FGCU School of Nursing — Dismissal & Appeals

Written by Zachary Gaynor, attorney · The Florida Bar, admitted 2016 · court admissions. Reviewed 2 October 2026.

When is an FGCU nursing student dismissed?

At Florida Gulf Coast University’s School of Nursing (Marieb College of Health & Human Services), a BSN student is dismissed after a D, F, U, WE, or WF in two different nursing or IDS courses, after failing the same course twice, after withdrawing from the same course a second time, or after withdrawing from more than three program courses. Those rules come from the BSN Program Guidebook AY 2026–2027, “Academic Standards and Progression.” Conduct and safety dismissals run through a separate committee, and the appeal windows are short — five school days at each step.

The progression rules

• C in every nursing theory course, S in every clinical. The School of Nursing’s own scale sets C at 78–84, and the guidebook says grades are not rounded — so 77.9 percent is a D.
• Theory and clinical are linked. Fail the didactic course and you repeat both it and the paired clinical; an Unsatisfactory in clinical means repeating both as well. Failing both at once “may result in dismissal.”
• Two different courses. A D, F, U, WE, or WF in two different NUR or IDS courses ends the program. The same course failed on the repeat attempt does too.
• Withdrawals count. One withdrawal per course is the limit; a second withdrawal from the same course for academic reasons is a dismissal, and so is withdrawing from more than three courses in the program. Grade forgiveness does not erase any of this.
• After any failure, the student meets with a mentor for an alternative progression plan and registers for later courses on a space-available basis only. Students may not switch between the traditional and accelerated pathways.

Two ATI tests that end courses

Dosage calculation. Every clinical course requires the ATI Dosage Calculation Assessment at a 90 percent benchmark. In the first semester (NUR 3829C), students get three attempts; a third score under 90 is an F in the course. In every later clinical course there are two attempts, and a second miss removes the student from the course — the guidebook’s main text says that earns a U while its Appendix H says a W. That internal inconsistency matters in an appeal, because a U counts toward dismissal rules differently than a W.

Comprehensive Predictor. In the Senior Nursing Practicum, the ATI RN Comprehensive Predictor must come back at the 90 percent confidence level for first-time NCLEX success. A miss means two to three weeks of remediation and a second, similar ATI exam; missing again is a U in the practicum. Completing the NCLEX-RN Success Plan is required before FGCU certifies a student to graduate.

Conduct, screens, and arrests

The guidebook’s Unsafe/Unprofessional Behavior policy lists seventeen example behaviors, from impairment and falsified records to breach of confidentiality. A dismissal request goes from the BSN Program Director to the Student Professional Review Committee, which reviews within ten school days; the student gets at least five days’ written notice and may bring one advisor, who may not speak. Falsifying clinical documentation is zero tolerance. Drug screening is ten-panel, on admission, annually, randomly, and on reasonable suspicion — and the guidebook says lawful recreational cannabis use is not a satisfactory explanation for a positive. Refusing a screen is itself a dismissal. An arrest must be reported within 24 hours and brings immediate suspension; two consecutive semesters without clearance becomes a dismissal.

The appeal

For grades, the chain starts informally with the instructor (within one semester), then the BSN Program Director, then the School of Nursing Director, then a written appeal to the Marieb College Dean’s office within ten school days of the Director’s decision. The university-level route runs through a college Grade Appeals Committee to the Dean and then the Provost, whose decision is final, on limited grounds: a deviation from the announced grading policy, an error in applying it, or a grade lowered for non-academic reasons.

For unsafe/unprofessional dismissals the clock is faster: a written request for review to the School of Nursing Director within five school days of the committee’s decision, then a final review by the Marieb College Dean within five school days of the Director’s answer. The guidebook says these dismissals are expressly not appealable through the university grievance or grade-appeal procedures, and a student may not withdraw from program courses while a removal or dismissal process is pending.

FGCU is a public university, so constitutional due-process protections sit alongside the guidebook’s own rules. The guidebook also reserves the right to revise its policies mid-program “without notice or obligation” — which makes the edition in force when your dispute arose worth pinning down early.

One discrepancy worth knowing

The guidebook still cites a withdrawal-limit rule “implemented in Fall 2017,” while FGCU’s current university policy allows five undergraduate course withdrawals. The nursing rule is stricter, and inside the program the stricter rule is the one applied — but when two published documents disagree, that disagreement itself belongs in an appeal.

Where the governing documents are

The BSN Program Guidebook AY 2026–2027 (traditional and accelerated pathways), and the Academic Standing and Grade Appeal Process sections of the FGCU Catalog’s Academic Policies and Practices page. Ask for the edition issued to your cohort.

The federal money on the line at FGCU

Florida Gulf Coast University students and families took on $43.1 million in federal Direct Loans in the 2025–26 award year — 2,166 undergraduates with subsidized loans and $7.4 million in Parent PLUS borrowing.

Every dollar of it rides on academic standing. A dismissal, a failed Satisfactory Academic Progress evaluation, or a mid-term withdrawal sets off federal rules that decide whether aid continues, whether money already disbursed has to go back, and — under the borrowing caps in effect since July 1, 2026 — whether a student who leaves can still finance a return. For health-professional students the timing rules bite hardest: remediation terms, leaves, and repeated courses all feed the federal pace-of-completion math. The academic fight and the financial aid fight are the same fight, and the windows are short. How those rules work: SAP appeals and academic dismissal.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid Data Center, Direct Loan volume by school, award year 2025–26 (cumulative through June 30, 2026). University-wide federal Direct Loan totals.

Other Florida nursing programs

These pages set out related procedures: the Florida nursing programs overview, the USF College of Nursing, the UCF College of Nursing, and Florida nursing NCLEX pass rates.

Common questions

Does a 77 pass a nursing course at FGCU?

No. The School of Nursing sets C at 78–84 and does not round, so 77.9 percent is a D — a non-passing grade that counts toward the two-course dismissal rule.

How many nursing courses can I fail at FGCU?

One. A D, F, U, WE, or WF in two different nursing or IDS courses is a dismissal, and so is failing the same course on its repeat attempt.

What happens if I fail the ATI dosage calculation exam?

In the first semester you get three attempts before the course becomes an F. In later clinical courses you get two; a second miss removes you from the course, and you cannot give medications in clinical until you hit the 90 percent benchmark.

Can I withdraw from a course to avoid a failing grade?

Once per course, and never while a clinical removal or dismissal process is pending. A second withdrawal from the same course, or more than three withdrawals in the program, is a dismissal.

How long do I have to appeal a dismissal for unprofessional conduct?

Five school days from the Student Professional Review Committee’s written decision to request review by the School of Nursing Director, then five school days from the Director’s decision to request final review by the Marieb College Dean.