Student Status

Academic Probation

Students not meeting BA/MD Arts & Sciences continuous eligibility requirements will be placed on academic probation by the CCSP Eligibility & Professionalism (E&P) subcommittee. The student must meet with their academic advisor to review a plan for improvement and the expected date of compliance with continuous eligibility requirements. The CCSP E&P subcommittee may mandate an academic plan to include, but is not limited to a minimum number of tutorial hours, meetings with instructors and/or TAs, progress reports, etc. Academic probation varies in length depending on each student’s situation. The CCSP E&P subcommittee notifies the student in writing of their probation status in the Program. If a student disagrees with the BA/MD CCSP E&P subcommittee, please see the BA/MD Grievance & Due Process Procedure for more information.

Educational Prescription

BA/MD A&S students who are not meeting the continuous eligibility requirements can be placed on an educational prescription. This is individualized action and support which acts as a contract between the student and the Program. The educational prescription intends to assist students in generating a plan for improvement in the area identified, whether academic or professional. The educational prescription is announced and initiated within official correspondence from the BA/MD CCSP E&P subcommittee stating the student's status in the Program. It will state what is required, suggested, or a resource. Educational prescriptions can vary in length depending on each student's needs.

Program Release

Students who fail to meet continuous eligibility requirements, including any phase outlined in the Student Progress & Evaluation (SPE) policy, will be released from the Program. Students may be released from the Program without prior incident depending upon the individual case. The CCSP E&P subcommittee will notify the student in writing of their released status in the Program. If a student disagrees with the BA/MD CCSP E&P subcommittee, please see the BA/MD Grievance & Due Process Procedure for more information.

Program Withdrawal

If a student wishes to voluntarily withdraw from the Program at any time, the student should submit a written statement to their BA/MD administrator. The written statement should include the following in an attached Word document and sent to their BA/MD administrator via email.

    • Date of statement
    • Address to the “BA/MD Directors”
    • Date of withdrawal is in effect
    • Reason the student wishes to withdraw (if comfortable with stating so)
    • Include closing with UNM email
    • Student ID number

Withdrawn students will be offered an optional exit interview with any BA/MD faculty and/or staff member(s) of their choice to discuss any aspect of the Program. They will also be offered continued informal advisement during their undergraduate career by the BA/MD advisors, however, will require advisement with major/minor advisors as well.

Leave of Absences

There are two different types of leave of absence – a non-emergency leave of absence and an emergency leave of absence. Regardless of type, students may request up to a total of two academic years, consecutively or in parts. Students must petition to request either type of leave of absence. Please see the BA/MD Due Process policy for more information on student petitions.

LOA will most likely result in a delay in graduation date and may affect financial aid agreements. Students on scholarship and financial aid should meet with a financial aid and/or scholarship officer to determine the impact of the LOA on financial agreements. If a LOA is granted after BA/MD funds have been awarded for the semester, that funding will apply toward the 8-semester limit of BA/MD funding.

No student will be allowed to take a LOA (but may request an emergency LOA) after their sixth academic semester unless they have passed Phase Three of the Student Progress and Evaluation policy and have earned a score on the MCAT exam consistent with the minimum acceptable threshold for admission into the MD program at the UNM School of Medicine by August 1st before the student’s seventh semester.

Note: Students who successfully petition the Student Petition Committee for additional time in the program will not be allowed to take a LOA after their eighth academic semester unless they have passed Phase Three of the Student Progress and Evaluation policy and have earned a score on the MCAT exam consistent with the minimum acceptable threshold for admission into the MD program at the UNM School of Medicine by August 1st before the student’s ninth semester.

Leave of Absence:

BA/MD students may request a Leave of Absence (LOA) for personal reasons only. Students may not request an LOA to complete any Pre-Medical Science Core coursework.
For non-emergency LOA, students must be meeting BA/MD A&S continuous eligibility requirements (*if first semester of first year, mid-semester progress reports will be used to determine academic standing). All LOA requests must be approved a minimum of one semester in advance by the BA/MD Student Petition Committee (SPC).

Emergency Leave of Absence: 

In case of an emergency, the BA/MD advisor in consultation with the CCSP Eligibility & Professionalism subcommittee and/or BA/MD Administration may grant an emergency LOA (ELOA) and will assist the student with submitting a student petition, withdrawal of all coursework of the University, UNM campus housing contract release request and any other required action (i.e. submitting a UNM scholarship petition, paying off student account balance, etc.). ELOA does not require students to be currently meeting the BA/MD Continuous Eligibility standards or submit a student petition one semester in advance. Students may not enroll in coursework at any university or college while on ELOA to encourage focus on the improvement of the student well-being and/or emergency.