College Policies

Academic Honesty Policy

Academic honesty and integrity are highly valued at The College of St. Scholastica. Academic dishonesty seriously violates the integrity of the academic enterprise and will result in academic penalties up to and including dismissal from the College. Academic dishonesty can include misrepresentation of the work of others as one's own; dishonesty in testing; violating authorized guidelines established by instructors for individual assignments; sabotaging or damaging the work of others; or engaging in dishonesty in other academic work.

Faculty should make clear the degree of cooperation that is authorized for group projects as well as what behaviors constitute academic dishonesty within group work. Students are responsible for asking faculty for clarification in any unclear situation.

Reporting Academic Dishonesty

When a student is suspected of academic dishonesty, the instructor who teaches the course, or, when the academic dishonesty is unrelated to a particular course, the department chair or director of the student's program (collectively, the "College representative"), has the authority to initiate academic dishonesty proceedings against the student following the academic dishonesty procedure.

If a faculty member has determined that a student has been academically dishonest, the violation must be reported to the chair of the course department, the dean of the school in which the course is offered, and the Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA).

Penalties

The minimum penalty to be applied by a faculty member for academic dishonesty within a course shall be failure of the assignment or test and the maximum penalty shall be failure of the course. In addition to the course-level sanction, a department may deny admission to or dismiss from a program a student who has engaged in academic dishonesty. The VPAA may impose additional requirements (such as counseling or remediation) or additional sanctions, up to and including dismissal from the College, even on the first instance of academic dishonesty.

Appeals

Students who believe they have been treated unfairly related to academic dishonesty should follow the College's established academic appeal procedure.

A complete statement of the St. Scholastica policy is available at Academic Honesty Policy

Class Attendance

Students are expected to be responsible for their educational progress by attending classes regularly, participating during class sessions and completing required work outside the classroom. Specific attendance requirements are set by instructors. Students receiving veteran's benefits are expected to attend all scheduled classes. Students are encouraged to discuss any attendance issues with their faculty member or an academic advisor.

Only registered students may participate in classes.

Registration

At St. Scholastica, registration takes place near the middle of the semester when each student meets with their advisor to review educational plans and specify class schedules for the succeeding semester. To ensure accurate fee statements, grant allocations and statistics upon which many decisions are based, it is imperative that all students complete registration each semester according to the announced procedures and deadlines.

Assignment of Credit Hour

The College of St. Scholastica follows the United States Department of Education’s definition of a credit hour (34 CFR 600.2). All definitions and standards apply equally to all courses, regardless of venue or modality. The federally-approved credit hour has been defined in two ways: 

§ 600.2(1): The credit hour value of a standard or more traditional course must be calculated as follows: A clock hour of instructional time is the equivalent of (a) 50 minutes of class time or (b) 60 minutes of independent-study work or some measures of clinical time; and (2) a minimum of two hours of out-of-class work is expected for every hour (50 minutes) of instructional time.

§ 600.2(2): If the credit hour value for an academic activity (including but not limited to “laboratory work, internships, practica, and studio work”) cannot be calculated using the information cited in § 600.2(1) (above), that academic activity can be found to have met the federal definition by documenting that it involves “at least an equivalent amount of work” as the criteria cited in § 600.2(1).

For example: 1 credit hour is a minimum of 45 total hours, 2 credit hours is a minimum of 90 total hours, 3 credit hours is a minimum of 135 total hours, 4 credit hours is a minimum of 180 total hours. 

Accrediting bodies or applicable state regulations may determine credit for clinical and/or field experiences.

A complete statement of the St. Scholastica policy is available at Assignment of a Credit Hour Policy

Auditing

A student may audit a course only with prior approval of the instructor. A student who registers to audit receives no academic credit in the course and is charged one-third the tuition of those who register for credit in the course. Changes from credit status to audit status or from audit to credit status are allowed only during the first two weeks of a semester and are subject to instructor approval.

