Continuation Requirements

To stay enrolled at Duke, you need to meet two main requirements:
  1. Semester Continuation (doing well each semester).
  2. Annual Continuation (making progress toward graduation each year).
To meet semester continuation requirements: 
  • In your first semester, you must pass at least 2.0 course credits.
  • In all other semesters, you must pass at least 3.0 course credits.
  • In summer, you must pass at least one 1.0 course credit if enrolled in two course credits. 

NOTE: This applies whether you're at Duke or studying away

If you get an incomplete make sure to finish the work and get a passing grade submitted by the deadline.  Talk to your professor about getting your work turned in before the deadline to make sure they have time to grade it. 
IMPORTANT: If a grade is not submitted by the deadline, the incomplete automatically converts to an F grade.

 

If you don't meet semester continuation:
  • You'll be dismissed for 2 semesters (summer counts as one semester).
  • If it happens again, you'll be dismissed for 2 years
  • Each dismissal after that adds another 2 years

 

Deadlines to meet semester continuation:

Fall to spring

4 p.m. of the day before spring classes start

Spring to fall

4 p.m. of the day one week before summer session 2 classes start*

Summer (if enrolled) to fall

4 p.m. of the weekday before fall classes start

*If you’re enrolled in summer term I classes or are scheduled to participate in summer study away, Duke Engage, or any other program requiring you to be an active student in good standing, the deadline to meet semester continuation requirements is 4 p.m. of the day before summer term 1 classes start. If you don’t meet this deadline, your enrollment/participation will be canceled.

 

A Study Away NOTE: 
  • When you return from study away on a Duke-approved program, the Global Education Office will convert the non-Duke transcript into equivalent Duke course credits and assign academic credit to you accordingly.
  • It is your responsibility when studying away to make sure you are enrolled in a sufficient number of courses to comply with continuation requirements. Not infrequently students studying abroad will need to complete 5 courses abroad in order to earn 4 credits at Duke in transfer. Note that it is not the number of courses taken abroad, but the received credit for those courses that applies to semester continuation. 
Each year, you need to have passed a certain number of credits to continue in good standing into the next academic year (fall semester)
  • The number of credits goes up each year (see table below)
  • If you're behind on credits in May, you'll need to make them up at Duke over the summer.
  • If you don't meet the credit requirement by the fall deadline, you'll be dismissed for 2 semesters

Annual Continuation Requirements (Satisfactory Progress Toward 34 Credits)

Your Academic Dean checks your progress for annual continuation in May. If it looks like you’re not going to meet annual continuation before the fall semester begins, they’ll contact you to let you know that you’re required to attend one or both summer sessions at Duke to make up the deficit. 

If you don’t satisfy annual continuation requirements by the deadline, you’ll be academically dismissed for two semesters.   
 
The minimum number of courses you need to have passed each semester is as follows: 

To begin this semester ...... you need these credits ......
  • 2nd semester at Duke - 2.0 course credits at Duke
  • 3rd semester at Duke - 6.0 course credits at Duke
  • 4th semester at Duke - 10.0 course credits at Duke
  • 5th semester at Duke - 14.0 course credits at Duke
  • 6th semester at Duke - 19.0 course credits at Duke
  • 7th semester at Duke - 24.0 course credits. These must include at least 22.0 taken at Duke and may include 2 AP, IPC, PMC, or transfer courses
  • 8th semester at Duke - 28.0 course credits. These must include at least 26.0 taken at Duke and may include 2 AP, IPC, PMC, or transfer courses

 

See also:

IMPORTANT!  Duke has limits on how many and what kinds of courses count towards annual continuation.

You can only use:

  • 2 AP/IPC/PMC credits (these only count for 7th/8th semester continuation).
  • 2 transfer credits from other approved colleges (only count for 7th/8th semester).
  • A maximum of 10 study abroad/transfer credits combined.
  • 4 courses taken S/U (this only counts courses you chose to take S/U, not those that are automatically graded that way).
  • 2 credits with a grade of D-, D, or D+
  • 1 credit of physical education activity (= two 0.5 credit courses).
  • 4 credits of dance performance/American Dance Festival course work (= eight 0.5 credit courses).
  • 2 credits for house courses (= four 0.5 credit courses).
  • 6 credits from a Duke professional school.
  • 4 credits in military science.
  • 1 credit from academic internships.
NOTE: Courses taken beyond these limits (like a third physical education course or a third “D”) will still appear on your Duke transcript and count toward semester continuation requirements – but they won’t count toward the 34 required to graduate.

If you take a voluntary or involuntary break from Duke, you still need to meet the annual continuation requirement for the semester you plan to return.

To check your progress, we only count semesters in which you completed the term and met continuation requirements.  If you withdrew before the semester ended or were academically dismissed, that semester doesn’t count towards the number in the table above. 

Any student who is academically dismissed under these policies may request to have the case reviewed by the senior associate dean of Trinity College of Arts & Sciences.

 

See also: