Palm Beach Atlantic Gregory School of Pharmacy — Dismissal & Appeals

Written by Zachary Gaynor, attorney · The Florida Bar, admitted 2016 · court admissions. Reviewed 30 September 2026.

Who decides whether a Gregory School of Pharmacy student is dismissed?

The School of Pharmacy’s Student Affairs Committee (SAC). It makes the dismissal determination “after an evaluation of the student’s performance in the School of Pharmacy and circumstances leading to dismissal,” and the Assistant/Associate Dean of Academic Affairs sends the dismissal letter at the end of the semester. From the day that letter arrives, you have three PBA work days to start an appeal to the SAC. After the SAC come the Dean and, only for a clear procedural violation, PBA’s Council of Deans.

These rules are not in a pharmacy handbook. They sit in Palm Beach Atlantic University’s Graduate and Pharmacy Catalog 2026–2027, under Academic Policies, and no standalone Gregory School of Pharmacy (GSOP) student handbook is posted publicly. The catalog in force when the school acted is the document your case turns on.

The catalog states the dismissal rule twice, and the two versions differ

The “Standards for Academic Progress” section says a student on academic probation who fails to progress “will be subject to dismissal” if any one of these occurs:

• failing two or more courses;
• failing more than one-third of the credits enrolled in a semester;
• failing the same course twice;
• failing to complete all didactic courses in five years; or
• failing a second APPE rotation.

The pharmacy section of the academic grievance policy lists nearly the same triggers but says a student “will be dismissed,” and it adds a route that the progress standards do not mention: a student in good standing is dismissed for failing three or more courses in a single semester, or for not completing the didactic courses in five years.

That difference matters. One version describes a committee judgment that has to weigh circumstances; the other reads as automatic. When a dismissal letter cites only the arithmetic, the question worth asking in the appeal is whether the SAC performed the evaluation the progress standards require, and on what record.

What puts you on probation, and what probation costs

A student in good standing moves to academic probation after failing one course that is not eligible for remediation (or where remediation was unsuccessful), failing two courses in a semester, or failing one APPE rotation. While you are on probation:

• the SAC reviews your record at the end of every term;
• the Assistant/Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, with the SAC, sets your schedule each semester, and the SAC’s decision on any request to change it “is not eligible to be appealed”;
• you may not hold an office or leadership role in any organization; and
• you must submit a self-directed academic action plan to the SAC and your faculty advisor. The catalog warns that failing to do so “will be taken into consideration in future SAC decisions.”

You return to good standing, on a modified track, once you pass every retake course with no new failures. The action plan is the document most students treat as a formality. It is also the first thing a committee will read if the next semester goes badly, so write it as though it will be quoted back to you.

Grades, retakes and withdrawals

Full progression requires passing every course attempted and a cumulative GPA of at least 2.00. No pharmacy course may award a D, and no syllabus may set the minimum passing average below 69.5%. A course passed with a C or better cannot be repeated to raise the grade. A failed course may be repeated once, only at PBA, and both grades count in your GPA. Introductory and advanced practice experiences are graded pass/fail against a rubric.

Withdrawals are rationed. A pharmacy student may withdraw from a course only once, and only after obtaining written approval from both the faculty advisor and the Assistant/Associate Dean of Academic Affairs before the instructor signs.

Three PBA work days: the appeal to the Student Affairs Committee

To appeal a dismissal you complete the Application for Appeal to Student Affairs Committee for Dismissal and email it, with your supporting documents, to the Assistant/Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and the SAC chair. The catalog requires that the written justification “identify the issues, with all substantiating documents attached.” The SAC then meets with you.

The catalog lists who attends that meeting: you, the SAC chair, the Assistant/Associate Deans of Student Affairs and of Academic Affairs, one SAC faculty member, one SAC student member, and, if you ask, your faculty advisor, who is there for support and has no vote. The Assistant/Associate Dean of Academic Affairs sends the SAC’s written decision within five PBA work days of the meeting.

Three work days is very little time to assemble a record. Start the day the letter arrives: grade reports, syllabi, remediation correspondence, the probation letter, your action plan, and anything that explains the semester.

Then the Dean, then the Council of Deans

If the SAC upholds the dismissal, you have five PBA work days from its written decision to file the Application for Appeal to the Dean, again with the issues identified and all documents attached. The Dean returns a decision within ten PBA work days.

Beyond the Dean, “further appeal is unwarranted unless there is clear evidence of a procedural violation (i.e. University policies or procedures were not followed).” That appeal goes to the Council of Deans through the Office of the Provost. The pharmacy section gives no deadline for this step. PBA’s general academic grievance policy, which sends appeals to the same Council, uses 15 PBA work days from the Dean’s written response, screens each appeal through a three-member Appeals Committee, and admits only evidence already presented to the Dean, apart from evidence of the procedural violation itself. Treat 15 work days as the outside limit and file well before it.

Two practical consequences follow. Disagreeing with the decision is not a ground at the final step, and a document you did not put in front of the SAC or the Dean may never be considered. The record is built early or not at all.

