Satisfactory Academic Progress and Federal Financial Aid

Grading & Satisfactory Academic Progress

The Graduate School of Journalism has a pass/fail system of grading for its journalism degree programs. Those in the PhD program in Communications receive letter grades. The grade requirements to graduate for each program are described below.

In most courses, students receive written evaluations of their semester’s work from the instructors.

At any time during the course of study, professors and the deans may discuss a student’s progress and performance. If they determine that a student is not performing in a given class at a passable level, the student may be given a written warning or placed on probation for that class by the Dean of Students Office.

The warning or probation remains in effect until the professor of that class determines that the performance of the student has improved.

In most M.S. classes, the instructor has the right to designate up to two students as receiving “honors in class” because of their exemplary performance. This is not a grade and will not appear on a student’s transcript. M.S. students are notified of the designation by the professor who awarded it via the written evaluation. The designation is used by the faculty in determining which students graduate with honors from the Graduate School of Journalism.

In addition, federal regulations mandate that the Columbia University Office of Student Financial Services maintain its own Standards for Satisfactory Academic Progress to measure students’ progress toward degree completion using both qualitative and quantitative methods in accordance. To be eligible for financial aid, students must meet or exceed these standards. Failure to maintain these standards may result in suspension of a student’s financial aid eligibility. For the Journalism School these standards are identical to the standards for a student enrolled in the same degree program at the Journalism School who is not receiving Title IV assistance.  The SAP standards are the same for all categories of graduate students, including full-time and part-time students in a given degree program.  For those students in the journalism degrees (Master of Science in Journalism, Master of Arts in Journalism, Master of Science in Data Journalism) the academic progress standards of the school are more stringent than those required to maintain Federal Financial Aid eligibility. Students failing enough classes to fall below the required 2.0 Federal Financial Aid SAP GPA are not eligible to remain enrolled. Therefore there is no formal policy for reestablishing financial aid eligibility for these students.

Master of Science:  To graduate, Master of Science students must attempt all 37 of the required points and must pass 33 of them. They may attempt up to 43 points to meet this measure. Students must pass all four core courses to graduate: Reporting, Master’s Project, and two Seminar & Production courses. Students who fail the fall Reporting class may not remain enrolled at the Journalism School unless they are granted special permission by the Dean of Student Affairs to retake the course the next semester it is offered (Reporting is offered in the fall semester only).  Students may not take or register for additional classes until Reporting has been passed. Students who are granted the right to retake the course will be on academic suspension until it is offered again. Students who fail the Master’s Project or either of the Seminar & Production classes may not remain enrolled at the Journalism School unless they are granted special permission by the Dean of Student Affairs to retake the course the next semester it is offered (The Master’s Project is offered during the academic year and over the summer; Seminar and Production courses are offered only during the spring semester).  The maximum time frame (separate from leaves of absence and academic suspensions based on when courses are offered for retaking when granted) is three semesters for full-time students and seven semesters for part-time students to allow students to retake a single failed class that puts them over the four point maximum for failed classes. A student who fails any two courses, or the same course twice, will be dismissed.  Student Financial Services is required to use a quantitative cumulative financial aid grade point average to determine financial aid eligibility. All P grades are assigned a 4.0 and all F grades a 0.  Students must maintain at least a 2.0 financial aid grade point average to remain eligible for aid. PLEASE NOTE: This is not an official academic grade point average.  It will not appear on your transcript and cannot be used for employment or future education purposes.

