St. Cloud State University Policies & Procedures

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Current Status: Approved

Policy Type: Academic

Department/Division: Academic Affairs

Effective Date: 07/01/2013

Last Updated: 01/10/2022

Applies To: Students, Faculty, Staff

Responsible University Officer: Interim Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs

Policy Owner: Registrar, Vice President for Strategic Enrollment Management

Policy Contact: Office of Records and Registration

Policy

Students are responsible for the management of their class/course schedule. To empower and facilitate students in this role St. Cloud State University will develop, establish and maintain a catalog of courses. Students are permitted access to the catalog using the e-services system. The University offers a number of new courses on an experimental basis each semester which are not listed in the course catalog. These courses are listed in semester class schedules. The e-service system can be utilized by students to select, register, drop, exchange, and withdraw from class within parameters established and published by SCSU. Late withdrawal is considered only for extenuating circumstances and requires approval.

Completion of prerequisites for a course may be required and must occur before a student can start that course, unless the student obtains permission from the department offering the course to waive the prerequisites. Failure to complete prerequisites can result in cancellation of registration for the course.

SCSU reserves the right at its own discretion and at any time to cancel classes or sections of classes which do not have sufficient enrollment.

SCSU requires all students attend classes in which they are enrolled. A student who does not attend or stops attending without officially dropping or withdrawing will be held responsible for payment and receive the earned grade for the class(es). Class attendance may be used to determine a student’s grade.

Unauthorized use, misuse, tampering with or attempting to tamper with the registration system is prohibited and may result in criminal prosecution or other disciplinary action, including but not limited to revocation of e-service system access.

SCSU will comply with MN statute 192.502 for any student who is ordered to active military service and is unable to complete the semester.

In order to meet educational or career-related goals, SCSU provides the option for a non-degree seeking (special) student to enroll in credit-based courses. Undergraduate majors and graduate programs may restrict access.

Classes are available through the common market-student exchange program with other Minnesota State Universities.

Procedure

Students needing assistance with registration, please contact the Office of Records and Registration, Administrative Services Building, Room 118, (320) 308-2111 or registrar@stcloudstate.edu

Registration

Prior to Start of Class

Semester credit hours completed are used to determine priority or eligibility to access the e-services system during advance registration. "Completed" is defined as graded or transfer credits officially posted to your SCSU academic record. This does NOT include current enrollment.

Priority registration is granted for the following groups:

  • Students with disabilities
  • Students who have earned a baccalaureate degree from SCSU
  • Students admitted to graduate level programs
  • Student athletes
  • Student veterans
  • Students admitted to the honors program in good standing
  • Students with dependents (effective starting with Spring 2019 registration period)

Students in the above groups may register at the time indicated on the registration schedule or anytime thereafter.

Students may change their class registrations prior to the start of classes. These changes will not be recorded on the student’s record. 

Students should only register for classes that they wish to attend.  Registering for the same class in multiple sections may result in reduction in registration privileges, deletion of registered courses and disciplinary action.

After Start of Class

Students may add courses using the e-service system through the first five days of the fall/spring semesters. 

Students may drop courses using the e-service system through the first five days of the fall/spring semesters.

Late Add: Permission is required from the department. If the term has ended a registration petition (pdf) form is required.

*Alternate arrangement courses (e.g., late start, weekend, short session) add/drop/withdrawal dates are available through the e-services system.

**Summer session course add/drop/withdrawal dates are only available through the e-services system.

Withdrawal

Withdrawal may impact academic standing. A student should consult an advisor. Following the fifth day and until 80% of the semester has elapsed a student may withdraw from a full-term class and receive a grade of 'W'. Specific course deadlines are available through the e-services system.

A student who withdraws from all classes may be eligible to receive a refund or partial refund of tuition and fees paid for that semester.  Details of dates and percentages are available from Business Services. Withdrawal can impact student financial aid and may result in students being required to repay awards (contact Business Services prior to withdrawal to avoid problems). Short courses (less than five (5) weeks duration) are not eligible for reduction in charges after the course has begun. 

Late Withdrawal (after 80% of a course has elapsed)

If there are significant circumstances beyond the student’s control which affected both the ability to complete the course and the ability to withdraw by the published deadline, a student may petition for a late withdrawal. The circumstances must be documented. Requests without appropriate documentation or without extenuating circumstances will not be considered.

Late withdrawal requires completion of a registration petition form (see supporting documents).

