Academic Policies
DEGREES
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The degrees conferred upon completion of the approved programs of
study within the University are: Master of Arts in Counseling, Master of
Arts in Philosophy, Master of Arts in Theology and Christian Ministry,
Master of Business Administration, Master of Science in Education,
Master of Science in Educational Administration, and Master of Science
in Nursing.
REGISTRATION PROCEDURES
A student must register during the days prescribed in the calendar.
THERE IS A CHARGE OF $25 FOR LATE REGISTRATION.
All changes after registration must be approved by the student’s
advisor and the instructors involved. Necessary forms must be filed with
the Registrar’s Office. Otherwise, a grade of “F” will be given for
courses not dropped appropriately.
No student is allowed to enter a course after the first five days of
the semester.
A student has complied with the registration requirements when he or she
has had a schedule of registration approved by the faculty advisor, has
completed the forms provided by the Registrar, and has paid the required
charges.
No student can receive credit for any subject taken in a class for
which he or she has not been duly registered by the proper officials.
COURSE SCHEDULE
Franciscan University of Steubenville reserves the right to make
changes in the schedule or to withdraw courses if enrollment does not
meet the minimum required. Withdrawals and refunds are governed by the
University guidelines.
REFUND POLICY
A student withdrawing from classes or resident status at Franciscan
University of Steubenville must complete an official withdrawal form.
This form, available at the Enrollment Services Counter in Starvaggi
Hall, must be dated, and bear the signature of the student and all
required officials. The official date of withdrawal will be the date the
completed form is stamped “received” at the Enrollment Services Counter.
Students who do not officially withdraw and those who are dismissed or
suspended for disciplinary reasons are not entitled to a credit refund.
An administrative fee of $25 will be charged in all cases.
- When a student officially withdraws, the University will retain
1/15th per week (or portion of any week) of the total tuition, fees,
room, and board for the period enrolled. There will be no credit or
refund of any charges after the ninth week of the semester.
- When a student drops a course or changes from full-time to part-time
status, the University will retain 1/15th per week (or any portion of
any week) of the total charge for the course dropped, or 1/15th per week
of the difference between the full-time and part-time charge for the
period enrolled through the eighth week of the semester. No credit or
refund of charges will be issued after the ninth week of the
semester.
Housing contracts are applicable to the entire academic year and may
not be canceled without the written consent of the Student Life Office.
Please refer to the Housing Contract and the Residency Policy in the
Student Life Handbook for additional details.
Refunds will normally be paid within thirty (30) days of
registration, after all withdrawal credits are applied and affected
financial aid has been adjusted according to the formula described in
the University Catalog under Financial Aid. Deposits are not
refundable.
Refunds from straight cash overpayments, where no financial aid is
involved, will normally be paid approximately ten (10) days after
scheduled day of registration.
WITHDRAWAL
A student may withdraw from a course until the withdrawal date
published. No authorization will be given for withdrawal after this
date. A withdrawal is not official until the withdrawal form is received
in the Office of the Registrar. The withdrawal form must be signed by
the Instructor and the Faculty Advisor or Program Director before it is
accepted by the Registrar.
If a student officially withdraws from a course, a grade of “W” is
submitted by the Instructor at the conclusion of the semester: There are
no quality points associated with the “W” grade. A grade of “F” will be
recorded for students who do not attend classes and who do not withdraw
officially from a course.
Any withdrawal or change of course must be processed by an official
DROP/ADD FORM through the Registrar’s Office. Financial adjustments, if
allowed, will be made only from the date of notification of withdrawal.
Students who discontinue class attendance without officially completing
the withdrawal procedures will be responsible for the full amount of the
applicable tuition and fees.
AUDITING CLASSES
Auditors are not required to participate in class discussions or
examinations and do not receive credit; however, in order to have this
designation recorded on their transcripts for the appropriate course,
they must attend classes. Designation as an auditor should be made at
registration or during the first two weeks of classes. No change of
audit status may be made after the second week of classes. The charge
for auditing is the same as that for courses taken for credit.
GRADUATION
To initiate the process of applying for graduation, students MUST
notify the Registrar’s Office when they register for the term preceding
their final term of study. The necessary forms and information will be
processed to confirm that graduation requirements are satisfied.
Students will be notified of discrepancies and/or acceptance for
graduation.
FERPA
Franciscan University of Steubenville policy statement on the Family
Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974 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 be made available. The law provides that the
institution will maintain the confidentiality of student education
records.
Franciscan University of Steubenville accords all the rights under
the law to students who are declared independent. No one outside the
institution shall have access to, nor will the institution disclose, any
information from students’ education records without the written consent
of students, except to personnel within the institution, to officials of
other institutions in which students seek to enroll, to persons or
organizations providing students financial aid, to accrediting agencies
carrying out their accreditation function, to persons in compliance with
a judicial order, and to persons in an emergency in order to protect the
health or safety of students or other persons. All these exceptions are
permitted under the act.
Within the Franciscan University of Steubenville community, only
those members, individually or collectively, acting in the students’
educational interests are allowed access to student education records.
These members include personnel in the administrative offices and
academic personnel within the limitations of their need to know.
At its discretion, the institution may provide Directory Information
in accordance with the provisions of the act to include: student name,
address, telephone number, date and place of birth, major field of
study, class schedule, dates of attendance, degrees, awards received,
the most recent previous educational agency or institution attended by
the student and participation in officially recognized activities.
Students may withhold Directory Information by notifying the Registrar
in writing within one month after the first day of class for the Fall
term.
Request for non-disclosure will be honored by the institution for
only one academic year; therefore, authorization to withhold Directory
Information must be filed annually in the Office of the Registrar. The
law provides students with the right to inspect and review information
contained in their education records, to challenge the contents of their
education records, to have a hearing if the outcome of the challenge is
unsatisfactory, and to submit explanatory statements for inclusion in
their files should they feel the decisions of the hearing panels are
unacceptable. Students wishing to review their education records must
make written requests to the Registrar for academic records.
Students may not inspect and review the following as outlined by the
act: confidential letters and recommendations associated with admission,
employment, or job placement or honors to which they have waived their
rights of inspection and review; or education records containing
information about more than one student, in which case the institution
will permit access only to that part of the record that pertains to the
inquiring student. The institution is not required to permit students to
inspect and review confidential letters and recommendations placed in
their files prior to January 1, 1975, provided those letters were
collected under established policies of confidentiality and were used
only for the purpose for which they were collected.
Students who believe that their education records contain information
that is inaccurate or misleading, or is otherwise in violation of their
privacy or other rights, may discuss their problems informally with the
administrator maintaining the records in question. If the decisions are
in agreement with the students’ requests, the appropriate records will
be amended. If not, the students will be notified within a reasonable
period of time that the records will not be amended, and they will be
informed of their right to a formal hearing. Student requests for a
formal hearing must be made in writing to the respective graduate
program director who, within a reasonable period of time after receiving
such requests, will inform students of the date, place, and time of the
hearing. Students may present evidence relevant to the issues raised and
may be assisted or represented at the hearing by one or more persons of
their choice, including attorneys, at the students’ expense. The hearing
panel, which will adjudicate such challenges, will be the Vice President
for Academic Affairs, the director of the graduate program, the
Assistant Dean for Advising, and one full-time faculty member.
Decisions of the hearing panels will be final, will be based solely
on the evidence presented at the hearing, will consist of written
statements summarizing the evidence and stating the reasons for the
decisions, and will be delivered to all parties concerned. The education
records will be corrected or amended in accordance with the decisions of
the hearing panels if the decisions are in favor of the students. If
the decisions are unsatisfactory to the students, the students may place
statements with the education records commenting on the information in
the records or statements setting forth any reasons for disagreeing
with the decisions of the hearing panels. The statements will be placed
in the education records, maintained as part of the students’ records,
and released whenever the records in question are disclosed.
Students who believe that the adjudication of their challenge was
unfair or not in keeping with the provisions of the act may request
assistance from the President of the institution in writing. Further,
students who believe that their rights have been abridged, may file
complaints with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act Office,
Department of Health and Human Resources, Washington, D.C., 20201,
concerning the alleged failures of Franciscan University of Steubenville
to comply with the act.
Revisions and clarifications will be published as experience with the
law and institution’s policy warrants.
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