Academic Policies and Procedures

NOTE: Students are also reviewed for course grade minimums in critical courses as determined by individual programs or departments. Students should consult their department or program handbook or other relevant materials for more information on defined critical courses.

*Standards above are effective fall 2023. 

*Graduate students should confer with their programs regarding academic requirements for good standing.

Academic Review Process

• Students who do not meet their departmental program standards and benchmarks, as defined in their Departmental Student Handbooks, are reviewed by their program and/or department to determine future academic standing. Actions taken can include:
  • Return to Good Standing: Students who were previously on warning or probation, who have been determined to have met their departmental/program requirements, and are therefore returned to good standing.
  • No Action: Students will remain in good standing. 
  • Warning/Continued Warning: Serves as an alert to students who may have fallen below departmental academic benchmarks, who are not making satisfactory progress toward their degree, and/or who may be at risk for future academic probation status. Students on academic warning who receive financial aid should consult with the Office of Financial Aid to determine if their aid is at risk.
  • Probation/Continued Probation: Serves as an alert to students who have fallen below departmental academic benchmarks, who are not making satisfactory progress toward their degree, and/or who may be at risk for future academic dismissal. Students on academic probation who receive financial aid should consult with the Office of Financial Aid to determine if their aid is at risk. 
• Incomplete grades may result in a review of academic action if students fail to complete 50% or more of their attempted credits. They may also impact satisfactory academic progress as defined by the Office of Financial Aid. 
• Any changes made to grades after each term's COSP review do not affect the academic standing recommendation. Students on academic warning or probation will be reviewed automatically the next term, with prior semester grade changes considered during that review.
• All students who are returned to good standing or placed on warning, probation, or continued probation are notified via email to their NYU email address after the review process is completed. 
• All decisions, with the exception of dismissal, within the Academic Review Process are final and not eligible for appeal.

Committee on Student Progress (COSP)

The Steinhardt Committee on Student Progress (COSP) is co-chaired by the Director of Advising and Student Success and the Assistant Dean for Academic and Registration Services, ex officio. The remainder of the committee comprises faculty representatives from across the School. 

The COSP meets at the end of the Spring and Fall academic terms and in the summer for students in programs with mandatory summer enrollment to review and take action on the academic records of undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at NYU Steinhardt. 

Students whose academic records are scheduled for dismissal review are notified via email to their NYU email address, asked to share with the COSP any relevant information regarding their records, and referred to their academic advisors for further discussion on their academic progress. 

The COSP invites departmental representatives whose students are being reviewed for dismissal to submit a rationale for the dismissal recommendations. The committee takes action on the student's total record in accordance with departmental recommendations and information submitted by the student. 

Actions taken include:

• Continued Warning or Probation: Serves as an alert to students who have fallen below departmental academic benchmarks, who are not making satisfactory progress toward their degree, and/or who may be at risk for future academic dismissal. Students on academic probation who receive financial aid should consult with the Office of Financial Aid to determine if their aid is at risk.
• Dismissal: Students’ records are terminated with the University, and a notation of academic dismissal is added to the final official transcript.
  • Students are notified by an email sent to their NYU email address, and a copy is sent via certified mail to their permanent address listed in Albert of the action taken by the COSP. A registration hold is placed on students who have been dismissed.
  • Students who are dismissed must be away from the University for a full academic year before they are eligible to apply for readmission. 
  • Readmission is not guaranteed. Students must reapply through the formal admissions process.

Academic Dismissal and Appeal Procedure

Students will receive a formal letter with information on how to appeal through an online form. Students can appeal the dismissal action taken by the COSP no later than ten (10) calendar days from the date of their email notification of dismissal.

There are limited grounds to an appeal. Appeals will be reviewed only if:

1. There is new, additional, relevant information that was unavailable at the time of the original decision and thus was not considered; and/or
2. There was a material violation in procedure.

Below are guidelines and requirements for submitting the online form:

1. A student’s appeal must include:
   • Student’s name and NYU ID number (“N” number)
   • An explanation of the circumstances contributing to the academic dismissal.
   • Identify and elaborate on the grounds for your appeal that fall under the two allowable reasons for an appeal:
     1. There is new, additional, relevant information that was unavailable at the time of the original decision and thus not considered.
     2. There was a material violation in procedure.
2. Attach all critical documentation supporting your appeal, including:
   • Official email/letter that informed the student of their dismissal.
   • Documents that support details provided in the written statement for the appeal.

A decision will be rendered based on a review of the written appeal and supporting documentation. The review will either affirm or overturn the dismissal and will be communicated to the student by email.

Departmental Committees on Student Progress

The Departments of Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy have departmental student progress committees that regularly review and take action on the academic records of students whose grade point averages and/or academic progress has fallen below the academic standards set forth by their respective departments and/or programs. Students should refer to their Departmental Handbooks for policies related to these reviews. In addition, students should reach out to their advisor(s) to access their Departmental Handbooks. 

OT/PT Appeals: For all appeals related to student progress in Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy, the Department Chair is the final level of appeal.

LEAVE OF ABSENCE POLICY

New York University recognizes that situations may arise when students may want to interrupt their academic studies. The University is committed to responsibly handling reasonable requests for leaves. However, this policy may not be used in place of disciplinary action to address violations of University rules, regulations, policies, and practices. A student granted a voluntary leave while on academic and disciplinary status will return to that status. 

Please refer to NYU’s Student Leave Policy for more information. This policy will cover key definitions and procedures for requesting and returning from voluntary leave.

WITHDRAWAL FROM SCHOOL (TERMINATION OF MATRICULATION)

Students who withdraw from the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, either to transfer to another school of NYU or as part of a total withdrawal from NYU, must complete a Total Withdraw through NYU Home via Albert.

