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ACADEMIC STANDING

Academic Honors

Full-time students who have completed 12 credit hours and have achieved a 4.00 grade point average (GPA) in a given semester are named to the President’s List; those earning between 3.50 and 3.99 grade point averages are named to the Dean’s List.

Part-time students who have completed 12 credit hours and are enrolled in no fewer than 6 hours are eligible for the President’s List if they have achieved a 4.00 GPA and Dean’s List recognition if the earned GPA is between 3.50 and 3.99.

Students will be accorded honors at the point of graduation* as follows:

  • Certificate Honors: Students who earn a GPA of 3.5 or higher in certificates with 24 or more hours

  • Degree Honors: Students who earn a degree have three levels of honors

    • Highest Honors: GPA of 4.0

    • High Honors: GPA of 3.75-3.99

    • Honors: GPA of 3.5-3.74

These honors will be noted on the academic transcript and on the diploma for all students graduating who have reached this criteria. These honors may also be recognized at commencement.

*Since final grades are not posted to student records until after the graduation ceremony, the previous semester’s cumulative GPA may be used as the basis for special recognition at commencement.

For more information on Commencement visit the Graduation page.

Academic Standards

It is the purpose of Illinois Central College to provide educational opportunities to those who can benefit from continued educational experience; therefore, the following retention policies and processes are provided.  Illinois Central College recognizes some students may have deficiencies in certain areas of preparation. As such, the College believes students who have been placed on academic caution, pre-suspension or suspension should be made aware of the consequences of these statuses and the resources available for the detection and possible correction of academic deficiencies. If at any time a student raises their cumulative GPA to a 2.000, they will be removed from the process and return to academic good standing.

Academic Caution

The purpose of academic caution is to alert students that their grades do not meet minimum requirements. A second and equally important purpose is to provide students an opportunity to plan corrective actions, which will hopefully lead to a more successful academic career. Information regarding academic advisement services is available in the Advisement and Counseling Services Office, located in the Leitch Career Center.  Students on academic caution are restricted to a maximum enrollment of 13.99 credit hours.  If a student’s cumulative grade point average does not raise above a 2.000 within one semester, the student will be placed on academic pre-suspension.

Academic Pre-Suspension

Students on academic pre-suspension are restricted to a maximum enrollment of 7.99 credit hours. If a student on academic pre‑suspension fails to meet the grade point standards after the above measures have been completed, the student will be placed on academic suspension.

Academic Suspension

A student that fails to meet the 2.000 grade point average after three (3) consecutive semesters will be placed on academic suspension from the College for one (1) semester. A student on suspension may re-enter after one (1) semester, but are required to meet with an academic advisor prior to registration. A suspended student re-admitted to the College must have a semester grade point average above a 2.000 to be allowed to enroll in the next semester. Students on academic suspension are restricted to a maximum enrollment of 6.99 credit hours.

Readmission

If a suspended student is readmitted to the College and their semester grade point average fails to meet the 2.000 requirement, the student will be suspended from Illinois Central College for one academic year.

  • If a student does not enroll for 5 or more years they may appeal through the Dean of Students office to enroll in additional credit hours, regardless of their academic standing.

Intercollegiate Competition

A student is eligible to participate in a particular intercollegiate competition for a maximum of two (2) seasons of participation per sport providing they are in good academic standing. A student may not participate during any period when they are not in good academic standing, even if they meet the NJCAA eligibility requirements, unless approval is granted by the Vice President of Student Success. The minimum number of credit hours in which a student must be enrolled is determined by the organization governing the competition.

Academic Misconduct

Matters relating to academic honesty or contrary action such as cheating, plagiarism, or giving unauthorized help on examinations or assignments may result in an instructor giving a student a failing grade for the assignment, test, or for the course.

Based on the severity of the offense, the instructor may recommend failure for an assignment or failure for the course. Multiple instances of academic misconduct could include sanctions up to dismissal from the College.

A common form of academic dishonesty is plagiarism. This is the use (whether deliberate or unintentional) of an idea or phrase from another source without proper acknowledgment of that source. The risk of plagiarism can be avoided in written work by clearly indicating, either in footnotes or in the paper itself, the source of any other major or unique idea which the student could not or did not arrive at independently. These precise indications of sources must be given regardless of whether the material is quoted directly or paraphrased. Direct quotations, however brief, must be enclosed in quotation marks as well as being properly documented.

Another form of plagiarism is copying or obtaining information from another student. Submission of written work, such as laboratory reports, computer programs, or papers which have been copied from the work of other students, with or without their knowledge and consent, is plagiarism.

Obtaining an examination prior to its administration or use of unauthorized aides during the examination are clear acts of academic dishonesty. It is also academically dishonest to knowingly aid another student in performing an act of academic dishonesty. Thus, in cases of inappropriate collusion on academic work, the provider of inappropriately used material is guilty of academic dishonesty, as well as the actual perpetrator.

Listed below are examples which may involve confusion on the student’s part, especially freshmen who are accustomed to working on projects in laboratories with fellow students in high school.

  1. Sharing information in the preparation of a report or paper, unless approved by instructor.

  2. Turning in the same paper for two different courses with slight modification.

  3. The illegitimate uses of written material such as laboratory reports and computer programs or the obtaining of information from other students while an examination is in progress.

In brief, any act which represents work not one’s own as one’s own is an academically dishonest act.

If a student is ever in doubt about an issue of academic dishonesty, or has any hesitation about a contemplated course of action, the student should consult his or her instructors. The penalties for academic dishonesty can be very severe and can affect the entire educational experience at Illinois Central College.

Procedures for Addressing Academic Misconduct

In cases where academic misconduct is suspected by an instructor or reported by another individual, the faculty member will gather the evidence and inform the dean/associate dean/program director.

Step 1: Faculty-Student Conference

The faculty member will inform the student privately of their findings and attempt a resolution of the problem. The associate dean, teaching chair, program director, or designee may be present in this conference if necessary. If the student refuses to attend the conference, the student may forfeit the opportunity for an appeal. Depending on the nature of the situation and the documented proof available, such resolution could include disciplinary sanctions, a failing grade for the assignment, or a failing grade for the course. The faculty member will provide the student the opportunity to address the findings. The faculty member will notify the student of his/her decision and will file the academic misconduct forms with the respective division and the Dean of Students Office.

Step 2: Appeal Process

If a student is not satisfied with the instructor’s decision, he/she may contact the dean of the department within 10 business days of the decision. The dean will review the information and will meet with the faculty member and then with the student to attempt to resolve the issue. If the student is not satisfied with the result of the appeal, he/she may petition the Academic Standards Committee for a review of the case. This appeal must be requested through the Dean of Students Office in writing within 10 business days of the appeal decision from the dean. The decision of the Academic Standards Committee is final.

Step 3: Documentation of the Incident

All cases of academic misconduct are noted in a student’s disciplinary file. This information is released in accordance with the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and is not noted on the academic transcript. In situations where a second academic misconduct report is filed, the student will be charged with an alleged violation of the Student Code of Conduct. Code of Conduct violations are addressed through the Dean of Students and could include sanctions up to and including expulsion from the College.

Additional Information:

Students who are given a failure on an assignment for academic misconduct will not be allowed to withdraw from that course without instructor permission. Students who are given a failure from the course for academic misconduct will not be allowed to withdraw from the course. Illinois Central College reserves the right to reinstate any individuals who are withdrawn in these situations.