Academic Eligibility Standards

The Academic Eligibility Policy guides undergraduates to maintain enrollment eligibility and to stay on track to college degree completion. You can find the full policy at https://catalog.unc.edu/policies-procedures/academic-standing/.

At the end of each term, undergraduates earn an academic status that determines their eligibility to continue enrollment in a subsequent term at UNC-Chapel Hill. Academic status will be determined by the following four standards of satisfactory academic progress:

STANDARD	EXPLANATION
Minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0	A cumulative UNC-Chapel Hill grade-point average of at least a 2.000 is required.
Completion of at least 2/3 of cumulative attempted credit hours	By-Exam (BE) and credits transferred in to UNC-Chapel Hill count as both attempted and completed hours. Grades of W, temporary grades (e.g. AB, IN), and failed courses count as attempted hours but not completed hours. Completion Rate = Hours Completed/Hours Attempted IMPORTANT: Beginning fall 2016, hours from terms that are withdrawn after the respective census date count as attempted hours.
Earn minimum credit hours each term (Part-time students are excluded from this standard.)	After 1 full-time semester ≥ 9 academic hours After 2 full-time semesters ≥ 24 academic hours After 3 full-time semesters ≥ 36 academic hours After 4 full-time semesters ≥ 51 academic hours After 5 full-time semesters ≥ 63 academic hours After 6 full-time semesters ≥ 78 academic hours After 7 full-time semesters ≥ 93 academic hours Transfer students who transfer in the UNC-Chapel Hill equivalent of two or more semesters (see “Calculation of Transferred Semesters Based on the Number of Transfer Hours”) may enroll in up to 10 total semesters. Students who enter as first years are required to apply for a ninth or tenth semester. For information about the application process, students in professional schools must contact their professional school dean, and students in College of Arts and Sciences must contact the Academic Advising Program. *Part-time students are excluded from this standard.
A maximum degree-completion timeframe of 180 hours	Students must complete their degree within 180 attempted credit hours

For degree-seeking undergraduates, there are four academic eligibility statuses:

ELIGIBILITY	STATUS	IMPLICATIONS
GOOD STANDING	Students who meet each of the four standards at the end of an enrolled term	Students in Good Standing may enroll in courses.
WARNING	Students who began an enrolled term in Good Standing but did not meet all four academic standing standards at the end of the enrolled term	Students with a status of Warning may enroll in courses and must complete an academic intervention plan.
SUSPENSION	Students who began an enrolled term with a status of Warning but did not meet all four academic standing standards at the end of the enrolled term	Students with an academic status of Suspension cannot enroll in any courses in any term. Students with an academic status of Suspension have two options: a) appeal for a term of probation or b) spend time engaging in study, work or wellness activities away from UNC which may strengthen an appeal to return on a term of probation.
PROBATION	Students who appealed suspension and are granted a term of probation	Students with a status of Probation may enroll in courses and must complete an academic intervention plan.

For non-degree-seeking undergraduates, there are three academic eligibility statuses:

ELIGIBILITY	STATUS	IMPLICATIONS
GOOD STANDING	Students with a cumulative UNC-Chapel Hill grade-point average of 2.000 or higher	Students with an academic status of Good Standing may enroll in courses.
ALERT	Students who began an enrolled term in Good Standing and whose cumulative UNC-Chapel Hill grade-point average falls below 2.000 at the end of the term	Students with an academic status of Alert may enroll in courses.
INELIGIBLE	Students who began an enrolled term with a status of Alert and who do not raise their cumulative UNC-Chapel Hill grade-point average to 2.000 or higher at the end of the term	Students with an academic status of Ineligible cannot enroll in any courses in any term. Students with an academic status of Ineligible may appeal to the Friday Center.

IMPORTANT: The Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) policy for financial aid differs from the University’s standards for academic eligibility. It is possible to be eligible for enrollment but ineligible for financial aid and vice versa. If you have questions regarding aid eligibility, please contact the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid aidinfo@unc.edu. Information about Financial Aid SAP is located here: studentaid.unc.edu/sap.