Suspension or Dismissal
University Policy
Graduate School of Arts & Sciences Policy
Boston University, through its various faculties and appropriate committees, reserves the right to suspend or dismiss any student for failure to maintain a satisfactory academic record, acceptable personal behavior, or satisfactory standards of health.
Satisfactory Academic Progress
Students are expected to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress toward completing their degrees.
A student may be dismissed from their academic program for failure to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress. The determination of a student’s failure to make academic progress must be based on the program’s annual graduate student review, which must include but cannot be limited to advisor assessment of student progress. If a student is not on track to maintain academic progress based on the quality of their work, the program must place the student on academic probation and give the student sufficient feedback, opportunity, and time to improve their performance. Students who fail to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress also may be put on financial aid probation or have their financial aid discontinued until their academic progress is deemed satisfactory.
If a student fails to address concerns regarding academic progress by the end of the probationary period, a program should submit a request for the student’s dismissal to the Associate Dean of the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. The Associate Dean will then notify the department if the request for dismissal is valid. Following the program’s communication to the student of the dismissal and its rationale, the Associate Dean will then send a letter of dismissal to the student. A student who is dismissed for failure to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress may appeal the decision to the Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences by submitting a written appeal that explains any mitigating circumstances within 14 days of the notice of dismissal. A dismissal that is upheld by the Dean may be appealed to the University Provost.
Academic Misconduct
Academic or scholarly misconduct is a student’s own conduct which intentionally misrepresents their own academic accomplishments, or which jeopardizes the fair judging of another student’s academic or scholarly work. Any attempt to be dishonest or deceptive in the performance of academic work, scholarship, or research, in or out of the classroom, constitutes an offense and may subject the offending student(s) to disciplinary action in accordance with the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences’s Academic Conduct Code, as well as any attempt to alter academic records or any collaboration with another student or students in an act of academic misconduct.
Academic conduct is not limited to a student’s coursework, but includes ethical behavior while teaching, conducting research, and/or pursuing scholarly activities. Boston University is committed to the highest possible standards of integrity in teaching, research, and scholarship. This commitment is fundamental to the University’s mission in fostering the pursuit of truth and the expansion of knowledge. Students share in the responsibility for preserving the integrity of research. All members of the University community are responsible for promoting the highest ethical principles in each academic discipline. Failure to meet these standards may also result in discipline in accordance with the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences’s Academic Conduct Code.
Other Misconduct
Students are also subject to the University’s Code of Student Responsibilities. For a full explanation of University policies and student responsibilities, please see the Dean of Students website.
Suspension for Reasons of Health
Boston University reserves the right to require an involuntary medical leave of absence if it determines that a student’s continued enrollment would create a significant risk to the health and safety of the student or others. For details see the University Policy.
