Academic Regulations

Academic Integrity

The College regards academic honesty and scholarly integrity as indispensable to genuine learning and true scholarship. Cheating on examinations, papers or computer assignments, offering work done by others as one’s own, using the words and ideas of others without proper acknowledgment, improperly providing information, papers, or projects to others, or falsifying the nature or results of one’s research are inimical to learning and scholarship, and infringe on the mutual faith and trust essential to the academic enterprise.

Sanctions are imposed for demonstrated breaches of academic honesty or scholarly integrity. The faculty regulations provide procedures for dealing with allegations of academic dishonesty, with due attention to the rights of the student or students involved. If dishonesty is determined, the sanctions may range from requiring that an assignment be redone to automatic failure of a course to dismissal from the College.

All members of the academic community are obliged, by that membership, to report instances of presumed dishonesty to the appropriate officials.

Registration and Changes in Registration

Students register for courses at times announced by the Office of the Registrar. No student may register later than the end of the first week of classes. Students may add courses during the first week of classes and in the second week with the consent and signature of the instructor. All original registrations and any later changes require the approval of the student’s adviser. No course may be added after the end of the second week of classes. Courses dropped between the end of the second week and the end of the ninth week of classes are graded “W”. Courses dropped after the ninth week are graded “U”. Students may petition the Academic Standing Committee for changes in registration that do not meet these regulations but must document extraordinary circumstances.

Pass/Fail

A student with sophomore or higher standing who is carrying a full-time course of study may elect one course per semester on a Pass/Fail (P/F) basis, up to at most 20 credits, to be applied toward the degree. Courses applied to the major or minor and courses used to meet the general education requirements may not be taken on a P/F basis unless the course has been designated as only carrying the P/F grade. Courses graded P carry full credit toward graduation but are not included in the computation of the cumulative GPA. Courses graded F do not carry credit toward graduation and are included in the computation of the cumulative GPA.

No course originally taken on a graded basis may be retaken under the P/F option, although a course originally taken on the P/F option and failed may be retaken on a graded basis. The P/F option is not available in courses that are taken off campus.

Attendance

Students are responsible for class attendance and for the prompt and regular performance of all assigned work. Faculty members are not obligated to give makeup examinations or laboratory sessions for unexcused absences.

Course Ending

The instructor may announce a date when a course will close and all work is due. If no such announcement is made, the final examination closes a course; or, if there is no final examination, the course closes on the last class day of the semester. Grades are based on the work a student has submitted by the date the course closes.

Grades

The grades awarded in the College are:

Every course is in the charge of one instructor, who is responsible for assigning grades.

Grade Point Average

Only work completed at Drew is included in the computation of the average. Grade points are assigned as follows to each credit hour attempted on a graded basis: A = 4.00, A– = 3.67, B+ = 3.33, B = 3.00, B– = 2.67, C+ = 2.33, C = 2.00, C– = 1.67, D+ = 1.33, D = 1.00, D– = 0.67, U = 0.00.

No other grades are included in the computation of the average. The grade point average (GPA) is determined by dividing the total grade points earned from grades on the A to U scale by the total number of credit hours attempted.

Retaking Courses

A student may retake a course in which he or she has earned a grade of U or D. For courses retaken after a first grade of U, both the original U and the grade earned when the course is retaken are calculated in the GPA. Credits are awarded for the second course enrollment if the student earns a passing grade.

To retake a course in which the student originally earned a D, the student must file a formal notice of intent to do so with the Registrar’s Office, before the end of the add/drop period of the semester in which the course is being retaken. For courses retaken after a first grade of D, both the original and the subsequent grade are calculated in the GPA, but credits for the course are only awarded once.

Grade Reports

Grades are sent to students after semester grades have been reported and recorded. Parents are entitled to a separate set of grades under certain circumstances, but students must request in writing that the grades be mailed to either primary or noncustodial parents.

The College does not issue official mid-semester grade reports, but individual instructors may send warning notices during the semester to students whose performance is less than satisfactory. If work for an approved Incomplete is not finished and a final grade reported within a designated period of time, a grade of U is automatically recorded for the course.

