Undergraduate Dean’s List
Full-time students receiving a grade point average of 3.75 or higher in any individual quarter and receiving no grade of N, U, or Y will be placed on the Dean’s List for that quarter. The Dean's List is not published.
Academic Probation
Academic probation constitutes notice of unsatisfactory academic performance and is a warning that minimum standards for graduation are not being met. In most cases, two or more grades below C (including C-, U, and Y grades) in any one quarter, or a drop in the minimum cumulative GPA, is grounds for probationary status. Academic probation status is not part of the official academic record. Unless a student demonstrates significant academic improvement during the period of probation, a student may be dismissed from the University. The conditions resulting in academic probation, removal from academic probation, and dismissal are listed in Northwestern University’s Undergraduate Catalog. The Academic Review Committee reviews academic progress of students on probation and candidates for probation. The Committee consists of three to five faculty members and is convened by the assistant dean for student affairs.
Academic Suspension & Dismissal
When it appears that a student is not making satisfactory degree progress, the student may be suspended or excluded from the University by vote of the Academic Review Committee. In the event that a student is dismissed, the student may submit a written appeal to the assistant dean for student affairs no later than 10 days from the date of dismissal. The committee will review the appeal and inform the student of a final decision within 14 days. In the event of a dismissal, the official transcript may be marked “Dismissed for Academic Performance.” Terms of a suspension are handled on a case-by-case basis.
Academic Integrity
It is each student’s responsibility to be aware of all rules and policies applicable to their program. All students registered for classes at Northwestern must adhere to the University's standards of academic integrity. Bienen’s procedures, described here, operate within the broader Northwestern policy framework detailed on the academic integrity page of the Office of the Provost’s website, which includes Academic Integrity: A Basic Guide, a resource containing essential information and a section on how to avoid plagiarism.
I. Initiation of a Complaint
All cases of alleged violations of academic integrity by students in courses in Bienen must be referred to the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs (the Assistant Dean).
A. Suspected cases of academic integrity violations should be reported to the course instructor or the Assistant Dean. Reports must be brought within 1 month of the date the reporting individual becomes aware of the alleged incident. The Assistant Dean will review the report and decide whether to bring a charge. The review may include electronic searches of plagiarism resources, websites, and other databases. Students charged with an academic integrity violation may not change their registration or grading basis in a course in which a charge is pending, or in which a finding of an academic integrity violation has been made.
B. If the Assistant Dean determines that there is cause for further investigation, they shall provide the student with written notice of: the facts and evidence underlying the charge of an academic integrity violation; the principle(s) of academic integrity said to have been violated; and the procedure by which the accuracy of the charge will be determined.
C. The student will have reasonable time, if requested, within which to prepare a response to the charge. Ordinarily, an initial meeting with the Assistant Dean will take place within 7 business days of receiving written notice of the charge.
D. If the student does not schedule a meeting to take place within 7 business days, the Assistant Dean may decide whether there was sufficient evidence of a violation of academic integrity. The Assistant Dean may, at their discretion, grant reasonable requests for an extension of this deadline.
II. Meeting with the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs
A. The Assistant Dean has the authority to determine whether there was sufficient evidence of a violation of academic integrity.
B. In meeting with the student, the Assistant Dean will describe the allegation and detail the evidence provided by the instructor. At this initial meeting, the student may decline to discuss the matter and/or request that the Assistant Dean defer making a determination until after a subsequent meeting between the student and the Assistant Dean, at which time the student may present other relevant information or evidence. This second meeting must be requested at the initial meeting and must be scheduled for a time within 7 business days of the initial meeting.
C. After reviewing evidence and the statements made by the student in the meeting, the Assistant Dean shall inform the student in a written statement of decision on whether there was sufficient evidence of a violation of academic integrity, and the sanction. Any finding of violation must be supported by a brief description of both the process used to come to that determination and the evidence supporting the finding. Except in cross-school cases, the statement will include the sanction to be imposed.
III. Sanctions
A. Sanctions will be imposed by the school in which the student is enrolled. (Note: For dual degree students, sanctions will be jointly decided by the relevant administrators in the applicable schools.) More information about possible sanctions (as well as grade modifications by the instructor) can be found in the relevant section of the academic integrity policy on the Office of the Provost’s website.
IV. School-Level Appeal
A. The Assistant Dean’s finding of violation and/or school-level sanctions imposed as a result of the violation may be appealed to the Dean’s Council by the student filing a written notice of appeal within 10 business days of the date of the Assistant Dean’s written statement of decision. Grades modified by the course instructor following a finding of violation may not be appealed.
V. Provost Review
A. Final review of an unsuccessful appeal may be requested in writing by the student within 10 business days, by the Provost or an advisory committee designated by the Provost. The Provost will review unsuccessful appeals only after a finding and a sanction have been issued. Bases for review can be found in the relevant section of the academic integrity policy on the Office of the Provost’s website.
VI. Cross-School Cases
A. When a student who is enrolled in another school is suspected of an academic integrity violation in a Bienen course, the authority of Bienen will extend only to determining whether there was sufficient evidence of a violation of academic integrity. Any finding of violation will be referred to the relevant administrator of the school in which the student is enrolled for imposition of a sanction.
B. When a student who is enrolled in Bienen has been found in violation of academic integrity in a course based in another school, the Assistant Dean will contact the student in writing to request a meeting to take place within 7 business days, at which the student may present any evidence of mitigating circumstances, but not regarding the finding of violation. If the student does not schedule an appointment within the allotted time, the Assistant Dean may determine a sanction based on the available information.
C. The Assistant Dean will inform the student in writing of a sanction to be imposed and of the student’s right to appeal that sanction within the school.
D. In a cross-school case, an appeal of a finding of violation will take place in the school in which the course is based (i.e., the school in which the finding of violation was made). An appeal of a sanction imposed by the school in which the student is enrolled should take place in that school (i.e., the school that has imposed the sanction). A sanction will not be determined until the appeal process of the finding has been completed.
Last revised September 2024