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Continuance, Appeal, Dismissal - Sciences

Computer Science Continuance Standards, Appeal Procedures, and Dismissal Actions

Academic Standing & Continuance

To qualify to continue as a Computer Science major, students must maintain Satisfactory Computer Science Academic (CSA) Standing by achieving the following GPA standards at the end of each semester:

  • A cumulative grade point average of 2.50 or better for all approved Computer Science courses (COMP.xxxx) taken at UMass Lowell.
  • A cumulative grade point average of 2.30 or better in all courses taken at UMass Lowell.

Students who fail to satisfy these requirements at the end of a semester will be placed on Departmental Academic Warning or dismissed from the major depending on their status.

  • Students new to UMass Lowell or who were in Satisfactory CSA Standing during the previous semester will be automatically placed on Departmental Academic Warning and given one semester to raise their CS and Overall GPAs to the required levels.
  • Students already on Departmental Academic Warning will be dismissed from the Computer Science major. The first time a student faces dismissal from the major they may file an appeal.
  • Students who previously appealed their dismissal and who are now on Departmental Academic Probation (see below) will only be allowed to continue in the major if their semester probationary conditions have been satisfied.

Appeal Procedures

Students dismissed from the undergraduate Computer Science major may petition this action by submitting a letter of appeal to the CS Dismissal Review Committee (DRC).  The appeal must be submitted by the due date listed in the dismissal letter and sent to the office or email address provided therein.

Student appeal letters should address any extenuating circumstances responsible for failure to maintain Satisfactory CSA Standing in the major as well as any other factors the appellant wishes the Committee to consider in their deliberations.  Successful appeal letters will also describe plans to be implemented and resources to be used to help ensure academic success going forward should the appeal be granted.

CS Dismissal Review Committee decisions are final and notification will be emailed to a student’s UMass Lowell email address prior to the beginning of the semester following the appeal submission.

Students approved for continuation in the major will be placed on Departmental Academic Probation, which comes with conditions indicating the length of the probationary period and performance benchmarks specific to each student’s situation.  Probationary students must satisfy all conditions listed in their appeal approval letter.  Failure to satisfy these conditions and meet associated deadlines will result in dismissal form the major at the end of a probationary semester with no further option for appeal. 

Dismissal Actions

Students not allowed to continue in the Computer Science will be dropped from all computer science courses and have a Dean’s Hold placed on their account until they submit the necessary paperwork to change their major.

Students may select and apply for another major within the university if they satisfy all relevant major requirements and university policies.  The Office for Advising and Student Success in the Sciences (OAS2iS) will work with students who wish to remain in the Kennedy College of Sciences (KCS) in another major.  Students transferring to majors outside KCS may take advantage of the services of the Centers for Learning in exploring options.  Any student unable to immediately transfer into a new major may be allowed to switch their status to Undeclared Sciences for one semester only.  Students who decide to leave UMass Lowell must notify the Office of the Registrar by completing the online withdrawal form.