Changing Registration

Students may change registration with the following stipulations noted below. For registration purposes, each week following the drop period begins on a Monday regardless of holidays and other breaks. All student requests that are initiated on a Monday will move forward to the next week. If a student communicates a request to drop or withdraw and it is after hours, or on the weekend, we will honor the date and time that the email and/or voicemail was received. Enrollment certifications and tuition refunds are based upon registering for course(es) and the withdrawal form. All dates related to adding, dropping, and withdrawing from courses can be found on the Academic Calendar.

Courses Following the Accelerated Calendar (partial academic term; 7-8 weeks in length)

Add a course

Adds are allowed until the end of the first week, except under extenuating circumstances. After the third day of a term, signatures are required by the instructor and advisor.

Drop a Course

Drops are allowed during the first week of a term. After the third day of a term, signatures are required by the instructor and advisor. The date the student requests the course drop is the official date used in registration. Confirmation of last date of attendance must be supplied by the course instructor. A dropped course will not be officially entered on the students’ record, including the student’s transcript.

Withdraw from a Course

Course withdrawals are allowed during weeks 2 through 5 of a term. The date the student requests the course withdrawal is the official date used in registration. Confirmation of last date of attendance must be supplied by the course instructor. A grade of W will be officially entered on the students’ record, including the student’s transcript.

Registration Appeal

Beginning on week 6 of a term, no drops or course withdrawals are permitted unless there are circumstances beyond the control of the student that prevented an earlier, timely drop or withdrawal. See Registration Appeal section of Changing Registration Policy for details.

Drop or withdrawal from a course after the close of the academic year in which the course was held

Under no circumstances.

Drop for Non-Attendance

Students who are registered for a course but who do not attend the course by the end of week 1 may be administratively dropped from the course. Instructor confirmation that the student never attended is required.

Drop and withdrawal deadlines for courses that begin or end on nonstandard dates will be set by the Registrar, but the drop and withdrawal intervals will be proportional to intervals for a full academic semester.

Courses Following the Traditional Calendar (full academic semester; 16 weeks in length)

Add a Course

Adds are allowed until the end of the second week, except under extenuating circumstances. After the third day of a term, signatures are required by the instructor and advisor or professional advisor.

Drop a Course

Drops are allowed during the first two weeks of a semester. After the third day of a term, signatures are required by the instructor and advisor. The date the student requests the course drop is the official date used in registration. Confirmation of last date of attendance must be supplied by the course instructor. A dropped course will not be officially entered on the students’ record, including the student’s transcript.

Withdraw from a Course

Course withdrawals are allowed during weeks 3 through 9 of a semester. The date the student requests the course withdrawal is the official date used in registration. Confirmation of last date of attendance must be supplied by the course instructor. A grade of W will be officially entered on the students’ record, including the student’s transcript.

Registration Appeal

Beginning on week 10 of a semester, no drops or course withdrawals are permitted unless there are circumstances beyond the control of the student that prevented an earlier, timely drop or withdrawal. See Registration Appeal section of Changing Registration Policy for details.

Drop or Withdrawal from a Course After the Close of the Academic Year in Which the Course was Held

Under no circumstances.

Drop for Non-Attendance

Students who are registered for a course but who do not attend the course by the end of week 2 may be administratively dropped from the course. Instructor confirmation that the student never attended is required.

Registration Appeal

Appeals for course drops or course withdrawals that are received after the published last day to drop or withdraw are considered for the current academic year only, with the exception of summer where the last date to appeal is extended beyond the current academic year but no later than September 15. An academic year begins in September and ends in August. Students are advised to continue participating in the course until such time that a decision is made by the Registration Appeals Committee. 

Each request will be submitted to the Registrar for evaluation by a Registration Appeals Committee. All decisions of the Registration Appeals Committee are final. Registration appeals will only be considered under the following circumstances. 

  • The appeal affects a course or courses within the same academic year or was a course taken in the summer of one academic year and the appeal is requested no later than September 15 of the next academic year.
  • Medical circumstances (non-routine, serious medical concerns)
  • Family emergency (emergency placement of a child in student home; death of parent/spouse/other close family member)
  • Unusual circumstances (acts of nature, military activation)
  • Institutional error (student never here but not dropped in any other process; financial aid and/or data entry registration problems)

Appealing because a student changed their major during the semester or because an earned grade may be lower than a student would like is not considered an appealable circumstance.

