Current Student-Athletes - Academic Eligibility
Minimum Academic Requirements for Athletic Participation
• As a general rule of thumb you must earn 24 hours during the school year. They must be countable hours to fulfill the requirements of a specific major, area, minor, or university studies.
• A minimum of six (6) countable hours must be earned each semester.
• You must not drop below 12 hours each semester or you will be ineligible. You are encouraged to take 15 hours every semester to prepare for graduation during your 4 year period.
• A student-athlete may compete while enrolled in a full-time graduate program defined by the institution.
Registration
Registration at Murray State University is handled through an online computerized process that may be accessed via myGate. Before a student may register, he or she must have consulted an academic advisor about his or her proposed class schedule. Students in the Honors Program and athletes are required to have additional approval from the appropriate program advisor. A student with an incomplete admission file, on academic suspension, or one who has any indebtedness to the university will not be permitted to register. Questions may be directed to the Registrar’s Office at (270) 809-3776 or 3762.
Drop/Add Procedures
• Under no circumstances will a student-athlete drop below 12 hours and remain eligible. All student-athletes are encouraged to always maintain 15 hours per semester to ensure a proper timeline toward graduation within four years.
• Student-athletes must meet with their athletic academic counselor before dropping, adding, or auditing a class. It is mandatory that the Athletic Academic Counselor know the course status of every athlete.
Procedure to drop/add a class:
1) Get approval from one of the Athletic Department’s Academic Counselors.
2) Follow Drop/Add procedures through myGate.
Auditing Procedures
• Any student may choose to audit a course. Audit means you attend and participate in class without earning a traditional letter grade.
• An audited class is listed on your permanent record with no credit hours, and a grade of “AU.”
• You indicate audit status when registering or through drop/add.
• You must have written permission from the instructor and approval from one of the Athletic Department’s Academic Counselors before enrolling in a class as an auditor.
• Audit form can be obtained from one of the Athletic Department’s Academic Counselors.
• Audit form must be taken to 1st floor (Registration Office) of Sparks Hall for processing.
• The instructor has the authority to drop or fail a student who does not complete the required work or fails to attend class.
• The deadline for students changing status is listed in the Murray State Schedule of Classes.
Withdrawal from School
• Students dropping all classes must contact the Registrar’s Office for proper withdrawal procedures.
• Students who do not process official withdrawal forms will receive failing grades in all of their courses.
• A withdrawal date only, or a withdrawal date with W, WP, or WE grades will be recorded on the student’s permanent record in accordance with the dates published in the official Schedule of Classes.
• Students must immediately return all departmentally issued items. All team equipment, books to the bookroom, and any other departmental items.
Administrative Withdrawal
• Students who fail to meet their obligations to Murray State University, either financial or administrative, will be withdrawn from the university and lose all credit being attempted.
• This includes students who falsify admissions documents.
• Withdrawal of any type does not remove the student’s financial obligation to the university.
Satisfactory Progress
For those student-athletes entering a collegiate institution full-time after August 2003
• You must complete 24-semester hours of academic credit prior to the start of your second year of collegiate enrollment.
• Eighteen (18) semester hours of academic credit must be completed since the beginning of the previous fall term or the preceding two semesters.
• Six (6) semester hours of academic credit must be completed the preceding regular academic term (does not include summer school classes).
# semesters in school # of hours required # of hours required per academic year
2 24 18
4 48 36
6 72 54
8 6 72
Percentage of Degree and GPA Requirements
• At the beginning of the 2nd year (3rd semester), you must have 24 degree credits completed with a 1.80 cumulative GPA.
• At the beginning of the 3rd year (5th semester), you must have 40% of the degree program completed with a 1.90 cumulative GPA. In addition, you must have chosen a specific baccalaureate program (declare a major) by this point.
• At the beginning of the 4th year (7th semester), you must have 60% of the degree program completed with a 2.00 cumulative GPA.
• At the beginning of the 5th year (9th semester), you must have 80% of the degree program completed with a 2.00 cumulative GPA.
Years of Eligibility
• You have 5 calendar years to complete 4 years of eligibility in a sport, beginning once you enroll full-time in any collegiate institution.
Years of Athletics-Related Financial Aid
• 5 years of athletically-related financial aid can be given during a 6-year period.
• Scholarships are one-year renewable. You will be notified by July 1 if your scholarship is being renewed, reduced or withdrawn. See the Financial Aid Section for further detail.
• Any questions about your athletic scholarship should be directed to your Head Coach.
Good Academic Standing
Any undergraduate student who has a cumulative grade point average (GPA) below a 2.00 (C) average will have certain registration restrictions. Each student on probation, and any student with fewer than 60 credit hours earned and a cumulative GPA below a 2.00, will have a hold placed on her/his schedule. To remove this hold, the student must complete an Academic Restoration Plan (ARP) with his/her academic advisor.
Probation
• Academic Probation - An undergraduate student will be placed on Scholastic Probation at the end of the first grading in which her/his cumulative GPA falls below the appropriate threshold listed below. This status will be printed on the student’s grade report and permanent record. A student on probation may register for not more than 16 hours in a regular semester. A student will be on Academic Probation if their cumulative GPA falls below the following:
Earned Credit Hours GPA
0-32 hours 1.50
33-64 hours 1.70
65-79 hours 1.90
80 or more 2.00
• Removal from Probation - An undergraduate student who has been placed on Academic Probation will be removed from this status if her/his cumulative GPA reaches or exceeds the appropriate threshold GPA indicated above.
• Continued on Probation - An undergraduate on probation at the end of a given term will be “Continued on Probation” at the end of the next term if the student does not meet the cumulative GPA threshold but their term GPA is at least a 2.0. This status will be printed on the student’s grade report and permanent record. The student who is continued on probation may register for not more than 16 hours in a regular semester. (Note: Pre-Baccalaureate and Community College students are restricted to 16 hours per semester, regardless of their academic status.)
• Academic Suspension - Any undergraduate student who was placed on probation will be academically suspended from the university at the end of the next term enrolled (including summer) if minimum progress as define under “Continued on Probation” is not met. This status will be printed on the student’s grade report and permanent record as “Academic Suspension.” A student suspended for the first time may not re-enroll until one succeeding (fall or spring) term has passed. After that time, the student must submit an application for readmission to be considered for re-enrollment. See Reinstatement After Suspension below.
• Second Academic Probation - A student readmitted or permitted to enroll after an academic suspension will be dismissed from the university if minimum progress as defined under “Continued on Probation” is not met. This status will be printed on the student’s grade report and permanent record as “Academic Suspension.”
A second academic suspension constitutes academic dismissal for a period of two calendar years. To re-enroll after that time, the student must submit an application for readmission. See Reinstatement After Suspension below. A student suspended for the third time will not be allowed to reenroll with Murray State.
• Reinstatement After Suspension - A student suspended for the first time may submit an application for readmission after a succeeding fall or spring semester has passed. A student suspended for the second time may submit an application for readmission after two full calendar years have passed. Students who are reinstated are readmitted on probation. A student who has been suspended for a third time may not re-enroll at Murray State. NOTE: Murray State will not accept for transfer any credits taken at another college or university during a student’s period of suspension. A student who feels there are extenuating circumstances may appeal for special consideration in writing to the Registrar, no later than seven days prior to the beginning of classes.
Incomplete Policy
• A grade of “I” (incomplete) means that some relatively small part of the term’s work remains undone because of sickness or another reason satisfactory to the professor.
• The work must be completed prior to the end of the next semester (fall or spring) of attendance.
The “X” Policy
• A grade of “X” may be changed by special examination within the first 4 weeks (2 weeks during summer term) after the student re-enters the institution if credit for the course is to be gained.
• See the current schedule of classes for exact date. It will read, “Last day to remove “X” received during last term enrolled.”
Course Substitution Policy
• Departments will change course requirements, change course names, or change course content during your tenure at Murray State University. If the departments make any of the above changes, a Course Substitution Form must be completed. It is imperative that this procedure to completed so that eligibility can be computed. The Course Substitution Form may be obtained from the student-athlete’s advisor or from the Associate Athletics Director for Internal Operations.
• Note: The substitution procedure is not completed when the student-athlete’s advisor indicates verbally that the substitution is done. The form must be completed and filed in the Registrar’s Office.
