Policies for Students

Academic Advising
Acceptable Use Policy for Students
Selection of Majors
Catalog Requirements
Course Load
Course Repeat Policy
Transfer / Previous College Credit
Schedule Adjustment
Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
Grades
Grade Appeals
Academic Dishonesty
Academic Forgiveness Policy
Transfer to Senior College or University
Tuition and Fees
Tuition Refund Policy
Student Activities

Academic Advising

Academic advising for all new incoming curriculum students, except AA and AS college transfer students, will be done in the STARS Center (Success Through Advising Registration and Support), located in F-103, until the student has successfully completed 12 or more credit hours in their program of study.  Academic advising for AA and AS college transfer students will be in the College Transfer Advising Center located in C-200. Students who have earned more than 12 credit hours at Wilson Community College in their program of study will be advised through their curriculum faculty advisor.

Selection of Majors

Students are admitted to one chosen program of study. After admission, students who wish to double-major may designate one primary and one secondary major with the Registrar’s office and work toward that end.

Students may change their major anytime up to the last day of classes, such change to be effective the following semester. Students may not change their major or add a secondary major during the regular or late registration periods.  Special Credit students who accumulate 13 semester hours of credit are encouraged to declare a major and be admitted to a curriculum program. Students who select, declare, or change majors must do so with an admissions counselor, the Dean of Enrollment Management, or Registrar.  Students considering changing majors should consult the Financial Aid Office prior to processing a change so they are aware of possible Financial Aid implications.

Catalog Requirements

Students are expected to meet the catalog requirements in effect at the time of their enrollment into a curriculum program.  Anyone not enrolled for two or more consecutive semesters, including summer semester, must be readmitted to the College and must meet the program requirements in the catalog in effect at the time of their readmission.

Course Load

Students enrolled in 12 or more hours in the fall and spring semesters are designated as full-time students.  Full-time is 9 or more hours in the summer semester (12 credit hours for financial aid purposes).  With the approval of their academic advisor, students can enroll in up to 19 hours in the fall and spring and 13 in the summer, but a course load beyond 19 in fall and spring or 13 in the summer must be approved by the Vice President of Instruction and Student Development.  Students with Financial Aid questions should consult the Financial Aid Office.

Course Repeat Policy

Students who receive a grade of “C” or better on a curriculum course can repeat the course once. Students who receive a grade below “C” on a curriculum course may repeat the course until a grade of “C” or better has been obtained.

No course may be counted more than once in calculating the total number of hours towards graduation. Only the best grade will be used for computing total credit hours attempted and passed, total quality points, and grade point averages. Only courses repeated at Wilson Community College will replace grades in computing GPAs. Transfer credit does not replace previous course grades.

For financial aid purposes, a student is allowed to repeat a previously passed class only once and then only to improve the course grade and receive financial aid for the course.   Regardless of the grade a student receives on the second attempt of a previously passed class, financial aid will not be given for future attempts. A student may continue to attempt courses for which a passing grade has not been earned and receive financial aid with the exception of the 30 hour limitation on developmental courses. Veterans who wish to repeat a course for which a passing grade has been earned will not receive educational benefits for repeating the course.

Transfer / Previous College Credit

Students who have previously attended another college should submit official transcripts from ALL institutions they have attended to receive transfer credit. The Director of Enrollment Services/Registrar, in consultation with instructor(s) and/or the Curriculum Dean, will evaluate all transcripts on a course by course basis. Evaluation criteria include comparable content and credit hours, grade, accreditation, and the number of years since the credits were earned. The following will be used as a basis to determine which previously earned credits may be awarded and counted towards graduation:

