Addendum to Student Handbook and Academic Catalog 2025-2026

Update: 07/17/2025

Course Name Change

The name of the MEDE735 Clinical On-Ramp course has been updated to MEDE 735 Foundations for COMLEX Success.

Update: 08/04/2025

Updated Grade Tables:

NON-CALCULATED CREDIT: Included in hours earned

NON-CREDIT VALUES: Excluded from hours earned

Course Remediation

Students who are required to remediate a course will retain the original grade on record until the remediation process is successfully completed. Upon successful completion, the course director will submit a grade change, and the original grade will be updated to RP (Remediated Pass). The final recorded percentage for a successfully remediated course will be 70%, regardless of the student’s actual performance during remediation. Please refer to the Remediation Policy and Process in the Student Handbook and Academic Catalog.

If a student initially received an IP (In Progress) grade and does not successfully complete the required remediation, the IP will be converted to a grade of F (Fail). For additional information, please refer to the In Progress (IP) Grade Policy.

Incomplete Grades

A course director may assign a grade of Incomplete (I) if a student is unable to complete the course/section because of extenuating circumstances beyond the student’s control. Extenuating circumstances can include the following:

• Serious illness or injury of the student (hospitalization, surgery, or extended medical leave)
• Death of an immediate family member or close relative
• Documented mental health crisis affecting the student’s ability to complete coursework
• Military deployment or obligations occurring during the term
• Significant personal hardship (e.g., fire, flood, or other natural disaster impacting the living situation)
• Unexpected caregiving responsibilities (e.g., caring for an ill child, spouse, or parent)
• Legal obligations (jury duty, court appearances, or immigration proceedings)
• Other unforeseeable or extraordinary circumstances that prevent completion of required coursework, as approved by the institution.

The course director, or their designee, will complete an Incomplete Grade Contract clearly detailing requirements for completion of the course/section.

The student will receive a copy of the contract via the student’s KHSU-KansasCOM email address. The student will have three (3) business days to respond to the incomplete grade contract request. If a response is not received, the student will receive the current earned grade with all missing assignments calculated as a zero.

Students receiving an incomplete grade must coordinate with the course director to satisfy all outstanding coursework for the course/section. Once outstanding requirements for the course are satisfied, the Course Director, or their designee, will process a change of grade form converting the incomplete to a grade.

DEADLINE: The student has a maximum of 180 days (about 6 months) to work with faculty to complete the incomplete. Once 180 days have passed, the incomplete becomes a failure.
Please note: Incomplete Grades may impact a student’s Financial Aid. Please contact Financial Aid for questions.

In Progress (IP) Grade Policy Refer to 11/20/2025 Updates below

Students actively participating in COMLEX readiness courses, clinical rotations, clerkships, and sub-internships are eligible for In Progress (IP) grades as per this policy. The IP grade may be assigned by the appropriate faculty member when a student requires additional time to complete COMLEX requirements or when a final grade from a preceptor is pending.

For COMLEX readiness courses, an IP grade may be assigned at the end of each term to reflect ongoing academic engagement. The IP grade will remain until the student receives approval to sit for the COMLEX 1 exam. The IP grade will be converted to a Pass/Fail grade, as appropriate. Students who are unable to successfully complete a repeated COMLEX readiness course are considered not to have met academic progression requirements and may be dismissed from the program.

For clinical rotations, clerkships, and sub-internships, students assigned an IP grade must complete outstanding requirements or facilitate the submission of the final preceptor grade within 60 days. The Clinical Education Administrative team will oversee the progress of students with IP grades and ensure timely resolution. If requirements are not met or a final grade is not received within the 60-day period, the IP grade will be converted to a failing grade.

Please refer to the National Licensing Exam (COMLEX) policy for specifics regarding the exam and exam preparation.

In circumstances where an IP grade remains unresolved beyond the 60-day period, the Clinical Education team will coordinate with external entities (e.g., preceptors, clinical sites, and affiliated programs) to secure the documentation and information necessary to finalize the student’s grade.

Once requirements are met or a preceptor grade is received, the IP grade will be replaced with the appropriate final grade reported to the Office of the Registrar. All IP grades must be resolved and converted to a final letter grade before graduation.

Failure Policy

National Licensing Exam Policy (COMLEX)

Remediation Policy and Process

Student Conduct and Student Performance Committee Appeal Process

Failure Policy

KHSU-KansasCOM attempts to provide a pathway and support for each of its students to achieve success with the academic curriculum, achieve success on national board exams and achieve the professional competency expected by the profession and the public.  While the school is committed to providing assistance to each of its students to make it possible for them to achieve such success, it will not lower standards below what is expected as a student of KHSU-KansasCOM and the profession for an individual student.