Master of Arts: To graduate, Master of Arts students must pass all 36 points of required coursework. They may attempt 42. Students who fail the 1st semester of Seminar in Discipline class may not remain enrolled at the Journalism School unless they are granted special permission by the Dean of Student Affairs to retake the course the next semester it is offered (the 1st Seminar in Discipline semester  is offered in the fall semester only).  Students who are granted the right to retake the course will be on academic suspension until it is offered again. Students may not register for additional classes until the 1st semester Seminar in Discipline has been passed. Students who fail the Master’s Thesis or the 2nd semester of Seminar and Discipline may not remain enrolled at the Journalism School unless they are granted special permission by the Dean of Student Affairs to retake the course the next semester it is offered (the 2nd semester of Seminar and Discipline is offered only in the spring semester;  The Master’s Thesis is offered during the academic year and over the summer). The maximum time frame (separate from leaves of absence and academic suspensions based on when courses are offered for retaking when granted) is three semesters to allow students to retake a single failed class.  Student Financial Services is required to use a quantitative cumulative financial aid grade point average to determine financial aid eligibility. All P grades are assigned a 4.0 and all F grades a 0.  Students must maintain at least a 2.0 financial aid grade point average to remain eligible for aid. PLEASE NOTE: This is not an official academic grade point average.  It will not appear on your transcript and cannot be used for employment or future education purposes.

Master of Science in Data Journalism: To graduate, Master of Science in Data Journalism students must attempt all 46 of the required points and must pass 43 of them. They may attempt up to 49 points to meet this measure. Students must pass all five core courses to graduate: Reporting I, Reporting II, Master’s Project, and two Seminar & Production courses. Students who fail the Reporting I or Reporting II class may not remain enrolled at the Journalism School unless they are granted special permission by the Dean of Student Affairs to retake the course the next semester it is offered (Reporting I and II are offered in the fall semester only). Students who are granted the right to retake the course will be on academic suspension until it is offered again. The maximum time frame (separate from leaves of absence and academic suspensions based on when courses are offered for retaking when granted) is four semesters to allow students to retake a single failed class that puts them over the three-point maximum for failed classes. A student who fails any two courses, or the same course twice, will be dismissed. Student Financial Services is required to use a quantitative cumulative financial aid grade point average to determine financial aid eligibility. All P grades are assigned a 4.0 and all F grades a 0.  Students must maintain at least a 2.0 financial aid grade point average to remain eligible for aid. PLEASE NOTE: This is not an official academic grade point average.  It will not appear on your transcript and cannot be used for employment or future education purposes. 

Dual degrees with SIPA/Business School/Law School: Students in these dual degree programs spend one academic year in residency at the Journalism School.  During that year, they have the identical requirements and are held to the identical standards as those students enrolled in the single Master of Science degree described above.

Dual degree in Journalism/Computer Science with School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

To graduate from this blended dual degree program, students must pass 64 points of academic work. Thirty-seven of those points are taken at the Journalism School and 27 are taken at the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Students are in residency for the first three semesters at the Journalism School and for the final semester at SEAS. Students must pass all four core journalism courses to graduate: Reporting, Master’s Project, Frontiers of Computational Journalism and one Seminar & Production course. Students who fail the Reporting class may not remain enrolled unless they are granted special permission by the Dean of Student Affairs at the Journalism School to retake the course the next semester it is offered. Students may not register for additional Journalism School classes until Reporting has been passed. (Reporting is offered in the fall semester only). Students who fail the Master’s Project, Seminar & Production or Frontiers of Computational Journalism may not remain enrolled at the Journalism School unless they are granted special permission by the Dean of Student Affairs to retake the course the next semester it is offered (The Master’s Project is offered during the academic year and over the summer; Frontiers of Computational Journalism is offered only during the fall semester; Seminar and Production courses are offered only during the spring semester).

Students will receive P/F grades for their journalism course work and letter grades for their computer science course work. Student Financial Services is required to use a quantitative cumulative financial aid grade point average to determine financial aid eligibility. While in residency at the Journalism School, all P grades are assigned a 4.0 and all F grades a 0. Letter grades will be assigned the numeric value used at SEAS. Students must maintain at least a 2.0 cumulative financial aid grade point average to remain eligible for financial aid. Please note: For the semesters at the Journalism School, this is not an official academic grade point average. It will not appear on your transcript and cannot be used for employment or future education purposes.

Knight Bagehot Certificate in Economics and Business Journalism

To receive the certificate in this single academic year program, Knight Bagehot must pass at least 12 points in fall semester; Students must pass at least 30 points in total.  This program covers all tuition expenses and provides a living stipend.  It is not Title IV Financial Aid eligible

PhD in Communications

The Journalism School considers progress toward the PhD degree to be minimally satisfactory when progress is made at a rate that will allow a student to complete the degree within 18 consecutive terms of full-time study. Exceptions may be made only under extraordinary circumstances and upon petition to the Senior Associate Dean of Students, Program Chair and the Program Director.

