been received, the registrar’s office processes grades, awards credits, and calculates grade-point averages. Grades are assigned according to the following system of letter and quality-points evaluation: LETTER QUALITY POINTS POINTS Undergraduate Graduate
A Excellent B Good C Average D Poor F Failure
4 3 2 1 0
4 3 2 0 0
The following codes may appear on transcripts and do not affect a student’s grade-point average. W Withdrawal I Incomplete S Satisfactory
T Transfer credit U Unsatisfactory N Audit
Graduate students receive no credit for a grade of D or below in any course, and receive no credit for required preliminary courses for a grade of C or below. Full-time undergraduate students who achieve a gradepoint average of 3.5 or higher during a quarter term receive an official letter noting dean’s list honors for that term. This honor is also noted on the student’s transcript.
Full-time status
Attendance and personal conduct Only students who are properly registered for a course may attend and participate in that course. Students are not permitted to participate in courses in which they are not registered. The official course roster determines enrollment. Students are responsible for ensuring that they are enrolled for each course in which they are participating. Students are expected to attend and participate in all scheduled classes and examination periods. Absences in excess of four class periods per quarter, or 20 percent of the course, result in the student receiving a failing grade for the course, unless the student withdraws from the course in accordance with the withdrawal policy. The withdrawal policy can be found on page 352. Tardiness, early departure or other time away from class in excess of 15 minutes per class session is considered an absence for that class session.
Dropping and adding courses The first five business days of each 10-week quarter are designated the drop/add period when students may change their course schedules. Students are subject to a late registration charge if they have not registered prior to the first day of classes. The drop/add period for any term less than 10 weeks will vary and will be published in relevant course materials.
Military mobilization The SCAD military mobilization policy is intended to provide financial relief for students affected by military mobilization. This policy protects students who are members of a state National Guard or reserve forces of the U.S. and who are ordered to report for state or federal military service. When a currently enrolled student (or the spouse of a currently enrolled student, if the spouse has a dependent child) has received orders to deploy, the student should submit a copy of the orders to the registrar’s office. The registrar’s office will communicate to student financial services that the change in the student’s status is the result of military mobilization. The student shall be given the option to receive a full refund of tuition and fees for courses that he or she will be unable to complete due to deployment, regardless of the point during the quarter at which the student withdraws. If the student wishes, he or she may opt to receive a grade of incomplete for courses he or she is unable to complete due to deployment, with the option to finish the courses at a later date. Alternatively, the student may make arrangements with his or her instructors for final grades in courses that will not be fully completed. If the student opts for a grade of incomplete, or for final grades prior to the end of
SCAD.EDU / POLICIES
351
ACADEMIC PROGRAMS AND POLICIES
The office of the registrar is the official designated authority for determining full-time status for all students requesting enrollment verifications for insurance or any type of financial aid or loans. A full-time undergraduate student is defined as one who is registered for at least 15 quarter hours of credit per quarter. Undergraduate students may register for a maximum of 20 quarter hours of credit per quarter, provided they have maintained a grade-point average of at least 3.0 during the previous quarter. A full-time graduate student is defined as one who is registered for at least 10 quarter hours of credit per quarter. Graduate students may register for more than 15 quarter hours only with the permission of the chair and by contacting their graduate staff adviser. Less than full-time enrollment status may affect financial aid such as loans, grants, scholarships, university housing, health insurance and visas (if applicable).
Classes missed due to late registration are included in the overall absences permitted for the class. Not attending class during the first week of any term will result in a delay in disbursement of financial aid, and may also result in the student being dropped from classes. Students should contact their staff adviser in advance if they expect to miss classes during the first week. Students taking fully online courses or online courses with minimal face-to-face meetings are required to check the online course site regularly and participate in the daily work of the course. At minimum, students should log in and participate in the class, or in an academically related activity within the course, two separate days per week. Students demonstrating no activity within the first three weeks will be dropped from the course. Students who fail to meet the minimum requirement within the first three weeks will be withdrawn from the course. Absences in excess of 20 percent result in the student receiving a failing grade for the course. For hybrid courses, which meet both online and in the classroom, combined absences, including online attendance and classroom attendance, in excess of 20 percent result in the student receiving a failing grade for the course. Students’ appearance and conduct should be appropriate and should contribute to the academic and professional atmosphere of SCAD. The university reserves the right at its sole discretion to withdraw the privilege of enrollment from any student whose conduct is detrimental to the academic environment or to the well-being of other students, faculty, staff members, or university facilities.