Students who earn failing course grades are subject to action by the University.  This policy applies specifically to course failures.  Board exam failures are governed by the National Licensing Exam Policy (COMLEX) which is located within the Student Handbook and Academic Catalog.  Clerkship rotation failures are governed by policies found within the Clerkship Manual. 

Failure of a remediation examination, by itself, does not constitute an additional cumulative failure and does not count in the cumulative total of failures for each student.  For more information about remediation, see the Remediation Policy in the Student Handbook & Academic Catalog. 

Course failures accrue cumulatively over a student’s academic career at KHSU-KansasCOM. If the student has an academic course failure(s) from the previous year, then the course failures accrue in a cumulative manner. For example, if a student has failed one course in OMS I and fails another in OMS II, the failure is considered the student’s second cumulative failure.  A failure of a course is still considered a failure, even if it is remediated successfully, for the purposes of this policy.

For academic related failures and reviews, the Student Performance Committee (SPC) process is provided within this Student Handbook & Academic Catalog. Please note that course failures affect Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) for federal financial aid purposes. Please review the SAP policy in the Financial Aid section of the Student Handbook & Academic Catalog. 

OMS I and OMS II Years

Students with one course failure, who also fail the remediation of that course, will not be allowed to progress to OMS II or OMS III until the course is successfully passed.  This may require the student to repeat an academic year, given courses are only offered once per academic year. 

Students with only one academic failure on their record, who also fail a remediation attempt in Trimester 1 or 2, may be granted permission to attempt remediation one additional time at the end of Trimester 3. Permission for additional remediation attempts can only be granted by the Student Performance Committee (SPC) or the Dean/Chief Academic Officer. 

Should the student fail the second remediation attempt, they will be required to repeat the failed course and any additional courses in which they had achieved a final grade of less than 80%.  Students will be responsible for costs associated with the retaking of any portion of the curriculum. 

Additionally, students may be recommended for academic monitoring, academic warning, or academic probation, as subsequently described in this policy, by the SPC, based on individual academic performance. 

First Failure

Students obtaining their first failure are automatically granted the opportunity to remediate said failure. Students should expect to be contacted by KHSU-KansasCOM faculty and/or staff to discuss their academic progress and what support systems can be put in place to assist the student in improving their academic progress. The student may be required to create a Learning Enhancement Plan as part of these conversations.

Additional Course Failures

Students obtaining more than one failure are automatically required to go before the SPC committee for academic review. The Office of Student Affairs will notify the student of the date/time of their meeting with the committee and will advise them on how to prepare for the hearing. Any student who has obtained more than one failure may be required to undergo additional academic monitoring including, but not limited to: academic warning, academic probation, individualized academic plans, required meetings with learning specialists, tutoring services, counseling services, and/or mandatory attendance in-person.  This additional academic monitoring is determined by the SPC. Further, more than one failure may require a student to repeat an academic year, or be considered for academic dismissal.

Second Failure

The SPC may recommend the student be allowed to remediate the courses only, be required to repeat the courses the following year and audit other parts of the curriculum or be required to repeat the entire academic year, for credit. These decisions will be made by the SPC based upon the individual circumstances found in the student’s academic record (such as the number of courses the student scored less than 80% as their final grade).         

Third Failure

The student and the totality of their academic record will be reviewed by the SPC as part of its decision-making process.   

Fourth Failure

Failures totaling four courses at any stage of the curriculum during the cumulative OMS-I and OMS-II years will result in dismissal from the COM.

Failure of any single course by a student during a repeated academic year requires appearance before the SPC and a second failure of a previously failed course during a repeated academic year is grounds for automatic dismissal from the University.

**Students who have accrued four (4) course failures as of the effective date of this policy, are not subject to automatic dismissal.  However, if a student with four current cumulative course failures as of the effective date of this policy fails another course (course failure #5), the student will be considered for academic dismissal.  

OMS-III and OMS-IV Years

A student may be allowed to remediate no more than 1 course/rotation during each of the OMS-III and OMS IV academic years. A failing grade is determined by both the preceptor evaluation and the student’s rotational COMAT exam.  Failure of any clinical course/rotation will require appearance before SPC for evaluation of the student’s professionalism, among other factors. Failure to achieve a passing score on the preceptor evaluation component of any rotation evaluation is not subject to remediation and results in failure of the course with the requirement to appeal before the SPC.

Failure of two courses during any one of the clinical years may be grounds for dismissal from KansasCOM based on SPC evaluation or other academic and/or professional performance. Failure of two courses during either the OMS-III or OMS-IV clinical years, in addition to being considered grounds for dismissal, may result in the student having to repeat portions of, or entire academic years of the curriculum, before being allowed to continue with clinical education.  Failure of three courses cumulatively, during the OMS-III and OMS-IV years, constitute grounds for automatic dismissal from the COM.

Failure of remediation of a rotation does not count as an additional failure but will result in the student being required to appear before SPC. Such failure could result in being recommended for dismissal, the student being placed on an alternative academic schedule (which could affect graduation dates and eligibility for COMLEX or GME placement) or as stated above, the requirement to repeat an entire academic year. Other provisions may include, but are not limited to, altered or individual academic schedules or plans, required meetings with academic or behavioral counselors, required outside academic course, required intensive or outside remediation or preparatory course and/or mandatory, in-person, attendance in class.

*            *            *            *            *            *            *

National Licensing Exam Policy (COMLEX)

COMLEX examination applications are available online at www.nbome.org. All students of KHSU-KansasCOM must successfully complete and pass all required components of the COMLEX examinations in order to graduate from the KHSU-KansasCOM.

COMLEX Level 1

KHSU-KansasCOM has a very specific 9-month long COMLEX study plan which includes free COMLEX resources, required summer assignments, monthly QBank requirements, required practice exams, and a required practice exam score threshold that must be met in order to sit for COMLEX. Students are required to sign a document at the beginning of their COMLEX study period acknowledging the expectations and requirements.

In order to become eligible to sit for COMLEX Level 1, second year medical students must first take and pass a series of institutionally required Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Self-Assessment Examination (COMSAE) practice exams and pass all pre-clinical course work. All second-year students will be required to sit for the COMSAE exams in the winter/spring of their second year, on a date determined by the Dean/Chief Academic Officer. The Dean/Chief Academic Officer will also set the minimum score on the practice exams that students must reach in order to be considered as “passing” and become eligible to sit for COMLEX level 1.

For the academic year 2025-2026 the required level of achievement for the COMSAE examinations, for OMS II students, is a score of 450. The COMSAE threshold requirement is subject to change year to year and will be determined and provided to students no later than October 1st, each academic year. Students should not assume that the previous year’s threshold score will be the current year’s threshold requirement.

Those students who have successfully passed all of their pre-clinical course work and met or exceeded the minimum score on COMSAE will then be eligible to sit for COMLEX Level 1. Students who do not meet the minimum threshold score will be subject to academic review by the Student Performance Committee in consultation with the Office of the Dean/Chief Academic Officer and will be notified of their academic options.

Students who do not meet the minimum threshold may be required to do one or more of the following to support COMLEX Level 1 readiness:

• COMLEX Readiness Course: Any student not reaching the set COMSAE threshold may be considered to take a COMLEX preparation course. Similarly, any students who eventually fail COMLEX may be required to take a COMLEX readiness course of no less than 4 weeks and no more than 12 weeks in length.

The course may be student and KansasCOM directed and structured, it may involve an outside structured board preparation course completed locally or the student may be required to take a remote immersion board review course. Students must use a KansasCOM approved board study course. The medical school will provide a list of pre-approved programs. The student is expected to pay for the cost of any mandated course. Once the course is completed, KansasCOM will notify the students of the timeframe for an additional COMSAE, or similar exam, to determine readiness.

• Repeat of Academic Year: The student could be required to repeat the entire OMS-II year (or a portion of their coursework designated by the Dean/Chief Academic Officer) before sitting for the COMSAE or COMLEX examinations. The student’s academic record will be reviewed and details such as how many courses a student has failed will influence whether a student needs to repeat an academic year.
• Academic Leave of Absence: The student may be placed on an Academic Leave of Absence for up to six months. The academic focused LOA includes a research project that meets specific standards, along with simultaneous board exam preparation.

Students who do not meet or exceed the threshold score for the COMSAE series do not get to select which alternative path option is made available to them. These determinations will be made by the Dean/Chief Academic Officer in consultation with Student Performance Committee (SPC).

Once a second-year medical student has passed the COMSAE exam minimum threshold score, they are eligible to sit for COMLEX Level 1 between early May and June 30th. Students who wish to take their exam in May must be approved to do so in advance of their COMLEX date. All second-year medical students must take the COMLEX Level 1 exam no later than June 30th and must successfully have sat for the exam prior to proceeding on to the third year of the curriculum. Students who are delayed in sitting for their exam, for any reason, may find that their academic calendar and clerkship schedule is altered, affecting their potential graduation date, eligibility to begin Graduate Medical Education, and may impact flexibility within their entire clinical rotation schedule.

