Academic and Progress Notice and Pause Policies

Santa Monica College is committed to providing a broad range of academic courses, student services, and specialized programs to help students succeed and meet their goals. Students are expected to take responsibility for meeting the SMC Student Success Standards of “Academic Achievement” and “Timely Progress.”

Academic Achievement is defined as maintaining a cumulative grade point average of C (2.0) or better in all classes taken at Santa Monica College. The cumulative SMC GPA does NOT include grades earned at other colleges or universities. However, students should note that grades earned at other institutions WILL be used in calculating their grade point average for the purpose of graduation.

Timely Progress is defined as not exceeding the allowed percentage of I (Incomplete), W (Withdrawal), and NP (No Pass; formerly NC-No Credit) notations within the specified amount of enrolled units. A student who meets the standards of timely progress has enrolled in at least 12 cumulative units and received less than 50% of I, W, or NP notations.

Failure to meet the Student Success Standards can lead to academic notice, progress notice, academic pause, or progress pause. Please note: Per AR 4111.8 (Enrollment Priorities), students will be subject to lower enrollment priority after two consecutive semesters of notice, pause, or restart status. Students will lose eligibility for the California College Promise Grant (CCPG) after two consecutive semesters of academic and/or progress notice status (students in the Guardian Scholars Program and other foster youth are exempted).

Students on academic or progress notice should meet with a counselor as soon as possible to review the circumstances that led to the academic or progress notice, and to develop a student success plan, including a comprehensive student education plan.

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Academic Notice

To remain in good academic standing at Santa Monica College, students must maintain a C (2.0) or better cumulative grade point average. Students will be placed on academic notice if they:

Fall below a C (2.0) cumulative grade point average in 12 or more SMC cumulative units attempted; or
Transfer to SMC while on pause status at another college or university; or
Are permitted to restart after being paused from attending SMC.

Students on academic notice will be limited to enrolling in the following number of units:

First semester: 9 units in fall or spring, and 5 units in winter or summer;
Second consecutive semester: 6 units in fall or spring, and 3 units in winter or summer;
Third consecutive semester: Student will be placed on pause from attending Santa Monica College.

Students will remain on academic notice until they raise their cumulative SMC grade point average to a 2.0 or better, or are placed on pause from attending SMC due to unsatisfactory academic performance.

As a preventive measure, students are urged to review the Attendance Policies section. Failure to properly withdraw from classes causes many students to be placed on academic and/or progress notice — situations that can be avoided by timely and appropriate withdrawal. It is the student’s responsibility to withdraw from a course. Informing the instructor is NOT sufficient. Failure to withdraw from a course can lead to receiving a grade of F (0.0).

F-1 VISA STUDENTS PLEASE NOTE: Federal law requires students with an F-1 visa to complete 12 units during each fall and spring semester, regardless of academic status. If there is ANY possibility that a student may be placed on academic notice or paused from attending SMC due to poor academic performance, the student should IMMEDIATELY arrange to discuss the situation with a counselor from the International Education Center.

STUDENT ATHLETES IN SEASON OF COMPETITION (Spring/ Fall) PLEASE NOTE: To compete in any given sport at SMC, a student must be enrolled in and actively attending 12 units (a maximum of 3 of those units can be for KIN PE courses) during the season of competition, regardless of academic status. If there is ANY possibility that a student may be placed on academic notice or paused from attending SMC due to poor academic performance, a student should IMMEDIATELY arrange to discuss the situation with an athletic counselor by calling 310-434-8017.

Progress Notice

To remain in good standing at Santa Monica College, students must not exceed the allowed percentage of I (Incomplete), W (Withdrawal), and NP (No Pass; formerly NC-No Credit) notations within the specified number of enrolled units.

A student enrolled in at least twelve (12) semester units will be placed on progress notice if the percentage of units in which the student receives a notation of W (Withdrawal), I (Incomplete), or NP (No Pass) reaches or exceeds 50% of units enrolled.

Students on progress notice are limited to enrolling in the following number of units:

First semester: 9 units in fall or spring, and 5 units in winter or summer;
Second consecutive semester: 6 units in fall or spring, and 3 units in winter or summer;
Third consecutive semester: Student will be placed on pause from Santa Monica College.

Students will remain on progress notice until they increase their number of completed units to meet the required percentage of their enrolled units, or until they are placed on pause from attending SMC due to their continuing unsatisfactory progress.

F-1 VISA STUDENTS PLEASE NOTE: Federal law requires students with an F-1 visa to complete 12 units during each fall and spring semester, regardless of academic status. If there is ANY possibility that a student may be placed on progress notice or paused from attending SMC due to unsatisfactory progress, the student should IMMEDIATELY arrange to discuss the situation with a counselor from the International Education Center.

STUDENT ATHLETES IN SEASON OF COMPETITION (Spring/ Fall) PLEASE NOTE: To compete in any given sport at SMC, a student must be enrolled in and actively attending 12 units (a maximum of 3 of those units can be for KIN PE courses) during the season of competition, regardless of academic status. If there is ANY possibility that a student may be placed on progress notice or paused from attending from attending SMC due to unsatisfactory progress, the student should IMMEDIATELY make arrangements to discuss the situation with an athletic counselor by calling 310-434-8017.

