With college comes new opportunities to be involved in clubs and organizations, meet new friends and embark on a new adventure. However, poor grades can send a student packing for home.

In order to maintain student-status at Iowa State, a minimum GPA of 2.0 is required.

A student’s GPA is calculated on the basis of credits earned at Iowa State. Credits earned with P [pass], S [satisfactory] or T [transfer] are not used in calculating GPA, but may be applied toward meeting degree requirements, according to the ISU catalog.

Kathy Jones, university registrar and assistant vice president for enrollment, said students should think of their GPA as a permanent record of their college experience.

“As students go through their college career, they need to remember that while they are here, they are creating a record that is going to stay with them for the rest of their lives,” Jones said.

A high GPA allows students to maintain financial aid, qualify for scholarships, be invited to take part in honorary societies and be recognized on the Dean’s List, Jones said.

Students with a high GPA at the beginning of their final term are able to graduate with distinction if they have completed a minimum of 50 graded credits out of the 60 semester credits. This distinction appears on the student’s official transcript, diploma and in the commencement program.

Students who have less than a 2.0 GPA – a C average – may receive a warning, if they do not already have a warning and are not on academic probation. Students who receive a warning go through an intervention process to try to improve their GPA.

Students who do not improve will receive an academic probation status and may be dismissed from the university.

“My advice to students is to be proactive in their education,” said Susan Rhoades, assistant director for the Academic Success Center.

“It’s their education, and I think it’s always easier to solve small problems rather than waiting and kind of compounding it,” Rhoades said.

“Talking to their professors is a huge thing, and I know that can be a bit intimidating or a bit scary, but the professors do want to get to know their students even if they’re in a large group or a large lecture,” she said. Getting to know the professors’ teaching assistants is just as important.

Supplemental instruction sessions and tutoring services are available for students at the Academic Success Center. Online resources including tips on how to study, take tests and better manage time are available on the Academic Success Center website at www.dso.iastate.edu/asc/.