A failure of COMLEX Level 1 one or more times does not count as a cumulative class or clerkship failure for the student. However, any failure on COMLEX Level 1 will require the student to appear before the SPC for academic review. As part of that review, SPC will consider whether academic dismissal is an appropriate outcome based upon the student’s academic record and board exam performance.

Failure of COMLEX Level 1 three times results in automatic dismissal from KansasCOM without eligibility for appeal.

COMLEX Level 2 CE

In order to become eligible to sit for COMLEX Level 2 CE, third-year medical students must first take and pass a series of institutionally required COMSAE practice exams. All third-year students will be required to sit for the COMSAE exams in the winter/spring of their third year, on a date determined by the Dean/Chief Academic Officer in consultation with the Office of Clinical Education.

The Office of Clinical Education and Dean/Chief Academic Officer will set the minimum scores, which students must reach in order to be considered as “passing”. The required threshold level is based on historical outcomes of students from the COM when taking COMSAE and COMLEX Level 2. Those Level 2 students who meet or exceed the threshold minimum score will then be eligible to sit for COMLEX Level 2 CE. Additionally, students have to pass all year 3 courses/rotations, to be eligible to sit for COMLEX Level 2 CE.

For the academic year 2025-2026 the required level of achievement for the COMSAE examinations, for OMS III students, is a score of 450. This required threshold will be determined and provided to students by October 1st, each academic year, and is subject to change year-to-year. Students should not assume that the previous year’s threshold score will be the current year’s threshold requirement.

OMS III students who meet or exceed the minimum threshold score will then be eligible to sit for COMLEX Level 2 CE. OMS-III students who do not meet the minimum threshold score will be subject to academic review by the Office of Clinical Education and the Office of the Dean/Chief Academic Officer and will be notified of their academic options.

Students who do not meet the minimum COMSAE threshold may be required to do any one of the following to demonstrate and ensure readiness to sit for COMLEX:

• COMLEX Readiness Course- The student will be required to take a COMLEX readiness course of no less than 4 weeks and no more than 12 weeks in length.
• Non-Clinical Elective Course- Students may be required to take a non-clinical elective course including an immersion board review course that focuses on COMLEX Level 2 CE readiness.
  • The course may be student and KansasCOM directed and structured.
  • The student may be required to take an outside structured board preparation course completed locally.
  • The student may be required to take a remote board preparation course.
  • The student is expected to pay for the cost of any mandated course.
  • Once the course has been completed, KansasCOM will notify the student if an additional COMSAE, or similar exam, will be required to be taken to determine readiness.
• Repeat of Academic Year- The student may be required to repeat the entire OMS-III year (or a portion of their coursework designated by the Office of Clinical Education or Dean/Chief Academic Officer) before sitting for the additional COMSAE exams.
• Academic Leave of Absence- The student may be placed on an Academic Leave of Absence for up to six months. The required academic focused LOA includes a research project that meets specific standards, along with simultaneous board exam preparation.

OMS III students who do not meet or exceed the set COMSAE threshold score do not get to select which alternative path option is made available to them for further preparation. These determinations will be made by the Office of Clinical Education and the Office of the Dean/Chief Academic Officer.

Students who do not meet the required COMSAE threshold and/or fail COMLEX Level 2 CE may experience delays in completing their progress for fourth-year rotations. Such delays may result in alternative pathways for completing fourth-year rotations. These delays could interrupt or alter the student’s graduation date, their eligibility for entering the residency match, complicate rotation availability, or result in the cancellation of or change to elective rotations as well as complicate rotation locations and schedules.

Students who fail the COMLEX exam, at any level, will be removed from their rotations after they finish the rotation in which they are currently enrolled and will be required to appear before SPC for academic review.

Third- and fourth-year students become eligible to sit for COMLEX Level 2 CE only after successful completion of all third-year core clerkship rotations, meeting the minimum COMSAE threshold, and approval to sit for the exam is provided by the Office of Clinical Education.

• Students must register for COMLEX Level 2 CE no later than February 15th.
• Students must take COMLEX Level 2 CE no later than August 15th.
• In the case of an initial COMLEX 2 CE failure, students must retake the COMLEX Level 2 CE no later than December 1st of the fourth year in order to qualify to graduate.

Students requesting permission to take either COMLEX Level 1 or Level 2 CE exams outside the required dates must have authorization from the Dean/Chief Academic Officer. Students who do not adhere to the above are referred to an appropriate KHSC-KansasCOM official for a professionalism review and may face disciplinary action.

