Frequently Asked Questions about Academic Policies
This section may help you with FAQ's. If
you need additional information, please
refer to your Southwestern Community College
Catalog.
| 1. |
Which students are eligible for
Academic Forgiveness?
Any student who meets the following
criteria may submit, in writing to the
Office of the Vice President for Instructional
Services, a request for academic forgiveness.
The student must have experienced
a lapse in enrollment at SCC for a
minimum of 24 months or two academic
years. Upon returning, twelve semester
hours of curriculum courses must be
completed with a GPA of 3.00 or greater.
The request for forgiveness must be
submitted during the subsequent semester
(excluding summer) after the 12 semester
hours have been completed.
If the request is approved, all grades
within the requested review period/consecutive
terms will be forgiven and cannot
be used for GPA (Grade Point Average)
computation for credits earned toward
graduation requirements. Any forgiven
work, if needed for completion of
a certificate, degree, or diploma
must be retaken. All grades will remain
on the student's transcript; however,
they will not be factored in the computation
of the total GPA. Students may submit
only one academic grade forgiveness
request.
|
| 2. |
What is the difference between
Academic Probation and Academic Suspension?
Academic Probation
Level 1: Degree, diploma and certificate
seeking students performing below
a 2.0 grade point average in the previous
semester will be placed on academic
probation. A student on academic probation
will be contacted by an enrollment
counselor to develop an academic plan
and/or will be directed into specialized
coursework.
Level 2: Degree, diploma and certificate
seeking students who have not attained
a 2.0 grade point average for two
consecutive terms will be required
to review and modify their academic
plans with an enrollment counselor,
may be required to limit their semester
course load, and will be required
to successfully complete ACA 118 if
they have not already done so. A student
placed on academic probation will
not be permitted to preregister for
the following term.
Academic Suspension
Probationary students who have
not attained a 2.0 grade point average
for three consecutive terms will be
suspended for one semester.
|
| 3. |
What is the official Withdrawal
Procedure?
To withdraw from a course(s) or
the College, a student should contact
his advisor and initiate the Trial Registration
Change Notice (Drop/Add form). This
form must be signed by the advisor and
the appropriate instructor(s) and returned
to the Registrar's Office. If a student
withdraws by the official withdrawal
date for the semester (published in
the College calendar), the grade received
will be a "W."
If a student seeks to withdraw from
a course(s) after the official
withdrawal date, this may be granted
under extenuating circumstances, such
as serious illness or job transfer,
and will be considered on an individual
basis by the instructor. It is the
student's responsibility to provide
compelling documentation for this
request and to attach the documentation
to the withdrawal form. The withdrawal
form requires the signature of the
advisor, appropriate instructor(s),
and the dean and then is processed
in the Registrar's Office.
It is the responsibility of the student
to initiate the withdrawal process.
If a student stops attending class
and does not complete an official
withdrawal, the student's final grade
will be an "F." An exception
will be made for Developmental Education
coursework.
The "W" will not influence
the quality point ratio for the semester.
However, withdrawing from courses
could affect a student's eligibility
for financial aid. Students who receive
financial aid should always consult
the financial aid officer before withdrawing
from a course. |
| 4. |
How does a student audit a course?
Students who wish to audit a course
must register through the regular registration
procedures. Tuition and fees for auditing
are the same as the cost of courses
taken for credit. Audits are reported
on grade reports and transcripts as
"AU" and do not affect earned
credits or influence the quality point
ratio for the semester. However, audited
courses do not count as successful completions
for financial aid purposes. Therefore,
students who receive financial aid should
consult the financial aid officer before
electing to audit a course.
To audit a course, a student should
state his intent to audit during the
first week of the course. An "AU"
will be entered as the student's grade
for that course. A student may not
switch from a credit to an audit status,
or from an audit to a credit status
after the 10% date of the semester.
Any change in status must have instructor
approval.
|
| 5. |
May a student pursue multiple degrees?
What is a degree? What is a diploma?
What is a certificate?
A student may pursue multiple degrees,
diplomas, and certificates concurrently
or consecutively. Courses which apply
appropriately to more than one degree,
diploma, or certificate may be counted
toward the completion of each credential,
but the specific requirements of each
must be met.
Degree
Academic programs for which an Associate
of Applied Science degree is awarded
require the successful completion
of 64 - 76 semester credit hours and
are designed to provide entry-level
employment training. An Associate
of Arts degree requires the successful
completion of 64 semester credit hours
and is designed to facilitate transfer
to one of the 16 public universities
in North Carolina. SCC also offers
a second transfer degree, the Associate
of Fine Arts.
Diploma
A diploma is awarded after successful
completion of 36 - 48 semester hours
credit in an approved diploma-granting
program. For a full-time student,
it generally takes three semesters
to finish a typical diploma program.