Grade appeals run on five-day clocks

A final grade is appealed first to the course coordinator (for an APPE, the Chair of Experiential Education), in writing, within five PBA work days of the grade posting, with the GSOP Dean copied. The coordinator answers within five work days. You may then appeal to the Dean within five work days of that answer; the Dean decides within ten. Past the Dean, only a clear procedural violation reaches the Council of Deans. Individual exams and assignments cannot be appealed under this policy until a final grade is posted.

Academic dishonesty follows a different track. PBA’s university-wide integrity policy sets an escalating ladder: a zero on the assignment and a remediation workshop for a first offense, an F in the course for a second, and a one-year suspension for a third. For pharmacy students, the catalog sends any grievance over a dishonesty decision to the GSOP’s Professionalism and Honor Code policy, which it references but does not reproduce. If you are charged, ask the school in writing for that policy, and the version in effect on the date of the allegation, before you respond.

The accreditation finding that matters in a GSOP case

The Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) lists the Gregory School of Pharmacy as accredited through June 30, 2033. Its 2025–2026 monitoring record, however, cites the school as Non-Compliant with Standard 4, “Students and Student Services,” and Partially Compliant with Standard 7 (Assessment), with interim and focused reviews listed for 2026–2027. Standard 4 is the standard that covers student policies and services. A finding on it does not decide anyone’s appeal, but it is a documented, citable record that belongs in the context of a dispute about how the school treated a student.

Coming back after suspension, leave or dismissal

A student suspended under the Professionalism and Honor Code writes to the Assistant/Associate Dean of Student Affairs by the deadline stated in the outcome letter, explaining how the conditions were met and giving a plan for success. The SAC decides eligibility to return. That decision may be appealed to the Dean within ten business days, and the Dean’s decision is final.

After an approved medical withdrawal or leave of absence, you contact the Assistant/Associate Dean of Academic Affairs in writing by May 1 for fall courses or November 1 for spring courses.

After a dismissal there is no automatic path back. You write to the Dean explaining why you are applying and how you would complete the program; the catalog warns that review “may take up to one semester.” If the Dean approves you to apply, you complete every step as a new applicant, PharmCAS included.

Where a lawyer fits in a GSOP dismissal

The catalog gives an attorney no seat at the SAC meeting, so the work that matters happens on paper and before the meeting. That means reading the whole record against the catalog edition that governed you, identifying which dismissal provision the letter actually relies on, drafting the SAC and Dean applications inside their windows, preparing you to speak to the committee, and dealing with the school directly where that helps. A Full Read + Game Plan is the usual starting point when the deadline is days away.

Where the governing documents are

Verified as loading on 30 September 2026:

• Graduate and Pharmacy Catalog 2026–2027, Academic Policies — “Grading and Progression – Pharmacy,” “Standards for Academic Progress – Doctor of Pharmacy,” “Grievance Policy (Academic Complaint) – Pharmacy,” and “Readmission/Continuation Policy – Pharmacy” — catalog.pba.edu
• ACPE program record for the Lloyd L. Gregory School of Pharmacy — acpe-accredit.org
• GSOP Professionalism and Honor Code policy — referenced in the catalog but not published there; request it in writing

The catalog is an online document that PBA revises, and it has posted more than one edition in a single year. Save a dated copy of every section and letter the day your matter begins.

Related reading

• Pharmacy school dismissal
• Academic probation
• Grade disputes and grade appeals
• Readmission after dismissal
• Breach of contract claims against universities
• Palm Beach Atlantic University — 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 pharmacy programs:

• Florida Pharmacy Schools — Dismissals & Appeals
• UF College of Pharmacy — Dismissal & Appeals
• FAMU College of Pharmacy — Dismissal & Appeals
• USF Taneja College of Pharmacy — Dismissal & Appeals
• NSU Silverman College of Pharmacy — Dismissal & Appeals
• LECOM Bradenton School of Pharmacy — Dismissal & Appeals
• Larkin University College of Pharmacy — Dismissal & Appeals

Common questions

How long do I have to appeal a Gregory School of Pharmacy dismissal?

Three PBA work days from receiving the dismissal letter, using the Application for Appeal to Student Affairs Committee for Dismissal, emailed with your documents to the Assistant/Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and the SAC chair. If the SAC upholds the dismissal, the appeal to the Dean is due within five PBA work days of its written decision.

Is dismissal automatic if I fail courses while on probation?

The catalog says it both ways. The progress standards make a student on probation “subject to dismissal” after an SAC evaluation of performance and circumstances; the pharmacy grievance section says the student “will be dismissed.” An appeal can press the committee on which standard it applied and whether it actually weighed your circumstances.

Can a lawyer attend my SAC appeal meeting?

The catalog’s list of attendees does not include an attorney or any outside advisor; the advisor it mentions is your faculty advisor, who has no vote. A lawyer’s role is usually to build the written appeal and prepare you for the meeting.

Can I take my case to the Council of Deans because the decision was unfair?

Only on clear evidence of a procedural violation, meaning a university policy or procedure was not followed. Disagreement with the outcome is not enough, and under PBA’s general grievance procedure the Council considers only evidence already presented to the Dean.

Can I come back after being dismissed from the PharmD program?

Possibly, but not automatically. You write to the Dean with your reasons and a detailed plan for completing the program, and review may take up to a semester. If the Dean approves you to apply, you reapply as a new applicant through PharmCAS.