COMLEX Failures

Students who fail a COMLEX exam for the first time will be referred to the SPC for academic review. Students can expect to be removed from rotations after they complete the rotations in which they are currently enrolled. The Office of Clinical Education will notify them of appropriate next steps.

Students with a first COMLEX failure can expect the SPC review will include a review of all didactic courses and the failure of a national licensing board exam as part of that review. The SPC will consider academic dismissal, placing the student on a non-clinical COMLEX preparation course, board-preparation course, and/or a research focused academic leave of absence.

Students who fail any segment of the COMLEX exam(s) for a second time can expect to be removed from rotations after they complete the rotations in which they are currently enrolled and appear before SPC for academic review. They are subject to a recommendation for academic dismissal by the SPC, based on the entirety of their academic performance/progress to this point. If allowed to continue, they will be required to complete either a school directed course locally or enroll in and complete an independent intensive board preparation course before sitting for the exam a third time. Students must use a KansasCOM approved board study course. A list of approved courses will be provided to students. The cost of that board preparation course is the student’s responsibility.

The student may be placed on academic leave of absence during this time for up to six months to prepare for the examination, complete the examination and have the exam scores returned to the COM. The student must complete all segments of the examination and receive a passing grade during the leave of absence time-period. Failure to do so will result in dismissal from the COM.

Students are limited in the number of times they can take COMLEX Level 1 and Level 2 CE. They are limited to a maximum of three attempts per exam. If a student fails either test three times, they are subject to automatic dismissal from KansasCOM without the option of appealing that decision.

*            *            *            *            *            *            *

Remediation Policy and Process

Course Remediation

A student must remediate any course in which they do not achieve a passing overall grade of 70% or higher or fail to successfully complete or pass required course elements, regardless of the overall passing threshold. (Course elements include any part of a course which is completed for a grade that count as part of the final grade in the course.) In an academic year, students who failed their first course are automatically granted remediation by the Student Performance Committee (SPC). Students who fail additional courses may remediate only when given permission by the SPC.

A student cannot attempt to remediate more than two (2) courses from any single trimester. Students failing two courses in a single trimester are referred to the SPC and may be required to repeat an academic year. The maximum number of courses allowed to be remediated in a single academic year is three (3). Students who have more than three (3) courses to remediate at the end of an academic year are referred to SPC for academic year and may face academic dismissal or having to repeat an academic year.

Students accumulating four (4) course failures are required to go before the SPC and are subject to academic dismissal from KHSC-KansasCOM. (See the Failure Policy within the Student Handbook and Academic Catalog for more details.)

Remediation of a course requires the student to pass a remediation exam that is approved by the course director and/or phase director of the failed course. The content within the remediation exam is at the sole discretion of the course director but will align with the original exam content and level of difficulty. The student will be expected to pass that remediation exam, at a 70% or higher, to successfully remediate the failed course.

Successful remediation of a course failure requires an average minimum score of 70% or higher in all components of the remediation. All courses must be successfully remediated prior to the student being promoted to the next academic year. Students who have not successfully remediated a failed course(s) are not eligible to sit for COMLEX Level 1 or Level 2.

A successful remediation of a failed course will result in a grade of “RP” (Remediated Pass) and score of 70% utilized for calculation of GPA, class rank, etc.

Remediation Process

• Final grades are determined for an exam and course after a review of the exam questions by the Office of Assessment and the course director.
• Following a course failure, the student will be notified, in writing, of the failure by the Office of Student Affairs.
• The communication to the student will include instructions and requirements. The student should ensure close adherence to all instructions. The letter will also outline when and if the student will appear before the SPC.
• If the student is required to appear before the SPC, and completes that meeting with the committee, the SPC will send a letter to the student notifying them whether they are allowed to remediate and provide them the date of the remediation and any other requirements that are part of that notification.
• Failure to comply with any requirements will be shared with the SPC for disposition.
• Prior to the date of remediation, the Office of Assessment will notify the student of the date/time of their remediation and provide any testing related details that are pertinent to the examination.

Remediation for OMS I and OMS II Students

Students with only one academic failure on their record, who also fail a remediation attempt in Trimester 1 or 2, may be granted permission to attempt remediation one additional time at the end of Trimester 3. Students should understand that being granted an additional remediation attempt is not guaranteed. Permission for additional remediation attempts can only be granted by the Student Performance Committee (SPC) and/or the Dean/Chief Academic Officer.