• Effective Fall Semester 2009, credit will no longer be given in any current program of study for coursework completed on the quarter system at Wilson Community College or any other North Carolina community college. Recent academic credits from a college or university still operating on a quarter system may be eligible for transfer consideration on a course by course basis.
• Developmental courses do not count toward graduation and are only valid for ten years from the student’s date of admission or readmission.
• A student’s academic advisor can recommend substitution of courses for adequate cause. Substitutions must have written approval from the advisor, the Director of Enrollment Services/Registrar, the Curriculum Dean, and the Vice President for Academic Affairs.
• The College will accept credit for those courses with curriculum validity with the credit hours adjusted to the Wilson Community College scale for students who transfer from other accredited post-secondary institutions.
• A letter grade of “D” is not transferable.
• Quality points earned at other institutions will not be calculated in a student’s grade point average.
• A transfer student intending to graduate from Wilson Community College must complete at least 25% of the credit hours in the major course of study at Wilson Community College.
• Students enrolled in curriculum programs who wish to take courses at another college for transfer back to Wilson Community College for credit toward graduation are strongly encouraged to discuss such with their academic advisor prior to registration at the other college. This is to better ensure transferability of credits. Also, certain key courses are required to be taken at Wilson Community College.
• Any and all credit awarded and/or counted toward graduation is at the College’s discretion.

Schedule Adjustment

Registered students may adjust their schedules through drop/add during schedule adjustment periods each semester with the approval of the appropriate Curriculum Dean. There are no new registrations during this period.

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

Satisfactory academic progress requires a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0. A cumulative minimum 2.0 on all completed courses in one’s curriculum is also required for program completion and graduation.  A student who fails to maintain a cumulative 2.0 will be placed on Academic Warning (AW) for the following semester. Such students are encouraged to seek tutoring and are not allowed to participate in early registration. Should such a student on Academic Warning fail to reestablish a minimum 2.0 during their semester of warning, they will be placed on Academic Probation until their cumulative GPA is at least 2.0.  Students on Academic Probation may not be eligible for financial aid, are not allowed to early register, and may register for no more than two courses, plus ACA.

NOTE:  Federal financial aid regulations require that grades in developmental courses be included in determining qualitative eligibility for FA. The College does not include grades in developmental courses in computing GPAs.  As a result, the College computes an academic GPA and a financial aid GPA.  Graduation and academic SAP is based on the academic GPA.  Financial aid eligibility is based on the financial aid GPA.

Grades

Course grades are made available to students in WebAdvisor at the conclusion of each semester.  Instructors in each course will announce their grading scale as to whether they will be using a 7-point or 10-point grading scale in their course syllabus. Please consult the College catalog for a full description of the grading system, computing your GPA, and descriptions of grades.

Grade Appeals

Individual Assignment Appeals:  A student who has concerns regarding fairness of evaluation on an individual test, project, or other assignment may discuss those concerns with the instructor within 10 calendar days of receiving the grade.  If the student’s concerns are not resolved in this informal manner, the student may appeal the instructor’s decision within seven calendar days to the appropriate Curriculum Dean, who will conduct a review. The decision of the Curriculum Dean is final.

Course Grade Appeals:  A student has a right to appeal a final course grade. Such an appeal must be made and resolved before the end of the semester following the semester in which the grade was awarded. The following procedures must be followed:

• The student must submit a written appeal to the instructor who assigned the grade stating the basis on which the appeal is made. After submitting the written appeal, the student must schedule an appointment to meet with the instructor to discuss the appeal and any supporting documentation. If the disagreement is resolved, the instructor will initiate grade change action as appropriate and will send a written response to the student and will send a copy to the Curriculum Dean.
• If the disagreement is not resolved, the student may appeal the decision of the instructor to the appropriate Curriculum Dean or Director. Such an appeal must be in writing and must include the basis for the appeal and any supporting documentation. After submitting the written appeal, the student must schedule an appointment to meet with the Curriculum Dean or Director to discuss the appeal. If the instructor is the Curriculum Dean, the appeal must be sent to the Vice President of Instruction and Student Development. The Curriculum Dean or Director will send a written response to the student and will send a copy to the Vice President of Instruction and Student Development.
• If the disagreement is not resolved, the student may submit a written appeal to the Vice President of Instruction and Student Development along with any supporting documentation. After review, the Vice President will make a written response to the student, the instructor, and the Curriculum Dean. All decisions at this level are final.

