At the end of each Semester, students who have failed to make satisfactory academic progress will have their records reviewed by their Faculty. This process is called Academic Progress Review.

Types of decisions following review of academic progress include:

• Academic Advice;
• Academic Warning;
• Impending Qualification Exclusion;
• Qualification Exclusion;
• University Exclusion.

Grades are reviewed twice a year, after Semester 1 exams and then again after Semester 2 exams.

The following criteria trigger a review of a student’s academic progress:

• Not passing half or more of the courses a student is enrolled in for that Semester;
• GPA for the current year of less than 1.0;
• Failure to demonstrate competence in the professional requirements (for professional degrees);
• Withdrawal from more than half of enrolled courses in the preceding 2 years;
• Failure to demonstrate any likelihood of success.

If your academic progress fits any one of the above descriptions, you will be put through the Academic Progress Review process.

Notifications for Academic Progress Review are emailed to students at their uclive emails. Please check your uclive emails regularly as not checking your emails or not noticing the email will not be an acceptable reason for a late request.

Academic Advice

If you have received a letter from the University with the heading “Academic Advice”, it means your Faculty has noticed that you have failed to make satisfactory academic progress. The letter will give you advice to help you succeed in your studies, which may include referral to Academic Skills Centre and the appropriate Student Advisors. It will also provide information on other UC Support Services.

Academic Warning

If you have received a letter from the University with the heading “Academic Warning”, it means if your academic performance does not improve in the period after receiving the letter, you may be facing exclusion from your qualification or the University.

You may also receive a letter “Warning – Meeting with Faculty Required” in which case you need to make an appointment with the Associate Dean of your Faculty. You need to arrange this meeting by 9 February 2024. The meeting itself must then take place before the end of the semester.

You may be restricted to the number of courses you can enrol in.

Impending Qualification Exclusion

If you have received a letter from the University with the heading “Impending Qualification Exclusion”, it means your academic performance has not improved in the period after receiving the Academic Warning letter, and you are facing exclusion from your qualification.

If you want to continue to study in that qualification or Faculty, you will need to meet with the Associate Dean (Academic) of your Faculty to discuss your circumstances and develop a study plan.

Please note: Failure to meet the conditions outlined in the Impending Qualification Exclusion letter will result in you being excluded from your qualification at the end of the semester.

The UCSA Student Advocates can help you with this process, including assisting you with putting the description of your circumstances together and attending the meeting with you as your advocate.

Meeting with the Dean

Please follow the instructions given in your letter on how to make an appointment with the Dean of your Faculty. Typically, you are required to get in touch with the relevant administrator who will arrange those meetings on behalf of the Dean.

Conditions for continuing in your qualification

In order to continue in your qualification, you will need to:  

• Meet with the Associate Dean of the Faculty that looks after your degree. And
• Pass all of the points you are enrolled in during the semester.

You need to arrange your meeting with the Dean by 9 February 2024. The meeting itself must then take place before the end of the semester

If you do not fulfil these conditions, then you will be excluded from your qualification at the end of the semester.

You do not have to request for a review of your Qualification Exclusion or University Exclusion if you do not intend to continue to study either in that qualification or at the University of Canterbury.

In that case, you can:

• accept your exclusion and either apply to study another qualification or take a break from your studies (for Qualification Exclusion); or
• leave the University (for University Exclusion).

Remember that you have a strict deadline to request for a review of your exclusion, and not checking your emails or not noticing the email will not be an acceptable reason for a late request. Late requests for review will only be accepted in exceptional circumstances.

If you are requesting for a review of your exclusion, please contact us here for support and more information. The UCSA Student Advocates will explain the Academic Progress Review process, review the information you provide in your Request for Review form and the supporting evidence, and provide you with feedback. The Student Advocates can also support you in the Academic Progress Review hearing as your advocate.

The first thing you need to do is to complete the Request for Review Form.

The Request for Review Form is typically on the last page of the letter notifying you of your exclusion. The letter is attached to the email notifying you of your exclusion.

Please check your uclive email as the notification will be sent to your uclive email address.

Please also make sure you read everything in the letter sent to you as they contain vital information relevant to your situation.

It is also usually best to write a separate letter explaining your circumstances, why you did not perform well last semester, and what you will do differently in future, as the form itself does not provide much space to explain all this. You will also need to provide evidence to support your circumstances wherever possible.

Please note – there is a very strict deadline for submitting the Request for Review form and any accompanying letter and evidence.

The date by which you need to request for a review of Qualification Exclusion / University Exclusion is stated clearly in the letter sent to you notifying you of the exclusion, under Option #3 of “Ka aha ināianei? What happens next?” section of the letter.

Below is an example of where you will find the date by which you need to submit your Request for Review form:

Failure to select one of these options will result in the University cancelling your enrolment, and you will be withdrawn from your courses, even if you are fully enrolled in any programme.

1. Request a Review. If you have been affected by circumstances beyond your control which have had an impact on your ability to study: Fill out the attached Request for Review Form, Attach evidence and/or written documents to support your circumstances. Send to academicprogress@canterbury.ac.nz by Friday 19 January 2023

Yes. The UCSA Student Advocates can provide you with a letter template. The Student Advocate can review your draft written submission and provide feedback before you submit it. Please allow 1-2 working days for the Student Advocates to provide feedback. The Student Advocates can also support you in the Academic Progress Review hearing as your advocate.

Please contact the UCSA Advocacy & Welfare team here to arrange this.

Once you have submitted your Request for Review Form and the supporting evidence, the Dean of the relevant Faculty will review your request. The Dean will then make either of the following decisions:

• Overturn your exclusion and allow you to continue to enrol in your qualification; or
• Uphold your exclusion, and your request will then be forwarded to the Academic Appeals Committee for review.

If the Dean makes the decision to overturn your exclusion, you will be informed of the decision by email to your uclive email address.

If your Request for Review is sent to the Academic Appeals Committee for review, you will be required to attend a hearing with the Committee.

If you are required to attend a hearing with the Academic Appeals Committee, you will be sent an email to your uclive email address stating the date, time, and venue for the meeting.

Please check your uclive email regularly for the notification.

The hearing will happen in a meeting room on campus or via Zoom.

The Academic Appeals Committee hearing will be attended by 3 senior UC staff members, a UCSA Student Executive, a secretary, the student, and the UCSA Student Advocate if support is requested by the student. The meeting may also include UC staff members who will provide information relevant to the case, and any support person the student wishes to bring along.

During the hearing, you will have the opportunity to talk about your case, and the Committee members will ask you questions. You may also ask them questions.

The UCSA Student Advocates have speaking rights in these meetings/hearings.

Yes, and we strongly recommend that you bring a UCSA Student Advocate with you to support you in the meeting/hearing. Unlike general support people, the UCSA Student Advocates have speaking rights in these meetings/hearings. This means the Advocate will be able to assist you to explain what happened to the Academic Appeals Committee.

In addition to attending the hearing with you as your advocate, the UCSA Student Advocates can also:

• explain the Academic Progress Review process to you;
• help you navigate UC polices and regulations;
• review and provide feedback for the information you are providing for your request to review your exclusion;
• review the supporting evidence and documentation to ensure that they are adequate; and
• prepare you for the hearing.

You should inform the Secretary to the Committee that a UCSA Student Advocate will be supporting you in the hearing.

If you intend to have any UC staff member or any person involved in the appeal to act as your advocate in the hearing, you will need to obtain prior written approval of the Committee Chair.

You may bring a friend, a family member to the meeting/hearing as your support person if enough notice is given. You will generally not be allowed to have any other University staff member or anyone who is involved in the appeal as your support person unless prior written approval is granted by the Committee Chair.

Please note that support people generally do not have speaking rights in the meeting, i.e., they will not be allowed to speak on your behalf. Their role will be to provide you with emotional support.

You may also ask witnesses to come to the hearing to present evidence in support of your appeal if you wish. They will be given a chance to present their evidence, and may also be asked questions by the AAC.

However, you must inform the Committee at least two working days prior to the hearing and you must provide the names of any witness you want to appear at the hearing.

If you do not attend the hearing in person, the hearing may proceed in your absence. The Committee will consider the Request for Review Form you submitted and make their decision. Often, decisions that are made in the students’ absences do not result in good outcomes for the students.

The outcome of the process will be notified to you in writing via email. Please check your UC email account (uclive) regularly.

After considering the evidence and information provided, the Academic Appeals Committee will deliberate and make a decision regarding the outcome of your request to review your exclusion.

You will usually receive formal notification of the outcome of your appeal within 2 working days of the hearing.

The possible outcomes of an Academic Progress Review hearing are:

• the Committee confirms the original decision, and the exclusion stands; or
• the Committee overturns the original decision, and you are allowed to continue in your studies.

If the decision for Qualification Exclusion stands, you may be able to enrol in another qualification. However, it will require the approval from the Dean of the Faculty you want to start your new qualification in.

If the decision for University Exclusion stands, you will not be able to enrol in any courses at the University of Canterbury for 12 months.

The UCSA Student Advocates can help you understand the outcome of your review. Please contact us here.

Yes, you can. If you wish to appeal the decision made by the Academic Appeals Committee, please contact us here for assistance with your appeal.

The outcome from Academic Progress Review may impact your regular StudyLink payments.

If you have restrictions placed on your study, you may be able to apply for Limited Full-time Study.

Please visit StudyLink website or call StudyLink to find out how your StudyLink payments may be affected. This is the form you will need to use to apply for Limited Full-time Study Status.

International students will need to enrol in at least 45 points per semester in order to retain their student visas.

International students who have not done well academically may receive communication from Immigration New Zealand asking them to submit an explanation why they have not done well academically.

If you have received such a letter from Immigration New Zealand, please seek assistance from the UC Student Care team (LINK), who may be able to provide you with a support letter.

Exclusions can have serious consequences.

If you are an international student who has been excluded from your qualification and want to change your plan of study, you are legally obligated to apply for a new student visa.

Please note that once your enrolment at the University of Canterbury is terminated, the University of Canterbury has an obligation under the law to inform Immigration New Zealand that your enrolment has been terminated.

When the University of Canterbury stops you from enrolling in courses in UC, you must inform Immigration New Zealand.

When Immigration New Zealand receives notification from the University of Canterbury that an international student’s enrolment is terminated, their student visa will be cancelled.

It is your responsibility as an international student whose enrolment has been terminated to make contact with Immigration New Zealand and make arrangements to apply for an alternative visa or return to your home country.

You must inform Immigration New Zealand what your plans are AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. You can do it online with your RealMe account.

Important: It is against New Zealand law to overstay in New Zealand when your visa is cancelled, terminated, or expires. It will have serious implication for your future visa application.

If you need help, please contact UC Student Care.

Academic Progress Regulations

UC Academic Progress Review website