California College Promise Grant (CCPG) Satisfactory Academic Progress Requirement

The State of California requires California College Promise Grant (CCPG) recipients to meet certain minimum academic standards. Please note:

To remain CCPG eligible, students must maintain at least a 2.0 GPA and a course completion rate of at least 50%.
Students who fail to meet the GPA and/or completion rate standards will be placed on CCPG Probation.
Students on CCPG Probation have one major term (fall or spring semester) to raise their GPA and/or completion rate.
Students who fail to raise their GPA and/or completion rate up to the minimum standards may become ineligible for a CCPG for the next fall or spring semester unless they (a) have already enrolled in the next fall or spring semester; or (b) have not yet completed 12 units.

More information about the California College Promise Grant (CCPG) Satisfactory Academic Progress Requirement, including how to appeal the loss of CCPG eligibility, is on the SMC Financial Aid webpage.

Academic Pause

A student who is on academic notice is subject to academic pause when the student has earned a cumulative grade point average (GPA) below a 2.0 at SMC, in all units attempted in each of three (3) consecutive semesters, so long as the break in the student's enrollment does not exceed one (1) semester (fall/spring). However, a student who earns a semester grade point average of 2.0 or higher at the end of the third consecutive semester will not be placed on pause. If in the subsequent semester, the semester GPA and the cumulative GPA are below a 2.0, the student will be placed on pause from attending SMC.

A student who is paused after pre-enrolling for the subsequent semester will be administratively dropped from all registered courses if the student is not reinstated by a counselor.

For further information, please see an SMC counselor.

Progress Pause

A student who is on progress notice is subject to progress pause when the student receives notations of W (Withdrawal), I (Incomplete), or NP (No Pass) in 50% or more of all units enrolled in each of three (3) consecutive semesters, so long as the break in the student's enrollment does not exceed one (1) semester (fall/spring). However, a student who completes less than 50% of the units enrolled with notations of W, I, or NP at the end of the third consecutive semester will not be placed on pause. If in the subsequent semester, the student completes more than 50% of the units enrolled with notations of W, I, or NP and the cumulative units enrolled with notations of W, I, or NP is 50% or above, the student will be paused.

A student who is paused after pre-enrolling for the subsequent semester will be administratively dropped from all registered courses if the student is not reinstated by a counselor.

Students should go to smc.edu/PausePolicies or see a counselor for more information.

Petition for Restart

Students who have been paused from attending from Santa Monica College due to poor academic performance and/or unsatisfactory progress, and who have been away from SMC for one semester or less, must complete and submit a ‘Petition for Restart to Academic or Progress Notice Status.’ Students who petition may or may not be allowed to return, depending on restart guidelines. To complete the restart petition, students must log in to Corsair Connect at smc.edu/cc, click on the ‘Counseling & Special Programs’ tab, and then click on ‘Petition for Restart’ and follow the instructions. Once the petition is successfully submitted, a confirmation message will appear, and the petition will be saved in the Corsair Connect account. To have the petition reviewed and processed, a student MUST consult a counselor. The counselor will determine whether restarting is possible, what conditions the student must meet in order to enroll at SMC, and how many units the student may enroll in, up to a maximum of 6 units in fall or spring, and 3 units in summer or winter.

If a student is denied the option to restart, the counselor may require the student to successfully complete a specific number of units at another college or university, with a specific minimum GPA, before being allowed to restart at SMC. Other policies in effect include:

After a first pause, if a student is allowed to restart, the counselor will specify a maximum number of units the student can enroll in, up to a maximum of six (6) units for a fall or spring semester, and up to a maximum of three (3) units for a winter or summer session;
After a second pause, a student must wait for one semester and possibly one intersession before requesting to restart; and
After a third pause, and each pause after that, a student must wait for one year before requesting to restart.

Please see smc.edu/PausePolicies for information on other requirements for students on pause seeking to restart at SMC.

Admission/Restart of Students Paused for Academic or Progress Reasons

A paused student who wishes to restart after being away from Santa Monica College for two consecutive semesters (one year) or longer or who is attending SMC for the first time after being placed on pause by another institution is required to file BOTH an SMC Admission Application AND a ‘Petition for Restart.’ The student must take the following steps IN THE ORDER PRESENTED.

The student must file an application for admission to SMC by going to smc.edu/apply and clicking on the ‘Returning Students’ section, and then on 'Petition for Restart.'
After submitting the application, the student will receive an email that provides an SMC Student ID number, which will be used to log in to Corsair Connect. Returning students will have their previous SMC ID number reactivated in the system.
The student must log in to Corsair Connect, click on the ‘Counseling & Special Programs’ tab, and then click on ‘Petition for Restart’ and complete and submit the petition.
Once the completed ‘Petition for Restart’ is submitted, a message will appear with further instructions for the student to follow. The Readmission Committee will determine whether restarting is possible and what conditions the student must meet in order to enroll at SMC, and will email its decision, along with any further instructions, to the student’s SMC email address.
IMPORTANT: Students who were paused from attending another college should email a legible copy of their unofficial transcripts to readmit_committee@smc.edu and include their full name and SMC ID number. PLEASE NOTE: The process to restart will NOT continue OR be complete until all transcripts are received. After a student’s transcripts are received, an SMC counselor will review the petition and email the decision — along with any further instructions — to the student’s SMC email address. Once approved to restart at SMC, the student MUST arrange for an official copy of all transcripts to be sent directly by the previous college(s) to Santa Monica College, ATTN: Admissions, 1900 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90405-1628. When the transcripts are received, an SMC counselor will review the student’s Petition and email a response to the student’s SMC email address.