Managing Your Academic Career
Academic Integrity & Code of Student Conduct
The Appalachian State University judicial process is built on the concept of educational discipline. Educational discipline focuses on promoting responsible conduct, providing opportunities for growth and development, holding students accountable for their behavior and teaching about the consequences of misconduct for both the individual and the community.
Students admitted to Appalachian accept responsibility to conform to all rules and regulations outlined in the Code of Student Conduct and the Academic Integrity Code. Violations of one or more of these codes require disciplinary sanctions to be imposed.
Sanctions are designed to be educational in nature and, whenever possible, to provide an avenue for continued membership in the university community. However, students who fail to obey rules and regulations are treated the same as a student who has failed academically and is separated from the university.
Class Attendance Policy
It is University Policy that a student is expected to attend every meeting of his or her classes. If an absence from class should prove necessary, regardless of the reason, the student will be held accountable for all academic activities missed due to the absence. A faculty member may, at his or her discretion, include class attendance as a criterion in the determination of final grades.
A student who does not attend a class during one of its first two meetings may lose his or her seat in that class. (If a class meets only one time per week - e.g., a lab or an evening class - the student must attend the first class meeting or risk losing his or her seat.)
College Admissions Requirement
Beginning fall 2003, in addition to current requirements, students must remove all grades of "I" (incomplete) from their academic record to be fully admitted to their respective college.
Incomplete Grades
Grades of "I" (incomplete) are to be assigned only because of sickness or some other unavoidable cause.
Tthe period of time before a grade of "I" defaults to a grade of "F" or "U" is one semester. This means that a student who is given a grade of "I" for a fall class must remove that grade by the end of the following spring semester or the grade will change to "F" or "U" (depending on how the course is graded). If the grade of "I" is assigned in the spring, it must be removed by the end of the following fall semester Summer sessions do not apply for time allowed to remove the grade of "I".
Students do not re-register for a class in which a grade of "I" was earned in order to complete the incomplete. If a student receives a grade of "I" in a class and then re-registers for the class (either with the same or a different professor), the grade of "I" in the first class will default to "F" or "U". If the student does take the class a second time, the initial grade of "F" or "U" can be excluded by using one of the five repeats allowed.
Privacy Act/Access to Student Records
Appalachian State University complies with all provisions of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA). Students have the right to inspect and challenge the contents of their educational records. Parent/Guardian access can be granted by the student upon completion of an online consent form or a printed consent form. Students who wish to have directory information withheld should complete a request with the Registrar's Office. The University's Privacy Policy and additional information is available through the Registrar's website (www.registrar.appstate.edu).
Within the limits prescribed by FERPA, students have the right to inspect and challenge the contents of their education records. Access to educational records is coordinated through the Registrar's Office. Students who wish to inspect their records should contact that office between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Repeat Policy - Updated
Repeating a course should always be considered when attempting to improve the GPA. Students should review their repeat options with an advisor. A grade earned in the initial attempt can be excluded from computation for a maximum of five courses. Although the initial grade remains on the transcript, it is no longer computed in the GPA.
A student must file a repeat form in the Registrar's Office no later than the last day of final exam period during the term in which the course is repeated if the student wants the initial grade excluded from the cumulative GPA.
Tuition Surcharge
Undergraduate students who initially enrolled at Appalachian in the fall, 1994 and thereafter, must comply with North Carolina Session Law 321-89 (Senate Bill 27) and 769-17.10 (Senate Bill 1505). This legislation requires a tuition surcharge of twenty-five percent (25%) on: 1) all credit hours in excess of one hundred and forty (140) when taken as part of student's first baccalaureate degree; 2) all credit hours in excess of one hundred and ten percent (110%) of the number required for a second or subsequent baccalaureate degree.
Included in the calculation of credit hours will be 1) all course work attempted at Appalachian (i.e., courses earned, courses failed, courses repeated, and coursed dropped after the UNC system "census" date -- the tenth day of class -- published in the academic calendar), and 2) all course work transferred to Appalachian from other collegiate institutions.
Excluded from the calculation will be credit by examination, advanced placement credit, military credit, and credit earned through an extension program or during the summer at any member institution of the University of North Carolina. (Note: Every baccalaureate degree at Appalachian requires a minimum of 122 credit hours; Appalachian does not offer a baccalaureate degree that requires more than 128 credit hours.)
Students are encouraged to average a minimum of 15 credit hours per semester and to take advantage of advising and support services to ensure continuous progress towards graduation.
