Continuance Requirements for Full-time Students
To graduate, students must have completed 120 credits in academic subjects with a grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 overall and in their major. After each semester of full-time enrollment, the student must meet the minimum levels of academic progress applied by the Committee on Academic Status and established by William & Mary. The minimum requirements for Continuance for undergraduates are the following cumulative grade points and credits earned at William & Mary, including grade points and credits earned at William & Mary summer school:
| Semester at W&M | W&M Cumulative GPA | W&M Cumulative Credits |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1.7 | 9 |
| 2 | 1.7 | 21 |
| 3 | 1.85 | 33 |
| 4 | 2.0 | 48 |
| 5 | 2.0 | 60 |
| 6 | 2.0 | 72 |
| 7 | 2.0 | 84 |
| 8 | 2.0 | 96 |
| 9 | 2.0 | 108 |
| 10 | 2.0 | 120 |
William & Mary's Continuance Policy Regulations
- Only W&M credit will count in determining whether students are meeting Continuance Standards. Transfer, Advanced Placement (AP), and International Baccalaureate (IB) credits will not count for this purpose, although as specified by regulations in the Catalog, these credits may count toward 120 credits required for graduation and toward general education and major requirements.
- Transfer and first-year students begin at William & Mary under the Continuance Standards for semester 1 in the above table.
- Students whose GPA falls below 2.0 in any semester will be placed on Academic Warning and receive a letter from the Dean of Students Office.
- Students whose academic work falls below the minimum GPA and/or earned credit Continuance Standards will be placed on probation for the following semester.
- Students on probation may not enroll in more than 16 credit hours per semester and may not receive any incompletes for coursework during the semester(s) of probation.
- While on probation, students must earn a 2.0 semester GPA or better and pass at least 12 credits. Failure to do so will result in academic suspension.
- Students on probation must participate in the Aspire program administered by the Dean of Students Office during their probationary semester. They must also meet with their Academic Advisor before registering for the subsequent semester. Registration for the following semester will not be permitted until these requirements are met.
- Students on probation have two regular semesters to bring their academic work up to or beyond the Continuance Standards so long as they earn a 2.0 and pass at least 12 credits each semester. Suppose they fail to meet or surpass the Continuance Standards during their first probation semester. In that case, they remain on probation during the second semester and must participate in an Aspire program.
- Students who are placed on probation or are continuing on probation at the end of a semester but earned at least a 2.0 GPA and 12 credits during that semester will be removed from probation if they meet their Continuance Standards by the end of summer school; this applies only for work at W&M summer school. Eligibility for removal from probation will be determined at the end of that summer school semester.
- Students who do not meet the probation conditions will be suspended from William & Mary for academic deficiencies. Those suspended for academic deficiencies are not in good standing with W&M and are not automatically eligible for readmission. The Dean of Students Office will not process an application for readmission from a suspended student unless the student has been reinstated to good standing by the Committee on Academic Status.
- Students may petition the Committee on Academic Status for exceptions to the above Continuance Standards.
- Coursework taken elsewhere while not in good standing will not be accepted for transfer at William & Mary.
- An unclassified student enrolled for 12 or more academic hours must meet the Continuance Standards applicable to the regularly enrolled student.
- Impact on Financial Aid: The Office of Financial Aid utilizes these continuance standards as part of federal aid requirements to measure satisfactory academic progress toward degree completion. Students in a suspended continuance status lose eligibility for federal student aid and may regain it through a successful appeal. Students on either academic warning or academic probation remain eligible for financial aid.
Continuance Standards for Flexible Track (FlexTrack) Nontraditional Degree Seeking Students
The minimum requirements for Continuance for nontraditional students are as follows:
- A minimum of 12 credits must be passed in a 12-month period.
- Students must complete within ten years all degree requirements in effect at the time of entrance and all major requirements in effect at the time of the declaration of major.
- A 1.7 cumulative GPA must be achieved by the end of the term after completing nine credits.
- A 1.7 cumulative GPA must be achieved by the end of the term in which 21 credits have been completed.
- A 1.85 cumulative GPA must be achieved by the end of the term in which 33 credits have been completed.
- A 2.0 cumulative GPA must be achieved by the end of the term, in which 48 credits have been completed.
- A 2.0 cumulative GPA must be achieved by the end of each term of enrollment after 48 credits have been completed.
