Academic Regulations
Academic Standing
A student in good standing is defined as a student who is not on financial hold or carrying past due balances, who is continuously enrolled each semester or on an approved leave of absence, who maintains a minimum GPA of 2.0 and the proper course load (without incompletes), and who is not on probation.
| Academic Warning |
| A student who has a cumulative GPA or a single semester term GPA between 1.5 and 2.0 at the end of any semester will be given a warning notice. |
| Academic Probation |
|
A student will be placed on probation if they:
|
| Dismissal from the School of Nursing |
|
A student may only attempt to take a course two times. A student will be dismissed from the School of Nursing for reasons as outlined in the “course failure” and “course attempts” sections of the BSN Handbook. Students may exceed no more than two consecutive semesters on probation. After the second consecutive semester on probation, students will be dismissed from the School of Nursing if their academic performance continues to fall within probation standards as outlined in this handbook. A student may be dismissed from the School of Nursing for lack of academic progress, as outlined in “completion of program” section of the BSN Handbook. |
Course Attempts
Students may only attempt to take a course two times. Students that withdraw from a course after initially failing the same course may be dismissed from the School of Nursing. Additionally, students who fail a course after initially withdrawing from the same course will be dismissed from the School of Nursing.
Course Failure
If a required course is failed, it may be repeated one time. Any courses for which the failed course is a prerequisite may not be taken until the failed course is successfully completed. If an elective or sector course is failed, the same course or an equivalent course must be taken and successfully completed. The F remains on the transcript and is always calculated into the grade point average, even after the course is retaken and passed. Students will be dismissed from the program if they fail a required course a second time.
| Failure in Non-Clinical Nursing Courses |
| Students who fail required, non-clinical Nursing courses will be reviewed by the Academic Standards and Progressions Committee. Remedial actions may be required, at the discretion of the course director, before the student can re-take the course. In addition, the student must meet with their advisor to revise the plan of study. |
| Failure in Clinical Nursing Courses |
|
Combined Theory and Clinical Courses: Students must pass the theory, clinical, and lab portions of the clinical course in order to pass the entire course and progress into the following clinical course. Students who earn less than a C- in a required clinical course will receive an F and will be required to repeat the course. Students who receive an F in a clinical course must repeat and successfully pass that course in order to progress into other clinical courses. A remediation plan (including the Course Faculty and the Office of Academic Affairs) must occur before any course is repeated. A second F in any clinical course will result in dismissal from the program. Separate Theory and Clinical Courses: Students who earn less than a C- in either the theoretical or clinical component of a required clinical nursing course will receive an F and will be required to repeat the course. A remediation plan (including the Course Faculty and the Office of Academic Affairs) must occur before any course is repeated. A second F in any clinical course will result in dismissal from the program. |
|
Failure Due to Unsafe Clinical Practice |
|
Students will receive an F in a clinical course if, at any point, they fail to meet objectives for the clinical portion of the course or if they are removed from the clinical setting for unsafe practice during the course. Practice is determined to be unsafe if, due to student knowledge deficits, lack of effective clinical decision making, failure to appropriately monitor patient’s condition and respond appropriately (clinician notification and direct care actions), or inappropriate communication, a patient is harmed or very likely to be at risk for harm. Unsafe practice is also related to the appropriate level of supervision that can be provided to support student learning and practice. Students in more advanced stages of their curriculum at both the undergraduate and master’s level are expected to be able to practice safely with decreasing levels of direct faculty and preceptor supervision. Other factors contributing to an assessment of unsafe practice include falsified documentation, failure to communicate truthfully and aggressive/non-collaborative interpersonal communication patterns. Students who receive an F for unsafe practice in a clinical course may not drop or withdraw from that clinical course. The Academic Standards and Progressions Committee will also define the conditions under which the student may be allowed to progress to further clinical courses. Please see the Grievance Policy for more information. A second F in any clinical course will result in withdrawal from the program. |
Science GPA
A minimum science grade point average of 2.0 is required for entrance into NURS 2150 – Nursing of Women and Infants and junior level clinicals.
