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Academic Eligibility FAQs

Academic Advising is here for you. We understand that the COVID-19 (CV19) crisis and mid-semester transition to all online learning has led to unexpected challenges for many in our campus community. Our team remains available to support you during this extraordinary time. If any concerns about your academic eligibility status, we encourage you to reach out.

You will need to know your ONYEN or PID to access the appeal for probation. If you do not recall this information, please contact your academic advisor for assistance. The appeal for probation will ask you to provide the following information:

  • Reason for appeal – you will be asked to select the reason(s) you were unable to maintain eligibility from the following list of options: Death or major illness in family, financial challenges, academic skills, unmet basic needs, natural disaster, substance use, transition issues, personal illness or injury, family responsibilities, mental health challenges, trauma or other crises, other.
  • Desired Enrollment – this section asks you to identify your preferred enrollment term, preferred enrollment type (part-time classroom studies, full time enrollment, full time with approve underload), and preferred number of hours (enter preferred academic load 1-18 credit hours).
  • File attachments – in this section you will be asked to upload your prepared Letter of Appeal, Plan of Action, and any Supporting Documentation. For more information see the Appeal Resource Guide.

Each student appeal is evaluated on a case-by-case basis. The Appeals Committee evaluates both the content of the Appeal (Letter of Appeal, Plan of Action, and Supporting Documentation) as well as the quality of the information presented. The appeal content should accurately explain the extenuating circumstances that have led to your led to your current academic standing. The guidelines that inform how we make decisions related to these extenuating circumstances include:
  • Semester or term GPA above 2.0 and/or ability to restore to Good Standing within one term.
  • Demonstrated academic improvement.
  • Completion of previous academic intervention(s)
  • Engagement with resources and support
  • Specific and realistic Plan of Action.
  • Demonstrated resolution of challenges that led to current academic standing.
  • Use of time away from the University, if appropriate.

For more information see the Appeal Evaluation section of the Appeal Resource Guide. 

If you left the University in Good Standing, you will still be considered in Good Standing; however, the new Academic Eligibility Policy will apply to you as you move forward. If you left the University as Academically Ineligible, you will need to appeal for Probation in order to re-enroll.

Consider the following terms as you seek to understand your situation:

Previous Policy Fall 2016 Policy
Probation & Automatic Probation Warning
Continued Probation Probation (by appeal only)
Probation (when returning from Ineligibility) Probation (by appeal only)
Ineligible Suspended
Ineligible-Pending No longer exists.

Both Warning and Probation appear as “Good Standing” on your official transcript because you have been approved to enroll at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Semester refers to the 15-week enrollment period in the Fall and Spring. A term is any enrollment period during the Academic Year, which not only includes Fall and Spring, but also Summer I and Summer II. We use the word “term” when discussing Academic Eligibility because the University will review students’ Academic Eligibility after every period of enrollment: Fall, Spring, Summer I, and Summer II.

Some students may improve their current standing by converting an AB or IN grade from the previous term to a passing grade. If you have a temporary grade of AB or IN, we encourage you to work with your professor for the respective course to identify a plan for completing the remaining work. Should you need to appeal for probation, we encourage you to include this information as supporting documentation for your appeal. You may consider using the Temporary Grade Resolution Plan worksheet to guide you as you work to resolve your AB or IN grade.

We encourage you to talk about your situation and questions with a member of our Advising Team or the Coordinator for Appeals.

If you registered for classes prior to the notification of Suspension, your registration for those classes will be dropped if you do not appeal for Probation. You are required to submit an appeal by the respective deadline for that term and receive approval for Probation to remain in your courses. If you decide not to appeal, your courses will be cancelled and you will need to appeal for Probation prior to enrolling in classes for next term.

Appeals for Probation, Course Drops/Withdrawals, Additional Semesters, Grade Appeals, and Nontraditional Readmission are each separate processes reviewed by Academic Advising. The Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) appeal for financial aid and the Appeal for Probation have been merged into a single online form and review process.

Suspended students have limited access to the following University resources:

While appeal outcomes are determined on a case-by-case basis, one key factor is your level of engagement with available on-campus resources relevant to your situation. Based on our experience with students over several years, we see that those who engage are more likely to succeed in their academics.

It is our expectation that students who are approved for Probation enroll in courses prior to the first day or classes because timely enrollment and preparation have been proven to correlate with successful outcomes. However, we understand that some extenuating circumstances may make it difficult to do so. We encourage you to work closely with your assigned Eligibility Advisor to navigate registration holds and any other issues that prevent registration. Students on probation are required to enroll prior to the University’s census date; if not enrolled by this time, the probation decision will be voided and you will need to submit an appeal for probation to return in to the University in a future term.

If you were approved for Probation for a specific term, but chose not to enroll, you will be required to submit an additional appeal for Probation once you are ready to return to the University.

The readmission process has been streamlined and replaced with the Return to Carolina survey. If you were not enrolled or you withdrew during the most recent semester (fall, spring), you must complete the Return to Carolina survey in order to re-enroll at Carolina. This includes Carolina Courses Online as well as Summer courses.

The Return to Carolina survey is a separate process from the Appeal for Probation. Students are encouraged to complete this survey at the same time as appealing for Probation; however, note the unique deadlines for the respective processes.

If you were readmitted to the University, but did not enroll in that term, the readmission does not carry over and is forfeited. If you wish to seek readmission, you will need to submit a new readmission application. For more information on readmission procedure, click here.

Schedule an appointment with your Eligibility Advisor or the Coordinator for Appeals to explore your options, and the plan for moving forward.”

An appeal for probation approval does not guarantee the availability of online courses. Space in online courses at UNC is very limited and typically fill within the first 1-2 weeks of the registration period each term. In this situation, you may consider enrollment in an on-campus “seated” course instead.

Your appeal decision letter contains important information regarding approved enrollment limits, action items, next steps, and recommendations that are tailored to your specific situation. Be sure to thoroughly review your appeal decision letter and contact your assigned Eligibility Advisor with any questions. Please note all appeal for probation decisions are final.

We want you to return to UNC and hope to support you towards this goal! Your appeal decision letter contains recommendations that are tailored to your specific situation and includes strategies for strengthening your appeal for the future. We encourage you to explore these recommendations and other options for improving your academic standing to demonstrate your readiness to return to Carolina. You are welcome to schedule a meeting with Jessica Lambert Ward or Katie Cartmell to discuss your situation in person and to develop a plan to submit your appeal for future consideration.

Academic Standing

If you have any additional questions about your academic standing or academic eligibility, connect with a member of the Advising Team.

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Academic Advising Program
College of Arts and Sciences & General College
214 East Cameron Avenue, CB# 3110
UNC-CH • Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3110
p: (919) 966-5116 • f: (919)962-6888
fax for appeals: (919)843-4775

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The College and Academic Advising support the University’s core values encouraging diversity and equal educational and employment opportunities throughout the University community. These values are articulated in the University’s non-discrimination policy and by the University Office for Diversity and Inclusion.