Grades, repeats and progression in Loyola graduate nursing
Loyola University New Orleans sets B- (80%) as the lowest acceptable grade in any graduate nursing course, and a cumulative GPA below 3.0 puts you on probation. Repeats are where Loyola's own sources part ways: the university, the nursing bulletin and the handbook each describe the limit differently. Here is how progression works, what can end a program, and how to appeal.
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The grade line: B- and 80%
The 2026-27 graduate bulletin makes B- (80%) the minimum acceptable grade in any graduate nursing course. Courses graded Pass/Fail are marked as such in the syllabus, and passing one takes 80% or better on every evaluation element, not an 80% average. A high score on one element cannot offset a score below 80% on another.
Pass/Fail courses do not count toward your GPA, which matters once probation enters the picture. Practicum preceptors also complete evaluations for Loyola: the Practicum Evaluation Form at the end of the term, and for AGACNP students a midterm evaluation as well. Ask your course faculty how those evaluations feed into your grade, and read the practicum syllabus in Canvas in week one so you know each element and its threshold.
Probation and the 3.0 line
A cumulative GPA below 3.0 places a graduate nursing student on academic probation, and the nursing bulletin lists failing to raise the GPA above 3.0 after probation as grounds for dismissal. How long you have to recover is another point where Loyola's sources differ.
| Source | What it says |
|---|---|
| Nursing Student Handbook | The next two consecutive semesters to bring the GPA back to 3.0 |
| University graduate rule | Improvement expected in the next semester, with one more semester of continued probation allowed if the student is not suspended |
Probation narrows your options elsewhere too. A student on probation needs the associate dean's approval for an Incomplete, and a graduate student with a GPA under 3.0 who leaves the university must apply for readmission to return. The Incompletes and leave page covers both.
Repeating a course: three rules that do not match
If a practicum or theory course ends below B-, you repeat it. The question is how many attempts Loyola allows, and the answer depends on which document you read.
| Source | Repeat rule |
|---|---|
| University regulations | A graduate student may repeat a course graded B- or below only once; every grade stays on the record and counts in standing |
| 2026-27 nursing bulletin | Dismissal if you need to take one course a third time, or need to repeat more than two courses |
| Nursing Student Handbook | Dismissal if you need to repeat the same course more than twice |
Side by side, the university rule allows a second attempt only, the bulletin draws its line at a third attempt, and the handbook's wording could be read as allowing more. Plan around one repeat per course, the strictest reading, until your program director and Academic Advisor confirm your limit in writing.
Hours logged ahead of a fully signed affiliation agreement are lost, and the course may have to be taken again, which uses up one of your repeats.
What can end a graduate nursing program
Dismissal triggers Loyola lists for graduate nursing students
- An F in any theory (non-practicum) course
- Needing to take the same course a third time
- Needing to repeat more than two courses
- Not raising a cumulative GPA above 3.0 after probation
- A plan of study that cannot be completed inside the five-year window
- A positive drug screen, including marijuana after one retest or medications without a provider's documentation, which is also reported to the LSBN
- Not reporting an encumbrance, a restriction or board discipline on your RN or APRN license
Two notes on that list. The F rule names theory courses specifically; a practicum that ends below B- has to be repeated, so the repeat limits come into play, and your program director can tell you how your course is treated. Withdrawal is not a way out either: Loyola says a withdrawal cannot be used to avoid a pending academic dismissal. Anyone dismissed under the drug policy can seek readmission only by writing to the program, and the return has to satisfy LSBN requirements. See the background check and drug screen and RN license rules.
When a practicum goes wrong mid-term
Most progression trouble in a practicum starts with hours, not knowledge. A preceptor who leaves, a site that stalls on paperwork or a compliance item that lapses can put the whole term at risk.
- Hours before the agreement: time logged while any signature is still missing from the affiliation agreement is forfeited
- Compliance hold: an out-of-date requirement keeps you off the practicum roster and places a hold on your record
- Midterm shortfall: an AGACNP student below half the term's hours at midterm owes an action plan
- Unfinished hours: the AGACNP guide sends unfinished hours to an Incomplete grade, which has its own conditions
- Changed dates: your faculty of record can sign off on a new start or finish date through the Early Start/Extension Practicum approval form
Speed matters in each case. If your preceptor leaves, our preceptor dropped out page lays out the first moves, and early start and extension covers the date-change form.
Appeals and grievances
Loyola gives each kind of decision its own path, and some of the clocks are short.
- Academic dismissal from nursingEmail the associate dean and the Director of the School of Nursing with your documentation within 5 calendar days. A decision follows within 10 calendar days.
- Dismissal under the drug policyThis route runs under the Student Code of Conduct, handled by the university's Director of Student Conduct.
- A final gradeOnly final grades can be appealed. Talk with the instructor, then the department chair, then the associate dean. The appeal form is due within 30 days of the grade, and the grounds are an error, a violation of written policy, or capricious grading.
- Other academic grievancesTake the issue first to course faculty, then the program director and the Director of the School of Nursing; after them come the College of Nursing and Health's assistant dean, the dean's office and, last, the provost.
How we help keep a practicum on track
Most of the risks on this page begin with a placement problem, and that is the part we solve. We find preceptors who fit your course and can commit to the full term, confirm the site's affiliation agreement status before you log a single hour, and keep your compliance calendar and the three-month lead time in view so nothing lapses between terms.
If a preceptor leaves mid-term, we start on a replacement while you talk with your course faculty, which gives you the best chance of finishing your hours inside the term. Loyola's faculty and placement office make every approval decision, and we send them complete requests that already match Loyola's requirements. Talk to our placement desk.
Questions Loyola students ask
What is the lowest passing grade in Loyola's graduate nursing courses?
B-, which Loyola sets at 80%, is the minimum acceptable grade in any graduate nursing course. Courses graded Pass/Fail require 80% or better on every evaluation element rather than on average. A grade below B- means repeating the course, and repeats are limited, so treat 80% as a floor rather than a target.
How many times can I repeat a nursing course at Loyola?
Loyola's sources differ. University regulations let a graduate student repeat a course graded B- or below only once. The nursing bulletin dismisses a student who needs a course a third time or needs to repeat more than two courses, and the handbook dismisses one who must repeat the same course more than twice. Confirm your limit with your program director.
Does a Pass/Fail practicum affect my GPA?
No. Loyola's bulletin says Pass/Fail courses do not count toward GPA, so a Pass will not lift a GPA sitting near 3.0 and a Fail will not pull it down directly. A failed Pass/Fail course still has to be repeated, though, and that attempt counts under Loyola's repeat limits.
How long do I have to appeal a dismissal from Loyola's nursing program?
Five calendar days. The Nursing Student Handbook asks you to email the associate dean and the Director of the School of Nursing with supporting documentation within that window, and a decision comes within 10 calendar days. Dismissals tied to the drug policy follow a different route, through the university's Director of Student Conduct.
Can I withdraw from Loyola to avoid being dismissed?
No. Loyola's enrollment regulations state that a withdrawal cannot be used to avoid a pending academic dismissal. It also complicates a return, since a student who stays away a year, or leaves with a graduate GPA below 3.0, must be readmitted. If dismissal is possible, the appeal route and a conversation with your program director are the steps to take.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-25
We check these pages against Loyola's own bulletin, program pages, practicum guides, forms and licensure disclosures. Your plan of study, your practicum guide, your program director and the Clinical Practicum Coordinator have the final word.
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