Advisor

Academic Concern and Mandatory Academic Pause

University and Career/Technical Programs

Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny.
- C.S. Lewis

VIU supports students and wants you to succeed.

Students who have been placed on Academic Concern or Mandatory Academic Pause are strongly encouraged to meet with an Academic Advisor to discuss next steps and options.

VIU General Regulations indicate that "unless otherwise specified, students must have a graduating GPA of at least 2.0 (“C”) in order to graduate [with a VIU credential]".  The VIU Academic Concern Policy can help to ensure that students continue on a meaningful path to meet their academic goals, including this GPA requirement.

What does Academic Concern mean?

  • Students are noted with Academic Concern for the next academic year in which they register.
  • Academic Concern is a supportive measure taken to identify students who are at risk academically and offer appropriate assistance designed to help them discover and overcome the obstacles that are hindering their success.
  • Students follow normal registration procedures for the year that they are noted with Academic Concern.
  • Students who have been noted with Academic Concern will have their records reviewed each year in May, until such time as they have completed at least nine additional credits. Once at least nine credits have been completed under Academic Concern in a given year, a grade point average will be calculated on these courses, and a minimum GPA of 2.0 (“C”) will be required to have this status removed.
  • If a GPA of 2.0 is not met, a Mandatory Academic Pause will be required (see below).

What does Academic Pause mean?

  • If a student on Academic Concern takes nine credits in an academic year (May 1 to April 30) and does not achieve a GPA of at least 2.0, a Mandatory Academic Pause will be required.
  • Students with a Mandatory Academic Pause will be required to discontinue study in University degree, diploma, or academic certificate programs for a period of one year.
  • Students with a Mandatory Academic Pause may take Adult Basic Education upgrading courses and may also apply for admission to vocational programs. 
  • If students with a Mandatory Academic Pause can gain admission to another post-secondary institution, they can attend there and transfer eligible credit back to VIU upon their return. 
  • Students who wish to return to VIU after their Academic Pause, must submit a new application to the program of their choice. Students can apply and meet all application deadlines while they are still serving the year of Academic Pause.

Note: Students who return to the same program at VIU will return on a year of Academic Concern regardless of time away from their studies.

Supports Available: