Registration and Records

Academic Standing

Policy Statement

This policy updates and clarifies the thresholds for each level of Academic Standing and associated Academic Actions. These changes allow the College to more quickly identify students who are struggling academically, provide appropriate support, and set meaningful indicators of success for students attempting to return to Good Academic Standing.

Definitions

Academic Action: Action taken by the College based on a student's academic progress and Academic Standing.

Academic Dismissal: Academic Standing in which a student is no longer allowed to enroll at the College.

Academic Probation: Academic Standing that indicates a student has failed to meet minimum requirements while on Academic Warning.

Academic Standing: Classification that indicates whether a students is meeting minimum NSC Grade Point Average (GPA) requirements and determines any required actions on behalf of the student and Academic Actions taken by the College.

Academic Suspension: Academic Standing in which a student is temporarily prohibited from enrolling at the College after failing to meet minimum requirements while on Academic Probation.

Academic Warning: Academic Standing that indicates a student has failed to meet minimum College GPA requirements.

Attempted Earned Credits: Courses graded with letter grades of A, B, C, D, and F.

Continued Standing Status: Condition in which a student earns a 2.0 NSC Semester GPA but fails to raise their Cumulative GPA above a 2.0 and is allowed to maintain their current Academic Standing.

Good Academic Standing: Academic Standing that indicates a student has performed at a level that meets minimum NSC GPA requirements.

NSC Cumulative GPA: Overall Grade Point Average calculated using only Courses taken at the College:

NSC Semester GPA: Grade Point Average for a specific term calculated using only courses taken at the College during that term. Calculated at the end of fall and spring semesters and each August for summer coursework.

Procedures

Calculating Academic Standing

All levels of Academic Standing are considered part of a student's academic record and are noted on official transcripts.

1. Incomplete grades: For students receiving grades for Incomplete (I), the GPA shall be calculated for the semester or summer term in which the Incomplete grade was assigned, with an "I" assigned for the course. Any change to Academic Standing that is necessary due to a change from an Incomplete grade to a letter grade shall be calculated at the end of the semester or summer term in which the Incomplete grade is changed.
2. Withdrawing from Courses: Courses from which a student has withdrawn and received a 'W" shall not impact Academic Standing calculations.
3. Grade Appeals: If a student's final course grade is adjusted as a result of a grade appeal, the student's Academic Standing will immediately be re-calculated.

Academic Warning

A student who fails to earn a minimum 2.0 NSC Semester GPA based on Attempted Earned Credits at the end of 1) any fall or spring semester or 2) any summer in which the student was enrolled in a minimum of six (6) credits in all summer terms combined, is placed on Academic Warning.

A registration hold will be placed on the student’s account for the enrollment period following placement on Academic Warning. The student is required to meet with an advisor in the Academic Advising Center in order to remove this hold. This meeting is intended to help the student identify changes that will allow the student to improve the student’s academic performance and return to Good Academic Standing.

A student on Academic Warning whose NSC Cumulative GPA is below 2.0 but who earns an NSC Semester GPA of 2.0 or higher based on Attempted Earned Credits shall remain on “Continued” Academic Warning until the point at which their NSC Cumulative GPA rises above 2.0.

Academic Probation

Any student on Academic Warning who fails to earn a minimum 2.0 NSC Semester GPA based on Attempted Earned Credits at the end of 1) any fall or spring semester or 2) any summer in which the student was enrolled in a minimum of six (6) credits in all summer terms combined, is placed on Academic Probation.

A registration hold will be placed on the student’s account for the enrollment period following placement on Academic Probation. The student is required to meet with an advisor in the Academic Advising Center to remove the hold.

A student on Academic Probation who has an NSC Cumulative GPA below 2.0 but who earns an NSC Semester GPA of 2.0 or higher based on Attempted Earned Credits shall remain on “Continued” Academic Probation until the point at which their NSC Cumulative GPA rises above 2.0.

Academic Suspension

Any student on Academic Probation who fails to earn a minimum 2.0 NSC Semester GPA based on Attempted Earned Credits at the end of 1) any fall or spring semester or 2) any summer in which the student was enrolled in a minimum of six (6) credits in all summer terms combined, will be placed on Academic Suspension until the end of the following full fall or spring semester. During this time they are not allowed to enroll in courses at the College.

