Policies & Procedures: Academic Notice and Disqualification

“Subject to suspension” was renamed as  “academic notice” in fall 2024.  This has also been known as academic probation or probation.  

Students who are not suspended after review will continue on academic notice and are then required to return to good standing. In order to return to good standing, students must do all of the following by the end of the semester they are on this academic notice:

• earn an overall grade point average (GPA) ≥ 2.0;
• earn a semester GPA ≥ 2.0;
• earn an overall and semester technical GPA ≥ 2.0;
• earn an overall and semester upper division technical GPA ≥ 2.0;
• take all courses on a letter graded basis (unless the course is only offered P/NP)*
• and make normal degree progress toward your officially declared major.

Most of these GPA calculations are available through CalCentral and through the Academic Progress Report (CalCentral/My Academics).

Students who are allowed to continue on academic notice must meet with their Engineering Student Services (ESS) Adviser to develop a plan to return to good standing, discuss which courses they should be taking, and be aware of the grades they need to return to good standing. If students do not meet with their ESS adviser, they will receive an enrollment hold in the following semester in addition to their semester-end review.

Students who are suspended after review will be required to:

• take a break for at least one academic year from UC Berkeley following their suspension, and
• take a break from academics entirely in their first semester out (if students opt to take any courses in their first semester away, they will jeopardize their readmission to the College of Engineering).
  • After one semester away from academics, if students believe that they have successfully addressed their challenges and wish to enroll in courses at another institution (ex. a community college), or at UC Berkeley through Concurrent Enrollment, they can contact their Engineering Student Services (ESS) Adviser to discuss whether or not this would be an appropriate option.

International students who are suspended are recommended to connect with the Berkeley International Office right away to discuss options.

*If a student is enrolled in a course on a P/NP basis that can be taken for a letter grade, the grading option will be changed and a letter grade will be recorded for the course.

If you have been dismissed from the College of Engineering only once prior to Fall 2023*, or if you have been suspended from the College of Engineering, you may be considered for readmission for a future semester.

Students who are suspended after review will be required to:

• take a break for at least one academic year from UC Berkeley following their suspension and,
• take a break from academics entirely in their first semester out (if students opt to take any courses in their first semester away, they will jeopardize their readmission to the College of Engineering).
  • After one semester away from academics, if students believe that they have successfully addressed their challenges and wish to enroll in courses at another institution (ex. a community college), or at UC Berkeley through Concurrent Enrollment, they must contact their Engineering Student Services (ESS) Adviser to discuss whether or not this would be an appropriate option.

After a year or more away, the Dean’s Committee may consider readmission applications from students who can demonstrate that they used their break from academics to identify, and take tangible steps to address the challenges that led to their academic difficulty. Students are required to meet with their ESS Adviser regarding readmission application requirements. Readmission after suspension is not guaranteed.

Students who have been dismissed from the College of Engineering only once prior to Fall 2023*, or if they have been suspended, will be subject to disqualification during the first semester of their return.

*Prior to Fall 2023, suspension did not exist and students were allowed to be dismissed twice. For Fall 2023 and beyond, dismissal/disqualification from the College of Engineering will be final.

“Subject to dismissal” was renamed as  “subject to disqualification” in fall 2024.

Students who have been readmitted after being dismissed from the College of Engineering only once prior to Fall 2023*, or readmitted after they were suspended, return on subject to disqualification status.

Students who are currently in subject to dismissal status and are not disqualified after the current semester’s review will continue on subject to disqualification status.  They will be required to return to good academic standing. In order to do this, students must do all of the following by the end of the semester they are on subject to disqualification status:

• earn an overall grade point average (GPA) ≥ 2.0;
• earn a semester GPA ≥ 2.0;
• earn an overall and semester technical GPA ≥ 2.0;
• earn an overall and semester upper division technical GPA ≥ 2.0;
• take all courses on a letter graded basis (unless the course is only offered P/NP)**
• and make normal degree progress toward your officially declared major.

If students do not meet all of the criteria above, they may be disqualified from the College of Engineering.

Most of these GPA calculations are available through CalCentral and through the Academic Progress Report (CalCentral/My Academics).

Students who are allowed to continue on subject to disqualification status must meet with their Engineering Student Services (ESS) Adviser to develop a plan to return to good academic standing, discuss which courses they should be taking, and be aware of the grades they need to return to good academic standing. If students do not meet with their ESS adviser, they will receive an enrollment hold in the following semester in addition to their semester-end academic review.

*If a student is enrolled in a course on a P/NP basis that can be taken for a letter grade, the grading option will be changed and a letter grade will be recorded for the course.

**Prior to Fall 2023, suspension did not exist and students were allowed to be dismissed twice. For Fall 2023 and beyond, dismissal/disqualification from the College of Engineering will be final.

“Dismissal” was renamed as  “disqualification” in fall 2024.