• Select “Request Leave of Absence” or “Request Term/Total Withdrawal” under “Enrolled Courses.”
• After submitting your request, you will receive an email notification sent to your NYU email address that your withdrawal has been processed.

CONTINUOUS MATRICULATION REQUIREMENT

To maintain matriculation in a baccalaureate degree, master's degree, or advanced certificate program, a student is required to complete at least one course each academic year under the auspices of NYU Steinhardt. 

Otherwise, students will be required to pay a maintenance fee, as determined by the University Bursar, or be on an approved Leave of Absence.

TIME TO DEGREE COMPLETION

All course requirements must be completed within ten (10) years at the baccalaureate and six (6) years at the master's/advanced certificate from the date of matriculation. Continuous maintenance of matriculation is required.

STUDENT CONDUCT

All students are expected to abide by the expectations outlined in the University-wide Student Conduct Policy and the Academic Integrity for Students at NYU policy.

Allegations of non-academic misconduct against a student of the Steinhardt School shall be administered by the Office of Student Conduct or the Office of Equal Opportunity/Title IX Coordinator.

The Steinhardt School shall address allegations of academic integrity violations following the established procedures below. If Steinhardt students violate academic integrity in a course from another NYU School, the academic integrity policy of that School applies. Additionally, NYU Steinhardt may impose further sanctions for repeat offenses or severe violations.

Academic Integrity

NYU Steinhardt follows the Academic Integrity for Students at NYU policy along with additional policies pertinent to its academic areas of study.

Academic integrity is the guiding principle for all that you do; from taking exams, making oral presentations to writing term papers. It requires that you recognize and acknowledge information derived from others, and take credit only for ideas and work that are yours.

You violate the principle of academic integrity when you:

• Cheat on an exam
• Submit the same work for two different courses without prior permission from your professors
• Receive help on a take-home examination that calls for independent work
• Plagiarize

Plagiarism is a form of fraud. It involves presenting work without adequate acknowledgement of its source (e.g., another person, your own earlier work, an AI tool, etc.), as though it were one’s own current work. We all stand on the shoulders of others, and we must give credit to the creators of the works that we incorporate into products that we call our own. Some examples of plagiarism:

• Sequence of words incorporated without quotation marks
• Unacknowledged passage paraphrased from another's work
• Use of ideas or materials from another source as  though it were one’s own
• Copy verbatim from a book, an article or other media
• Submit downloaded documents from the Internet
• Purchase documents
• Report from other's oral work
• Paraphrase or restate someone else's facts, analysis and/or conclusions
• Copy directly from a classmate or allow a classmate to copy from you

Your professors are responsible for helping you to understand other people's ideas, to use resources and conscientiously acknowledge them, and to develop and clarify your own thinking. You should know what constitutes good and honest scholarship, style guide preferences, and formats for assignments for each of your courses. Consult your professors for help with problems related to fulfilling course assignments, including questions related to attribution of sources.

Through reading, writing, and discussion, you will undoubtedly acquire ideas from others, and exchange ideas and opinions with others, including your classmates and professors. You will be expected, and often required, to build your own work on that of other people. In so doing, you are expected to credit those sources that have contributed to the development of your ideas.

Avoiding Academic Dishonesty

• Organize your time appropriately to avoid undue pressure and acquire good study habits, including note taking.
• Learn proper forms of citation. Always check with your professors of record for their preferred style guides. Directly copied material must always be in quotes; paraphrased material must be acknowledged; even ideas and organization derived from your own previous work or another's work need to be acknowledged.
• Always proofread your finished work to be sure that quotation marks, footnotes and other references were not inadvertently omitted. Know the source of each citation.
• Do not submit the same work for more than one class without first obtaining the permission of both professors even if you believe that the work you have already completed satisfies the requirements of another assignment.
• Save your notes and drafts of your papers as evidence of your original work.

Disciplinary Process and Sanctions

When a professor suspects a student of violating the Academic Integrity policy, appropriate disciplinary action will be taken following the departmental procedures:

1. The professor will notify the student of the alleged academic integrity violation and schedule a meeting to discuss the matter.
2. A student who has been alleged to have committed an academic integrity violation may not withdraw from the course.
3. The professor will meet with the student to discuss and present evidence for the particular violation, giving the student the opportunity to refute or deny the charge(s).
4. If the professor confirms the violation(s), in consultation with the Program Director and Department Chair, they may take any of the following actions:
   1. Allow the student to redo the assignment
   2. Lower the grade for the work in question
   3. Assign a grade of F for the work in question
   4. Assign a grade of F for the course
5. The professor will notify the student via their NYU email address, informing them of the results of the charge(s). The Program Director, the Department Chair, and the Associate Dean of Student Affairs will also be included in the email, and a copy will be kept in the student’s file.
6. If the student feels there is new, additional, relevant information that was unavailable at the time of the original decision and thus was not considered; and/or there was a material violation in procedure, they may appeal the decision.
   1. A formal written appeal should be submitted to the Department Chair and/or Program Director in their department within ten (10) calendar days of the final outcome notification.
   2. All decisions made by the Department Chair and/or Program Director of the appeal are final.
7. In cases of repeated academic integrity violations and/or egregious circumstances dealing with academic misconduct, either of which may implicate dismissal from the University, Department Chairs and/or Program Directors must escalate the issue to the Office of Student Affairs.
   1. The Associate Dean of Student Affairs (or designee) will coordinate to meet with the student, discuss the evidence of academic misconduct, and provide the student an opportunity to respond. 
   2. After considering all relevant information, the Associate Dean may impose a disciplinary sanction, including dismissal.