Requests for late withdrawals should be submitted no later than one calendar year from the last day of the semester of occurrence, and preferably in the same semester. 

If permission for a late withdrawal is not granted, the earned grade will appear on the transcript. If permission is granted, a “W” will appear on the transcript.

All federal and state policies and procedures regarding financial aid eligibility will be enforced. Students with financial aid in the form of scholarships, grants or loans may be required to repay the award if they withdraw or change course load. Students are advised to contact the Business Services Office (Administrative Services Building ("AS"), room 123) and the Financial Aid Office (AS 106) before withdrawing from any course.

Requests for refund/credit must be submitted by the student to the Business Services Office (AS 123) no later than 45 days after the end of the term or by September 25th for summer terms.

Withdrawal for Military Service

Students who are members of any branch of the U.S. military reserves or National Guard and who are unable to complete a semester due to having been called to active duty and veterans with a service connected disability; who are students and whose service connected medical condition or medical treatment requirements reasonably prevent the person's attendance or progress in higher education, shall to the extent possible be provided one of the following options:

  • The student may withdraw from one or more courses for which tuition and fees have been paid and be given a full refund of tuition. The tuition and fees must be credited to the individual's account at the post-secondary institution. Any refunds are subject to state and federal financial aid requirements. A student receiving financial aid may be liable for required repayment of funds. A student selecting this option must not receive credit for the courses and must not receive a failing grade, an incomplete, or any other negative annotation on the academic record. A student's grade point average must not be altered or affected in any manner.
  • The student may be given a grade of incomplete in a course and complete it upon release from active duty or upon sufficient medical recovery. The course may be completed by an independent study or by retaking the course without payment of tuition. If retaken, the course will not be counted in student enrollment load for financial aid calculation.
  • The student may continue and complete the course for full credit. Class sessions missed due to performance of active military duty or medical treatment must be counted as an excused absence and must not be used to negatively impact the student's grade or standing in the class.  Any student who selects this option is not automatically excused from completing assignments due during the period of active duty, medical treatment, or recovery. 

A letter grade or a grade of "satisfactory" must only be awarded if, in the opinion of the faculty member teaching the course, the student has completed sufficient work and has demonstrated sufficient progress toward meeting course requirements to justify a grade. The student may be given credit for completing the course when in, the instructor's judgment, the student has completed sufficient course work to earn a grade of "C" or better.

A student should contact the Office of Records and Registration to complete the necessary forms (Minnesota State Board Policy 5.12)

  • Students must provide copies of their military orders, including notification of date of departure.
  • The provisions of this policy do not apply to 14-day annual active duty training requirements.
  • See Minnesota Statutes 2012, Chapter 192.502 for current statutory provisions.

Prerequisite Classes

Certain courses may be required to provide the necessary foundation to subsequent courses. When prerequisite courses are required, they must be completed prior to the start of the subsequent course unless the student obtains permission from the department offering the course to waive the prerequisite. Failure to complete the prerequisite can result in cancelation of registration for the subsequent course.

Credit Load

Credit load is the number of credits in which a student would generally enroll. Credit load is used to determine student status as a full-time or part-time student. An undergraduate student enrolled for 12 credits or more per semester is considered a full-time student for academic purposes.

  • The recommended normal load in a semester is 15-16 credits.
  • The maximum allowable load without special approval is 18 credits.
  • The recommended normal load during summer (the combined total for Intersession, Summer Session I, and Summer Session II) is 15 credits.
  • The recommended maximum load in any summer term is two courses.
  • The maximum load for the summer terms combined without special approval is 18 credits.
  • Load includes the total credits of all courses carried, including on-campus, off- campus, on-line, and any other college courses taken concurrently with those at St. Cloud State University.
  • Courses offered during summer have the same content compressed into a shorter time compared to courses offered during a regular semester.
  • A student who wishes to enroll for more than the established maximum must obtain approvals from their advisor and college dean.
    • Applications for overload are available in the Office of Records and Registration and on the registrar’s web site.
    • An advisor would not normally approve an overload for a student with a cumulative GPA below 2.75.

