Appealing Suspension or Dismissal

The Appeals Committee on Academic Eligibility meets during the week after final exams in May and August. The committee meets in early January to evaluate the appeals of students wishing to enroll for the spring semester.

Appeal to Avoid Suspension

Appeals can be written if a student has experienced extenuating circumstances that led to underperformance. If the appeal is granted, the student can re-enroll that subsequent semester but must meet one of the academic eligibility criteria for that semester and every semester thereafter until a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher is reached. If the student does not meet academic standards, he/she will be suspended and there is no appeal for this suspension. If the appeal is not granted, the student will be suspended for one semester only and may continue his/her education at Clemson after fulfilling the terms of the suspension. See these instructions to appeal suspension.

Appeal to Avoid Dismissal

If a student has already been suspended and is subject to being dismissed, that student may appeal if there are extenuating circumstances that led to underperformance. If the appeal is not granted, the student will be dismissed. If the appeal is granted, the student can re-enroll that subsequent semester but must meet one of the academic eligibility criteria for that semester and every semester thereafter until a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher is reached. If the student does not meet one of the criteria, he/she will be dismissed and there is no appeal for this dismissal. After dismissal, a student may request readmission only after a calendar year has elapsed. Readmission after dismissal is only possible through the appeals process. See these instructions to appeal dismissal.

Appeal for Readmission after Dismissal

If a student has already been dismissed, that student may appeal in order to gain readmission to Clemson after a calendar year has elapsed. If the appeal is granted, the student's record will be evaluated for academic eligibility criteria at the end of each semester until a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher is reached. If the student does not meet one of the criteria, then he/she will be permanently dismissed and may not appeal to continue his/her coursework at Clemson. If the appeal is not granted, the student may file subsequent appeals for readmission after any intervening term. See these instructions to appeal to return after dismissal.

Appeal for Academic Renewal

The student who has not enrolled at Clemson for a period of two or more academic years may apply for academic renewal. Under these conditions, the previous credit attempted and grade-point deficit will not constitute a liability in a new grade-point computation and will be set to zero credits attempted with a zero GPA. The previous record will appear on the transcript as well as the notation of readmission under the policy of academic renewal. See these instructions to appeal to for academic renewal.

Instructions for Writing an Appeal Letter 

If a student feels that extenuating circumstances contributed to the suspension or dismissal status, the student may write a letter to the Appeals Committee on Academic Eligibility explaining those circumstances and ask to be reinstated for enrollment. These meetings are closed to the public, so the student may not present his/her case in person to the committee.

Students should contact the Office of Undergraduate Studies 864-656-3022 for information on the appeals process. Email questions or requests for instructions to UGSeligibility@clemson.edu.