Academic Standards and Policies

Academic Forgiveness Program

The Academic Forgiveness program pertains to students who did not perform to their academic potential earlier in their studies at Lakeland but who have since demonstrated a higher level of achievement. The program is intended to help students improve their academic standing, achieve their educational goals, and encourage student success and completion. By removing previously earned credit hours and grades from GPA calculations, students are given the opportunity to have their accumulative grade point average reflect their more recent improved academic performance.

A student may petition for academic forgiveness if the following circumstances apply:

  1. A marked change in the student’s academic performance must be present, as evidenced by the successful completion of 12 or more credit hours, with a “C” or better earned in each of the most recent completed classes constituting the 12 or more credit hours. This will be referred to in the policy as a “period of recent success.” (Courses below the 1000 level cannot be counted toward the 12 credit hours.).
  2. The student must be enrolled in classes at Lakeland Community College the semester in which the petition is filed.

Students who have completed and earned a degree from Lakeland are not eligible.

When the above circumstances apply, the student may request that “D” and “F” grades that were earned prior to the period of recent success be forgiven. This is a one-time irreversible option. In some cases, forgiveness of “D” grades may affect a student’s financial aid eligibility. It is the student’s responsibility to confirm whether his/her eligibility will be impacted.

The process of petitioning for academic forgiveness is as follows:

  1. Meet with a counselor to determine if academic forgiveness is an appropriate option.
  2. If deemed appropriate, the counselor and student will fill out a petition form, specifying which “D” and “F” grades earned prior to the period of recent success are included in the request.  
  3. The counselor will forward the petition to the Associate Provost for Enrollment Management for review.  
  4. The Associate Provost for Enrollment Management will forward the recommended petition for academic forgiveness to the dean of the student’s academic program for approval.
  5. If approved, the student’s record will be updated by the Registrar. The forgiven courses and grades will appear on the student’s transcript with a notation stating “not calculated in GPA.”   
  6. If a student disagrees with the counselor evaluation, he/she may appeal directly to the Associate Provost for Enrollment Management, whose decision will be considered final and will terminate the process within the college.

Academic Standards Policy

Academic Probation

  1. A student will be placed on academic probation after attempting a minimum of 12 credit hours and both the semester GPA and cumulative GPA fall below 2.0.
  2. A student on academic probation may attempt a maximum of 18 additional credit hours. The student will be removed from academic probation during the 18 credit hour period when his/her cumulative GPA is 2.0 or higher. Repeated courses will be counted toward the 18 credit hour total.
  3. Students whose semester GPA is 2.0 or greater but whose cumulative GPA would cause them to be dismissed will be granted an additional probationary period for each semester in which the semester GPA is 2.0 or greater.  Courses below the 1000 level with a passing grade can be used to allow a student to remain an additional semester even though these courses are not factored into a GPA and cannot be used toward academic forgiveness.

Academic Dismissal

The student will be dismissed after the 18 credit hours of academic probation if the cumulative GPA is below 2.0. The dismissal will be for the following semester.

A student dismissed at the end of fall semester will not be permitted to enroll in spring semester classes; a student dismissed at the end of spring semester will not be permitted to enroll in either summer or fall semester classes; a student dismissed at the end of summer sessions will not be permitted to enroll in fall semester classes.

Conditional Readmission

A student dismissed for academic reasons will be eligible to apply for conditional readmission after one semester.

Conditional Readmission requires the student to submit a written statement to the registrar at least six weeks prior to the semester for which the student is seeking conditional readmission. If the student is not approved, they may appeal to the Academic Appeals Committee.

A student who is conditionally readmitted will be permitted to enroll for up to 18 additional credit hours. Enrollment will be limited to a maximum of 9 credit hours per semester until the cumulative grade point average is 2.0 or above. If, after attempting the additional 18 credit hours, his/her cumulative grade point average is still below 2.0, the student will be dismissed. Dismissal will be mandated for the following semester.

After a second dismissal, the student must appear before the Academic Appeals Committee to apply for readmission. Appearing before the Academic Appeals Committee does not guarantee readmission.

Note: A minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0 is required for graduation. Some programs may have higher requirements.

Program Dismissal

A student may be dismissed from a program upon failure to meet minimum conduct and/or performance standards commensurate with the requirements of the specific program.

Note: See guidelines of individual programs for specific requirements.

Dean’s List

In recognition of high academic achievement, a Dean’s List is compiled for each of the fall and spring semesters. 

The Provost has responsibility for compiling the list, and full- and part-time students are eligible for recognition.

To qualify for the Dean’s List, a full-time student must complete a minimum of 12 credit hours and earn a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.5 for the semester. All credits must be in courses included in calculation of the GPA (see Grading System).

