USF Taneja College of Pharmacy — Dismissal & Appeals

Written by Zachary Gaynor, attorney · The Florida Bar, admitted 2016 · court admissions. Reviewed 26 September 2026.

Who decides whether a USF pharmacy student is dismissed?

The Academic Review Committee (ARC). At the USF Health Taneja College of Pharmacy, the ARC — faculty and members of the administration — makes the determinations on advancement, dismissal, readmission and graduation, and a student facing a course failure, probation, suspension, a repeated year or dismissal has the case heard there. The Associate Dean for Student Affairs (ADSA) is the College’s chief disciplinary officer and can decide a professionalism case alone or send it to the ARC. Appeals run through the Enrollment Management Specialist to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs (ADAA) and then the Dean, whose decision is final. The time between those steps is measured in hours and business days, and the handbook says a missed deadline invalidates the appeal.

The GPA bands, and why 2.50 is not a safe harbor

The College’s 2026–2027 Student Handbook sets three bands: 2.75 and above is good academic standing, 2.50 to 2.74 is academic warning, and 2.49 or below is probation. A student on warning receives a letter requiring a plan of action, and if the deficiency is not resolved within one semester, warning may be elevated to probation. Probation also follows a pattern of unprofessionalism, and it bars leadership positions and planned absences for professional events. Two points make the bands more dangerous than they look:

• The handbook says outright that academic progression is reviewed each semester and a student may be separated from the College even with a GPA over 2.5.
• PharmD financial aid requires a 2.75 cumulative GPA, with no semester of warning — so a student in the 2.50–2.74 “warning” band has already fallen below the aid standard.

What can lead to suspension or dismissal

The minimum acceptable grade is a C, and every F goes to the ARC for review. The ARC may consider suspension after a course failure in a semester, two failures within the curriculum, or multiple reports of unprofessionalism, and the handbook warns that a suspension letter can arrive without a review meeting. Its examples of dismissal include more than one F in a single semester, more than three F grades in the curriculum, an F while on probation, and an F in a repeated course. It also allows dismissal of a student in good standing with no course failures who repeatedly fails the end-of-semester or end-of-year examinations, or whose performance is borderline across several courses. Passing every course is not, on its own, enough to progress.

The ARC review meeting

When dismissal is under consideration, the student is invited to an ARC review meeting. The handbook’s rules for it are unusually restrictive.

• It is held in person in Tampa only; video and teleconference are not permitted. A student who will not attend may submit a written declaration at least two business days before.
• Case materials may be reviewed up to five days before the meeting — except in academic integrity cases — and may not be copied.
• The student may present evidence, invite witnesses and question witnesses. Responsibility is decided by a preponderance of the evidence, and a written decision follows within ten business days.
• Students may not speak with the ARC chair or any committee member, and may not discuss the case with anyone else, including other students.
• A “moral supporter” may attend but may not serve as counsel or communicate in any way during the proceeding, and the form is due two business days ahead. The handbook allows one; the College’s current form allows a maximum of two.

USF’s University-level academic grievance policy, Policy 10-002, is blunter still: legal representation may not be actively involved at any time in the internal review of an academic decision. That keeps a lawyer out of the room. It does not keep one away from the written record, the timeline and the appeal — which, under these rules, is where most of the work happens anyway.

Appeals: 48 hours, then five business days

Only suspension and dismissal can be appealed; for lesser sanctions the ADSA or ARC decision is final. The steps:

• Tell the Enrollment Management Specialist of your intent to appeal within 48 hours of being informed of the ARC’s verbal decision, meet first with your Faculty Student Success Coach or the Assistant Director of Professional and Personal Development, and return the appeal form within five business days.
• The appeal is limited to three grounds: new information not previously available, a flaw in due process, or an error in the initial decision.
• The ADAA reviews the file, may ask to meet, and decides within five business days.
• A further appeal to the Dean must be filed within two business days of that decision, and the Dean considers it only on new information not available at the ARC meeting or the first appeal. The Dean’s decision is final.

You can ask to keep attending class while the appeal runs, but only with written notice to the ADSA within two business days of the original decision.

