Academic Standing / Holds

• What is Good Academic Standing?

  • Good standing at graduate level entails maintaining an average SJSU cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above. You must complete all courses in your graduate program with grades of A, B, C or CR. Grades of C-, D, F, U, or NC in any course are considered to be unsatisfactory. All students must have a graduate career cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above to receive a graduate degree from this university.

    How to view your Academic Standing on MySJSU

    See Academic Standing under GAPE's Advancement to Candidacy, Candidacy Policies and Procedures.

• What is GPA?

  • Your Grade Point Average is a standard way of measuring your academic achievement on a scale between 1.0 and 4.0. You might encounter the following types of GPA, so let's go over each one briefly.

    SJSU Cumulative GPA (as shown on the transcript)

    Includes all letter-graded work in 100-level or 200-level courses completed subsequent to enrollment in graduate school.

    Overall or All Cumulative GPA

    Includes SJSU Cumulative GPA calculation and the approved transferred PostBac Open University courses completed prior to enrollment in graduate school.

    Candidacy GPA (as shown on the candidacy form)

    The GPA for your proposed degree program, that is, the courses that appear on the candidacy form. Please note you must maintain a grade point average of 3.00 in your candidacy courses.

    Term GPA

    The GPA from averaging the grades after each semester.

• What does it mean to be on academic notice?

  • Graduate students are subject to academic notice if their SJSU cumulative GPA falls below 3.0 (grade of “B” on a 4.0-point scale) in all units attempted subsequent to matriculation in either conditionally classified or classified status. Academic notice standing indicates that you are not making progress toward graduation.The probationary period is an opportunity to assess your academic goals, choice of program, and study habits. Advisors are available to help you understand your options and plan accordingly. 

    For more information on Academic Notice/Disqualification, please see the following sources:

    - University Policy S16-16 [pdf]  and the SJSU Catalog

    - ESSC workshop presentation: I am on academic probation now -what does that mean? [pdf]

• Why is there a hold on my account?

  • If you see a hold under your account, it might be related to the following reasons:

    R13 Graduate advising hold (every semester)

    R29 Graduate probation advising (while on probation)

    Please meet with your academic or program advisor so your hold can be removed. The ESSC cannot remove your hold until you meet with your departmental advisor and/or your academic advisor authorizes the hold removal.