Larkin University College of Pharmacy — Dismissal & Appeals

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

Who decides whether a Larkin pharmacy student is dismissed?

The College of Pharmacy’s Student Progression & Professionalism Committee (SPPC). It oversees academic progression, professional conduct, technical standards, and attendance and dress code, and its sanctions run from probation to required withdrawal to dismissal. An appeal goes to the Dean in writing, within three business days of notice of the sanction. The Dean may uphold it, reduce it, or send it back to the SPPC within four business days; if it goes back, the SPPC meets within three business days to decide.

Larkin University, in Miami, describes its PharmD as the only year-round, three-year pharmacy program in Florida. That pace is the reason its deadlines are so short. It is also a different institution from Larkin School of Nursing, a separate for-profit school, and naming the wrong one in a complaint is an easy and costly mistake.

Two handbooks, two different passing marks

Larkin publishes two College of Pharmacy handbooks for 2026–2027, one for its block curriculum and one for its 10-week quarter curriculum, and they do not measure competency the same way:

• Block curriculum: 75% is required to pass a course, and the grade scale reads “C = 75–79%; F = <74%,” which leaves a score between 74% and 75% unassigned on the printed scale.
• Quarter curriculum: 70% passes, with C = 70–79% and F below 70%.

The remediation limits differ too (below). Confirm in writing which handbook the College says governs your class. Both handbooks also contain a promise worth quoting back: the University “will avoid retroactively applying changes that materially disadvantage students” in areas that include graduation requirements already in effect for a matriculated cohort and academic progression standards students have already completed.

Remediation, and the hard stop

Both handbooks end in the same place. A student who does not achieve competency through remediation in any didactic course “will reach a hard stop and [is] not permitted to continue in the program,” and the SPPC then reviews the case to decide the sanction or course of action. Neither handbook lets you fully enroll in the next term until every required remediation is passed.

Block curriculum. Remediation exams run in scheduled mid-point and end-of-semester weeks. The number of remediations allowed each semester is capped (for P2 students, four of the nine fall block courses and three of the seven spring courses), and four named courses (PH 522, PH 540, PH 640 and PH 641) do not count toward the cap.

Quarter curriculum. The rules are more detailed:

• Eligibility for remediation is decided by the Office of Academic Affairs. A student who failed the same course before is not eligible. Neither is a student the course director finds did not adhere to course policies, including attendance, timely assignments, review sessions, and “responsiveness to communication.” A student on honor-code probation needs SPPC clearance.
• The limits are three concurrent remediations in the first quarter, two per quarter after that, and eight in total across the first two years. Exceeding them means referral to the SPPC “for review and potential dismissal.”
• You must meet the course director within two business days of the grade posting to build a remediation plan. Passing requires 70%, and a passed remediation is recorded as a C.
• Missing a scheduled remediation exam is a zero unless documentation of an approved emergency is provided within 48 hours.
• An improvement test is available on Exam 1 or Exam 2 (one per course, two per quarter, eight in the first two years), but you must email the course director within one business day after Exam 2 grades are released, and an improvement score is capped at 70%.

The eligibility rule based on the course director’s view of your conduct during the course is the most judgment-laden decision in the process. If it is used against you, ask for the specific facts in writing.

One business day: appealing a remediation exam

The block handbook sets the tightest clock on this page. An appeal of a remediation exam grade below 75% goes to the course faculty and course director (level I) within one business day, with an answer by 5:00 p.m. the next business day. A level II appeal to the Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs is due by 5:00 p.m. the business day after a denial, and that decision is called “final and conclusive.” If extenuating circumstances affected the grade, a further appeal to the Dean is due within one business day, with every document from the earlier stages attached.

Two limits apply: you need at least 70% on the remediation exam to appeal at all, and the appeal is limited to three disputed questions. Experiential course appeals get three business days, first to the Assistant Dean for Practice and Professional Affairs and then to the Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs.