Professionalism is academic here

The handbook treats all performance, including professionalism, as academic, and it says a student can pass the curriculum with strong grades and still not meet the requirements for graduation because of poor professionalism. Academic integrity cases are handled as professionalism cases. When the ADSA’s decision leads to suspension or dismissal, a student may ask the ARC to review it within two business days — but the ARC’s decision replaces the ADSA’s entirely, and it may be more severe as well as less. Separately, a Student Honor Committee of eight class representatives can find a violation by a 50.1 percent vote, and a second honor offense brings a recommendation of suspension or dismissal. Three more rules to know: intent is not necessary for an academic integrity violation, failing to report a classmate’s violation is punished at the same level as the violation itself, and an arrest must be self-reported within three business days.

Time limits, repeats and cost

The PharmD must be completed within seven years, but financial aid stops after six. An F must be repeated, the ARC may also require repetition of courses passed with a C, and a student absent more than two consecutive semesters repeats the entire academic year. Repeating students taking fewer than nine credits pay the part-time rate, and a formal audit costs $1,000 per course. The College no longer offers post-course remediation, and USF graduate students are not eligible for grade forgiveness — when a course is retaken, both grades count in the GPA.

Readmission, and what follows you

A readmission request goes in writing to the ADSA at least six weeks before the expected return, and it is decided by whoever made the original separation decision. Generally a dismissed student must reapply as a first-year student, the instructions in the separation letter override the handbook, and a denial can be appealed to the ADAA and then the Dean. The College’s 2026–2027 calendar lists readmission deadlines of November 6, 2026 for spring and April 30, 2027 for fall.

Three consequences reach beyond the College. The Florida Board of Pharmacy is notified of suspensions and dismissals, as well as withdrawals and longer leaves. Suspensions and dismissals are noted on the transcript. And USF’s graduate catalog states that a student dismissed for failure to satisfy clinical or professional standards is not eligible to apply to any graduate major at USF. At the University level, Policy 10-002 treats dismissals that follow automatically from protocols such as failing to maintain a GPA as not grievable, and it describes court review by a petition for certiorari in circuit court within thirty days of the final University decision.

Where the governing documents are

Verified as loading on 26 September 2026:

• Taneja College of Pharmacy Student Handbook 2026–2027, Volume 15 (revised August 25, 2026) — linked from the College’s Student Affairs page, health.usf.edu
• USF Policy 10-002, Academic Grievance Process for Students — usf.edu
• USF Regulation USF6.0021, Student Code of Conduct; USF3.027, Academic Integrity of Students; USF3.025, Disruption of Academic Process — usf.edu
• USF Graduate Catalog 2026–2027, PharmD program and academic dismissal rules — catalog.usf.edu

Save a dated copy of the handbook and every letter the day you receive them. Some rules — the professionalism policy and rotation grading — sit in a practice manual behind the College’s login, so ask for a copy in writing if your case turns on them.

Related reading

• Pharmacy school dismissal
• Professionalism and fitness-to-practice findings
• Academic dismissal and suspension
• Readmission after dismissal
• University of South Florida — student discipline overview

Other Florida health-professional programs

Every school writes its own dismissal, appeal and conduct rules, and the filing deadlines are rarely the same from one campus to the next. These pages set out the procedure at other Florida programs:

• Florida Pharmacy Schools — Dismissals & Appeals
• UF College of Pharmacy — Dismissal & Appeals
• FAMU College of Pharmacy — Dismissal & Appeals
• USF Morsani College of Medicine
• Barry University School of Podiatric Medicine — Dismissal & Appeals

Common questions

What GPA do I need at the USF Taneja College of Pharmacy?

A 2.75 is good academic standing; 2.50 to 2.74 is academic warning and 2.49 or below is probation. PharmD financial aid also requires a 2.75, and the handbook says a student may be separated even with a GPA over 2.5.

How long do I have to appeal an ARC dismissal?

Forty-eight hours to tell the Enrollment Management Specialist you intend to appeal, then five business days to return the appeal form. A further appeal to the Dean must be filed within two business days of the ADAA’s decision, and only on new information.

Can a lawyer attend my ARC meeting?

The handbook allows a moral supporter who may not serve as counsel or participate, and USF Policy 10-002 bars legal representation from active involvement in the internal review of an academic decision. A lawyer can still work on the written submissions, the record and the appeal.

Can I be dismissed without failing a course?

Yes. The handbook allows dismissal for repeatedly failing end-of-semester or end-of-year examinations, for borderline performance across several courses, and for professionalism, even with passing grades.

How long do I have to finish the PharmD?

Seven years, but financial aid stops after six: the handbook says students will not receive aid in a seventh year of attendance.