Effect/Treatment of atypical courses/situations

The Graduate School of Journalism includes all courses attempted at Columbia in the quantitative measurement to determine successful satisfactory academic progress. This also includes courses taken via a Consortium Agreement (PhD students only). Earned hours include all courses in which a passing grade was received. All withdrawn courses (UW) and failed courses (F) are counted as unearned hours in the calculation. Repeated courses are counted in the attempted hours and are taken into consideration for the maximum allowed hours for completion toward the degree.  Only courses in which an F was received can be repeated in the journalism degree programs; a maximum of six points can be attempted a second time. In the PhD program, only a required course that was failed can be repeated.

Incompletes

Courses with incomplete grades are included as cumulative attempted credits. However, these courses cannot be used as credits earned toward the degree since successful completion is the criterion for positive credit accumulation. Incomplete grades in Reporting for Master of Science students, Reporting I/Reporting II for the Data Journalism students and 1st semester Seminar in Discipline for Master of Arts students must be resolved before the next term.  Incompletes for Spring term must be completed before graduation. Students who fail to do so cannot remain enrolled for the spring. Incompletes are not held against students in determining satisfactory academic progress generally. If the student fails to meet the appropriate standard for financial aid eligibility credit accumulation due to the lack of successful completion grades for these courses, the recording of successful completion grades within a term which brings the accumulated credit level to the appropriate standard will restore eligibility for the term and subsequent terms within the academic year.

Withdrawals/Leaves of Absence

Withdrawals as part of the change of program period will not be included as cumulative attempted credits. Withdrawals which are recorded on a student’s permanent record will be included as cumulative attempted credits and will not have an adverse effect on a student’s capability to meet the appropriate standard. NOTE: Retroactive “non-punitive” administrative withdrawal activity may result in the requirement for the student to repay any assistance received as a result of the student’s enrollment at the time of receipt of the student assistance funds.

Course Repetitions

No course at the Journalism School can be repeated unless it was failed. Repeated courses are counted in the attempted hours and are taken into consideration for the maximum allowed hours for completion toward the degree.  Only courses in which an F was received can be repeated in the journalism degree programs; a maximum of six points can be attempted a second time (with Dean of Student Affairs permission for core courses). In the PhD program, only a required course that was failed can be repeated.

Advance Standing

There is no advance standing in the Journalism degree programs. 

For the PhD program, Students who enter with an advanced degree from another institution or a different department or school at Columbia may receive either 15 or 30 points of advanced standing (i.e. one or two semesters' worth) if the previous degree is judged to be the academic equivalent of the Columbia M.A. and to be such that it advances the student toward the M.Phil. and Ph.D. degrees. Usually the program accepts work for advanced standing when (1) it has contributed directly and substantially to the fulfillment of the requirements for the M.Phil. and Ph.D. degrees and (2) it meets departmental standards. Courses deemed "professional" rather than academic, including most courses in the skills and techniques of journalism, are not acceptable toward a doctoral degree. Final decisions about advanced standing are made by the doctoral subcommittee after the student has completed one semester at Columbia. Students who are granted only one semester of advanced standing must complete the remaining requirements for the Columbia M.A. Calculation of time to degree and satisfactory academic progress are reckoned in proportion to the number of transfer credits and amount of advanced standing in addition to credits earned during the time that a student is registered in GSAS.   Transfer credits and awards of advanced standing are not calculated in the graduate GPA

Transfer of Credits

No transfers of credit are permitted in the Journalism degree programs.

