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Scholastic Academic Standing

Starting August 20, 2024, the terms used for undergraduate academic standing will be updated, per Scholastic Regulation Chapter 107. These changes will be retroactive for undergraduates, along with the systems that determine academic standing.

Old Beginning August 20, 2024
Warning Academic Alert
Probation Academic Warning
Low Scholarship Drop Academic Drop

Academic Alert

An undergraduate student whose grade point average falls below 2.00 in their first quarter at the university receives an academic alert. If a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.00 for courses earned in residence at the university is not achieved by the end of the next quarter, they are placed on academic warning.

Academic Warning and Academic Drop

An undergraduate student is placed on academic warning at the end of any quarter (except for the first quarter at the University, when an academic alert is issued) in which their cumulative GPA falls below 2.00. The student remains on academic warning until the cumulative GPA is raised to at least 2.00. If this requires more than one quarter’s work, the student must maintain a quarterly GPA of at least 2.00 each succeeding quarter or the student is put on academic drop.

High/Warning

An undergraduate student who qualifies for the Quarterly Dean’s List but has an overall cumulative GPA below 2.00 receives this notation indicating both their Dean’s List and Academic Warning status.

Reinstatement

An undergraduate student who has been dropped under academic drop rules will be readmitted to the university only at the discretion of the pre-major reinstatement committee or if in a major, the student’s academic program.  In some cases, a student may be required to sit out one quarter. A student readmitted after being dropped under these rules reenters the university on academic warning status. The student’s GPA is the same as when dropped from the university, and the student may not use grades from other colleges or universities to raise their UW grade point average. A readmitted student is dropped if they fail to attain either a 2.00 grade point average for the following quarter’s work or a cumulative UW grade point average of 2.00 at the end of that quarter. The student is removed from academic warning at the end of the quarter in which a cumulative grade point average of 2.00 or better is reached. The Petition for Reinstatement Form is available online through the Office of the Registrar. To be considered, the reinstatement petition must be submitted to your academic advisor three weeks prior to the start of the quarter.

Please note: The University of Washington transcript is comprised of course work and grades from all three campuses. Students who are dropped for low acaddemic standing from one campus and reinstated at another will remain on academic warning until their cumulative grade point average reaches 2.0.

Senior in Final Quarter

A senior who has completed the required number of credits for graduation, but whose work in what would normally be their final quarter places them on academic warning, does not receive a degree until removed from academic warning. A senior who has completed the required number of credits for graduation, but whose work during the last quarter results in being dropped with the academic drop, does not receive a degree until readmitted and removed from academic warning.

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Academic Honesty

There can be a tremendous amount of pressure on students at a university to get good grades and finish a degree. With the proliferation of websites that peddle research papers to students, and the competitive admissions of many graduate programs, students have more temptations than ever to forget what education really means. The faculty at UW Tacoma takes academic honesty very seriously. It is at the core of our ethics and we expect students to behave accordingly. The following serves as a guideline for both students and faculty. This statement was prepared by the Committee on Academic Conduct of the College of Arts and Sciences at the UW Seattle campus. It amplifies the Student Conduct Code (WAC 478-121). We have modified it to refer to the UW Tacoma processes and resources.

Academic Standards

Students are expected to meet the traditional standards of honesty and truthfulness in all aspects of their academic work at UW Tacoma. In particular, all work submitted to an instructor in fulfillment of course assignments, including papers and projects, written and oral examinations, and oral presentations and reports, must be free of plagiarism. Plagiarism is using the creations, ideas or words of someone else without formally acknowledging the author or source through appropriate use of quotation marks, references and the like. Student work in which plagiarism occurs will not be accepted as satisfactory by the instructor and may lead to disciplinary action against the student submitting it. Any student who is uncertain whether their use of the work of others constitutes plagiarism should consult the course instructor for guidance before formally submitting the work involved.

Cheating

Students at the University of Washington are expected to maintain the highest standards of academic conduct. Most UW students conduct themselves with integrity and are disturbed when they observe others cheating. The information on these pages should help you avoid unintentional misconduct and clarify the consequences of cheating.

Cheating harms the University community in many ways. Honest students are frustrated by the unfairness of cheating that goes undetected and therefore unpunished. Students who cheat skew the grading curve in a class, resulting in lower grades for students who worked hard and did their own work.

Cheaters also cheat themselves of a real education. They rob themselves not only of general knowledge, but also of the experience of learning how to learn, the very experience that makes a bachelor's degree so valuable to employers. The reputation of the University and the worth of a UW degree suffer if employers find graduates lacking the abilities their degrees should guarantee.

Finally, most professions have codes of ethics, standards to which you will be expected to adhere when you are working. At the University, you practice the integrity you must demonstrate later. For all of these reasons, academic misconduct is considered a serious offense at the UW.

What is academic misconduct?

You are guilty of academic misconduct whenever you present as your own work something that you did not do. You are also guilty of academic misconduct if you help someone else to cheat.