Should the student fail the second remediation attempt, they will be required to repeat the failed course and any additional courses in which they had achieved a final grade of less than 80%. Students should expect costs associated with retaking of any portion of the curriculum. See the Tuition and Fees Policy within the Student Handbook and Academic Catalog for more information.

Remediation for OMS III and OMS IV Students

Students are allowed to remediate no more than one (1) course/rotation during each of the OMS III and OMS IV academic years.

Failure of a Remediation Exam or Rotation

For OMS I and OMS II students, failure of a remediation examination, by itself, does not constitute an additional cumulative failure, as outlined in the Failure Policy, and does not count in the cumulative total of failures for each student. However, a student’s performance on remediation exams is reviewed and considered as part of the SPC’s academic review process.

For OMS III and OMS IV students, failure of remediation of a rotation does not count as an additional failure but will result in the student failing the rotation and being required to appear before the SPC. Failure to achieve a passing score on the preceptor evaluation component of any rotation evaluation is not subject to remediation and results in failure of the course with the requirement to appeal before the SPC. See the Failure Policy, outlined in the Student Handbook and Academic Catalog for more information.

Students who do not pass the remediation opportunity will be assigned a failing (F) grade for the course and referred to the SPC for review. To assist the student in their overall academic success, the SPC may include completion of additional coursework or assignments, required meetings with academic support teams, behavioral requirements to address learning deficiencies, and other requirements designed for academic success.

*            *            *            *            *            *            *

Student Conduct and Student Performance Committee Appeal Process

All students who are charged and found responsible for a violation of the Professional Code of Conduct have the right to appeal against the decision of the Student Performance Committee (SPC) or hearing officer.

Students seen by the Student Performance Committee for academic related issues also have the right to appeal against the SPC decision. 

The appeal process is not an opportunity to have the determination of the original hearing reconsidered merely because of the student’s dissatisfaction with the decision, rather, appeals are limited to four specific criteria and must be based on one or more of the following:

• Disproportionate Sanction- The sanction imposed is clearly inconsistent with the severity of the violation or inconsistent with institutional/SPC precedent. 

• Evidence of Improper Procedure- Students can argue, as part of their appeal, that guaranteed parts of the disciplinary or academic review process were not followed.  The student must provide concrete evidence that the process was not properly followed.  If the alleged violation of the process is not supported by evidence, the appeal will be denied.

• New Evidence- New, previously unpresented evidence, is now available within the allowed timeframe for an appeal.  Old, previously presented evidence does not meet the definition for inclusion in an appeal.  The failure to simply not provide the information, even though it was available, at the time of the original hearing will result in the appeal being denied.  The appellee must demonstrate that the information provided within the appeal was not available to them at the time of that original hearing.  If determined that the content of the appeal is not new evidence, the appeal will be denied. 

• Conflict of Interest- Students can appeal if there was a previously unreported professional or personal relationship between the student and a member of the Student Performance Committee, which might be perceived as a conflict of interest.  The student has the responsibility to raise any potential conflict of interest within the SPC or student conduct hearing, should there be concerns.  SPC members and hearing officers do have the option of recusing themselves from adjudicating on matters where a perceived conflict of interest might exist.  Should the student not report a potential conflict of interest during the SPC or student conduct hearing, that information will be shared with the Dean/Chief Academic Officer as part of the appeals process and the appeal may be denied based upon the student’s bringing this to the attention of the Dean within their appeal. 

The student must submit an appeal through Guardian using the form titled “Appeal (Student Conduct/SPC)” within five (5) business days of receipt of the original decision.  The submission will be routed to the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs and Dean/Chief Academic Officer.   Appeals are limited to three type-written pages. AI/ChatGPT should not be used to write a student’s appeal. 

The Assistant Dean of Student Affairs will review the appeal to ensure that it fits in one of the four aforementioned categories.  Should the appeal not meet the criteria set within this policy, the student will be notified, in writing, that their appeal does not meet the stated criteria and is denied.  Should the appeal fall within the stated criteria, the appeal will then be approved for final review by the Dean/Chief Academic Officer. 

The appeal is considered by the Dean/Chief Academic Officer, who has the autonomy to uphold the appealed decision, reverse the decision altogether, or change the decision by making the sanction(s) either more or less severe. Students can expect a decision on their appeal within a reasonable period from the appeal submission date. Once the Dean/Chief Academic Officer has rendered a decision on an appeal, the decision is final with no additional options for appeal.

