Academic Suspension is defined as a period in which a student cannot enroll in courses at Marshall University. You will be suspended if:

1. You are on academic probation and your semester GPA is less than a 2.0 or
2. You accumulate or exceed the Quality Point Deficit for their GPA Hours (see below).

The first time this happens, you will be suspended for one regular semester (the summer terms do not count as a term of suspension). The second violation of either of those conditions will result in a suspension of one year. All subsequent violations will result in suspensions of two years. Please see the Academic Suspension Policy for more details.

How do I find out if I’m suspended and what does this mean?
The College of Liberal Arts will notify you that you are on academic suspension by certified mail at the end of the semester in which you met one of the conditions described above. Please read this letter carefully as it details the exact reason for your suspension, as well its duration.

A student who has pre-registered and is subsequently suspended will have his/her course registration for the following semester administratively withdrawn, which means that all of your courses will be dropped.

Can I appeal my suspension?
Yes. If you believe that you have been suspended unfairly, you can appeal to Dean Pittenger in writing. In this letter, you need to explain, in detail, the conditions that led to your suspension, as well as what you are doing to correct those conditions.

If you are suspended following the spring semester, you can also enroll in summer classes with the intent of improving your GPA. If you do earn good grades in your summer classes, you should definitely include this in your appeal letter to the Dean.

Please send your letter to:
David J. Pittenger
Dean, College of Liberal Arts
107 Old Main
Marshall University
One John Marshall Drive
Huntington, WV 25755

How do I start back to school after I have completed my suspension?
First suspension:

1. Find out when you will be allowed to register. If this is the first time you have been suspended, you may register for classes the semester following the one in which you served your suspension. For example, if you are suspended for the Fall 2009 semester, you may register and take classes in Spring 2010. However, since you are not currently enrolled while you are suspended, you may not register until two weeks after enrolled students may register. For example, enrolled students begin advance registration for Spring 2010 classes on November 9, 2009. If you are suspended for the Fall 2009 semester, the first day you may enroll for Spring 2010 classes is two weeks later, or November 23, 2009. You can find out the advance registration dates each semester on Marshall’s Academic Calendar or you can call the College of Liberal Arts office (304-696-2350) for this information. You should register as soon as you are able to in order to get the best classes for your schedule
2. Make an appointment with Dr. Warner. When you want to register, you will be readmitted under academic probation, which means that you will need to meet with Dr. Warner to register for classes and completely your probation paperwork. You can make an appointment to meet with her by calling 304-696-2350.

Second or subsequent suspension:

1. Send a letter to the Dean asking to be readmitted. If this is your second or subsequent suspension, you must first send a letter to Dean Pittenger asking to be readmitted. Your letter should detail what caused you to be suspended and how you plan to do better in your classes here if you are readmitted. The Dean must receive this letter at least 30 days before the beginning of the semester you want to attend. Please send your letter to:
   David J. Pittenger
   Dean, College of Liberal Arts
   107 Old Main
   Marshall University
   One John Marshall Drive
   Huntington, WV 25755
2. Reapply to the appropriate office. After the Dean gives his permission, then your second step depends on whether or not you have taken classes at other institutions since you last attended Marshall:
   • Contact the Admissions Office if you have taken classes at another college or university: http://www.marshall.edu/admissions/. The Admissions Office will be able to tell you how to send your transcripts from your other schools to Marshall and what you need to do to be readmitted.
   • Contact the Registrar’s Office if you have not taken classes at another college or university: http://www.marshall.edu/registrar/. Click on the “Readmission” link and you will see the form that you will need to print, fill out, and submit to the Registrar’s Office at least five working days prior to the date of registration.
3. Make an appointment with Dr. Warner to register for classes. After you hear from Admissions or the Registrar that you have been accepted, you will have to make an appointment to meet with Dr. Warner in order to register for classes. Since you were on academic suspension when you left, you’ll return under academic probation – which means that you have an Academic Obligation Hold and cannot register without seeing her and doing your probation paperwork. You can make an appointment to see her at 304-696-2350.

If you have any questions, please call the College of Liberal Arts office at 304-696-2350 or email Dr. Warner at warnerj@marshall.edu.