Seattle University has stringent academic requirements and you will be regularly challenged to do your best both in and outside of the classroom. Experiencing academic difficulty is not unusual or something to be ashamed of. If you begin to feel overwhelmed and are not doing as well as you would like, review the information below and utilize resources available to you on campus. If you would like to work with an advisor regarding your academic success, contact your assigned academic advisor or contact the Science and Engineering Advising Center.
Seattle University utilizes an early warning system called Redhawk SOAR that is designed to connect struggling students with faculty, advisors, and campus resources. Faculty can submit academic alerts for students in their classes who are not attending regularly or are experiencing urgent personal concerns or issues.
Students can also submit a SOAR report for themselves.
Sometimes, students just need a "booster" from one of the services provided at SU. Maybe you weren't aware of all of these services available to you. Maybe you were aware but never took advantage of what they offer. There's likely a service or program for all of your needs whether it's about academics, emotional/spirituality, engagement, or sense of belonging.
To learn more, visit Student Life.
Still have questions? Email se-adv@seattleu.edu to talk with an advisor in the CSE Advising Center.
Undergraduate students in the College of Science and Engineering are in good academic standing if they have a cumulative SU GPA of 2.00 or better. Depending on their major or program, students could be required to earn a 2.5 or higher. It is important you discuss your specific GPA requirement with your advisor.
Undergraduate students will be placed on probation when their cumulative SU GPA falls below 2.00 or 2.50 (depending on your current major). Graduate students will be placed on probation when their cumulative SU GPA falls below 3.00 and/or if they receive a grade of B- or lower in any of their classes.
Undergraduate students are required to meet the following conditions while on probation to remain enrolled in the College of Science and Engineering:
Need to schedule your probation meeting?
Students may be subject to dismissal if they meet the conditions of probation for a third quarter. Dismissals automatically result in registration cancellation for the next quarter and a full refund of any advance tuition payment.
However, students can appeal their dismissal in writing within a designated period of time after their initial dismissal. These students are asked to provide a detailed explanation of the circumstances that prevented them from meeting the minimum requirements of their probation and description of what will be different if they are reinstated to the College.
Need to talk further about this process? Please email sedean@seattleu.edu
If an appeal is granted to a dismissed student, they are reinstated to the university. Most reinstated students are required to sign an academic contract outlining conditions of their reinstatement and their academic requirements for the following term.
If a student's appeal is not approved, the student must provide three quarters' evidence of improved academic performance at another institution and obtain a reinstatement letter from the Assistant Dean.
To learn more, read the Academic Probation, Dismissal, and Reinstatement for Undergraduates Policy.
Sometimes, students will need to take time away from the University. This can be due to a variety of reasons including health, finances, or military training.
In these cases, we recommend students take a Student Leave of Absence by completing the Student Leave of Absence form.
This process is a proactive management of a student’s temporary departure from SU (you intend to return). The maximum leave is four quarters (including summer).
If you do not return in the approved quarter, you will be withdrawn from the university and will have to submit a request for readmission if you wish to return at a later date.
To learn more, read the Student Leave of Absence policy.
To schedule a meeting to discuss this further, email sedean@seattleu.edu
After the withdrawal deadline, withdrawal status from classes will only be approved in the case of hardship. A Hardship Withdrawal is granted by the Assistant Dean only for reasons relating to death of a family member, catastrophic illness in the family, or an illness and/or an injury to the student. Hardship Withdrawals may be granted for any number of classes in a quarter. In addition, students granted a Hardship Withdrawal may be required to take additional action before being allowed to re-enroll in a following term.
In order to be eligible for a Hardship Withdrawal students must complete the following steps:
To learn more, read the Hardship Withdrawal Policy.
To schedule a meeting to discuss this further, email sedean@seattleu.edu
Sometimes, a student will decide that they should drop a course during the quarter. Maybe this is because they don't feel prepared for the course; maybe around mid-terms they recognize they are not doing well enough to be successful in the course; or maybe life-circumstances changed during the quarter and they don't have time to dedicate to this course anymore.
Withdrawing from a course results in a "W" grade being assigned to your transcript. The “W” has no effect on your grade point average (GPA). If the course is required for your degree however, the “W” does count as an attempted course; you are limited to 2 repeats of an attempted course. In short, it can protect your GPA rather than earning a lower grade like a "D" or "F".
It's important to pay attention to the date that you plan to drop this course (see Important Dates). Each date has a different grading and financial impact. For example, if you withdraw from your class in the first five days of the quarter, the class is dropped from your transcript (like you never signed up for it) and you receive a 100% tuition refund. However, withdrawing from your class after the first 5 days of the quarter will result in a grade of "W" and the tuition refund varies depending on what date you do this during the quarter.
If you are receiving financial aid or scholarships, PLEASE CONTACT STUDENT FINACNIAL SERVICES BEFORE YOU WITHDRAW. Withdrawing from classes could negatively impact this quarter's or next quarter's financial aid. You want to know this before you decide to withdraw.
To Withdraw from a class:
Still have questions? Please email se-adv@seattleu.edu to speak with an advisor in the CSE Advising Center.
Sometimes, a student recognizes that they will not be able to complete any of their courses in the current quarter. In this case, they are considering a complete withdrawal for the current quarter.
Unfortunately, a student may not be able to complete any of their courses in the current quarter and decides not to return to SU after the quarter. In this case, they are considering a complete withdrawal and not returning to SU.
To completely withdraw from the current quarter:
Still have questions? Please email se-adv@seattleu.edu to connect with an advisor in the CSE Advising Center.
The University is offering a COVID-19 Grading Accommodation in response to the ongoing disruption of the current pandemic. You can learn more here about details and important deadlines if you would like to explore the possibility of changing one or more final grades to CR.
CSE students are directed to contact their advising center by emailing se-adv@seattleu.edu with questions and directions on next steps. You will need to fill out this form to formalize your request.
A list is provided below of CSE courses that are not eligible for CR and must be taken for a letter grade.
CSE Courses not Eligible for CR
Once a student has stopped attending Seattle University, they will be withdrawn from university (for undergraduates this means being inactive for 2 consecutive quarters). If a student wishes to return to Seattle University, they must be readmitted.
To begin the readmission process:
To learn more, read the Policy on Readmission.
Still have questions? Please email sedean@seattleu.edu to speak with the Assistant Dean.