Student Handbook – Academic Scholarship Regulations

ESTABLISHED BY THE FACULTY OF THE COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE

1. The College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) is a division of the University of Missouri and students in the College are subject, therefore, to the scholastic regulations governing the Columbia Campus except as supplemented by additional regulations established by the faculty of the CVM.

2. For interpretation and application of University regulations, particularly those that relate to probation and dismissal, the word “term” shall mean any period after which a grade is assigned with the exception of Instructional Period (IP) 1.

3. A student who receives a grade of “F” in any required or elective course of the professional curriculum will be dismissed.

4. A student in good standing whose term grade point average falls below 2.0 will be placed on academic probation. Term probation must be removed by the end of the student’s next grading period. To remove probation, the student must acquire a term grade point average during the next grading period of at least 2.0. If placed on probation at the end of IP 2, the student will be permitted until the end of IP 4 to achieve an average grade point of at least 2.0 for IP 3 and 4 combined. If probation is not removed, the student will be dismissed from the College.

5. Any student whose cumulative grade point average in the required professional curriculum is below 2.0 will be placed on academic probation. Probation must be removed by the end of the next two successive grading periods. If placed on cumulative probation at the end of IP 2, the student will be permitted until the end of IP 6 to achieve a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0. Any student failing to remove probation will be dismissed from the CVM.

6. No more than 9 total semester credit hours of “D” or Unsatisfactory grades may be accumulated prior to graduation. Greater than 9 semester credit hours of “D” or Unsatisfactory grades will result in dismissal from the CVM. If readmitted, any subsequent “D” or Unsatisfactory grades will again result in dismissal from the CVM.

7. A student dismissed from the professional curriculum may reapply for admission to the College of Veterinary Medicine. A written request for readmission must be directed to and received by the Associate Dean of Student and Academic Affairs within 30 days of the date of dismissal. If the student is readmitted, the Committee will define the conditions of reinstatement. If readmitted, the student may be required to repeat courses other than those in which the student was deficient.

8. Students who withdraw or seek a leave of absence (LOA) from the College of Veterinary Medicine must notify the Academic Affairs office of their intentions. If a LOA request is submitted prior to successful completion of the first semester of the professional curriculum (Instructional Periods 1 through 2), a letter of intent to return must be submitted within 30 days of the withdrawal date to the Academic Affairs office. The student’s application will be evaluated for readmissions by the Admissions Committee with the pool of incoming candidates.  Readmission, which is not guaranteed, will be based on their scoring within the pool of the next cohort. A remediation plan must be submitted to the Associate Dean prior to April 15.

Students who request a LOA after the first semester will develop a return and remediation plan in consultation with the Associate Dean of Student and Academic Affairs based on their individual situation.  Didactic portion requests (Instructional Periods 1 through 11) must be received no later than 5 pm on the second to last Friday of the current Instructional Period. Generally, students granted a LOA during the didactic portion of the curriculum will return at the start of the same instructional period when the leave commenced. Clinical portion requests (Clinical Blocks 1 through 12) must be submitted before the end of the grading period for the clinical rotation. Duration of the leave will be determined by the Associate Dean.

Sometimes applicants experience unexpected life events after being accepted to veterinary school and would like to delay their professional training by a year.  To request a deferment the student should email the Office of Academic and Student Affairs (mucvmoaa@missouri.edu).  Requests should be submitted as soon as possible but no later than July 15th for review by the Associate Dean.  If approved, the student will be included with the class starting one year after the originally scheduled start date.

Tuition and fee adjustments will vary depending on the timing of the request for withdrawal or LOA.  Students are encouraged to speak with Financial Aid to discuss implications of their decisions.

Exceptions to this timeline will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis by the Associate Dean.

NOTE: These regulations were adopted by faculty action August 4, 1983. They are subject to change by faculty action. Revised in 1988, 2002, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2017, 2021 and 2022.