Policies

Transfer Students Accepted transfer credit shall be considered as completed coursework for purposes of this policy. However, since no grades are assigned to transfer credit, it will not impact the student’s GPA.

Professional Culinary Academy will accept transfer credits from post-secondary institutions accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Transfer credits will be granted on a course-by-course basis based upon substantially equivalent course content. No course for which a student received a grade of less than 2.0 (“C” or equivalent) will be accepted for transfer. Professional Culinary Academy reserves the right to validate the student’s knowledge through assessment mechanisms prior to accepting transfer credit. Transferability of Professional Culinary Academy Credit: The acceptance of transfer credit from Professional Culinary Academy by another institution is solely at the discretion of the receiving institution. Due to the technical nature of Professional Culinary Academy’s programs, transfer of credit may be limited.

Professional Culinary Academy will accept transfer credits from post-secondary institutions accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Transfer credits will be granted on a course-by-course basis based upon substantially equivalent course content. No course for which a student received a grade of less than 2.0 (“C” or equivalent) will be accepted for transfer. Professional Culinary Academy reserves the right to validate the student’s knowledge through assessment mechanisms prior to accepting transfer credit.

Transfer of Credit This Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) policy applies to all students registered in any program at Professional Culinary Academy. Each student is required to make satisfactory academic progress towards the completion of their program. Academic progress is measured both by grade point average (qualitative standard), and by the number of hours of attendance in the program of study (quantitative standard). Course Progress Policy: All of the programs at Professional Culinary Academy are technical in nature and the achievement of both a passing grade and technical proficiency in each academic subject is required for graduation, as follows: Program Progress Policy: Minimum Course Grade Minimum Course Attendance Minimum Cumulative Grade Point Average End of each course 1.5 (65%) 80 percent 2.0 (70%) Students are expected to maintain appropriate attendance and passing grades in each and every course, along with an acceptable cumulative grade point average (GPA) at the end of every course except for their first course of enrollment. A student who fails to meet the minimum attendance in a course may be allowed to continue to the subsequent course at the discretion of the School Director while actively pursuing make-up hours. All make-up hours must be completed within the first ten class days of the subsequent course. Students who have a cumulative GPA of less than 2.0 as of the end of any course except the first course attended will be placed on probation for the following course. Students on probation who fail to raise their GPA to the minimum standard by the end of a probationary course will be suspended from the school. Students who fail a course (earn a grade of less than 1.5) may also be suspended depending on the nature of the failure and the availability of remedial/make up time. Suspended students may request re-admission by attending an academic counseling session with the School Director. Based upon the results of the counseling session, the suspended student may be permitted to return to the school, including return in a subsequent class cohort at the discretion of the School Director. Academic Progress Policy: In addition to the requirements of the Program Progress Policy (which measures progress in each individual course), each student must meet cumulative Academic Progress Standards throughout his/her program. The cumulative standards are measured in each “payment period” (see definition below) and are designed on the premise that each student’s average performance over a series of courses will be substantially higher than the minimum standard for each individual course. Academic Progress Standards: Minimum Cumulative Grade Point Average Cumulative Clock Hours Completed/ Attempted End of 1 st payment period 2.00 75 percent End of 2 nd or subsequent payment period 2.00 80 percent Additional “Maximum Timeframe” Standard: Eligibility is also limited to students completing their programs within one and one-half times the normal program length. The maximum timeframe is reached when the student has exceeded one and one-half times the number of scheduled weeks required to graduate from his/her program. For example, for students with standard enrollment (no transfer or proficiency credit), the maximum timeframe to complete a twenty-four-week program is thirty-six weeks (excluding periods of non-enrollment). Consistency with Academic Policies: For purposes of Academic Progress measurement, all issues of grading policy, Grade Point Average (GPA) calculation, attendance, etc. are calculated in accordance with the general academic policies of the school. Payment Periods: Academic Progress shall be measured at the end of each “payment period”. A “payment period” is defined as one-half (as measured in both weeks and instructional hours) of the student’s program (or the remaining period of the program for any student attending less than the entire program length). For students who are eligible for Federal Title IV Financial Aid, these correspond to the “payment periods” for financial aid. Completed/Attempted Clock Hours: “Attempted Clock Hours” means the number of scheduled instructional hours (clock hours) in the program as listed in the Professional Culinary Academy calendar for the enrolled program. “Completed Clock Hours” means the number of “attempted” clock hours a student actually attended or for which he/she received an excused absence. Transfer Students: Accepted transfer credit shall be considered as completed coursework for purposes of this policy. However, since no grades are assigned to transfer credit, it will not impact the student’s GPA. Payment periods for transfer students shall be defined individually based on the remaining period of instruction. Return after an Absence: A student who returns after a withdrawal, dismissal, approved Leave of Absence (LOA), or other absence of 180 calendar days or less, shall be evaluated in the same manner as if the absence had not occurred, with the exception of any necessary changes to the start and end dates of a planned payment period. A student, who returns after a withdrawal, dismissal, or other absence of more than 180 days, shall be measured in a manner consistent with a transfer student as noted above. Regardless of the duration of an absence or LOA, the Professional Culinary Academy reserves the right to evaluate any returning student’s knowledge retention and place the student appropriately. Academic and Financial Aid Warning Status: Students who fail to meet the standards defined above will be placed on Academic and Financial Aid Warning Status for the following payment period. Students in Academic and Financial Aid Warning Status remain eligible for federal student aid. If a student has not returned to “good” academic standing (according to the standards in the chart) by the end of the Warning Status payment period, the student will be academically dismissed from the school and lose eligibility for federal student aid from that point forward. Such dismissal/loss of eligibility may be subject to appeal (see below). Regaining Academic Eligibility: Mitigating Circumstances Appeal: A dismissal (and loss of eligibility for federal financial aid) may be appealed based on mitigating circumstance(s). A mitigating circumstance is defined as an exceptional or unusual event(s) beyond the student’s direct control, which contributed to or caused the academic difficulty. Examples include: the death of a relative, an injury or illness of the student, or other special circumstances. Appeal letters should be addressed to the Financial Aid Director and must include a complete description of the circumstances that led to the academic difficulty, how those circumstances have changed, and a plan for future academic success. Copies of supporting documentation should be included. All appeals are reviewed by a committee of academic and administrative staff whose determination is final. A student for whom a mitigating circumstance appeal is approved will be placed in Academic and Financial Aid Probation Status for one payment period. If the student has not returned to good academic standing (according to the chart) by the end of the subsequent (probation) payment period, the student will be dismissed from Professional Culinary Academy and lose eligibility for future financial aid.