Probation and Dismissal

The online petition form for students placed on academic and/or progress dismissal to attend in Spring 2025, will open on Friday, January 3rd. Please contact Dean Christina Llerena's administrative assistant, Rebecca Saffold, at rmsaffold@sbcc.edu if you have any questions.

Academic Probation:

A student will be placed on academic probation if the student has attempted a minimum of twelve (12) graded cumulative semester units and has earned a grade point average of less than 2.0 at the college. A student on academic probation will be removed from academic probation when the student's cumulative grade point average is 2.0 or higher.   Probation students are strongly encouraged to schedule an appointment to meet with their assigned academic counselor soon and get back on track toward academic success.

Progress Probation:

A student will be placed on progress probation when the student has attempted a minimum of twelve (12) cumulative semester units and the percentage of all units for which entries of "W", "I", "NC", and "NP" were recorded reaches or exceeds 50 percent of the total units attempted at the college. A student on progress probation will be removed from progress probation when the percent of units in the categories of "W", "I", "NC", and "NP" drops below 50 percent of the total units attempted at the college.

What happens when a student is on either Academic Probation or Progress Probation?

Students who did not meet certain academic or progress requirements at the end of each semester, are required to petition with the Dean of Student Affairs in order to continue attending Santa Barbara City College in the subsequent semester. (Please note that students are permitted to enroll in summer courses without a petition). 

Students should meet with their academic counselor to discuss their academic standing, learn why they are on probation, update or create their comprehensive Student Education Plan and discuss strategies to return to Good Academic Standing to avoid Dismissal. Research has shown that students who have an education plan are far more likely to be academically successful.

**F-1 Visa students must also meet with their International Student Advisor to learn how this may impact their F-1 Visa status.

To schedule an appointment with an academic counselor please:

1. Log onto the SBCC campus portal account.
2. Click on the "Starfish" tab at the top of the page.
3. Click on the "Home" tab in the upper left hand corner.
4. Click the "My Success Network" icon on the left hand side
5. Find your Primary Academic Counselor and click on "Schedule Appointment"

• To Display your counselor's entire weekly schedule, click on the "week" tab.
• Available slots will say "sign up".
• Please email your counselor for possible schedule adjustments or if they are fully booked up and do not have any open slots.

For help making or changing an appointment please call the Academic Counseling Center at (805) 730-4085.

Students' financial aid may also be impacted by academic or progress probation. Check with the Financial Aid office to see if this is the case for your situation.

What is Dismissal?

Academic Dismissal:

A student will be placed on academic dismissal if the student has earned a cumulative grade point average of less than 2.0 in all units attempted at the college in two (2) consecutive semesters - a summer session is not considered a semester. For purposes of this section, semesters are considered consecutive on the basis of the student's enrollment. For example, a fall semester followed by a fall semester will be consecutive if the student was not enrolled for the intervening Spring Semester

A student Placed on academic dismissal will be dismissed from the college for the subsequent semester. The student may petition the Dean of Student Affairs, to be reinstated and if approved will be permitted to enroll in the following semester.

Progress Dismissal:

A student who has enrolled in at least twelve (12) semester units since summer 1983 at Santa Barbara City College, will be placed on progress dismissal when 50% or more of the cumulative units in which he/she has enrolled at the college are W, I, and No Pass grades for each of the two (2) most recent regular fall or spring semesters. For purpose of this section, semesters will be considered consecutive on the basis of the student's enrollment.  For example, a fall semester followed by a fall semester will be consecutive if the student was not enrolled in the intervening spring semester.

A student placed on academic dismissal will be dismissed from the college for the subsequent semester. The student may petition the Dean, Educational Programs-Student Affairs, to be reinstated and if approved will be permitted to enroll in the following semester. 

Combined Dismissal
A student with two consecutive semesters of probation, no matter the combination, will be placed on combined dismissal. For example, if a student is placed on academic probation one semester, and the next semester is no longer on academic probation, but is now on progress probation, the two consecutive semesters of being on probation will result in the student now being on dismissal. The student will need to submit a petition to attend the next semester.

See FAQ for more details.

What can a student do to avoid being dismissed from the college?

When a student is placed on Academic and/or Progress probation, the student will receive a campus email notification from the college regarding their academic standing and will be allowed to continue enrollment in the subsequent semester. To avoid dismissal in the future, the student must improve their academic standing during this subsequent semester by completing all courses with passing grades. Meeting with an academic counselor, talking to professors and finding a tutor, are just a few of the steps students can take to improve their academic status and avoid being placed on dismissal.

Students who are on probation may still be allowed to re-enroll in subsequent semesters through the Exception policy for more details.

How do I return to school once I've been dismissed for one semester?

A student placed on academic or progress dismissal and who has spent at least one semester out of attendance, may reapply of admission and will be readmitted. Returning students are strongly encouraged to meet with an academic counselor in person to discuss and review their academic plan.