If you have been suspended, or dismissed just once prior to Fall 2023, from the College of Engineering and are not in good academic standing in any semester after you return, you may be disqualified from our college. Students who are dismissed/disqualified from the College of Engineering from Fall 2023 onwards are not eligible for readmission to our college, but could theoretically apply for readmission to other UC Berkeley colleges in the future, if they are eligible. Students who wish to pursue this should refer to the other college’s websites for eligibility criteria and may wish to meet with the advisers in the other college regarding how to proceed.

Frequently Asked Questions

I’ve just found out that I’m no longer in good academic standing.  What are my next steps?

• Meet with your ESS Adviser to discuss your academic standing and review the appeal form.  Many students report feeling better after they have discussed the process with their advisers.
• Submit your appeal forms by the specified deadline.
• International students: talk to BIO immediately to discuss implications to your visa/SEVIS.
• Students in on-campus housing: contact housing to discuss what the implications are and if you need to find alternative housing.
• If you have already been granted financial aid, talk to financial aid to see if you will need to pay any aid back.

What happens to my financial aid, housing, basic needs benefits, and other statuses and services that campus provides to me as a registered student?

Please refer to this document which details what happens with housing, financial aid, etc.

Is it possible for me to be suspended in any given semester?

Yes.  Undergraduates in the College of Engineering do not need to be on Academic Notice first before being suspended or administratively cancelled.  In general, students who are undergoing Academic Review for the first time are less likely to be suspended.

Can I submit an appeal if I am put on Academic Notice, or suspended or disqualified?

All Academic Review decisions are final.  The documents that you provide for the review process explaining your situation are your appeal.

Who do I talk to after I have been suspended?

Please connect with your ESS Adviser as soon as possible to discuss next steps and the recommendations of the Academic Review Committee.

What does the Academic Review timeline look like?

• After Fall semesters,
  • students are usually notified by the end of the first week of January
  • students are usually asked to submit their appeal by the end of the second week of January
  • Academic Review occurs during the third week of January
  • students are usually notified at the end of the third week of January – the Academic Review Committee does its best to provide students their decisions before instruction begins
• After Spring semesters,
  • students are usually notified by the end of the last week of May
  • students usually submit their appeal by the end of the second week of June
  • Academic Review occurs during the third week of June
  • Students are usually notified at the end of the third week of June

This timeline is subject to change depending on when final grades are finalized by the Office of the Registrar.

If students know that they are at risk for falling below the 2.0 semester/cumulative GPA, we recommend that they reach out to their ESS Adviser proactively, before final grades are submitted, in an effort to have more time to work on their appeals.

What are my chances of being suspended if I have already been on Academic Notice in the past?

The more times a student is under Academic Review, the chances of being suspended are increased (even if those statuses are not sequential).

What am I supposed to write about in my appeal?

The statements/documents you provide as part of the Academic Review process should:

• Detail any extenuating circumstances that impacted your academic performance
• Include specific and realistic information about your plans for change
• If students are not sure about what they should cover, they should contact their ESS Adviser to talk it over. 

If in essay form, students should aim for 1-2 pages double-spaced.  If it is easier to organize your thoughts into bulleted items, we will accept that as well.

Useful Information

• Students who have not been under Academic Review before Sp25 are unlikely to be suspended.  However, if you do not engage in the process of review by completing the Academic Review Form, you increase your chances of being suspended.
• The more times a student is under Academic Review, the chances of being suspended are increased (even if those statuses are not sequential).
• If your graduation semester is currently set to Sp25 and you believe you can graduate, please check in with your ESS Adviser before completing the form.
• As part of Academic Review, your record is looked at holistically (past grades, petitions, advising appointments, etc.).  We do not have access to any medical/DSP records.
• Please note that most academic advisers on the UC Berkeley campus, including ESS Advisers are considered mandated reporters.  This means that if we hear or read of incidences that students share where violence, abuse, neglect, discrimination, harassment, or other conduct that could be a violation of the law and/or University policy has taken place, we are required to report it to the appropriate office on campus to help determine the next steps to support the student.  If you are considering sharing such information with the Academic Review Committee, please be aware that they may be obligated to report to a campus office as appropriate.  If you are looking for a confidential resource with the same reporting requirements, you may want to seek support from Path to Care or Counseling and Psychological Services.
• The documents that you provide for the review process explaining your situation are your appeal.  Once the Academic Review Committee decides on your case, there is no further appeal.
• Though most students approach the information they provide as a series of essays, it’s perfectly fine to use bullets, or break down the information in other ways, as long as your answers are not longer than 2ish pages (we are likely to be reviewing more than 200 students during a very short period – longer is not better).
• Academic notice (formerly referred to as subject to suspension), Suspension, and Subject to disqualification (formerly referred to as subject to dismissal), will not show up in your official transcript.  Only Disqualification (formerly referred to as Dismissal) shows up in the official transcript.