In the BSN Curriculum, courses calculated into the science grade point average for progression into NURS 2150 include:
NURS 0061 Biologically Based Chemistry
NURS 0062 Cellular Biology
NURS 0063 Microbiology
NURS 0065 Fundamentals of Nutrition
NURS 0068 Integrated Cell Biology and Microbiology
NURS 1630 Integrated Anatomy, Physiology, and Physical Assessment I
NURS 1640 Integrated Anatomy, Physiology, and Physical Assessment II
Students who fail a required science course will be reviewed by the Academic Standards and Progressions Committee and will be required to re-take the course and earn a passing grade in order to progress to subsequent courses. In addition, they must meet with their faculty advisor and/or the Office of Academic Affairs to plan a revised course of study. Students who earn a D in a science course will also be reviewed by the Academic Standards and Progressions Committee for a plan of action.
At the end of the second semester of the sophomore year, science GPAs will be reviewed again. Students with a science GPA below 2.0 will be reviewed by the Academic Standards and Progressions Committee to determine an appropriate course of action. Students with a science GPA below 2.0 may be asked to withdraw from the School of Nursing.
Requirements for Clinical Courses
In order to enter the first clinical nursing course, NURS 2150, students must have completed the following pre‑requisites:
NURS 0061, NURS 0062, NURS 0063, NURS 0065, NURS 1010, NURS 1020, NURS 1030, NURS 1630, and NURS 1640.
Students must also have a minimum of a 2.0 GPA in order to enter NURS 2150 and in order to progress into junior level clinical courses.
Course Incompletes
| Incomplete in Non-Clinical Courses |
|
A student who fails to complete a course within the prescribed period and does not withdraw from the course or change his or her status to auditor will receive, at the instructor’s discretion, either a grade of I (incomplete) or F (failure). A grade of incomplete in a non-clinical course is assigned by the instructor only under the following conditions:
These conditions must be conveyed to the Office of Student Information via email and approved by the Assistant Dean or her/his designee before the grade of incomplete is assigned. Any grade of incomplete which remains at the end of the fourth week of the subsequent semester becomes a grade of F. |
|
Incomplete in Clinical (Theory and Practice) Courses |
|
A student who fails to complete a clinical (theory or practice) course within the prescribed period and does not withdraw from the course, will receive at the instructor’s discretion either a grade of I (incomplete) or F (failure). A grade of incomplete is assigned by the instructor only under the following conditions:
These conditions must be conveyed to the Office of Student Information via email and approved by the Assistant Dean or her/his designee before the grade of incomplete is assigned. The grade of incomplete may be carried on the student’s transcript only until the end of the following term. Carrying this grade beyond that time holds severe implications of failure to progress to next term with delay in the student’s academic and clinical progression of an academic term or full academic year. Any extensions of work toward an incomplete past the end of the following academic term must be reviewed and approved by the Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs or the Associate Dean for Academic Programs. Any grade of incomplete for a clinical course which remains after the end of the academic term following the one in which it was assigned becomes a permanent incomplete grade designated by the mark F* on the student’s record. A permanent incomplete requires registering and retaking the entire clinical (theory or practice) course in its entirety to complete the degree for which the clinical course is required. The permanent grade of incomplete is not counted toward any other degree should the student elect a change or major or track. |
Clinical Remediation (NURS 2970)
Students whose clinical performance would benefit from additional clinical exposure in order to demonstrate the expected competencies are recommended to register for NURS 2970, along with course faculty and faculty advisor approval. This experience will be allotted no more than one credit unit and must be completed in a time frame that does not exceed one academic semester.
Students returning from a leave of absence are required to successfully complete NURS 2970 before re-entering a clinical course or continuing from physical assessment into a clinical course.