For the PhD program, Students who enter with an advanced degree from another institution or a different department or school at Columbia may receive either 15 or 30 points of advanced standing (i.e. one or two semesters' worth) if the previous degree is judged to be the academic equivalent of the Columbia M.A. and to be such that it advances the student toward the M.Phil. and Ph.D. degrees. Usually the program accepts work for advanced standing when (1) it has contributed directly and substantially to the fulfillment of the requirements for the M.Phil. and Ph.D. degrees and (2) it meets departmental standards. Courses deemed "professional" rather than academic, including most courses in the skills and techniques of journalism, are not acceptable toward a doctoral degree. Final decisions about advanced standing are made by the doctoral subcommittee after the student has completed one semester at Columbia. Students who are granted only one semester of advanced standing must complete the remaining requirements for the Columbia M.A. Calculation of time to degree and satisfactory academic progress are reckoned in proportion to the number of transfer credits and amount of advanced standing in addition to credits earned during the time that a student is registered in GSAS.   Transfer credits and awards of advanced standing are not calculated in the graduate GPA

Changes in Program of Study

No program changes are allowed at the Graduate School of Journalism

EVALUATION

Academic progress for journalism students  is evaluated at the end of each semester. For those students in the journalism degrees (Master of Science in Journalism, Master of Arts in Journalism, Master of Science in Data Journalism) the academic progress standards of the school are more stringent than those required to maintain Federal Financial Aid eligibility. Students failing enough classes to fall below the required 2.0 Federal Financial Aid SAP GPA are not eligible to remain enrolled. Therefore there is no formal policy for reestablishing financial aid eligibility for these students. Academic progress for PhD students  is evaluated at the end of the academic year. Those who fail to meet the financial aid SAP requirements in the PhD in Communications program will be placed either on financial aid warning or have their financial aid eligibility suspended. If they successfully appeal an unsatisfactory financial SAP finding, they will be placed on financial aid probation. Definitions below.

Financial Aid Eligibility Status Definitions

Financial Aid Warning

Office of Student Financial Planning will assign this status to students who are failing financial aid SAP at the end of each term and were making financial aid SAP in the prior term. The Office of Student Financial Planning will reinstate eligibility for one term without an appeal.

Financial Aid Probation

Office of Student Financial Planning will assign this status to students who are failing financial aid SAP and who successfully appeal the financial aid review. Eligibility for aid may be reinstated for one term.

SUSPENSION:

PhD in Communications students who fail to meet financial aid Satisfactory Academic Progress standards for more than a single semester will be placed on financial aid suspension and will no longer be eligible to receive financial aid.

APPEAL PROCESS:

PhD in Communications students who have their financial aid suspended may submit a written appeal to the Office of Student Financial planning with a detailed explanation along with documentation, verifying the circumstance that led to the inability to meet the Standards for Satisfactory Academic Progress.  Examples of acceptable explanations include:

  • death of a relative
  • injury or illness of the student
  • other special circumstances (such as difficult transition to UI, family issues, legal troubles, work or budget problems, etc.)

PhD in Communications students must also describe what has changed to make them now able to meet SAP standards. An Academic Plan must also be provided.

RESTORING ELIGIBILITY

PhD students whose appeals are granted will receive federal financial aid but will be expected to adhere to the Academic Plan as well as maintaining SAP standards. 

PhD in Communications students who choose to remain enrolled at the School without the receipt of Title IV funding may request a review of their academic records after any term in which they are enrolled without such benefits to determine whether the appropriate standards for the degree program(s) in which the students are enrolled have been met. If the standards are met, eligibility is regained for subsequent terms in the academic year.

PhD in Communications students who choose to remain enrolled at the School without the receipt of Title IV funding or institutional aid are responsible for all debts owed to the University, including any fees or tuition that may have been incurred during the review process.

NOTIFICATIONS

The Office of Student Financial Planning will review all academic records annually after the spring semester or payment period. 

PhD in Communications students who are not making satisfactory academic progress towards their degree will immediately lose eligibility for future Title IV aid. PhD students will be notified of their ineligible status via electronic mail (e-mail) from the Financial Aid office with instructions about how to appeal and restore eligibility. Those students who are in the journalism degree programs will be notified by the Student Affairs office that their enrollment has been terminated.

Note: If a student has a grade change or correction to their academic record subsequent to the review process, he/she should notify the Office of Student Financial Planning in writing to request a re-evaluation of their academic progress