1. Return from first Academic Suspension: To enroll in classes after a first Academic Suspension, a student is required to meet with an advisor in the Academic Advising Center prior to the term in which the student wishes to return. Once re-enrolled, a student whose NSC Cumulative GPA falls below 2.0 but who earns an NSC Semester GPA of 2.0 or higher based on Attempted Earned Credits shall be allowed to enroll the following semester or summer term on Probationary Enrollment Status.
2. Second Academic Suspension: A student who re-enrolls subsequent to a first Academic Suspension and fails to earn a minimum 2.0 NSC Semester GPA at the end of any semester or summer term based on Attempted Earned Credits shall be placed on renewed Academic Suspension and will be prohibited from enrolling at NSC until two (2) consecutive full academic semesters (fall and spring terms) have passed.

Academic Dismissal

Any student who returns to the College after a second Academic Suspension who fails to earn a minimum 2.0 NSC Semester GPA in any semester or summer term based on Attempted Earned Credits will be Academically Dismissed from the College. Any student who is Academically Dismissed is prohibited from enrolling at the College for three (3) full academic years from the date of dismissal.

1. Return after Academic Dismissal: A student may reapply for admission to the College at the end of the dismissal period. The student must provide evidence that the student is capable of performing at the level required to meet College standards.
2. Early return from Academic Dismissal: A student who has been Academically Dismissed may apply for early reinstatement from Academic Dismissal if:
   1. The student earns an associate’s or bachelor’s degree from a regionally-accredited institution after Academic Dismissal from NSC;
   2. The President approves a petition for an exception to policy based on exceptional circumstances. Such approvals are granted at the President’s sole discretion on a case-by-case basis and are not subject to appeal.

Return to Good Academic Standing

Any student who has been placed on Academic Action shall return to Good Academic Standing when the student earns a NSC Semester GPA of 2.0 or higher and has an NSC Cumulative GPA above 2.0.

Once a student returns to Good Academic Standing, the student’s Academic Action progression resets (i.e., the student must progress through Academic Warning and Probation prior to being Academically Suspended). If a student returns to Good Academic Standing and subsequently is again Academically Suspended, the student shall fall under Academic Suspension, subsection 2, of this policy, "Second Academic Suspension.”

Financial Aid Implications

This policy defines calculations for Academic Standing. It does not apply to calculations of eligibility for financial aid. Students should contact the Office of Financial Aid to discuss how their Academic Standing impacts their financial aid packages and whether they have made satisfactory progress. Refer to Financial Aid’s policy on Satisfactory Academic Progress for information on financial aid calculations.

Categories of Students

Regular

An Individual who is admitted to a degree program is defined as a regular student and is classified according to the total number of semester credits completed. A regular student may enroll either full-time, two-thirds time, half-time, or less than half-time for a given semester.

Auditor

Student who wish to enroll for no credit may register as auditors with the approval of the department offering the course. While no credit or grade may be earned, auditors may, at the discretion of the instructor, receive the same class privileges as other students. Auditing students whose performance in class is considered unsatisfactory may be dropped from the college, if a written authorization, signed by the instructor, Academic Dean, and Provost is filed in the Office of the Registrar. Auditors are not eligible to receive financial aid, including student loans.

Classification of Students

Term Status

For all semesters:

Full-Time:	9 or more credits
Half-Time:	5 - 8 credits
Less than Half-Time:	0 - 4 credits

Regulations for Students Records

Confidentiality and Release of Information

The confidentiality and security of student educational records are of primary importance to the college. As amended, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974 ensures that eligible students have the right to inspect and review educational records, files and other data; to waive the right of inspection and review of confidential letters and statements of recommendation filed since January 1, 1975; to challenge the content of educational records to ensure that it is not misleading or inaccurate; and to preclude any or all directory information from being released.

Most college discipline records are defined as education records by FERPA and therefore protected from disclosure without written consent of the student. Two exceptions to this are: (1) the outcome of any disciplinary proceeding alleging a sex offense must be disclosed to the accuser, and (2) some records of the Police Department created and maintained solely by that unit are not protected from disclosure by FERPA.

Student access is not permitted to the financial statements of parents; to confidential statements and recommendations filed prior to January 1, 1975; to records that the student has waived the right to inspect; to records of instructional, supervisory and administrative personnel; to records created by a law enforcement unit, for a law enforcement purpose, and maintained by a law enforcement unit; to records that are created and maintained by a physician, psychiatrist, psychologist or other recognized professionals or paraprofessionals acting or assisting in a professional or paraprofessional capacity; or to college records that contain only information relating to a person after that person is no longer a student. Requests for review of educational records are processed within 45 days of submittal.

