College · Family Resources

Probation is a plan,
not a verdict.

A probation letter is a number to reach by a date. Put in where you stand and this term’s courses; the page works out the term GPA you need and what your planned grades would give, so the plan with your advisor starts from real numbers.

Make a planWhat you get

Your plan

The worked example is made up: a first-year student at a 1.72 after 30 credits, whose planned grades come out just under 2.0. Saved on this device only, so it stays private to you.

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What you get

College · Family ResourcesFree

What you finish with
A record per probation term: cumulative GPA, the minimum, credits graded, federal aid and how you are doing; this term’s courses with credits and the grade aimed for; seven steps that help. Works out the term GPA needed to reach the minimum, the planned term GPA and the cumulative GPA after; flags a minimum out of reach in one term, a plan just short, the financial aid progress rule and a hard term, with 988 always on the page and the printout.
Who it is for
College students on academic warning or probation, and the parents and counselors helping them plan.
Format
Browser planner with a saved record per term. Prints the plan to bring to an advisor, every term in a table or a blank copy; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file. Kept private on your device.
Access
Free. No account, no sign-in and nothing to install. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Family Resources space in Caveat College.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Copy the minimum and the deadline from the probation letter.
  2. Enter your GPA and the credits it counts.
  3. List this term’s courses with the grade you will aim for.
  4. Bring the printout to your academic advisor.
  5. Ask financial aid about Satisfactory Academic Progress.

Make a plan

How probation runs

How probation usually runsWarning or probationA letter, a minimum to reachand a deadlineThe probation termA plan with an advisor;often a credit limitBack in good standingCumulative GPA at theminimumOr suspensionUsually a term or a yearaway, then a returnAppealMost colleges allow one,with a planHow probation usually runsWarning or probationA letter, a minimum to reach and a deadlineThe probation termA plan with an advisor; often a credit limitBack in good standingCumulative GPA at the minimumOr suspensionUsually a term or a year away, then a returnAppealMost colleges allow one, with a plan
Every college writes its own policy. The letter and the catalog are the rules that count; this is the common shape.

Two different rules

Academic probation is the college’s rule about grades. Satisfactory Academic Progress is the federal aid rule: usually a minimum GPA, completing about two thirds of the credits you attempt and finishing within 150% of the program’s length. You can be fine on one and not the other.

When it is more than grades

A bad term often has a reason: work hours, money, family, health, a loss. Telling an advisor what happened helps them plan with you, and it is the heart of most appeals. If you feel overwhelmed or unsafe, talk to a counselor or call or text 988.

Sources

  1. 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Call, text or chat 988 (988lifeline.org).
  2. Federal Student Aid. Staying Eligible: Satisfactory Academic Progress (studentaid.gov) and 34 CFR 668.34.
  3. National Academic Advising Association. Advising students on academic probation (nacada.ksu.edu).
  4. American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers. Academic standing and grade replacement practices (aacrao.org).

The worked example is made up. Your college’s catalog and probation letter set the rules; this page does the arithmetic and organizes the steps. It is not counseling or a crisis service: if you might not be safe, call or text 988 or call 911. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.