Annual Status and Funding Review
Admission to GSAS graduate programs is for the length of the program and contingent on satisfactory academic progress. The Annual Status and Funding Review (ASFR) is an opportunity each spring for each department and program to review each student’s progress, adjust funding if needed, and reconcile academic status and funding records with GSAS. Funding and academic status should be considered separately from each other. Academic concerns should be handled through an academic review process and consultation with the student and the GSAS administration. The student’s financial support package is maintained regardless of academic status while the student is currently enrolled. Exceptions to this policy must be approved by the Associate Director, Operations, Administration, and Budget and the Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs.
The ASFR process begins in late spring. It is the responsibility of the department to track student progress toward milestones and determine whether each student is making satisfactory progress with all requirements (e.g., classwork, TA/TF requirements, language requirements, qualifying exams, prospectus) based on program requirements in the University Bulletin. GSAS will ask departments to note students for whom there are concerns about their academic performance. In order to be in good academic standing, students must be making satisfactory academic progress by the standards of GSAS.
In terms of academic progress, the annual academic performance review that is completed by all programs is a time to carefully review all students, especially first- and second-year students in PhD programs. Master’s students should also be closely reviewed, especially those in programs requiring a thesis to complete the degree, as some students remain well after meeting their residency requirement. The Extended Master’s status and limits on staying in this status were designed to lessen the time-to-degree for such students, but the ASFR process is the opportunity to review whether a student is going to be able to successfully meet degree requirements.
The sciences are required by the government to complete an Individual Development Plan (IDP) for each student, and the progress report completed during the review process is a short reflection of the IDP. The non-sciences are urged to develop their own version of an IDP to be completed with the student and reviewed each year, which will assist with determining which students need additional monitoring beyond the annual review process.