Part-time students (taking less than 12 credit hours per semester) must complete a minimum of six credit hours and earn a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.5 for the semester. All credits must be in courses included in calculation of the GPA (see Grading System).

Degree Completion

Graduation Eligibility

Students who have completed their graduation requirements as of fall semester are eligible to participate in the May commencement ceremony.  Potential spring and summer candidates for graduation are also invited to participate in the May ceremony. Final determination of the completion of graduation requirements for spring and summer applicants will be made at the conclusion of the respective semester by a member of the Counseling and Advising Center.  Questions regarding eligibility should be directed to the Counseling and Advising Center at 440.525.7200.  Please note that participation in the commencement ceremony does not constitute the completion of graduation requirements.

Graduation Requirements Policy

  1. All associate degrees (or arts, science, applied science, and technical studies) require successful completion of at least 60 semester hours with a 2.0 minimum grade point average (GPA). The student must have earned at least 20 credit hours at Lakeland Community College.
  2. Students earning an associate of applied business degree or associate of applied science degree are required to:
    1. Pass all applicable technical courses for the particular major with a “C” grade or better.
    2. Enroll and earn no fewer than 20 technical credits at Lakeland Community College for the particular major.
    3. Maintain a 2.0 overall grade point average (GPA).
  3. Some programs of study may have additional program and/or grade point average requirements based upon accreditation standards. Students must review the requirements of the specific degree program to determine if there are additional requirements.
  4. All students intending to graduate must file a petition to graduate.

Graduation Honors

Graduation honors are based upon the student’s cumulative grade point average determined at the time of completing graduation requirements and will entitle the student to have the honors notation included on his/her transcript and diploma.

Students graduating with an associate degree who rank high scholastically are awarded special honors as follows:

  • Those who attain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) in the range of 3.9 to 4.0 are granted their degrees Summa Cum Laude.
  • Those who attain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) in the range of 3.75 to 3.89 are granted their degrees Magna Cum Laude. 
  • Those who attain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) in the range of 3.5 to 3.74 are granted their degrees Cum Laude.  

In addition, students must complete at least 50% of all degree requirements (credit hours) at Lakeland.

Commencement Honors

The commencement ceremony is held in May of each year. Students who attain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) in the range of 3.5 to 4.0 through the student’s last fully completed and graded semester will be recognized in the commencement bulletin as graduating Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude, or Summa Cum Laude.

Students earning commencement honors may wear the gold honors cord at the commencement ceremony.

Certificate Completion

Specially designed sequences leading to the awarding of certificates have been developed in cooperation with industry, commerce and local government to provide opportunities for persons seeking to improve their occupational skills or to retrain for new occupations.

Courses in certificate sequences may be applicable to appropriate associate degree programs. Certificates are awarded for achieving satisfactory levels of proficiency in designated occupational or career fields.

To qualify for a certificate, a student must:

  1. Complete all courses listed for the particular certificate.
  2. Achieve at least a “C” grade point average (2.0) in the sequence.
  3. Complete, at Lakeland, at least one-half the total number of required hours.
  4. File an Application for Certificate at the start of the semester in which requirements will be completed.

Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society

Phi Theta Kappa is the only international honor society for two-year college students in the United States. Founded in 1918, it is dedicated to recognizing students for their academic achievement. Membership provides students with recognition in the form of the coveted Phi Theta Kappa pin, a stamp on their transcripts certifying they are members of the honor society, a gold seal on their diploma, and the privilege of wearing a gold stole and tassel at graduation. Members are eligible for transfer scholarships at four-year institutions and many competitive scholarships on the national, state, and local levels. In addition, members of Alpha Psi Rho, Lakeland’s chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, have the opportunity to participate in numerous academic, service, and leadership activities, both at the college and in the Ohio region. Active members are also eligible to participate in the annual international convention. To be invited to join Phi Theta Kappa at Lakeland, a student must have earned a 3.5 grade point average after completing 12 credit hours.

For additional information, contact James Dailey at 440.525.7533, Dr. Matthew Hiner at 440.525.7545, or Dr. Andrea Musial at 440.525.7158.

Transcripts

A student wishing an official transcript of his/her records to be sent to another college, university or professional school, or for other purposes can order transcripts online. Students and alumni are able to order their official transcripts 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Transcripts can be sent electronically or mailed as a hard copy, depending on the receiving institution or destination.  

  1. Log in to your myLakeland account and click on "Student/myRECORDS/Request Official Transcript."
  2. If you cannot access your myLakeland account, you can request and pay via the Online Request for Transcript of Record Form.
  3. There is a transcript fee of $5 per copy. 

Official transcripts will not be released until all financial obligations to the college are satisfied.

Unofficial transcripts are available upon request at no charge at Lakeland’s Student Service Center or through myLakeland at “Student/myLakeland Student Services/Student Records/View Web Transcript Unofficial.”