Procedural Steps:
- If the course involves activities in the Helene Fuld Simulation Pavilion, the Director of the Pavilion must be involved in the planning of the remedial experience. Approval to register for the remedial experience must be obtained from the simulation lab faculty responsible for the course and, in the event that it involves an MSN course, from the program director as well.
- The student, in collaboration with course/program faculty, will design an individual experience that addresses the areas of deficit/remediation and which affords the student sufficient time and clinical exposure so that expected course outcomes are achieved.
- This experience will be detailed in a contract/independent study format that will be signed by both student and faculty.
- Specific objectives that fully address the areas of deficit/remediation and which are congruent with the prior physical assessment/clinical course.
- Additionally, the student will be held to the objectives that are detailed on the course clinical evaluation form that correlates with the specific course involved.
- Course/program faculty must approve the plan for remediation before the student can proceed to the clinical area for practice.
- The course/program faculty will determine the credit allotment for this remedial experience. 0.5-1.0 cu could be assigned.
- The tuition will be determined based on this credit allotment and will apply to the costs associated with overseeing this experience.
- Total hours completed during the remediation experience is not to exceed the number of hours originally assigned to the course.
- Completion of NURS 2970 may not be applied to program degree requirements.
- A copy of all materials related to the completion of this course will be maintained in the student’s file.
At the conclusion of the experience, the student will complete the evaluation tool as part of the self-evaluation process. Additionally, in narrative form, the student will evaluate his/her success in achieving the goals that were set for this individualized experience. All work must be accomplished with the grade of “S” for Satisfactory Performance (and not a letter grade) in order for the student to progress to the next level and for the successful completion of the course to be noted on the transcript.
Completion of Program
All degree requirements must be completed within a five-year period after admission to BSN degree standing. Candidates who are unable to meet this requirement must petition for an extension. Any additional requirements in effect at the time of re-evaluation must be completed.
Residency Requirement
At least four semesters of full-time study must be completed in Philadelphia while enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania. The value of the Penn experience lies not only in courses taken but also in participation in the life of the University community both in and outside the classroom. Students must also be registered for their last two semesters at the University, including registration through its approved programs for study abroad.
No student may graduate with a BSN from the University of Pennsylvania unless they have completed at Penn at least one-half of the total number of required credit units.
Academic Standards and Progressions Committee
All matters of academic discipline are acted upon through the Academic Standards and Progressions Committee of the School of Nursing. The Academic Standards and Progressions Committee meets three times a year at the close of the fall, spring, and summer semesters, and as needed, to rule on specific academic problems. The cases of students with academic concerns are presented to the Academic Standards and Progressions Committee for action. Committee deliberations may result in issuing a warning, placing the student on probation, or withdrawing the student from the School of Nursing. Students will receive a letter informing them of the Committee’s decision and outlining the required course of action. A copy will be sent to the student’s faculty advisor.
Other academic problems may be brought to the Academic Standards and Progressions Committee for action. A student must petition the Committee in writing, describing the situation, and may be asked to present his or her case at the Committee meeting. The petition should be submitted to the Assistant Dean for Academic & Student Affairs.
The Academic Standards and Progressions Committee is the highest ruling body in the School of Nursing. The Academic Standards and Progressions Committee reserves the right to make decisions in the best interest of the student and the School of Nursing.
Curricular Petitions
Students in single-degree programs should address their petitions to their home schools. Dual-degree students should address their petitions for degree requirements to the school(s) whose degree requirements are affected; in some cases, a petition to both schools will be required. All other petitions for exceptions (e.g. late drop, late add, late withdrawal) should be submitted to the home school.
Athletes
Athletes must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 and complete the necessary number of course units and percentage of degree required each academic year, as outlined by NCAA and University of Pennsylvania regulations, to be able to compete in intercollegiate sports. Questions should be directed to the School of Nursing athletic eligibility officer at advisor@nursing.upenn.edu.
