Twenty-nine percent of the freshman class at California State University, Channel Islands, are on academic probation, having earned a grade-point average below 2.0 in the first semester, school officials report.

If the students don't raise their grades above a C average by the end of the year, they could be asked to leave the university for a year.

But school officials say having 67 out of 231 freshman on probation isn't unusual for a CSU school.

At CSU Los Angeles, for example, almost 45 percent of the freshmen are on academic probation, said Renny Christopher, associate professor of English and chairwoman of the Academic Senate at CSUCI.

What the numbers mean, she said, is that this year's first class, like many students enrolled in college for the first time, is still getting settled.

"It's a real culture shock ... for students to move to the university from high school," Christopher said. "Sometimes they just need a wake-up call ... to take this more seriously."

Steve Lefevre, dean of faculty, agreed.

Only 5 percent of the school's upperclassmen received academic probation letters, he said, showing that most students eventually heed the call.

"They understand university life," Lefevre said.

The reasons for low freshman GPAs can vary widely. Some students are still learning to manage their time and newfound freedom.

"For every hour you spend in a class, you should spend two to three hours outside of class," Christopher said. "That's something ... students face as an adjustment."

Others might take too many units to do well in any of their classes, or may have improperly withdrawn from a class, resulting in an F in the class instead of the expected W.

There are, of course, those students who started out the year at a disadvantage, Christopher said.

Early assessment tests showed that nearly 50 percent of the school's incoming freshmen needed remediation in math or English. But she said even proficient or high-achieving high school students can get a shock with their December grade reports.

Many students who "glided through high school," she said, are now being challenged for the first time -- and learning what it means to have to work harder to succeed.

Lefevre and Christopher also agreed that freshmen at CSU schools might have a harder time -- and therefore a bigger challenge -- than those who attend UC or private schools.

The typical UC or private school student might live on campus, work less than 20 hours a week, and not have a family to support, she said.

The typical CSU student commutes to school, works nearly full time and more likely has a family or other extra-curricular responsibilities.

"They aren't able to focus on being nothing but a student," Christopher said.

Officials at other schools, such as University of California, Los Angeles, or Pepperdine University, said the number of their freshmen on academic probation would probably be less than 30 percent, though neither school regularly keeps track of this data.

But they agreed student demographics vary for different school systems, and that comparing the two systems wouldn't be fair.

Though it may be normal to have a third of the freshman class struggling, it doesn't mean administrators at CSUCI are leaving them alone.

Tutoring and academic counseling services already are available to them. And the enrollment management and student success committee is discussing ways to help students get their grades up, said Christopher.

"We want all of our students to succeed to the best of their abilities," Christopher said.