FSU School of Physician Assistant Practice — Dismissal & Appeals

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

When is an FSU physician assistant student dismissed?

In Florida State University’s School of Physician Assistant Practice, two course failures can end the program, and a failure counts toward that limit even after it is successfully remediated. The Student Progress Committee (SPC) reviews academic, clinical, and professionalism problems and makes recommendations. The Associate Dean/Program Director makes the decision. An SPC denial can be appealed to the Program Director within 10 business days, excluding holidays.

The standards in the handbook

• A C or better in every course, and at least 70 percent on every written and practical exam.
• A 3.0 cumulative GPA. Falling below it brings one-time, one-term academic probation, and a student on probation may not start clerkships.
• Remediation is tight. You must contact the course director within two school days of a failure. Remedial work must be finished within three business days after the semester ends. A successful remediation is recorded as a C, and it still counts toward the two-failure dismissal limit.
• Professionalism is graded. A first “Needs Improvement” brings a meeting and a warning. A second sends you to the SPC. A professionalism “Fail” can count as a course failure.
• Five years. The degree must be finished within five years of first registration.

What triggers dismissal

The 2026–2027 handbook lists these grounds for dismissal:

• not bringing the GPA back to 3.0 after the probation term
• failing the initial end-of-rotation exam on any two clerkships
• failing two or more courses, or the same course twice
• breaching a remediation agreement
• not meeting professionalism standards
• violating any provision of the handbook

Short of dismissal, the SPC can recommend probation, suspension, remediation with an independent study plan, a delay with a structured independent study course, or deceleration, which means leaving your cohort and rejoining later. The SPC recommends how long a delay lasts, and the Program Director approves it.

The clinical year

The passing mark on each end-of-rotation (EOR) exam is 70 percent. If you fail one, that part of the grade is scored as zero and you must take a comparable exam within one week. Passing the retake records 70 percent no matter what you actually scored. Failing the retake fails the course and sends you to the SPC. Failing the initial EOR exam on two clerkships is itself a dismissal ground, even if you passed both retakes. Each clerkship also requires passing both the academic and the professionalism grade.

How appeals work

The handbook lets you appeal to the SPC over how a course, clinical, or professionalism grade was determined, a letter for not meeting program standards, or a dismissal letter. Individual assignment and exam scores are not appealable. The steps run in order:

1. Try to resolve it with the course director.
2. If that fails, or if the problem involves the course director, an education director, or the Program Director, submit the Appendix D request form to the SPC Chair.
3. If the SPC denies your request, appeal to the Program Director within 10 business days, excluding holidays, of the SPC decision. If the matter involves program leadership, the appeal goes back to the SPC Chair for escalation to College of Medicine leadership.

The SPC sends written recommendations to the Associate Dean/Program Director, or to the Dean of the College of Medicine when the Program Director is involved. In an academic integrity case, the handbook gives you written notice of the charges, a prompt hearing, the right to present evidence, and the right to appear with an advisor.

FSU is a public university, so constitutional due process applies to disciplinary action, while courts give real deference to academic judgment. The practical result: the strongest argument is usually that the program skipped or misapplied a step in its own handbook, not that the faculty graded you wrong.

Leave, withdrawal, and readmission

A leave of absence is requested from the Associate Dean/Program Director. If that request is denied, it goes automatically to the SPC. A leave cannot be used to escape poor academic or professionalism performance. After a leave of more than one semester, the SPC can require you to show current competency. Students returning from a leave or a deceleration must confirm their return in writing at least 90 days before the semester starts. A student who withdraws from the program must reapply through the normal process, and readmission is not guaranteed.

Where the governing documents are

The FSU School of Physician Assistant Practice Handbook & Policy Manual, 2026–2027 (Student Progress Committee, appeals and grievances, deceleration, leave, and readmission), linked from the program’s policies page, and the FSU Graduate Bulletin. Start with the edition for your class and the current one.

The federal money on the line at FSU

Florida State University students and families took on $149.3 million in federal Direct Loans in the 2025–26 award year — $80.6 million of it borrowed unsubsidized by 4,217 graduate and professional students.

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 FSU and Florida PA programs

These pages set out related procedures: the Florida physician assistant programs overview, the FSU College of Medicine, the UF School of Physician Assistant Studies, and the NSU physician assistant program.

Common questions

Does a remediated course still count against me at FSU?

Yes. The handbook counts every course failure toward the two-failure dismissal limit, even if you successfully remediate it. The remediated grade is recorded as a C.

I failed an end-of-rotation exam but passed the retake. Am I in trouble?

The retake is recorded at 70 percent. But failing the initial EOR exam on two clerkships is a dismissal ground even when both retakes are passed, so a first EOR failure deserves attention right away.

How long do I have to appeal an SPC decision?

Ten business days, excluding holidays, from the SPC decision, to the Program Director. Before that, the request goes to the SPC on the handbook’s Appendix D form.

Can I bring someone to an SPC hearing?

For academic integrity charges, the handbook gives you the right to appear with an advisor. Ask the SPC Chair in writing what applies to your hearing before the date is set.