A registration appeal must include confirmation of the student’s last date of attendance supplied by the course instructor.  “Academic attendance” and “attendance at an academically-related activity/academic engagement” includes, but is not limited to -

  • Attending a synchronous class, lecture, recitation, or field or laboratory activity, physically or online, where there is an opportunity for interaction between the instructor and students;
  • Submitting an academic assignment;
  • Taking an assessment or an exam;
  • Participating in an interactive tutorial, webinar, or other interactive computer-assisted instruction;
  • Participating in a study group, group project, or an online discussion that is assigned by the institution; or
  • Interacting with an instructor about academic matters; and

The effective date of the change in registration, if approved, will be determined by the Registration Appeals Committee.

The Registration Appeals process is not required for Full College Withdrawal and Stop-Outs when the request is received after the published add/drop/course withdrawal deadlines.

College Withdrawal and Stop-Out Policy

Any student who withdraws or stops-out from the College during the course of the academic year must communicate with the students’ advisor or a professional academic advisor to complete the official college withdrawal or stop-out process. A student is legally registered until the official withdrawal or stop-out process is completed or the student completes the period of registration. A Registration Appeal is not required for College Withdrawals and Stop-Outs when the request for College Withdrawal or Stop-Out is received after the published add/drop/course withdrawal deadlines.

For registration purposes, each week following the drop period begins on a Monday regardless of holidays and other breaks. All student requests that are initiated on a Monday will move forward to the next week. If a student communicates a request to withdraw or stop-out and it is after hours, or on the weekend, we will honor the date and time that the email and/or voicemail was received. From the first day of classes until the Monday of the ninth week of the full academic semester or the Monday of the fifth week of the partial academic term, withdrawals and subsequent refunds follow the Changing Registration Policy. A student who has left the College while in good academic and financial standing may re-enter at any time by simply following the designated readmission and registration procedures.

Release of Transcript and Grade Report

Copies of transcript and grade reports will not be released if the student has an unpaid balance at St. Scholastica resulting from charges made for:

  • tuition and fees
  • fines
  • room damage assessments
  • student emergency loan
  • health hold
  • library hold
  • or delinquent/defaulted Federal Perkins, Nursing or Ordean Student Loans.

Student Records

Students are hereby notified that pursuant to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, students are entitled to review those records, files, documents and other materials that contain information directly related to themselves that are maintained by the College. It is further understood that a student may request a hearing, in accordance with the regulations issued by the Secretary of Education, to challenge the content of the educational records to ensure that the records are not inaccurate, misleading or otherwise in violation of one's rights. The student may insert in the records a written explanation regarding the contents of such records if the College does not make the suggested corrections or deletions.

Student access and review is subject to the following conditions:

  1. The College has 45 days to comply with a written request to the College official responsible for maintaining the record sought.
  2. All information declared confidential by the Act or excluded from the definition of "education records" by the Act is unavailable for inspection.
  3. After reviewing the records, the student may request the unit maintaining the record to remove or modify information believed to be misleading, inaccurate or inappropriate. If the request is refused, the student may insert in the records a written explanation regarding the contents to which he/she objects or may file an appeal with the President's Office which will be heard by a person or committee designated by the president.

Release of Information

Students are further notified of the fact that the Act states that the following information may be construed to be directory information that is available to the public, and is hereby so declared: name, address, telephone listing, date of birth, photograph, major field of study, part-time/ full-time status, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, dates of attendance, classification, degrees and awards received and the most recent previous educational agency or institution attended. Students have the right to inform the College that any or all of the bold-faced information should not be released without prior consent. If a student wishes to restrict the release of this information, a written request to that effect must be completed in the Registrar's Office before the fifth day of fall semester classes. After the student has filed the required written request, the College will notify the appropriate offices and begin to comply with the request as soon as possible.

No information other than the items listed above will be released without specific written permission except as provided by law. A complete statement of the St. Scholastica policy is available at https://www.css.edu/privacy-policy/