Students are also prohibited from doing any of the following after a disciplinary/SPC hearing: 

1. Students should not try and contact members of the SPC. Speaking to members of the committee about your case outside the context of the hearing is inappropriate. 
2. Students should not ask faculty members to write letters of recommendation for use in your appeal.
3. Students should not ask faculty and staff to sign a petition encouraging KansasCOM to reverse the SPC decision. 
4. Students should not miss stated appeal deadlines. 

Updates: 11/12/2025

Student Support Team

The language has been updated.

The Student Support Team (SST) is comprised of KHSU-KansasCOM faculty and staff who serve as a panel responsible for proactively identifying at-risk students and developing strategies to assist those who are struggling. As part of its work, the SST will review a student’s academic record, along with relevant qualitative and quantitative data concerning the student’s co-curricular engagement and any known personal circumstances that may affect academic success.

Following this comprehensive review, the SST will make recommendations to support the student’s progress and will coordinate with appropriate offices or individuals to facilitate access to available resources. The SST’s purpose is to ensure that all institutional supports (academic, personal, and professional) are effectively aligned to promote student success.

The SST is not a disciplinary body and does not impose sanctions or mandates. Rather, it functions as a core component of the College’s student retention and support framework. SST meetings are confidential and conducted in accordance with FERPA and HIPAA privacy requirements.

Registrar Grading Policy - Updated In Progress Grade Policy

In Progress (IP) Grade

The In Progress (IP) grade is a temporary designation used for students who require additional time to complete specific academic requirements. It applies to pre-clinical coursework, COMLEX readiness courses, clinical rotations, clerkships, and sub-internships. The IP grade ensures students have the opportunity to fulfill outstanding components while maintaining academic engagement and progression.

Students enrolled in courses at KHSU-KansasCOM may be assigned an IP grade for the following reasons:

• When a student is permitted to successfully repeat a course component in accordance with the course syllabus.
• When a student requires additional time to complete COMLEX requirements.
• When a final grade from a preceptor is pending.

All IP grades must be resolved and converted to a final letter grade before graduation or separation from KHSU-KansasCOM.

• Pre-clinical Courses

Students permitted to repeat a pre-clinical course component per the course syllabus will be assigned an IP grade until the component is completed. Upon successful completion, the IP grade will be replaced with the appropriate final grade.

The student will have a maximum of sixty (60) days to successfully repeat the failed event or examination, or the grade will be converted to a Fail (F). If the student is successful in the repeat of the event or exam, the highest grade of 70% will be awarded for that event or examination, regardless of the actual score obtained. If, with the calculation of 70% as the repeated event grade, the student passes the course, the student will receive a Pass (P) in the course.

• COMLEX Readiness Courses

An IP grade may be assigned at the end of each term to reflect ongoing academic engagement. The IP grade will remain until the student receives approval to sit for the COMLEX Level 1 exam. The IP grade will be converted to a Pass/Fail grade, as appropriate. Students who are unable to successfully complete a repeated COMLEX readiness course do not meet the academic progression requirements and may be dismissed from the program.

• Clinical Rotations, Clerkships, and Sub-Internships

Students with an IP grade must complete outstanding requirements or facilitate the submission of the final preceptor grade within sixty (60) days. The Clinical Education Administrative team will oversee the progress of students with IP grades and ensure timely resolution. If requirements are not met or a final grade is not received within the 60-day period, the IP grade will then be converted to a failing grade.

In circumstances where an IP grade remains unresolved beyond the 60-day period, the Clinical Education team will coordinate with external entities (e.g., preceptors, clinical sites, and affiliated programs) to secure the documentation and information necessary to finalize the student’s grade.

Once requirements are met or a preceptor grade is received, the IP grade will be replaced with the appropriate final grade reported to the Office of the Registrar.

*            *            *            *            *            *            *

Student Performance Committee (SPC)

The SPC is a committee made up of KHSU-KansasCOM faculty and staff, charged with being the primary team responsible for the review of the totality of students’ academic and behavioral performance.

The SPC reviews the academic records of students who have failed specific required elements for graduation and/or any student who has failed to show substantive academic progress in their course of study, including demonstrated lapses in professionalism.

The SPC is engaged with the following types of academic failures and/or violations of institutional policy:

• Course failures.
• Clinical clerkship rotation failures.
• COMLEX-USA Level 1, Level 2-CE, and Level 2-PE failures.
• Failure to meet COMSAE standards
• Failure to comply with remediation/academic improvement plans.
• Alleged violation(s) of the Professional Code of Conduct found in the Student Handbook and Academic Catalog

As a part of the comprehensive review, the SPC will decide whether the student should be granted remediation after a course or board exam failure. The SPC has the authority to review students’ records, decide how best KHSU-KansasCOM can assist the student in getting back on track academically, and can recommend a broad number of options for consideration as part of any final decision. Refer to the  Student Handbook & Academic Catalog for possible sanctions and academic remedies that the SPC considers when making its decisions.