Five years, counted from the first day

Both handbooks require completion within five years of initial matriculation, and withdrawals (academic, medical or otherwise), suspensions and delayed progression all count inside those five years. A student is “irrevocably dismissed” if the SPPC determines the program cannot be completed in time. A year lost to a leave or a repeat therefore narrows every later margin.

Professionalism sanctions escalate

Attendance, dress-code and other professionalism violations follow a five-step ladder: a warning; probation (with removal from leadership positions and college committees and loss of conference and travel-fund eligibility); a meeting with the Assistant Dean of Student Success and Engagement; an incomplete grade with remedial work over the break; and a mandatory SPPC meeting that can lead to delayed graduation, required withdrawal or dismissal. Attendance violations reset each academic year.

Reports of misconduct are investigated by an assistant dean according to subject: Academic Affairs for didactic issues, Practice and Professional Affairs for rotations, and Student Success and Engagement for professionalism matters. The possible outcomes are no violation, a letter of admonition, or formal sanctions.

The detailed rules are on Canvas, not in the handbook

For “complete details about the remediation appeal process, SPPC policies, sanctions, and administrative investigations,” and for the College’s detailed student grievance policy, both handbooks send students to the Student Resources folder on Canvas. Those documents are not public. If you are facing an SPPC matter, download them now and keep dated copies; the version posted when the decision was made is the one that governs it.

Accreditation

ACPE lists Larkin’s accelerated PharmD as accredited, with the current term running through June 30, 2027, and a comprehensive review scheduled for 2026–2027. The University itself is accredited by SACSCOC to award master’s and doctoral degrees and licensed by the Florida Commission for Independent Education, which also accepts student complaints about the institution.

Where a lawyer fits in a Larkin pharmacy case

With appeal windows of one to three business days, the work has to start before the next letter arrives: identifying which handbook governs you, reading the Canvas policies alongside it, having the Dean appeal drafted and ready to file, and dealing with the College directly where that helps. A Full Read + Game Plan is the usual starting point.

Where the governing documents are

Verified as loading on 30 September 2026:

• College of Pharmacy Student Handbook (Block Curriculum) 2026–2027 — larkin.edu
• College of Pharmacy Student Handbook (Quarter Curriculum) 2026–2027 — larkin.edu
• SPPC policies, remediation appeal process and COP grievance policy — Canvas, Student Resources folder (students only)
• ACPE program record for the Larkin University College of Pharmacy — acpe-accredit.org

Save a dated copy of each handbook and every Canvas policy the day your matter begins.

Related reading

• Pharmacy school dismissal
• Remediation and repeat years
• Professionalism and fitness-to-practice findings
• Grade disputes and grade appeals
• Leaves of absence and withdrawals

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
• Palm Beach Atlantic Gregory School of Pharmacy — Dismissal & Appeals
• LECOM Bradenton School of Pharmacy — Dismissal & Appeals

Common questions

Which Larkin handbook applies to me?

The one for your curriculum, block or 10-week quarter, and your class. The two 2026–2027 handbooks set different passing marks (75% versus 70%) and different remediation limits, so get the College’s answer in writing before you rely on either.

How long do I have to appeal an SPPC dismissal?

Three business days from notice of the sanction, in writing, to the Dean. The Dean may uphold it, reduce it, or send it back to the SPPC, and the handbook sets four business days from receipt of your appeal for that decision.

What is a “hard stop”?

It is what the handbooks call failing to achieve competency through remediation in any didactic course: you are not permitted to continue in the program, and the SPPC reviews the case to decide what happens next. That review, and the appeal to the Dean that follows it, is where the case is made.

Can I appeal a remediation exam grade?

Under the block handbook, yes, within one business day, but only if you scored at least 70% on the remediation exam, and only on up to three disputed questions. The appeal runs from the course faculty to the Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs, with a further appeal to the Dean for extenuating circumstances.

Is Larkin School of Nursing part of Larkin University?

No. Larkin School of Nursing is a separate for-profit school with its own federal record. A complaint or claim has to name the institution that actually made the decision.