Academic Notice

If you are placed on Academic Notice, L&S recommends taking the following steps:

• Make a plan. Review our Causes of Academic Difficulty and Helpful Policies and Resources pages to find support resources and think critically about the challenges you have faced. An L&S College Adviser can help with this process and with strategizing your class schedule for your academic notice term. An L&S College Adviser can also help you understand the grades you will need to earn in order to transition to good standing.
• Read all emails from L&S (check your spam folder)
• After you receive your midterm grades (or at any point you have concern about keeping up in classes), make an appointment with an L&S College Adviser. Discuss your progress and any challenges you may be encountering.
• Toward the end of the semester, if you are concerned you may not transition to good standing, meet with an L&S College Adviser to discuss your options and write a Continue Academic Notice Letter (see below). It can be helpful to schedule a meeting before important deadlines if you would like to discuss academic options (see the homepage for key deadlines for the current term). 

To clear Academic Notice, you will need to earn a minimum 2.0 term (semester) GPA and a 2.0 cumulative UC GPA by the end of the next Fall or Spring semester of enrollment (academic notice term). An L&S College Adviser can help you understand the grades you will need to earn if you need to raise your GPA to a 2.0.

During an Academic Notice term, all courses that can be taken for a letter grade must be taken for a letter grade. You are still allowed to enroll in courses that are only offered as Pass/No Pass.

Students will need to be enrolled in a minimum of 13 units, unless approved for a Reduced Course Load. If you use your Late Change of Class Schedule petition while on notice to drop a course and this puts you below 13 units, L&S will approve a Reduced Course Load for you. However, if you are on Academic Notice, you may wish to discuss using your Late Change of Class Schedule petition with an L&S College Adviser.

Continued Academic Notice (CAN) students must consult with an L&S College Adviser before using a Late Change to Class Schedule petition to see if it will violate your CAN conditions. See below for more information on Continued on Notice status.

If you believe you will not clear Academic Notice

1. Meet with an L&S College Adviser. If you are worried that you may not meet the GPA requirements to clear Academic Notice by the end of your notice term, we encourage you to meet with a L&S College Adviser as soon as possible to discuss the factors impacting your academic progress and any options you may have available to you.
2. Submit a Continue Academic Notice Letter. You have the option to write a “Continue Academic Notice” letter to the Academic Standing Review Committee. This is an opportunity for you to provide additional information about why you were unable to clear Academic Notice, actions you have taken to clear Academic Notice, and steps you would take if granted an additional semester to transition to good standing. Students on Academic Notice should receive an email near the end of the semester for more information on this. See our Continued Academic Notice Letter page for guidelines and samples. 

If you do not clear Academic Notice, a review will take place to determine if you will be required to take a break from UC Berkeley. This is called being “Subject to Disqualification” It is important to know that “Disqualification” does not mean that you are “kicked out” of UC Berkeley permanently. The goal of Disqualification is to give you space to resolve challenges so that you can ultimately return and graduate.

REVIEW PROCESS

Your academic history will be reviewed. Trends toward improvement are taken into account. Additionally, trends that show struggles in particular subjects or major directions are identified. If you could potentially graduate in the next semester, this will also be noted. Any relevant advising notes will also be considered.

Ultimately, the review committee attempts to determine whether continuing into the next semester at UC Berkeley is likely to help you improve your academic situation or if taking time away from UC Berkeley is the best next step for overcoming your challenges.

You have the option to write a “Continued Academic Notice” letter to be considered in this review. This is an opportunity for you to provide additional information about why you were unable to clear Academic Notice, actions you have taken to clear Academic Notice, and steps you would take if granted an additional semester to clear Academic Notice. See our Continued Academic Notice Letter page for guidelines, samples, and deadlines.

We understand that waiting for a decision creates anxiety. We notify students of decisions as soon as the academic standing review process completes, which typically takes a few weeks once grades have been finalized and academic statuses have been assigned by the Office of the Registrar.

Possible outcomes

After this review, you will receive one of three decisions:

1. You will be disqualified and will plan to meet particular criteria before you can be readmitted to another Fall/Spring semester at UC Berkeley. See the Disqualification page for detailed information.
2. You will have Continued Academic Notice (CAN) status for the next semester. This status will come with more oversight than your first term on Academic Notice and you will have extra obligations. See FAQ below on CAN status for more information.
3. Your decision will be pended or conditional. This is less common than the first two decisions. This may occur if a student is Subject to Disqualification after Spring semester and a decision is pended until Summer grades are recorded, but it also may relate to committing to a new major direction.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

International students are reviewed first due to impacts to visas. If you are on a visa and subject to disqualification, it is important to talk with Berkeley International Office right away to discuss plans to depart the U.S. or transfer your I-20.

If you have Continued Academic Notice status, you will have the same terms for clearing Academic Notice as before (earning semester and cumulative GPAs of a 2.0 by the end of the next Fall or Spring semester) as well as the same grading option restriction. However, you will have additional criteria to follow.

The first step will be a mandatory appointment with a specific L&S College Adviser. You will receive outreach from L&S Advising to let you know who you will meet with. We strive to make this appointment an encouraging and supportive experience, with the primary goal being to review and approve your semester schedule and to discuss any other requirements for your CAN semester. These are your CAN terms and may include that you follow through on connecting resources, follow up with an L&S College Adviser, or other terms that are related to your particular challenges. This should provide you with guidance and support toward reaching your academic goals. 

Disqualification is meant to allow you time to find direction, overcome struggles, and demonstrate your readiness to get back on track at UC Berkeley. L&S Advising have worked with many students through their disqualification period, offering encouragement and guidance to not only return to Cal, but to achieve bigger picture goals.

If you have received a Disqualification decision, review the Disqualification page to understand this status and to plan your next steps.

There is no appeal process available for an Academic Standing Review decision.