NYCI New York Career Institute ESTABLISHED 1941

Federal law and regulation require institutions of higher education to establish, publish and enforce minimum academic standards for the continued receipt of Federal Title IV Financial Aid.  The academic policies for NYCI are in compliance with Title IV program regulations and are published in the College Catalog.  Any changes to the academic progress policy become effective with the publication of a new catalog (or addendum), regardless of any student’s start date or program year.

Standards of Academic Progress

NYCI maintains a set of Academic Progress standards that is applicable to all matriculated students. The charts below and the attached text are the published standards for NYCI.  Failure to maintain academic performance in compliance with these standards will result in academic action, including probation and/or dismissal from the academic program.  Students who are dismissed from their program also lose eligibility for Federal Title IV Financial Aid, including loans, as described below.

Additional “Maximum Timeframe” Standard

Eligibility is also limited to students completing their programs within one and one-half times the normal program length.  The maximum timeframe is reached when the student has attempted more than one and one-half times the number of credits required to earn their degree(s).  The maximum timeframe standard evaluation for transfer students will consider only those credits attempted at NYCI or accepted for transfer or proficiency AP credit.  Students who change academic programs at NYCI may request that their maximum timeframe be re-calculated based solely on those “attempted” credits that are applicable to the current program of study.  A determination of ineligibility based upon the maximum timeframe standard cannot be reversed under the “Regaining Academic Eligibility” section (below), and no probationary trimester is granted.

Definitions and Grading Policy

“Attempted” credit hours include all college-level credit that is contained in the student’s academic history at NYCI (including transfer credits, advanced placement credits, proficiency credits, and all other credits accepted into the student’s program by the Dean of Academic Affairs Office of NYCI), with the exception of pre-collegiate level remedial coursework (see below).  “Earned” credit hours include all “attempted” credit hours (see above) except those for which a failing, withdrawn, incomplete or other non-passing grade has been issued.  Audited credits (AUD grade) are considered neither attempted nor earned.

Consistency with Academic Policy:  All issues of grading policy, GPA calculation, etc. are calculated in accordance with NYCI’s academic policies.

Timing of Evaluations and Evaluation Process

NYCI measures academic progress at the end of each trimester.  Evaluation of progress will occur shortly after the academic office has posted final grades.  Notices of probationary status and/or ineligibility are sent only as a courtesy.  Students are expected to be aware of their own academic status.  Grades listed as “incomplete” at the time of evaluation will be considered attempted and not earned, but will not affect the GPA.

Probation and Loss of Academic Eligibility

Students who fail to meet the standards defined above will be placed on probation for a period of one trimester. If, upon successful completion of the probationary trimester, the student has returned to “good” academic standing, he/she is entitled to an additional probationary trimester should he/she have future academic difficulty.  If a student successfully completes 100% of all coursework attempted within this probationary trimester with a trimester GPA of at least 2.5, but still does not achieve the required cumulative completion percentage and or cumulative GPA, that student will be granted one additional probationary trimester.  In all other cases, if a student has not returned to “good” academic standing according to the chart by the end of the probationary trimester, the student will be dismissed from his/her program of study at NYCI and lose eligibility for federal student aid from that point forward.

Remedial Courses

Remedial courses may be included in an individual student’s program of study as appropriate.  Since remedial courses earn “credit equivalents” rather than college credit and hence do not impact a student’s grade point average (GPA), these courses are subject to their own separate academic standard. A student who attempts a remedial course but does not successfully complete with a passing grade is automatically placed on academic probation.  The student must re-take and successfully complete the course in question during the student’s subsequent trimester in order to return to “good” academic standing.  A second failure in the same remedial course will result in dismissal from the student’s academic program at NYCI and loss of eligibility for federal student aid, regardless of the student’s GPA or completion ratio in non-remedial coursework.  Eligibility can be regained by successful completion of the remedial course at NYCI without benefit of federal student aid, or by completing remediation elsewhere and subsequently achieving an appropriate passing score on the NYCI remedial evaluation.

Data Corrections

If a student’s academic record is changed subsequent to the evaluation date, a student may submit a written request to the Dean of Academic Affairs for re-evaluation of the probation or dismissal determination.  The most common situation leading to such a request is the successful resolution of “incomplete” grades.

Continuation as a Non-Matriculated Student

A student who is dismissed from an academic program may be allowed (at the discretion of the Dean of Academic Affairs) to continue as a non-matriculated student.  A non-matriculated student is not eligible for state or federal financial aid, and under no circumstances will aid be paid retroactively for courses taken in this manner.  Students who are dismissed under the “Maximum Timeframe Standard” will only be allowed to continue in this manner for the purpose of mastering necessary skills proficiencies (Stenographic speed and accuracy) as required for graduation. Once a student has completed coursework/proficiency with grades/skills sufficient to meet the stated requirements, the student must file a written request to the Dean of Academic Affairs to transfer the completed work into a degree program, re-admit the student to a program and/or confer graduation.

Regaining Academic Eligibility

1. Mitigating Circumstances Appeal:  A determination of academic dismissal (and ineligibility for financial aid) may be appealed based on mitigating circumstance(s).  A mitigating circumstance is defined as an exceptional or unusual event(s) beyond the student’s direct control, which contributed to or caused the academic difficulty.  Appeal letters should be addressed to the Dean of Academic Affairs and should include a complete description of the circumstances that led to the academic difficulty and a plan for future academic success.  Copies of supporting documentation should be included.  All appeals are reviewed by a committee of academic and administrative staff whose determination is final.  The committee will report all appeal decisions to the Dean, who will notify the student and the Financial Aid Officer.  A mitigating circumstance appeal may not be used to justify a pattern of poor performance or to override the maximum timeframe standard.

2.   Regaining Eligibility:  Students who have been dismissed (and lost eligibility) may potentially regain probationary academic eligibility by one of four methods: 1) return to NYCI after an absence of not less than twelve months (three full trimesters) and submit transfer credit acceptable to NYCI which will bring the student’s record into compliance with the attempted/earned standard; 2)  return to NYCI after an absence of not less than twelve months (three full trimesters) and submit a request for re-evaluation of eligibility and re-admission to the college–such re-evaluation shall be based upon demonstrated academic, personal or career success since leaving NYCI and likelihood of future academic success; 3) make up the academic deficiencies as a non-matriculated student (see “Continuation as a Non-Matriculated Student” above); or 4) be accepted into a different academic discipline at NYCI.

In each of the four circumstances listed above, approval is at the discretion of the Dean of Academic Affairs.  The Dean will evaluate the student’s situation and make a judgment of the student’s potential for future academic success.  Students for whom the completion of the program will not be mathematically possible within the Maximum Timeframe Standard (see above) will not be approved for regained academic eligibility.  The Dean will report all decisions under this section directly to the student, the President, and the Financial Aid Office.

A student who regains academic eligibility under this section will be placed in probationary status for the trimester in which he/she returns, and subject to the probation rules (see “Probation and Loss of Academic Eligibility” above).