Non-Degree (Special) Students

  • Undergraduate special students are limited to a cumulative total of 30 undergraduate semester credits. A hold will be placed on the student record to prevent registration beyond 30 credits. Undergraduate students who want to register for more than 30 semester credits should apply for admission as degree seeking.
  • Graduate special students are restricted to registering for a maximum of 9 graduate semester credits per term. Normally, there is a limit of 6 graduate credits earned at SCSU prior to formal acceptance to the graduate program, or the credits completed in the first semester of registration (whichever is greater) will be permitted to apply toward completion of a student’s graduate program.
  • Registration is on a space-available basis and, in some cases, may require departmental approval.
  • Special students are subject to the same tuition and fees as degree seeking students and special students are subject to SCSU academic regulations and policies.
  • Students who enroll as special students (non-degree seeking) are not eligible for federal or state financial aid and may not be eligible for scholarships offered by SCSU.
  • Students must be formally admitted as a degree seeking student to be eligible to earn a degree or certificate. Students should visit the admissions webpage to discover more information about earning a degree or certificate at SCSU.

To register as a non-degree seeking student complete the non-degree seeking student application form (see supporting URLs).  Confirmation and registration instructions will be provided by email after the application is processed.

Correspondence, Extension, Workshop or Field Trip Credit

Correspondence credits to be applied toward the baccalaureate degree routinely are accepted in transfer from institutions holding regional accreditation.

  • Credits from non-regionally accredited institutions will be evaluated for transfer, but additional documentation may be required.
  • No more than 6 credits in either workshop or field trips (tours) may be applied to a major, no more than 3 credits to a minor, and no more than 12 credits overall toward graduation.
  • These 12 credits cannot be earned exclusively in either workshop or field trips.  

Auditing of Classes

A student who wishes to attend the class sessions of a course but who does not wish to receive credit for it must register as an auditor.

  • The same registration procedure is followed and the same fees charged as for credit courses.
  • Auditors must attend class but the taking of quizzes and examinations is optional.
  • Auditors who fail to meet the attendance requirements may receive a mark of "U" (unsatisfactory) rather than a mark of "AU" (auditor).
  • Courses audited cannot be counted toward graduation requirements.
  • Courses audited are counted as part of the student load.
  • The audit option must be designated at the time of registration for the course.
  • To change a grading method in a course to audit after the 5th instructional day of the term, written permission from the college dean must be obtained.

Keywords

waiver, exception, suspension, appeal, no major, no degree

Supporting Documents (Forms, Instructions)

Oct 13 2016 12:42PM

Related St. Cloud State University Policies

Supporting URLs

Definitions

Employee

Any individual employed by Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, its colleges and universities and the system office, including but not limited to all faculty, staff, administrators, teaching assistants, graduate assistants, residence directors and student employees.

Student

All Persons or group of persons who:

  1. Are enrolled in one or more courses, either credit or non-credit, through a college or university; or
  2. Withdraw, transfer, or graduate after an alleged violation of the code of student conduct; or
  3. Are not officially enrolled for a particular term but who have a continuing relationship with the college or university; or
  4. Have been notified of their acceptance for admission or have initiated the process of application for admission or financial aid; or
  5. Are not college or university employees and are not enrolled in the institution but live in a college or university owned or controlled residence hall.

Active Student:

   Criteria 1: 

  1. A degree-seeking student who has completed the enrollment process and has been admitted into the University, an undergraduate major or a graduate program of study; or
  2. A degree-seeking student who has completed the enrollment process and has not yet been admitted into the University, and undergraduate major or a graduate program of study; or
  3. A student seeking a graduate certificate

  Criteria 2:

 

         The student must have registered into and successfully completed at least one credit in a semester in the previous two years. 

 

A student who fulfills Criteria 1, will cease to be an active student at the University if they do not register for and successfully complete at least one credit in a semester within two years, will be administratively removed from the University and be categorized as inactive.

 

The credits that the student accumulates as an active student will not expire upon becoming an inactive student, unless the student has been admitted to a graduate program, refer to the Graduate Student Handbook for the program completion timeframe guidelines.

 

Graduate Studies at SCSU has procedures for an admitted student to request a leave or absence, please see the Graduate Student Handbook for information on that process.

 

An inactive student intending to return to the University will not have to reapply for admission to the University, but will need to reapply for admission into a current program of study. 

Contacts

Responsible University Officer
   Pattit, Katherina G.
   Interim Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs
 
katherina.pattit@stcloudstate.edu
320-308-3213
Owner
   Meendering, Timothy J.
   Registrar
 
timothy.meendering@stcloudstate.edu
320-308-4039
Owner
   Woods, Jason L.
   Vice President for Strategic Enrollment Management
 
jlwoods@stcloudstate.edu
320-308-5455
Contact
   Longstrom, Theresa J.
   Office of Records and Registration
 
tjlongstrom@stcloudstate.edu
320-308-4036

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