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Plagiarism

One of the most common forms of cheating is plagiarism; using another's words or ideas without proper citation. When students plagiarize, they usually do so in one of the following six ways:

  1. Using another writer's words without proper citation. If you use another writer's words, you must place quotation marks around the quoted material and include a footnote or other indication of the source of the quotation.
  2. Using another writer's ideas without proper citation. When you use another author's ideas, you must indicate with footnotes or other means where this information can be found. Your instructors want to know which ideas and judgments are yours and which you arrived at by consulting other sources. Even if you arrived at the same judgment on your own, you need to acknowledge that the writer you consulted also came up with the idea.
  3. Citing your source but reproducing the exact words of a printed source without quotation marks. This makes it appear that you have paraphrased rather than borrowed the author's exact words.
  4. Borrowing the structure of another author's phrases or sentences without crediting the author from whom it came. This kind of plagiarism usually occurs out of laziness: it is easier to replicate another writer's style than to think about what you have read and then put it in your own words. The following example is from A Writer's Reference by Diana Hacker (New York, 1989, p. 171).
    • Original: If the existence of a signing ape was unsettling for linguists, it was also startling news for animal behaviorists.
    • Unacceptable borrowing of words: An ape who knew sign language unsettled linguists and startled animal behaviorists.
    • Unacceptable borrowing of sentence structure: If the presence of a sign language- using chimp was disturbing for scientists studying language, it was also surprising to scientists studying animal behavior.
    • Acceptable paraphrase: When they learned of an ape's ability to use sign language, both linguists and animal behaviorists were taken by surprise.
  5. Borrowing all or part of another student's paper or using someone else's outline to write your own paper.
  6. Using a paper writing "service" on the web or elsewhere, or having a friend write the paper for you. Regardless of whether you pay a stranger or have a friend do it, it is a breach of academic honesty to hand in work that is not your own or to use parts of another student's paper.

You may think that citing another author's work will lower your grade. In some unusual cases this may be true, if your instructor has indicated that you must write your paper without reading additional material. But in fact, as you progress in your studies, you will be expected to show that you are familiar with important work in your field and can use this work to further your own thinking. Your professors write this kind of paper all the time. The key to avoiding plagiarism is that you show clearly where your own thinking ends and someone else's begins.

Exams

Another common form of cheating involves exams. Consulting a cell phone or another electronic device, texting others for answers, copying from someone else's paper, using notes (unless expressly allowed by the instructor), altering an exam for regrading, getting an advance copy of the examination, or hiring a surrogate test-taker are all flagrant violations of University policy.

Collaboration

Educators recognize the value of collaborative learning; students are often encouraged to form study groups and assigned group projects. Group study often results in accelerated learning, but only when each student takes responsibility for mastering all the material before the group.

Group projects require careful division of responsibility and careful coordination to control the quality of the final product. Collective work quickly degenerates when some students see it as a way to get through an assignment with the least amount of effort. Group work calls for a different kind of effort, not less of it. Students make a mistake when they think of the finished product (presentation or paper) as the outcome of the group. When group projects are assigned, the instructor is usually interested in your mastery of group process as well as the subject. Ask the instructor to clarify individual responsibilities and suggest a method of proceeding.

In summary, when a professor says, "Go ahead and work together," don't assume that anything goes. Professors often don't state the limits of collaboration explicitly. It is your responsibility to avoid crossing the line that turns collaboration into cheating. If you are not sure, ask.

What happens in a case of suspected misconduct?

Instructors are advised to discuss the matter with the student and the Dean or Program Director. If after speaking to the student the misconduct is still suspected, the instructor may submit a Student Conduct Incident Report to the Student Engagement Office (either informational purposes or as a request for action). Instructors who believe they have discovered cheating and have not resolved the issue before grades are due will submit a grade of X (the equivalent of an unreported grade) for the course until the academic misconduct charge is resolved. The student will be contacted to participate in an informal hearing with a hearing officer and will have the opportunity to present information and answer questions about the allegations. If the student is found responsible for violating the Student Conduct Code, they may be issued one of the following disciplinary sanctions (note: repeat offenses will result in more serious disciplinary action):

  1. Disciplinary warnings and reprimands: Action may be taken to warn or to reprimand a student for violation of university rules, regulations, procedures, policies, standards of conduct, or orders.
  2. Restitution: An individual student may be required to make restitution for damage or other loss of property and for injury to persons.
  3. Disciplinary probation: A student may be placed on disciplinary probation (meaning formal conditions are imposed on a student's continued attendance) for violation of university rules, regulations, procedures, policies, standards of conduct, or orders. The time period and conditions, if any, for the disciplinary probation shall be specified.
  4. Suspension: A student may be suspended from the university for violation of university rules, regulations, procedures, policies, standards of conduct, or orders. The time period and conditions, if any, for the suspension shall be specified.
  5. Dismissal: A student's enrollment in the university may be terminated for violation of university rules, regulations, procedures, policies, standards of conduct, or orders.

NOTE: Review the Student Conduct Code (WAC 478-121) for complete details on the student judicial system.

Suggestions

The temptation to cheat can be eliminated by learning good time and stress management skills and sound study habits, by making good use of the academic support resources at the University, and by engaging in educational planning with the help of academic counselors. Certain common patterns in student behavior increase the temptation to cheat: falling behind in course work or leaving large projects until the last minute; working too many hours to keep up with courses; taking too many difficult courses at once; encountering emotional or health problems that distract from studies and interfere with concentration.

Get in the habit of planning your education. Academic advisors can help you determine your educational goals, plan your classes, keep your quarterly load manageable, and find a reasonable balance between work and school. Advising sessions are confidential and the privacy of your student record is guaranteed by federal law.

Conclusion

You will be expected to live up to the University's standard of academic honesty no matter what temptations you face. The good news is that this standard is not hard to maintain. It only requires that you clarify assignments and procedures with your instructors, that you study diligently, and that you seek help when you need it.

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Undergraduate Class Standings

Class standing is determined by the total number of credits awarded by the UW, not by the number of years of college study or completion of an associate's degree.

The following table lists the required credits for each class:

Freshman 0 - 44 credits
Sophomore 45 - 89 credits
Junior 90 - 134 credits
Senior  135 or more credits