Enrollment Requirements

Continuance in College

A student must meet the minimum requirements for continuing at Wabash.

Freshman to Sophomore 6 course credits and a 1.50 average
Sophomore to Junior 14 course credits and a 1.70 average
Junior to Senior 24 course credits and a 1.85 average
Senior to Graduate 34 course credits and a 2.00 average

The Dean of the College is authorized to continue in college a student with a cumulative average lower than that formally required. Such actions are reported to the Registrar.

A student must earn at least three course credits toward the degree each semester; a freshman, however, may be retained for his second semester if he passes two course credits. A student failing to meet this requirement may be continued in college on the recommendation of the Dean of the College, provided the student has maintained cumulative progress adequate to meet the requirements outlined above for continuation in the College.

Satisfactory academic progress toward a degree for the purpose of maintaining financial aid eligibility is determined separately and in accordance with standards prescribed by the U.S. Department of Education or other aid-granting entities as appropriate. Please consult with Wabash's Financial Aid Office for more information. 

Academic Improvement Plan (AIP)

At the conclusion of each semester (January 1st for the fall semester; August 1st for the spring semester), the Retention Programming Committee (RPC) at Wabash will identify students who fail to meet minimum academic requirements as defined by the following criteria:

  1. Each semester, students must earn a minimum of 3 credits (full-time status) and a GPA no lower than 1.8.

  2. At the end of each academic year (by August 1st), students must meet credit and GPA benchmarks as outlined in the table in the Continuance in College section above.

The RPC will recommend to the Dean of the College that any student failing to meet one of these requirements be considered for assignment to an Academic Improvement Plan (AIP) for the following semester. Taking into consideration each student’s circumstances, the Dean will make a final determination on each student’s inclusion in an AIP. The Dean will also have the discretion to assign additional students to the program. The Dean will notify the RPC of those students to be included, and will send each student a letter notifying him that he has been assigned to the program.

The AIP process

The RPC will assign a case manager from its membership to each of the students in the program. The case manager will coordinate the design of an individualized plan for the student by no later than the end of the third week of the semester, but ideally within the first two weeks of the semester. The design process will take place by the following sequence of steps:

  1. Prior to the beginning of the semester, the RPC case manager will send the student and his advisor a proposed “first draft” AIP, one that recommends a series of steps that the RPC believes will increase the student’s probability of success (e.g., recommendation to restrict extra- and/or co-curricular activities, biweekly meetings with their instructors and/or the Director of Academic Centers of Excellence, attending fraternity study tables, etc.). Beginning from a template that identifies typical steps for students in similar circumstances, the RPC will tailor the plan to the particulars of the student’s case.

  2. By no later than the end of the second week of the semester – but ideally within the first week – the student and the academic advisor will meet to review the AIP and adjust it to incorporate the student’s input about his circumstances and needs. The academic advisor will send the revised AIP to the RPC case manager.

  3. The RPC case manager will identify a secondary scholastic advisor (SSA), a member of the Wabash community who can encourage and support the student in following his AIP. The SSA’s primary role will not be to advise the student on his academic program; this role will continue to reside with the academic advisor. Rather, the SSA will be responsible for retaining a copy of the AIP, maintaining regular contact with the student to encourage him to meet the expectations of the AIP, and following up with the student and relevant support services* to determine how well the student has followed the AIP. The SSA may be any Wabash employee both willing and suited to the task (faculty, staff, coaches, administration), and the RPC will endeavor to assign an SSA with whom the student is comfortable.

    In some cases, the student and his academic advisor may agree that the academic advisor is the best choice to serve as the SSA. Should a separate SSA be assigned, the SSA and academic advisor will agree on a plan for information sharing, and the SSA will respond in a timely fashion to any requests from the academic advisor about the student’s follow through with the AIP.

  4. Within a week of receiving the revised AIP from the academic advisor, the RPC case manager will convene a meeting with the student and a “team” that includes the academic advisor, SSA, and – where appropriate – other faculty and staff who work closely with the student (e.g., coach, choral director). The purpose of this meeting will be to further refine and finalize the student’s AIP, arriving at a plan to which the student agrees. Following this meeting, the RPC case manager will provide a copy of the student’s final AIP to all those who were present at the meeting.

Note: In the event that the student does not participate in crafting the AIP, the RPC’s draft recommendations will become the AIP of record for that student. The RPC will also assign an SSA to that student.

Senior Requirements

The following conditions are required of all seniors at Wabash College expecting to graduate in May:

  1. to be in residence in the year immediately preceding the granting of the degree, unless specifically excused from this requirement by the Dean of the College;
  2. to successfully complete all academic work necessary for the degree and Senior Comprehensive Exams by Monday noon preceding Commencement, as verified by the Registrar;
  3. to clear all financial obligations to the College by Monday noon preceding Commencement or make satisfactory alternative arrangements with the Director of Student Accounts;
  4. to complete a check-out process by the Wednesday preceding Commencement; the process includes receiving clearance from various offices of the College, beginning with the Business Office and concluding with the Dean of the College’s Office.

Candidates for the degree who fail to complete all of these requirements in a timely fashion will not be allowed to participate in Commencement, nor will their transcripts be released.