Changes to the Undergraduate Academic Standing Policy, Effective Fall 2026
Through a collaborative effort involving Faculty Governance and staff of the offices of the Registrar, Academic Advising, and Undergraduate Studies, WPI’s policy regarding undergraduate academic standing has been updated to strengthen clarity, consistency, and student support in ways that better promote student success.
The revised policy, outlined below and approved at the April 2026 faculty meeting, maintains the existing standards for satisfactory academic progress while updating terminology, strengthening support requirements for students experiencing academic difficulty, clarifying the petition process, and simplifying summer academic improvement options. The policy changes will be effective as of Fall 2026.
Overview of Changes
The core academic progress expectations for full-time, reduced course load, and part-time undergraduate students will remain unchanged. Academic standing reviews will continue to occur after B and D terms, with E2 review available for possible improvement only. The general structure for moving through academic standing levels will also remain in place.
Beginning in Fall 2026, the following changes will be implemented:
- Updated terminology: Academic Warning will become Academic Concern, and Academic Probation will become Academic Intervention. Good Standing and Academic Suspension will remain unchanged.
- Minimum credit threshold: References to students earning “no academic credit” will be updated to apply to students earning less than 1/3 unit in a semester.
- Academic Intervention requirements: Students placed on Academic Intervention will be required to meet with their Academic Success Advisor, develop an academic improvement plan, and complete an academic success course in A or C term, as appropriate.
- Petition process updates: Academic Intervention status will not be appealable. Suspension appeals and readmission petitions will continue to be reviewed by the Committee on Academic Operations.
- Summer academic improvement: The summer improvement process will be simplified to a single pathway based on passing 10/3 units across fall, spring, and summer, with an 8/3-unit pathway available for students who were on reduced course load in both fall and spring.
Purpose of the Changes
These revisions are intended to make the undergraduate academic standing policy easier to understand and administer while emphasizing early intervention, student responsibility, and access to structured academic support. The updated terminology and requirements reflect a more supportive approach to helping students regain satisfactory academic progress.
Faculty and staff are encouraged to become familiar with these changes in advance of Fall 2026, particularly as they relate to advising, student communications, academic planning, and referrals to support resources.
Implementation
Additional implementation details and related communications will be shared early in Fall 2026. The terminology changes will appear in Workday on Monday, Sept. 14, 2026, after Summer 2026 standing processes are completed under the current policy and necessary data integrations with other systems are updated. The new policy is already reflected in the 2026-2027 Undergraduate Catalog.
Questions may be directed to registrar@wpi.edu.