Many students experience some form of academic difficulty during their college career. For some students, they may simply struggle through a class or two or through a single term. For others, academic difficulty may be more severe and/or long lasting. Whatever the situation, there are many ways you can make connections with staff, faculty and fellow students that may help you overcome the difficulties you have been experiencing.

As a student on academic probation, the two most important steps you can take, are to gain as much information as possible about your individual academic situation and based on this information develop a plan to return to good academic standing in the following semester. This is the time to do the following:

• assess the severity of your grade point average deficit
• know what courses you should be taking (or retaking)
• review your pace (the percentage of courses completed)
• be aware of the grades needed to clear probationary status
• meet with a Success Advisor on a regular basis 

This website is designed to provide you with some of the most important information you will need to evaluate the circumstances that lead to academic difficulty and introduce you to some strategies that may help you improve your academic performance. This site is not intended to replace individual Success Advising.

Click here for the FAQ page

SDEV 2201: Strategies for Success

The course is geared towards students on probation who want to achieve success in both college and life.

Through interactive assignments and class discussions students will develop skills that will help them to maximize their potential in order to achieve academic, personal and career goals.

One on One Advising:

Your appointment with a Success Advisor is tailored to YOU: your interests, grades, goals, and talents. Whether you’re tackling current academic struggles or seeking ways to enhance your learning experiences at the University of New Haven, your Success Advisor will help you maximize your options. They are here to help you make the most of your first-year experience. Working with your success advisor, you will create a personalized plan that can include any of the following:

• Managing your time
• Setting personal & academic goals
• Calculate needed GPA to meet your academic goals
• Organizing your weekly/monthly/semester assignments
• Planning your class schedule
• Study habits
• Eliminating barriers to success
• Balancing your academic & social lives
• Improving course performance

GPA Requirement

Students are placed on academic probation when they fail to maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average in accordance with the following satisfactory progress scale:

Cumulative grade point average of 1.75 for 3 to 27 GPA credits attempted.

Cumulative grade point average of 1.85 for 28 to 57 GPA credits attempted.

Cumulative grade point average of 2.0 for 58 or more GPA credits attempted.

Academic probation of transfer students is determined in accordance with the same graduated, minimum cumulative grade point average scale as for non-transfer students, as detailed above. In determining a transfer student’s academic standing, the student’s total semester hours completed–those transferred from other institutions  plus those attempted at the University of New Haven–are applied to the minimum cumulative grade point average scale. 

Satisfactory Academic Progress

Full-time undergraduates must successfully complete a minimum of 24 credits per academic year in order to be maintaining satisfactory progress.   Full-time undergraduate students who attend for only one term during the academic year must complete a minimum of 12 credits.  All other students must successfully complete the credits for which financial aid has been awarded as stated on their award.

“Successful completion” is defined as the receipt of a passing letter grade (A+ to D-) and does not include the receipt of an F (Failure), INC (Incomplete), DNA (Did Not Attend), W (Withdrawal), or U (Unsatisfactory).  The requirements for good academic standing are described in the “Academic Regulations” section of the undergraduate and graduate catalogs.

Credit Hour Restriction

In order to allow sufficient time to devote to each course students who are on academic probation are limited to a course load not to exceed four courses (13 credits).  Many students attempt to recover from a poor semester by taking an extremely heavy schedule and not having adequate time to devote to each class, so that none of the classes go well. At four courses or 13 credit hours, most students have enough time to attend class, study hard, improve their performance, and stay in school. You may find that the credits you are already registered for exceed your designated course load max. If this is the case you will want to meet with an academic advisor as soon as possible to discuss necessary schedule changes.

Progress to Degree Completion

Full-time undergraduate students will be assessed for progress to completion of their degree (PACE) at the end of each semester. Full-time students need to  complete  67% of their credits attempted in a given semester to maintain federal financial aid. For assistance with calculating PACE, please visit the financial aid office.

Summer/Winter Courses

In order to earn credits to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress, many students will choose to take summer or winter intercession courses. These courses can be taken at the University of New Haven or at an accredited institution near your permanent residence. If you take the course at the University of New Haven, you will earn credits and your final grade WILL impact your Grade Point Average which is helpful if your grade point average is under a 2.0. Retaking a course that you earned a “D” or an “F” in will also help raise your GPA, but you should consult your academic advisor before doing so.

However, if you do not take the course at the University of New Haven you will only receive the credit and not the grade. Prior to registering for any course outside the university, please consult your academic advisor and fill out a Transfer Course Authorization Form, gaining approval that the course will be accepted for credit upon completion. In order to earn credit from any outside institution you must earn a “C” (not C-) or higher.

The decision on whether to take summer course here or somewhere else will depend on cum GPA and earned credit hours. Students should take the course at the University of New Haven if they need the course to improve their GPA. Students who have at least a 2.0 (or required GPA) may choose to take the course elsewhere and transfer the credit back only.

Meeting with an Success Advisor

We believe it is important to connect with a Success Advisor the first 10 days of a new semester. For this reason, it is required to meet with a success advisor in the Center for Student Success or you will be dropped from all registered courses. 

1. Get phone number and/or email of at least two classmates in each course for the purpose of copying notes due to unavoidable absences
2. Go to all professor office hours at least once
3. Do school work in the library
4. Participation once per class period
5. Sit near the front of the classroom
6. Actively read, ask your questions about the reading before you start to read, then read for the answers
7. Review notes on a regular basis, pretend your notes are answers and generate the corresponding questions, repeat once per week per course, always starting from the first lecture to the most recent
8. Start to study for exams at least 48 hours ahead of time
9. Make self-testing a part of study routine
10. Review all returned work

1. Center for Learning Resources: The CLR is located in the lower level of the Marvin K. Peterson Library. It includes FREE tutoring in the Math, Science, and Business Lab; the Writing Lab; the Computer Lab; the Peer Tutoring Program; and our Workshop Series. For more details on the tutor schedule please visit www.newhaven.edu/clr
2. Accessibility Resource Center: Contacting the Accessibility Resource Center is a student’s first step to receiving reasonable accommodations and accessing services that may be needed to provide the individual with the opportunity to be successful as a student with a disability, a student with a chronic health related issue, or a student in need of veterans accommodations when returning to or attending college for the first time. The services of this office are at no charge to students, and can be accessed upon determination of eligibility as a qualified student. Learn more here.
3. Counseling & Psychological Services:  The Counseling Center offers a variety of services aimed at helping students resolve personal difficulties and acquire the balance, skills, and knowledge that will enable them to take full advantage of their experience at the University of New Haven. 
4. Career Development Center: If you are now questioning your major, visit the CDC to take the FOCUS Assessment. In order to determine what major and career is right for you, a firm understanding of your skills, traits, values, and interests is required. You will be asked questions related to your skills (things you do well), your work and leisure interests (things you like to do), your personality type, and your work values (things you want from your career) and then FOCUS provides you majors and occupations that match your input. www.newhaven.edu/cdc