Academic Dishonesty

Each faculty member has the responsibility to evaluate each student’s academic work fairly. Students are expected to submit their own work to be evaluated and to perform honestly. All students are expected to eliminate cheating by any member of their class. Academic dishonesty is defined as any behavior that attempts to deceive the instructor as he or she attempts to fairly evaluate an academic exercise. Examples are cheating, plagiarism, or lying.

Sanctions may include:

1. Academic Warning – A written notice to the student that he/she has violated the academic dishonesty policy.
2. Grade Adjustment – Lowering a score on a test or assignment, including a possible “0”.
3. Discretionary Probation – Additional academic assignments determined by the instructor.
4. Course Failure – Assigning a course grade of “F” on the course where the academic dishonesty occurred.
5. Disciplinary Probation – Continued enrollment of a student with a written notice of terms and length of probation. Any conduct in violation of the terms of the probation could result in more serious disciplinary action.
6. Suspension – Separation from the College for a stated period of time, with possible conditions of readmission.
7. Expulsion – Permanent removal and exclusion from the College.

A faculty member may impose sanctions 1, 2, 3, and 4. A faculty member may recommend to the Curriculum Dean or Dean of Continuing Education, Industrial Technologies & Sustainability, that sanctions 5, 6, or 7 be imposed. All incidents of academic dishonesty must be reported to the appropriate Curriculum Dean or Dean of Continuing Education, Industrial Technologies & Sustainability, who will forward a copy to the Dean of Student Development for recording. If a student has repeated offenses, further disciplinary action may be taken.

Appeals of academic dishonesty sanctions 1, 2, 3, or 4 may be appealed through the Grade Appeal Process.  Sanctions 5, 6, or 7 may be appealed through the Disciplinary and Appeals Process.

Proven incidents of academic dishonesty can negatively affect eligibility for honor societies, College Work Study, and local scholarships.

Academic Forgiveness Policy

Students may apply for the forgiveness of grades earned at Wilson Community College, under the provision of the College’s Academic Forgiveness Policy. Courses and grades will not be removed from the student’s cumulative record, but grades that are forgiven will no longer be calculated into the student’s cumulative grade point average. Academic forgiveness for courses completed at Wilson Community College may not be honored when a student transfers to another college or university. Receiving institutions are not required to disregard course grades forgiven by Wilson Community College.

The following criteria must be met to be considered for Academic Forgiveness:

1. Academic forgiveness must be initiated by the student who has not been continuously enrolled for three years.
2.  Academic forgiveness applies to courses taken at Wilson Community College, at least three years prior to the date of application for academic forgiveness.
3.  Only prior courses with grades of “F” or “WF” will be eligible for academic forgiveness.
4. The student must be currently enrolled and completed a minimum of 6 credit hours required for their current program of study, within the previous year. The student must achieve an overall grade point average of 2.5
   or above in these courses.

Please note: Academic forgiveness will be granted only once and when granted, is irrevocable. Academic forgiveness cannot be used to waive satisfactory academic progress standards for financial aid. Courses and grades that are forgiven will not be removed from the student’s WCC transcript.

The Academic Forgiveness Form can be accessed HERE or by visiting Student Development in F100.

Transfer to Senior College or University

Colleges and universities vary widely in general education requirements for entrance into and completion of study in a major field. At the earliest possible date, students are advised to carefully study the catalogs of colleges to which they are considering transfer and consult an admissions representative to determine transferability of courses already taken and those they plan to take at Wilson Community College. Only courses approved in the Comprehensive Articulation Agreement (CAA) are transferable to UNC system schools.  Such CAA-approved courses are noted in course descriptions in the College catalog.