California · Health Sciences Institution
Facing a Committee on Academic Standing, Progress, and Promotion (CASPP) proceeding? AdvocatED advisors know UCLA Geffen's specific process, not generic advice, but guidance built around how your institution actually works.
⏱ CASPP appeals must be filed in writing within 30 days. Vice Dean for Education appeals have only 10 working days from notification. Contact AdvocatED immediately after any CASPP or APC communication proposing probation, remediation, or dismissal.
At UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine, academic and professional standing is governed by the Committee on Academic Standing, Progress, and Promotion (CASPP), a 12-member faculty body appointed by the Faculty Executive Committee that issues final determinations on student standing. Year-specific Academic Performance Committees (APC-1, APC-2, APC-3/4) handle front-line review of students in academic difficulty and develop individualized remediation plans, feeding recommendations into CASPP. Probation under DGSOM lasts 12 months; failure to improve standing by the end of the probation period results in a dismissal recommendation. Automatic dismissal triggers include three course or clerkship failures in one academic year, four failures in one year, failure to meet remediation terms, failure to meet DGSOM USMLE policy, or violation of the DGSOM Honor Code, Professionalism Policy, or UCLA Student Conduct Code. Appeals of CASPP decisions must be filed in writing within 30 days; if CASPP denies the appeal, the student may appeal to the Vice Dean for Education within 10 working days of notification. The Vice Dean's decision is final for academic, professionalism, and technical standards matters, except that a recommendation to dismiss can be appealed further to the Faculty Executive Committee. Residents and fellows are covered separately by the Graduate Medical Education (GME) Academic Due Process Policy. Process information current as of April 2026.
This specific institutional knowledge is what separates AdvocatED from generic advisors. We provide guidance tailored to how UCLA Geffen's actual process works, not a one-size-fits-all approach.
DGSOM Academic, Professional, and Technical Standards; UCLA Student Conduct Code violations, plagiarism, cheating, AI use, collaboration issues
Learn more →Coaching and preparation for presenting your case before Committee on Academic Standing, Progress, and Promotion (CASPP)
Learn more →Building a compelling appeal through UCLA Geffen's appeals process
Learn more →Navigating UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine's Title IX investigation and hearing procedures
Learn more →In most cases, no. DGSOM's CASPP and APC processes are academic and professional standing reviews governed by DGSOM policy, not the legal system. What you need is an advisor who understands how CASPP weighs evidence, how APC remediation plans translate into probation outcomes, and how the Vice Dean for Education's appeal standard actually works. AdvocatED advisors specialize in exactly this.
Automatic dismissal triggers at UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine include: three course or clerkship failures in one academic year; four failures in one year; failure to meet the terms of a remediation plan; failure to meet DGSOM USMLE policy; and violation of the DGSOM Honor Code, the DGSOM Professionalism Policy, or the UCLA Student Conduct Code. Hitting any of these triggers moves a student to a dismissal recommendation to CASPP.
CASPP actions can be appealed by written request within 30 days of the decision. If CASPP denies the appeal, the student may appeal to the Vice Dean for Education within 10 working days of notification. The Vice Dean's decision is final for academic, professionalism, and technical standards matters, with one exception: a recommendation to dismiss may be appealed further to the Faculty Executive Committee. Each stage has its own evidentiary focus and deadline; generic appeals do not work here.
Academic Performance Committees (APC-1 for Year One, APC-2 for Year Two, APC-3/4 for Years Three and Four) are the front-line bodies that review students in academic difficulty and develop individualized remediation plans. They make recommendations. CASPP is the 12-member faculty committee that issues the final determination on academic and professional standing. In practice, APC is where the remediation plan is shaped; CASPP is where the binding decision is made.
Residents and fellows at UCLA Health are not covered by CASPP. Graduate Medical Education (GME) academic and disciplinary matters are handled under the separate GME Academic Due Process Policy, which has its own timelines, standards, and appeal pathways. If you're a resident or fellow facing an adverse action, the process that applies to you is the GME process, not the medical-school CASPP process.
DGSOM's academic policies allow a support person/advisor role at many academic standing meetings, with specific constraints on speaking. The exact role varies by meeting type (APC remediation planning vs. CASPP hearing vs. Vice Dean appeal). AdvocatED will confirm the specific policy that applies to your meeting and coach you on how to use the Advisor role to maximum effect under DGSOM's rules.
Get your free case review today. We respond quickly and prioritize urgent cases, because we know UCLA Geffen's deadlines don't wait.