Academic Policies and Procedures

Class Attendance

Students are expected to be in class on time and attend all scheduled class meetings. A student will be withdrawn from any course where they have not attended at least 80% of scheduled class meetings.

Attendance is also important for student success in a distance education course. All online courses require completion of an activity each week of the semester. For any week a student does not complete an activity, that week will constitute as an absence. Logging in to Moodle without completing and submitting an assignment is not considered for weekly attendance. As is the case with seated classes, students taking online courses must attend at least 80% of the course. Failure to do so will result in students being withdrawn from the course.

Drop/Add

A drop/add period for registered students will be held to accommodate students that need to make necessary changes. A student who registers for a class, but drops prior to the 10% point of the semester, will have no entry on his/her transcript. Please refer to the section “Curriculum Refunds” for other information.

Course Load

A student must register for 12 semester hours to be considered a full-time student. The maximum course load for students across all Curriculum program areas is 21 semester hours. Approval from the Vice President of Curriculum is required to register for more than the maximum number of hours (including those being taken at other institutions) unless it is required in the typical course sequence of the major. The student’s academic advisor should notify the Vice President of Curriculum of the student’s desire to enroll in more than the maximum number of allowed hours. A student may be enrolled only for those courses approved by his/her advisor. Students who are placed on academic probation may be required to register according to the probation policy as stated in this catalog, or by the college counselor.

Withdrawal

Students who must withdraw from one or more classes during the semester have the responsibility of notifying each instructor. Each course instructor completes a withdrawal form for their class(es) indicating the date of notification by the student. The form will then be sent to the Student Services Office for processing. Students receiving financial aid should verify with the Financial Aid office the impact withdrawing may have on their financial aid funds. Notification of withdrawal from a course must be received within ten (10) working days of the last date of attendance or as specified by the instructor in the course syllabus.

Students may officially withdraw through the twelfth week of the semester (or 75% of the allotted time for any shorter session). Beyond the twelfth week (or after the 75% point), the course instructor will withdraw the student and a grade of “F” will be assigned for that course. Additionally, students may withdraw only when extenuating circumstances occur and such withdrawals must be approved by the appropriate division Dean. Official withdrawals through scheduled withdrawal dates will result in a grade of “W” unless the student is withdrawing due to cheating (see Academic Integrity section) or other circumstances as approved by the division Dean. Courses in which grades of “W” are received will not be counted as hours attempted and will not affect a student’s grade point average. Associate Degree Nursing and Practical Nursing students should also refer to the section “Involuntary Withdrawal from Health Education Programs.

Curriculum Refund Policy

The College is authorized to refund tuition under the regulations set forth by the North Carolina State Board of Community Colleges (1E SBCCC 900.1) which state that a refund shall not be made except under the following circumstances:

1. A 100% refund shall be made if the student officially withdraws prior to the first day of class(es) of the academic semester as noted in the college calendar. Also, a student is eligible for a 100% refund if the class in which the student is officially registered fails to “make” due to insufficient enrollment. A 100% refund includes all tuition and fees paid.
2. A 75% refund shall be made if the student officially withdraws from the class(es) prior to or on the official 10% point of the semester. A 75% refund includes tuition only. Fees are not included in the 75% refund.
3. For classes that do not meet for the entire term, a 100% refund shall be made if the student officially withdraws from the class prior to the first class meeting. A 75% refund shall be made if the student officially withdraws from the class prior to or on the 10% point of the class.
4. Where a student, having paid the required tuition for a semester, dies during that semester (prior to or on the last day of examinations of the College the student was attending), all tuition and fees for that semester may be refunded to the estate of the deceased.

Curriculum Transcript Fee

All student records are confidential and transcripts will be sent upon signed request from the student. Request an official curriculum transcript from the college’s website; which offers an option for mailing or sending electronically. Transcripts are $6.00 and can be paid for and tracked with this option.

Electronic transcripts are sent every day. Paper transcripts are printed on Monday and Thursday. Paper transcripts will not be printed on the following days: Registration Day, first and last day of class, Grade Day, and Graduation Day. Course work taken prior to Fall 1997 was on the quarter hour system. Beginning Summer 1997, all courses were converted to the semester hour system.