Composition of the SPC

The SPC is composed of nine (9) faculty and staff, with seven (7) voting members and three (3) non-voting members, which includes two (2) Ex-officios and administrative support to the Committee. SPC members are KHSU-KansasCOM employees. The Dean appoints SPC members.

The chair and vice-chair of the Committee are present to ensure that the hearing runs properly and according to the policies and procedures of the institution. The chairperson of the Committee does not vote on matters/decisions before the Committee. The Dean appoints the chair and vice chair of the Committee. The chair or vice-chair can be either a voting or non-voting member of the Committee.

A quorum of at least three (3) voting committee members is required for the SPC to finalize any decision.

SPC Meeting Structure

The SPC meetings will occur on an as-needed basis. Students are expected to meet with the SPC in person, except for students with permission from the Office of Student Affairs. Those students shall meet with the SPC via video conference. The SPC may meet virtually, via tele- or video-conference, at the discretion of the chairperson of the SPC, and individual members of the Committee may join the proceedings via video-conference.

Executive Session of SPC Meetings

The Student Performance Committee reserves the right to confer on matters in the Executive Session. Executive Session is only attended by voting and non-voting members of the Committee, as well as the assistant who takes minutes. Students are not allowed to attend executive sessions. 

Any voting member of the Committee may move to go into an Executive Session. There must be a second of that motion, and the majority of the voting members present must vote in the affirmative to move the Committee into executive session. 

Official Hearing of SPC Meetings

The official hearing portion of the meeting includes all members of the SPC and the student being reviewed. The chairperson of the SPC will direct the proceedings, including allowing the student to make a statement and ask questions of the committee members. At the end of each hearing, the chairperson of the SPC will excuse the student for deliberation. Only members of the Committee may be present during deliberation. Proceedings of the closed portion of the official hearing of the SPC meeting are strictly confidential.

Invitation for Other Faculty Members to be Present

The SPC reserves the right to call faculty/administrative colleagues to be present for hearings when appropriate. For example, if a third-year medical student has an issue during rotations, the Committee may ask the Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Education to participate in the hearing.

Additional SPC Duties

The SPC also has responsibilities for reviewing each student and approving them for graduation. Each April, the SPC meets to approve the list of students certified by the Office of the Registrar as having met all graduation requirements. Once approved, the list is sent to the Faculty Council for review and approval, then passed to the Board of Trustees for final review and approval.

Similarly, the SPC reviews the individual students near the conclusion of the OMS-I, OMS-II, and OMS-III years to ensure they have successfully completed all curricular requirements and are eligible to advance to the next year of the curriculum.

SPC Data and Metrics

Key data points about students who are required to appear before the SPC committee will be preserved and analyzed to provide key metrics. This data is an important tool in helping the administration with the ability to track and identify future at-risk students. KHSU-KansasCOM reserves the right to keep and utilize this data for future analysis.

*            *            *            *            *            *            *

Accreditation Standard Complaint policy

Kansas Health Science University (KHSU)-Kansas College of Osteopathic Medicine (KansasCOM) provides a confidential process for an accreditation standard complaint filed by a student, staff, faculty member, members of the public, or institutions affected by program accreditation.

KHSU-KansasCOM policy is to inform students, employees, public members, and institutions of the confidential process for filing an accreditation standard complaint. KHSU-KansasCOM strictly prohibits retaliation against any individual who, in good faith, submits an accreditation standards complaint.

Filing a Complaint with KHSU-KansasCOM’s Accrediting Agencies

The Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) recognizes its responsibility to provide complainants the opportunity to utilize its organization as a vehicle to deal with specific grievances as well as being a mechanism for reviewing and finally resolving complaints. Any party can file a complaint about an issue that affects an accreditation standard directly and in confidence with KHSU-KansasCOM’s accreditation agency, COCA, at the location below.

KHSU-KansasCOM’s full policy can be found on KHSU-KansasCOM’s accreditation page at the following link.

The COCA’s accreditation complaint policies and complaint form can be found at 
https://osteopathic.org/accreditation/accreditation-guidelines/.

The COCA contact information for filing complaints is:

American Osteopathic Association
Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation

142 E. Ontario Street
Chicago, IL 60611-2864

Email: predoc@osteopathic.org

Phone: (312) 202-8124
Fax: (312) 202-8424