Current Student-Athletes
As Wolves, we take great pride in the fact that our student-athletes are among the best in the country, both on and off the athletic field. This page is to serve as a guide to assist our current student-athletes in navigating the NCAA eligibility rules.
While you are a student-athlete at West Georgia you are obligated to abide by NCAA, Gulf South, and University rules. The Compliance Office is dedicated to providing you with the essential information necessary in order to make your time spent at West Georgia unforgettable. We encourage our student-athletes to ask questions and utilize the Compliance Office. Please contact us with any questions and remember
ASK BEFORE YOU ACT!
GENERAL INFORMATION ON ACADEMIC AND ATHLETIC ELIGIBILITY RULES FOR CONTINUING STUDENT-ATHLETES
BASIC TERMS OF ATHLETIC ELIGIBILITY
4 SEASONS OF ELIGIBILITY:
A student-athlete shall not engage in more than four seasons of intercollegiate competition in any one sport.
10 SEMESTERS RULE: A student-athlete shall complete his or her seasons of competition during the first 10 semesters in which the student is enrolled in a collegiate institution in at least a minimum fulltime program of studies.
ACADEMIC ELIGIBILITY RULES
To be eligible to represent an institution in intercollegiate athletics competition, a student-athlete
shall
- be enrolled in at least a minimum full-time program of studies,
- be in good academic standing, and
- maintain progress toward a baccalaureate or equivalent degree.
WHAT IS GOOD ACADEMIC STANDING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WEST GEORGIA?
The phrase good academic standing is defined differently by each institution. At the University of West Georgia, students are in good academic standing as long as they are eligible to register for classes (i.e. not on academic suspension or dismissal). Students are expected to meet the minimum cumulative GPA requirement in order to be in good academic standing.
UWG's academic policy is outlined below:
Academic Standards of Progress
The University of West Georgia seeks to provide an environment suitable for promoting the systematic pursuit of learning. To ensure this primary goal, the University requires reasonable academic progress of its students. The retention of those students who repeatedly demonstrate a lack of ability, industry, maturity, and preparation would be inconsistent with this requirement.
Students will be evaluated each semester on the basis of cumulative grade point average and the total number of hours attempted. Hours transferred will be included in determining the total hours attempted; however, the cumulative grade point average will be computed only on the work completed at West Georgia (institutional grade point average (GPA). The academic standing for a semester is not adjusted when a course taken that semester is subsequently repeated during a later semester and the first grade earned is removed from the calculation of the grade point average. The cumulative grade point average required for the total number of hours attempted is given below:
| Hours Attempted |
Grade Point Average |
| 1-30 |
1.8 |
| 31-60 |
1.9 |
| 61+ hours |
2.0 |
Under the provisions of the academic policies of West Georgia, students are classified as follows:
Academic Warning
All students who fail to meet academic standards will be on Academic Warning the next semester of enrollment. Students on Academic Warning may be required to meet certain conditions to be eligible to register for future terms. Such conditions may include a reduced course load, meeting with an academic advisor, attending student success seminars, and/or other academic support interventions. There are three possible outcomes from a semester on Academic Warning:
(1) A student who raises his/her institutional grade point average to meet the Academic Standards outlined above will be removed from Academic Warning. (2) A student who receives a term GPA of 2.0 but does not raise the institutional GPA enough to meet above standards will remain on Academic Warning. (3) A student who fails to achieve a semester grade point average of 2.0 while on Academic Warning will be placed on Academic Probation.
Academic Probation
All students who fail to meet the conditions to be removed from or stay on Academic Warning will be placed on Academic Probation the next semester of enrollment. Students on Academic Probation may be required to meet certain conditions to be eligible to register for future terms. Such conditions may include a reduced course load, meeting with an academic advisor, attending student success seminars, and/or other academic support interventions. There are three possible outcomes from a semester on Academic Probation:
(1) A student who raises his/her institutional grade point average to meet the Academic Standards outlined above will be removed from Academic Probation. (2) A student who receives a term GPA of 2.0 but does not raise the institutional GPA enough to meet above standards will remain on Academic Probation. (3) A student who fails to achieve a semester grade point average of 2.0 while on Academic Probation will be placed on Academic Suspension. Once on Probation, a student will not return to Academic Warning but will remain on Academic Probation unless he/she meets outcome 1 or 3.
Academic Suspension
Students who do not earn a minimum semester grade point average of 2.0 while on Academic Probation regardless of the cumulative GPA will be suspended for one semester. Readmission on probation will be automatically allowed after one semester of suspension. Students on probation who do not make satisfactory progress after returning from an initial suspension will again be suspended, this time for one calendar year. A student who is suspended for the second time may apply for readmission on probation one calendar year from the date of suspension. An Academic Suspension Appeal (term or one year) may only be reviewed through a grade appeal or hardship withdrawal.
Academic Dismissal
Students on probation after a second suspension who do not make a 2.0 on all work attempted in each subsequent semester of enrollment regardless of the cumulative GPA will be dismissed. Dismissed students are eligible to return only when they have earned an associate degree or are granted Academic Renewal after a five-year absence from any post-secondary institution. An Academic Dismissal Appeal may only be reviewed through a grade appeal or hardship withdrawal
For the most updated GPA requirement for good academic standing, please refer to the UWG Academic Catalog or contact the Registrar's Office.
WHAT IS PROGRESS TOWARDS DEGREE?
This phrase refers to a number of academic requirements that student-athletes must satisfy to be academically eligible to participate in intercollegiate competition.
All academic requirements outlined below except the 9-Hour Rule are applicable to mid-year transfers to UWG and student-athletes following their first year of enrollment at the University of West Georgia or after the student-athlete has used one season of eligibility in any sport at UWG.
9-Semester Hours- Student-athletes who have been enrolled full time at any collegiate institution must satisfactorily complete 9-semester hours of academic credit the preceding regular academic term in which the student-athlete has been enrolled full time at any collegiate institution.
18-Semester Hours- Student-athletes must earn 18-semester hours of academic credit since the beginning of the previous fall term or since the beginning of the preceding regular two semesters. During the first two years or four semesters of collegiate enrollment, a student-athlete may use credits acceptable towards any of the institution's degree programs to meet progress towards degree requirements.
By the beginning of the third year or fifth semester of collegiate enrollment, a student-athlete can only use credits acceptable towards the specific degree that the student-athlete has formally designated to meet the progress towards degree requirements.
24-Semester Hours- Student-athletes must earn 24 semester hours each academic year in order to be eligible the next academic year. The student athlete shall earn no more than 25% of the minimum number of semester hours required for progress toward degree during the summer terms. That is, no more than 6-semester credit hours of academic credit earned during summer terms can be countable toward the 24 semester hours of academic credit that a student-athlete must complete in an academic year.
2.0 GPA- Student-athletes must have a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 prior to the beginning of each academic year (i.e. Fall term) or prior to the championship segment in their sport.
Degree Designation- Student-athletes must have declared a specific degree/major prior to their 5th semester of collegiate enrollment at any institution.
Degree Requirement Credits- All credits earned in your 5th semester and beyond must meet the graduation requirements for the degree that the student-athlete has designated.
If student athletes have any questions or concerns about eligibility, please contact the Athletics Compliance Office. We are available to assist you with any questions that you may have.
Laura Clayton Eady Associate Athletics Director for Compliance/SWA Phone: (678)-839-3964 E-mail:
lclayton@westga.edu
