Registration

To enroll in courses, all students must complete the registration process personally.

• New Student Registration: New students entering Alvernia College in the fall semester complete their registration during the summer. New students entering Alvernia College in the spring semester register before classes begin in January.

• Current Student Registration: Students currently enrolled register during advance registration in the middle of the fall and spring semesters. If a student registers during advanced registration and then decides not to return to the college, it is the student’s responsibility to complete the withdrawal process prior to the beginning of classes.

  Students will be charged an additional fee for any credits over 17. Students may register for more than 17 credits with the approval of their advisor and their division dean. Items considered for approval are the student’s academic progress, cumulative grade point average, and plan of study. Students are officially registered when tuition and charges for the semester have been paid or arrangements for payment have been made with the Bursar’s Office.

  Courses are offered on a rotating schedule. The College reserves the right to revise course plans in response to changes in student interest, enrollment demand, and staff availability. The College also reserves the right to cancel any scheduled course for which there is insufficient enrollment.

• Summer School Registration: Information regarding course offerings and tuition charges is available from the office of Graduate and Continuing Studies located in the Graduate Center.

Registration Change

Each of the following constitutes a registration change:

• Adding or dropping a course or changing a course section
• Withdrawing after the add/drop period
• Auditing a course

Add/Drop Period
The deadline to add or drop courses or change a course section is at the end of the business day of the sixth day of classes, unless otherwise indicated by the Registrar’s Office. The student must pick up and complete the schedule change form in the Registrar’s Office and obtain the signatures of his/her advisor and the instructor before returning the form to the Registrar’s Office by the deadline.

Students enrolled in courses in the departments listed below must follow the add/drop deadlines as described.

• Addiction Studies: May add/drop before the second class meets. All withdrawals must be made before the third class meeting.
• Computer Information Systems Mini-Courses: May add/drop before the second class meets. All withdrawals for mini courses must be made before the third class meeting.
• Physical Education: Mini courses starting at the beginning of the semester may add/drop before the second class meets. All withdrawals for mini courses must be made before the 8th hour.

Withdrawal After Add/Drop Period
No student is permitted to withdraw from a course after the last day for withdrawal, which is listed on the semester and course schedules. Discontinuing a course without a valid withdrawal results in a grade of “F”. A student receiving financial aid must notify The Office of Student Financial Planning of his/her withdrawal from a course. Schedule Change forms are obtained from the Registrar’s Office and must be filed there to complete the process. The instructor for the course involved and the student’s academic advisor must sign the form. During this period, a “W” will be placed on the student’s official record.

Auditing a Course
A student wishing to audit a course must submit a written request to the Registrar’s Office. This request must include the signatures of the instructor involved and the student’s academic advisor. After the first week of classes no reimbursement will be made when changing from credit to audit. The deadline for either request is the first week of instruction of current semester. No credit is earned for auditing a course.

Attendance Policy

Attendance at and participation in class are integral parts of the educational process and are significant factors in academic achievement. Students are expected to attend all classes, take exams during scheduled times, and are responsible for all material covered in class. Instructors are expected to report students whose absences are excessive. At the discretion of the instructor, excessive absences or tardiness may result in a lowered grade or failure for the course. Individual instructors may identify more specific attendance requirements, which will be clearly stated in the course syllabus. Other guidelines can be found in the Student Handbook.

Change of Major

A student may change his/her major by obtaining written approval of the department chairperson or program director of the new major. The Change of Major form, obtained from the Registrar’s Office, is completed and returned to the Registrar’s Office. The department chairperson or program director assigns the student to an academic advisor. The Registrar’s Office notifies the appropriate personnel of the change.

Withdrawal from College

A student voluntarily withdrawing from the College must complete an exit interview. The student should report to the Academic Affairs Office. The student is responsible for meeting any financial or residence hall obligations before leaving campus. If the proper withdrawal procedure is not completed, the student may also be academically responsible for the semester. For example, if the student withdraws from the College after the last official date to withdraw from classes, instructors will assign a “WP” or “WF” indicating the academic standing at the time of withdrawal. If the student does not officially withdraw, instructors will assign a grade indicating the academic standing at the end of the semester. The College reserves the right to require the withdrawal of any student whose scholarship is unsatisfactory or whose conduct renders him/her undesirable as a member of the College community.

Family Educational Rights and and Privacy Act

The College follows the provisions of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA). Under this act, education records of the student are not released except by written consent and request of eligible students. Exceptions are made in accordance with the law to authorized persons within the College and to authorized agencies outside the College. Eligible students may inspect their records by submitting a written request to the Registrar. For more information on the ability to waive FERPA rights, please contact the Registrar’s Office.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, is a federal law that states (a) that a written institutional policy must be established and (b) that a statement of adopted procedures covering the privacy rights of students must be made available. Alvernia College shall maintain the confidentiality of student education records in accordance with the provisions of the Act and shall accord all the rights under the Act to students who are or have been in attendance at Alvernia College.

The Act provides students with the right to inspect and review information contained in their educational records, to challenge the contents of those records which students consider to be inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of their privacy or other rights, to have a hearing if the outcome of the challenge is unsatisfactory, and to submit explanatory statements for inclusion in their files if the decision of the hearing panel is unacceptable. The Registrar at Alvernia College has been assigned to coordinate the inspection and review procedures for student education records, which include admissions, personal, academic, financial, academic, cooperative education, and placement records.

A copy of the College’s complete FERPA policy may be obtained from the Registrar.

Student Right-To-Know and Campus Security Act

The College complies with the Student Right-to-Know, Campus Crime and Security, and Athletic Participation and Financial Support (EADA) reporting and disclosure regulations issued by the Department of Education effective as of November 1, 1999, in order to remain Title IV compliant (federal financial aid programs). Part of these regulations permit the College to disclose completion/graduation and transfer-out rates of its students. Further information is available from the Registrar’s Office.

Updated: March 29, 2005

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