Policies | Progress Committee | Academic Progress

Academic Progress

Satisfactory Progress

Federal regulations for satisfactory progress require a consistent and reasonable standard of academic progress and basic elements of a policy that measures satisfactory progress. A school must have a satisfactory academic progress policy to carry out the statutory requirement that a student must be making satisfactory progress to be eligible for aid under the student financial assistance programs. The policy must be applied consistently to all students within identifiable categories of students; this includes students who are not receiving financial assistance. The policy must conform to the standards of the school’s accrediting agency.

Qualitative Measure of Academic Progress

The academic progress policy must include a qualitative measure of the student’s progress, such as passing qualifying exams and both Step I and Steps II of the U.S. Medical Licensing Examination and writing an acceptable thesis. But this alone is not a sufficient measure of progress. If a student fails to take the USMLE exams as specified on this website, fails to finish incomplete work and/or remedial study within the time frame defined by the Progress Committee, or fails to meet any of the requirements for promotion and graduation as specified on this website, the student is not considered in good standing and is not entitled to the privileges of a Yale Medical Student.

Quantitative Measure of Academic Progress

To accurately measure the student’s progress in the program, the satisfactory progress policy must have a quantitative measure of progress as well. One must complete all requirements for the Doctor of Medicine degree within six years after first enrollment in the program, not including any time for approved leave of absence but including time for extended study unless granted an exception by the Progress Committee. Students should bear in mind that some states in which they may be doing residency abide by the “seven year rule.” That rule requires that the student take Step III of USMLE within 7 years of taking Step I. Some state licensing boards may be amenable to an appeal based on extended time in pursuing more than one degree, but there are no guarantees. 

To quantify academic progress, the Yale University School of Medicine has set a maximum time frame in which students are expected to finish the program. To ensure that a student is making quantitative progress throughout the course of study, the school will assess the student’s qualitative progress at least once an academic year. This incremental assessment of progress compares the percentage the student attempted to the percentage the student successfully completed, to see if the student is progressing at a rate that will allow him or her to finish the program within the maximum time frame. Any student assessed by the Progress Committee not to meet the qualitative and quantitative requirements may be dismissed. 

If for any reason, the School allows the student who has not satisfactorily progressed within the six-year limit and is allowed to enroll at the Yale University School of Medicine based on special cases or mitigating circumstances, no financial assistance will be available beyond the six years. This includes federal, university, and/or private funding.

Unsatisfactory Performance Policy

The faculty reserves the right to require at any time the withdrawal of any student when in the opinion of the instructors it is evident that the student is unfit for any reason to continue the course. The Yale Medical School has an obligation to protect patients, students and employees, as well as an obligation to protect its mission in education and research, from harm caused by an action or condition of a student or employee. On this website, we deal only with harm caused by a medical student. 

Potential harm may be caused by neurological disease or degeneration, emotional or psychological disorders, or the use of drugs or alcohol. Potential harm may be described as arising from behavior regarded by patients or the public as alarming, threatening, bizarre, hostile, or otherwise inconsistent with the duties and responsibilities of a student; or behavior that is disruptive for working groups, medical treatment, or educational processes. 

Potential harm to other people that occurs in the context of a person’s professional, medical or academic duties is a legitimate concern of the School of Medicine. Private acts of students outside of this context are also a legitimate concern of the Medical School because they may indicate the existence of a potential hazard if the person continues his or her role as a student. For example, if a person is convicted of assault or the possession of drugs or firearms, or is admitted to an institution for the treatment of alcoholism, this condition is a potential hazard to the public and such a student may not continue in his or her role as a medical student until satisfactorily rehabilitated. Any such behavior reported to the associate dean for student affairs will be referred to the Progress Committee for appropriate action.