Navigating GPA Requirements at UMKC: A Comprehensive Guide

For prospective and current students of the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC), understanding the GPA requirements is crucial for admission, academic standing, and program eligibility. This article provides a detailed overview of UMKC's GPA policies, covering various aspects from admission criteria to academic probation and course repeats.

Admission GPA Requirements

UMKC employs a comprehensive admission process that considers various factors, including GPA. The university offers a test-optional admission option for incoming freshmen, allowing students to have their applications individually reviewed if they do not submit ACT or SAT scores or if their scores do not meet automatic admission requirements.

Automatic Admission

Applicants with a 2.75 Core GPA may be admitted to UMKC without submitting an ACT or SAT score, with exceptions for the six-year B.A./M.D. program, homeschool students, and student-athletes, who are required to submit a test score.

Holistic Review

The Office of Admissions conducts a holistic review of applications, considering high school GPA, test scores, and other relevant information. Students whose academic preparation is below the automatic admission requirements may be admitted to the Pre-Engineering designation along with their selected major. Those who do not qualify for admission through other options may request provisional admission.

Specific Program Requirements

The Bachelor of Architecture program admits students for the Fall semester only, basing admission decisions on high school core GPA. A 3.5 high school core GPA, coupled with an application submitted before the February 1 deadline, typically results in admission after application review.

Read also: Services at the UMKC Student Union

Several programs have a competitive admission process, emphasizing the importance of exceeding minimum GPA requirements to enhance the chances of acceptance.

GPA Calculation at UMKC

UMKC calculates several GPAs, including the UM System GPA, which includes all courses attempted at a University of Missouri System institution, and the total cumulative GPA, which includes all coursework, whether attempted within the UM system or through transfer credits.

Pre-Health Programs

For students interested in Pre-Health programs, a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher is generally required. Additionally, a Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Math (BCPM) GPA of 3.0 or higher is also expected. These GPA calculations are critical components in the consideration of your application.

Course Repeats

UMKC's policy on repeated courses acknowledges that undergraduates mature as students over time. Students may repeat a single course for GPA calculation twice (for a total of three completions). Refer to the appropriate school or college section of the undergraduate catalog for information on specific rules for course repeats. Whenever students repeat a graduate-credit course, they must submit a course repeat form to the Registration and Records Office no later than the fourth week of the term. If approved by the school, department or Interdisciplinary Ph.D., the course repeat policy will not automatically be applied to a student’s GPA.

Academic Standing and GPA

UMKC assesses undergraduate students’ academic status at the end of every term, whether the student is full‐time or part‐time for that term.

Academic Alert

First-time college freshmen admitted to UMKC based on high school records, who have a UM cumulative GPA between 1.50 and 1.99 at the end of the first semester of either full or part‐time study, will be placed on Academic Alert. Students on Academic Alert must achieve a 2.0 UM cumulative GPA by the end of their second semester or be placed on Academic Notice.

Academic Notice

Undergraduate students will be placed on Academic Notice whenever their official UM cumulative GPA falls below 2.0 (C average). Some academic units may have a higher grade point average requirement. First time college freshman admitted to UMKC on the basis of high school records, who have a UM cumulative GPA less than 1.50 at the end of the first semester of either full or part‐time study will be placed on Academic Notice. Students on Academic Notice must achieve a 2.0 UM cumulative GPA by the end of their second semester or be placed on Academic Warning. Transfer, visiting and re-admitted students can also be admitted to UMKC on Academic Notice. When students are admitted on Academic Notice, they must achieve a 2.0 UM cumulative GPA by the end of their first term to be moved to Good Standing. Students that earn a term GPA of 2.0 or higher in their first term but their UM cumulative GPA remains below a 2.0 will be placed on Academic Warning.

GPA Contracts

Students can also be placed on (or admitted on) a GPA contract, which is term-based. If a student’s term GPA is higher than the GPA stated in the contract, they will remain on said contract until the UM cumulative GPA reaches 2.0 (or the GPA level established by the academic unit).

Academic Dismissal

Students on Academic Dismissal will be ineligible to enroll in coursework. They may apply for readmission one calendar year after dismissal and should contact their academic advisor or the academic unit of the program to which they wish to be admitted for further guidance. Students that experienced extreme and unusual extenuating circumstances may petition for reinstatement through the academic unit.

Additional Academic Policies Affecting GPA

Auditing Courses

A student must obtain the consent of the instructor in order to audit a course. Courses that ordinarily may not be audited are studio courses in art, performance courses in the Department of Communication and Journalism and laboratory courses in the sciences. A student registered in a course for audit is expected to attend class. Students may change status in a course from audit to credit during the first week of the term provided they have approval of the faculty and academic unit. Students may change their status in a course from credit to audit any time prior to the end of the fourth week of any fall or spring semester, or prior to the end of the second week of any summer session. Grades earned while auditing a course do not impact the GPA.

Read also: Understanding UMKC GPA

Credit/No Credit Option

Sophomores, juniors and seniors in good standing may elect to take one course per semester on a credit/no credit (CR/NC) basis. The credit/no credit option may not be used for courses in the major or the minor or for courses taken to fulfill the general degree requirements. The credit/no credit option must be elected at the time of initial registration for a term and cannot be changed subsequently. Students must make a grade of C- or better to earn credit; D and F grades receive no credit. Grades of CR or NC do not earn grade points and they do not affect the grade point average.

Incomplete Grades

An instructor may assign the grade of I (incomplete) to students who have been unable to complete the work of the course because of illness or serious reasons beyond their control. The work must be completed within one calendar year or the incomplete grade will automatically lapse to an F.

Graduate Students and GPA

Graduate students who enroll in such courses have the option of designating them, at the time of enrollment, as being "not for graduate credit." If the student chooses this option, the grade will not be included in the student's graduate GPA and the course may not be included on the graduate or Ph.D. The total number of acceptable 300- to 400-level courses to be applied to requirements for a graduate degree may not exceed 40 percent of the total number of courses applied to graduate or non-interdisciplinary doctoral-degree requirements or one-third of the total number of courses on the approved Interdisciplinary Ph.D. During those two semesters, the student’s term GPA must be at least 2.0 for undergraduate students and 3.0 for graduate students to be allowed to continue.

Accessing Grades

Grades will post to your academic record after your instructor enters them in Pathway after the term is over. After the term is over, grades post to student records once per day (not immediately after the instructor enters them). You can view your grades in Pathway as soon as they are posted. There are two ways to access your grades in Pathway - either through the Student Center or Academic Records. Students' UMKC grade point average will include all classes taken at any UM System university. There are separate grade point averages for undergraduate, graduate, medicine, dentistry, law and pharmacy programs.

Considerations for Specific Programs

Dentistry Program

The DDS program is a four-year professional degree program. Most professional programs list a specific required minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) for application to their program. However, to be competitive, most applicants will need a GPA significantly higher than the minimum. It is critical that you consider both the minimum GPA required for application to your chosen program(s), as well as the average GPA for students that are admitted.

Additional factors considered for admission to the dentistry program include:

Demonstrated investigation of the profession of dentistry.
Evidence of social conscience and compassion (i.e., caring attitude, sensitivity to those in need, significant community activities).
Indication of fundamental personal character (i.e., integrity, maturity, self-reliance, leadership skills, professionalism).
A minimum of three letters of recommendation or one pre-health advisory committee letter is required.
Successfully complete an interview with dental school faculty.
Candidates must attest to having the abilities and skills in the following areas to satisfactorily complete the curriculum: (1) Observation (2) Communication (3) Motor (4) Intellectual-Conceptual, Integrative and Quantitative Abilities (5) Emotional and Behavioral Attributes.
Prior to matriculating, candidates are required to provide appropriate and up-to-date immunizations as a requirement of the school’s infection control program.
Submit an application for admission with the American Association of Dental Schools Application Service. The centralized application includes candidate’s personal information, experiences, personal statement, coursework and recommendation letters. Priority deadline for applications is September 1. It can take up to six weeks to process and deliver an application.

Resources for Prospective Students

UMKC encourages prospective students to visit the campus for Roo Visits and information sessions about their major. The Robert W. Plaster Free Enterprise and Research Center opened its doors in 2021 and we are excited to show this amazing facility to you and your family.

UMKC also offers a Summer Bridge Scholars Program, an eight-week summer experience that prepares first-time college students for success at UMKC.

tags: #umkc #gpa #requirements