Academic Incentive Programs
Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Awards
Medal of Honor - Each faculty representative submits to the Ohio Valley Conference Office the student-athlete at his/her institution who has the highest quality-point average on each team competing in an OVC sponsored championship as long as the individual carried at least a 3.0 GPA. The OVC office shall select the Academic Medal of Honor winners from the individuals nominated by identifying the persons with the highest GPA in each sport. Individual winners will be presented plaques from the Ohio Valley Conference Office.
Commissioner’s Honor Roll - The student-athletes must have passed with a 3.25 or better GPA in not less than 24 semester hours of credit during the previous 2 semesters (excluding summer school). Or received an undergraduate degree and be a full-time graduate student at the same institution and have passed with a 3.25 or better in at least 16 semester hours (credit) in a graduate program during the previous 2 semesters. Or have received an undergraduate degree at mid-year (of fall semester) and be a full-time graduate student at the same institution and have passed with a 3.25 or better. For fall term graduation, at least 12 semester hours (or hours necessary to complete degree) during the fall term and 8 semester hours of credit in a graduate program during each remaining term of the academic year (8 semester credits). Individual winners will be presented certificates from the Ohio Valley Conference Office.
Academic Achievement Banner - Subsequent to the identification of student-athletes on the Commissioner’s Honor Roll and the Academic Medal of Honor winners, the Ohio Valley Conference Office shall identify annually the OVC institution, which shall receive the Academic Achievement Banner.
NCAA Awards
NCAA Post Graduate Awards - Exceptional student-athletes who maintained a 3.00 or better cumulative GPA and are interested in pursuing graduate study will be nominated for an NCAA Post graduate Award.
NCAA Degree-Completion Award (Six Year Award) - Member institutions are allowed to provide only 5 years of financial aid based upon athletic ability. If an athlete has not graduated in five years but is making progress toward a degree, he/she may qualify for an NCAA Six Year Award. Athletes will be contacted by the Associate Athletics Director, Internal Operations, Matt Kelly, concerning this award and given the forms to be filled out.
Summer School Requirements
If you decide to go to summer school at an institution other than Murray State during the summer you must follow the following procedure:
1. Obtain form and prior approval of courses and institution by Murray State. Form can be obtained in the lobby of Sparks Hall (1st floor) or from one of the Athletic Department’s Academic Counselors.
2. If possible the form can be completed in the Athletic Department’s Academics Office. If it cannot be completed in this office, you must go the Registrar’s Office to complete the form.
3. A copy of the completed form must be returned to the Athletics Academics Office and will be placed in the student-athlete’s academics folder.
4. You have a specific number of hours you can take during the summer to fulfill your academic eligibility requirements. These courses must be countable hours in your academic field of study or in University studies. Each student-athlete must be dealt with individually.
4. You have a specific number of hours you can take during the summer to fulfill your academic eligibility requirements. These courses must be countable hours in your academic field of study or in University studies. Each student-athlete must be dealt with individually.
Academic Progress Rate (APR)
The APR was established by the NCAA to measure the success or failure of collegiate athletic teams in moving student-athletes towards graduation.
The APR is calculated as follows:
- Each student-athlete receiving athletically related financial aid earns one point for staying in school and one point for being academically eligible.
- A team’s total points are divided by points possible and then multiplied by 1,000 to equal the team’s Academic Progress Rate.
- In addition to a team’s current-year APR, its rolling four-year APR is also used to determine accountability.
The APR is designed to measure semester-by-semester academic progress, and thus provides a more real-time assessment of teams' academic performance than the six-year Graduation Success Rate (GSR). The APR is separate from the GSR, which measures the actual percentage of student-athletes who graduate, but does not account for students who would have graduated but left school early for non-academic reasons (such as a professional career).
To view current APR figures by school, click here.
The NCAA developed the Division I Graduation Success Rate in response to college and university presidents who wanted graduation data that more accurately reflect the mobility among all college students today. The rate measures graduation rates at Division I institutions and includes student-athletes transferring into the institutions. In that regard, it differs from the methodology of the rate mandated by the federal government, which does not count incoming transfer student-athletes at all and counts student-athletes who transfer out as not having graduated, regardless of whether they actually did.
The GSR also allows institutions to exclude from the computation student-athletes who leave their institutions before graduation, so long as they would have been academically eligible to compete had they remained.
To view current GSR figures by school, click here.
