Non-doctoral Students. A non-doctoral departmental (master's, professional improvement, certificate) student, except one on conditional status, shall be placed on academic probation if, after completing 9 semester hours of graded (A, B, C, D, F) graduate work at The University of Iowa, the student's UI Cumulative GPA falls below 2.75. A student regains good academic standing when the student's UI Cumulative GPA returns to 2.75, or greater. If, after completing 9 more semester hours of graded (A, B, C, D, F) graduate work at the University, the student's UI Cumulative GPA remains below 2.75, the student will be denied permission to re-register within any Graduate College degree program.*

Non-doctoral, non-departmental (non-degree, extension, workshop) students shall be evaluated for academic probation and dismissal based on the same semester-hour sequence as stated above, at a minimum UI Cumulative GPA of 2.50.

* This requirement shall apply to students entering non-doctoral departmental programs beginning with the Fall 2001 Semester. A minimum UI Cumulative GPA of 2.50 is required of non-doctoral departmental students admitted prior to that session.

Doctoral Students. . A doctoral student on regular status shall be placed on academic probation if, after completing 9 semester hours of graded (A, B, C, D, F) graduate work at The University of Iowa, the student's UI Cumulative GPA falls below 3.00. A student regains good academic standing when the student's UI Cumulative GPA returns to 3.00. If, after completing 9 more semester hours of graded (A, B, C, D, F) graduate work at this University, the student's UI Cumulative GPA remains below 3.00, the student will be dropped from the degree program and denied permission to re-register within any Graduate College doctoral degree program. The student may apply for and be accepted into a non-doctoral degree or certificate program. 

Restriction on Students on Probation. A student on probation shall not be permitted to take comprehensive or final examinations leading to any degree or certificate, nor may the student receive any graduate degree or certificate.

Departmental Regulations and Dissemination of Information. In addition to the above University-wide requirements, departments may establish further requirements which then determine the individual student's standing with regard to probation and dismissal. To this end, each department or program shall compile a written list of standards and procedures for work in that area. These documents shall be on file in each departmental office and the office of the Graduate College dean. Copies are to be available for students in the departmental office, and departments shall make all reasonable efforts to inform students. Subsequent changes in standards or procedures shall be communicated by the department to each student and the Graduate College dean. Whenever departments revise standards for a given program, the new regulations will not apply retroactively to the disadvantage of those already in the program. In addition to notifying students that they are subject to the rules of the Graduate College as set forth in the Manual of Rules and Regulations, any standards established by the department more stringent than the general Graduate College requirements shall be stated. Information shall be provided outlining required courses applicable to the various departmental programs of study, examination procedures and other formal evaluations, departmental policies with regard to awarding and renewing assistantships, time limits on programs of study, departmental registration policies, departmental grade-point requirements, requirements for changing from one degree program to another within the department, especially from the master's to the doctor's degrees, departmental probation and dismissal policies and procedures (see E following), and other matters as are appropriate. The nature of the departmental advisory system shall be explained to incoming students.

Academic Progress, Departmental Probation, and Dismissal Procedures. If a student is failing to meet departmental standards, the department shall warn the student of this fact in writing. The notification shall specify in what way(s) the student is failing to meet the standards. The student shall be provided a reasonable amount of time to meet the standards prior to departmental dismissal. If conditions such as conditional admission or probation are imposed, the department shall give at the time of its imposition written explanation of this status and its time limits.

A student who will not be permitted to re-register for failure to meet standards shall be notified of this fact in writing with reasons for the action provided. Such dismissal may follow failure to meet conditions of admission, conditions of probation, pre-announced departmental grade-point requirements or other standards, or failure of a regularly scheduled examination or formal evaluation. If a student judges the dismissal decision improper, the student has a right to review. Each department shall establish procedures for handling such reviews. The procedures are to be approved by the Graduate College dean, and shall afford a fair and expeditious review. A description of these procedures shall be included in the departmental regulations described above. (See Section IV. D.)

Plagiarism by Graduate Students. The Online Oxford English Dictionary defines "plagiarize" as follows, "to take and use as one's own (the thoughts, writings, or inventions of another person); to copy (literary work or ideas) improperly or without acknowledgement; (occas.) to pass off as one's own the thoughts or work of (another)." In practice, the exact definition of "plagiarize" or "plagiarism" is dependent upon the unique attributes of the creative work of a particular discipline. Thus, it is understood that different academic disciplines and cultures may have different interpretations as to the actual actions which constitute plagiarism. With this in mind, the Graduate College will operate in the following manner when a program or department discovers an act or acts of plagiarism on the part of a graduate student.

1. If the faculty members of a program or department determine that the transgression is not major, or else feel that there is a misunderstanding of the acts which constitute plagiarism, the program or department may wish to work with the student so as to prevent future occurrences of plagiarism on the part of that student. Written notification of the offense and the remediation for the offense must be sent to the Graduate College for inclusion in the student's file.
2. If the faculty members of a program or department discover an act (or acts) of plagiarism that is (are) sufficiently egregious that expulsion from the program is warranted, the student will be terminated from their graduate program for reasons of plagiarism. In this case, the student will be simultaneously terminated from the Graduate College of The University of Iowa. The program or department must notify the student of their termination in writing. All relevant facts, as well as the process for appealing the decision, must be contained in the termination letter. The Graduate College must receive a copy of the termination letter.

The appeal process for students accused of academic misconduct is specified in The University of Iowa document, "Policies and Regulations Affecting Students, C. Academic Misconduct," which states:
"Questions of academic dishonesty arising within the colleges of Medicine, Law, Pharmacy, and Dentistry, and the Graduate College are treated on an individual basis.

In the Graduate College, the questions [of academic dishonesty] are handled at the departmental level. If the departmental decision is appealed, the dean may appoint an appeals committee of faculty and students from a slate of nominees prepared by the Graduate Council and the Graduate Student Senate to recommend an appropriate course of action."

The appeal process must be initiated by the student. If the student wishes to appeal the department's or program's action, that appeal must be lodged with the Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs of the Graduate College within 30 days of program or departmental dismissal.

Graduate College Review of Departmental Dismissal. Questions involving judgment of performance will not be reviewed beyond the departmental level. If, however, the student feels there has been unfairness or some procedural irregularity concerning dismissal, the student may pursue a grievance according to the Academic Grievance Procedure (AGP) established by the Graduate College. The AGP is available in the Graduate College. The student should consult with the Graduate College prior to initiating an academic grievance.