Certificate
A certificate is awarded after successful
completion of 12 - 18 semester hours
credit in a particular certificate-granting
program. Certificate programs are
designed for specific skill development.
|
| 6. |
Can a student repeat a course to
earn a better grade?
Curriculum courses with earned grades
of "D" or "F" may
be repeated.
Courses with earned grades of "C"
or higher may be repeated only by special
permission from the appropriate dean.
When courses are repeated, the grade
and hours of the last course will be
computed in the cumulative grade point
average. The first course (grade and
hours) will be shown on the transcript
but will not be included in the cumulative
grade point calculations. If a student
receives three "F" grades
for the same course, the student must
wait at least two academic terms before
repeating the course. Exceptions may
be made by the instructor or dean.
|
| 7. |
How are students
considered for the President's
List, Dean's List and Academic
Award Ceremony?
President's List
|
| 1. |
Only full-time students are
considered. (A full-time student
is defined as a student in a curriculum
program and enrolled in a minimum
of 12 semester hours at the end
of the semester.) |
| 2. |
The student is to have a minimum
3.85 Grade Point Average (GPA)
to qualify for the semester under
consideration. |
| 3. |
Unresolved "I" and
"F" grades will automatically
eliminate a student from this
list for that particular semester.
Credit for a course by examination
or transfer does not affect eligibility. |
| 4. |
Developmental courses do not
count toward the 12 hours or the
GPA. |
| Dean's List |
| 1. |
Only full-time students are
considered. (A full-time student
is defined as a student enrolled
in a curriculum program and enrolled
in a minimum of 12 semester hours
at the end of the semester.) |
| 2. |
The student is to have a 3.50
- 3.84 quality point ratio to
qualify for the semester under
consideration. |
| 3. |
Unresolved "I" and
"F" grades will automatically
eliminate a student from this
list for that particular semester.
Credit for a course by examination
or transfer does not affect eligibility. |
| 4. |
Developmental courses do not
count toward the 12 hours or the
GPA. |
Annual Academic
Awards Ceremony
Students will be eligible to
participate in the Academic
Awards Ceremony to be held during
the spring semester if they
meet the following criteria.
|
| 1. |
The student must have earned
a minimum of 30 semester hours
credit or 40 contact hours within
the last four (4) years by the
end of fall semester before the
ceremony. The minimum hours must
have been earned at SCC. |
| 2. |
The student must be enrolled
in course work that earns quality
points during the term in which
the ceremony is held. |
| 3. |
The student must have a cumulative
average of 3.5 or above. |
| 4. |
All eligible students will be
honored at the Awards Ceremony
during the spring semester. Students
who maintain a perfect 4.0 cumulative
shall receive "high honors"
recognition.
|
|
| 8. |
How many hours are required in
major courses in order for an associate's
degree to be awarded?
In order for an associate's degree
to be awarded, (a) A minimum of 25 percent
of total coursework and (b) a minimum
of 25 percent of required major courses
in the degree program must be completed
in residence at Southwestern Community
College. Certain diploma and certificate
programs require less credit to meet
residency requirements. These programs
will be determined on an individual
basis by the Vice President for Instructional
Services.
|
| 9. |
What is the procedure
for Commencement/Graduation Applications?
Commencement exercises are
held at the end of the spring
semester for all students who
are candidates for degrees, diplomas
or certificates.
Students should apply between
the first and 50th class day
of the
semester in which they expect
to complete their program. Applications
will not be accepted after the
announced deadline. Application
steps are as follows: |
| 1. |
For each major, obtain an Application
for Commencement from the Registrar's
Office or academic advisor. |
| 2. |
Complete the Candidates section
of the application. |
| 3. |
Take the application to your
advisor. |
| 4. |
Pay a commencement fee at the
college bookstore and all debts
owed to the College at the Business
office. |
| 5. |
Submit application to the Registrar's
office for final approval prior
to the announced deadline. |
| 6. |
All applicants must have completed
all requirements by the end of
the Spring Semester if they plan
to participant in Spring Commencement.
|
Students completing requirements
during the Summer and Fall semesters
can apply for commencement and pay
fees at the end of the particular
semester. No formal exercises are
held. If the student is qualified,
the Registrar orders credentials and
mails them to the student. Those completing
degrees, diplomas and certificates
at the end of the Summer or Fall semesters
may participate in the next Spring
Commencement exercises by simply stating
their intention in a letter to the
Registrar. Those who apply and do
not qualify must reapply after deficiencies
are completed. Credentials will not
be ordered and held for students to
complete requirements in a subsequent
semester.
A student must maintain an overall
average of C (2.00 GPA) in order to
graduate. Some Health Science programs
have additional graduation requirements
as defined by those programs.
NOTE: Students enrolled in a course(s)
required for graduation at another
college, must submit a copy of the
registration form to the Registrar.
|
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