Continuation in Good Standing

A GPA of at least C (2.00) for work taken at Drew as a whole and for work in the major or majors is required for graduation and to remain in good standing.

Students must also maintain satisfactory progress toward the degree to remain in good standing. For full-time students, at least 13 credits must be completed each semester (except in the first semester, when 12 credits suffice; and the final semester of the senior year, when registration sufficient to complete degree requirements is considered full-time) unless special permission is granted. A student must earn an average of 16 credits each semester to complete the degree in eight semesters. No full-time student may spend more than ten semesters to earn a degree, unless granted an exception by the Academic Standing Committee.

Full-time students who do not meet the minima for GPA or for satisfactory progress are subject to review by the Academic Standing Committee, which may place such students on warning or probation, require a leave of absence, or dismiss such students from the College on academic grounds. Students on probation must improve their records significantly. If this is not accomplished, or if they do not qualify for removal from probation after two semesters, more severe academic penalties are imposed.

A student may be dismissed from the College if, in any semester in which the student is registered for courses, no credit is earned for any course.

Besides full-time status, students may be admitted to the College as special, non-matriculated students or as part-time, unclassified students. Special students are admitted on a term basis only, for at most two semesters. After the completion of each enrollment period, their academic work is reviewed by the Academic Standing Committee, which decides whether to permit re-enrollment. Special students must file appropriate application forms with the director of Continuing University Education. Part-time students are matriculated students pursuing a degree at their own pace. As such, they are not subject to the requirements about satisfactory progress toward the degree.

Continuation in Good Standing for Drew Scholars, Trustee Scholars, and Recipients of the Drew Recognition Awards

These merit awards are renewable for three additional years beyond the first year, provided the student completes at least 12 credits each semester and maintains the minimum GPA specified in the award letter.

A merit award recipient whose GPA drops below the level specified in any given semester is placed on warning. A merit award recipient whose GPA drops below the specified level for two consecutive semesters loses financial aid based on merit, but is still eligible for need-based aid. The student is then subject to the general College requirements for good academic standing described above.

Voluntary Withdrawal

A student who is in good academic standing may arrange for a voluntary withdrawal or temporary leave of absence without loss of status through the Offices of the Dean of Student Life and the Registrar. Students who withdraw without such approval must request readmission under the rules and procedures that govern new applications; their priority for University-based financial assistance will be affected.

Transcripts of Record

A student who is in good academic standing may arrange for a voluntary withdrawal or temporary leave of absence without loss of status through the Offices of the Dean of Student Life and the Registrar. Students who withdraw without such approval must request readmission under the rules and procedures that govern new applications; their priority for University-based financial assistance will be affected.

All transcripts must be requested at least seven working days in advance of the date they are to be issued. Students enrolled prior to fall 1994 receive the first transcript for normal processing free of charge, there is a $5 per copy transcript processing fee for all subsequent requests. Students enrolled in fall 1994, and thereafter have paid a one time, $25 transcript processing fee in their first year’s tuition. Transcripts requested for same-day or one-day processing carry a charge of $10 per copy regardless of start term.

Issuance of a transcript must be cleared by the University Business Office. The University withholds transcripts if a student has an outstanding balance on a student account or if repayment of a loan granted by or through the University is in arrears. In addition, any required transcript fees must be paid before release of the record.

The University does not usually release official transcripts directly to the student of record. When such a direct release is required by a graduate school or scholarship agency, the University shall do so only in a secured envelope whose seal must remain intact for the transcript to remain valid.

Student Education Records

Drew University students have the right to access, and the assurance of privacy for, their Drew educational records. These rights are in keeping with Public Law 93-380, Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, as amended (also known as the Buckley Amendment), and University policy. The full text of Public Law 93-380 and a full statement of Drew University policy and procedures with respect to student education records are on file and may be consulted in the Offices of the Registrar and the Dean of Campus Life and Student Affairs and in the Office of Financial Assistance.