The college does not allow access to, or the release of, educational records or other personally identifiable information without the written consent of the student, and, when in person, verification through picture identification, except that the college must disclose information to students requesting review of their own records and to authorized governmental officials or agencies for audit and evaluation of state and federally supported programs.

The written consent must be signed, dated and should include the birth date of the student. The written consent must specify the educational records to be disclosed, the purpose or purposes of the disclosure and the party or parties to whom the disclosure may be made.

The college may disclose, without a student's written consent, educational records or other personally identifiable information to full-time college employees having authorized access; to the Office of the Registrar and/or appropriate officials of another school or school system in which the student intends to enroll; to people or organizations providing student financial aid; to accrediting agencies involved in accrediting functions; to parents of a student whose status as a dependent has been established according to the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, Section 152; to an alleged victim of any crime of violence the results of any institutional disciplinary proceeding against the alleged perpetrator of that crime with respect to that crime; in compliance with a judicial order or lawfully issued subpoena, provided the college makes a reasonable attempt to notify the student of the order or subpoena in advance of compliance, except if commanded not to do so in a subpoena, if the subpoena has been issued for a law enforcement purpose or by a federal grand jury; to authorized officials in connection with an emergency, if knowledge of the information is necessary to protect the health or safety of a student or other people.

Directory information is considered public and may be released without written consent unless specifically prohibited by the student concerned. Data defined as directory information includes: student names, addresses, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, major fields of study, student participation in officially recognized activities, dates of attendance, degrees and awards received, photographs for college use, and listings of the most recent educational agency or institution that students have attended.

A student may restrict the publication of information by completing a Request to Prevent Disclosure form which can be found in the Office of the Registrar. Students may also update this authorization via myNSC.

Each office in which students' financial records are filed maintains a record of requests for the release of personally identifiable information.

Retention and Disposition

The maintenance, retention and disposition of documents relating to student educational records are governed by institutional policy.

A list of documents and disposition schedules filed in the Office of the Registrar includes:

• The permanent academic records of students which are retained indefinitely.
• Applications for admission and/or readmission; transcripts issued by other institutions; applications for resident fees; military service documents; undergraduate admission evaluations; advanced standing admission evaluations, including CBAPE, CLEP, ACT PEP, GRE and GMAT; changes of major or advisor; and pertinent correspondence which are retained for one year after the student's last date of attendance. In the case of a student who graduates, only the permanent academic record is maintained.
• The admission file of students who do not register, are disapproved or have incomplete admission files.
• Transcript requests and disciplinary action notices which are retained in the Office of the Registrar for one year.

Requirements for Graduation

Application for Graduation

Student must apply for graduation by the following deadlines.

• Spring graduation applications due by October 1st
• Summer graduation applications due by October 1st
• Fall graduation application due by May 1st

Transcript of Record

The official transcript is the complete history of work completed at Nevada State College, including, but not limited to, grades, credits earned, previous colleges/universities attended, and an indication of repetition of coursework. Official transcripts can be requested from the Office of the Registrar, in writing. All requests require a 48-hour processing time, exempting high-volume periods of the year, when the processing time may be extended. Students requesting transcripts with degrees posted should submit request forms in advance of the completion of the semester.

Student Email Policy

Official email communications are intended to meet student, faculty, and staff academic and administrative needs within the campus community. Unless otherwise prohibited by law, the college and its faculty may communicate with students officially by email and will expect that such email messages will be received and read in a timely manner. Official NSC email accounts are created for all admitted students. The addresses are all in the form of [name]@students.nsc.edu.

If a student wishes to have email redirected from their NSC official email to another email address, they may do so but at their own risk. The college is not responsible for the handling of email by outside vendors or departmental/unit servers, none of which are considered official student email accounts. Having email redirected does not absolve a student from the responsibilities associated with official communication sent to his or her [name]@students.nsc.edu account. Students are expected to check their email on a frequent basis in order to stay current with NSC related administrative and course communications and to recognize that certain communications may be time-critical. Students must ensure that there is sufficient space in their accounts to allow for delivery of official email communications. Email users should exercise extreme caution in using email to communicate confidential or sensitive matters, and should not assume that email is private or secure. It is also important that users are careful to send messages only to the intended recipients. Faculty will determine how electronic forms of communication will be used in their classes, and will specify their requirements in the course syllabus. Such use by students and faculty shall be consistent with this policy.

Student Email