Undergraduate Academic Policies

Glossary

• Academic Calendar–the official calendar that defines the start and end date for each term and communicates significant deadlines.
• Academic Year–The academic year is composed of three long terms, fall, spring, and summer. Each term is comprised of sessions of varying lengths, including 16 week traditional length terms and short sessions of varying lengths.
• Course Load–Students usually take from 12 to 18 hours during a semester.
• Full-time/Part-Time–Undergraduate students enrolled for 12 semester hours or more in a term are considered full-time. Graduate students enrolled for six hours or more in a term are considered full-time.
• General Education Core–The general education core is comprised of courses focused on the competencies outlined in Requirements for General Education located in the Undergraduate Academic Policies section of the catalog.
• Grade Point Average (GPA)–GPA is figured by dividing total grade points by the number of hours attempted. Values assigned are, A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1, F=0 points.
• Semester Hours–College courses are offered for one, two, three, or four semester hour credits. Traditionally delivered three-hour courses meet three hours per week for one full semester and typically require two hours of study or preparation time for each hour in class. Courses occurring in shorter terms or courses delivered through distance education formats are designed to provide learning opportunities that are equivalent to traditionally delivered courses.

Academic Integrity

Students must conduct themselves with honor and integrity. Refer to the student handbook code of academic integrity.

Audit

Audit
Students may audit one lecture class per term with the approval of the department chair. Courses delivered by distance education formats are not eligible for audit. Non degree seeking students, may audit courses provided the department chair approves and space is available. Auditors may be removed, if the space is needed for a student taking the course for credit. Students who audit a course are not eligible to take the same course for academic credit or seek credit for the same course through credit by exam. Students are not permitted to change a class from audit to credit or from credit to audit after the 11th class day of a semester or the 4th class day of a short term. Audit tuition is non-refundable.
 

Grading

Final grades are recorded by faculty and available to students at the end of each enrollment period through the student information system. Grades can only be changed by written authorization of the instructor and academic dean. Grade changes must be received in the office of the registrar within one long semester after the initial grade was given.

Grade Appeals

Students appealing a grade must complete the following.

• First, discuss the grade in question with the instructor of the course
• If the issue is not resolved with the instructor, students may appeal to the chair of the department offering the course
• If there is still no resolution of the problem, students may appeal to the dean of the appropriate college
• Finally, students may appeal to the academic appeals committee

Grade appeals must be in writing and are only accepted within one semester after the grade was assigned. During the appeal, students and faculty will meet with the members of the committee to present their cases. Decisions of the academic appeals committee are final.

Letter Grades

• A–Excellent, four grade points per hour
• B–Good, three grade points per hour
• C–Average, two grade points per hour
• D–Poor, one grade point per hour

The following designations are calculated at zero grade points per hour

• F–Failure, no credit, given for failure to meet standards for passing the course or for failing to meet university attendance requirements.
• IP–In Progress, given at the discretion of instructors if requested by the student. When an IP is granted, students have the next consecutive term the course. For example, students receiving an IP in the spring, must complete the course before the end of the summer. If the course is not completed within the allotted time, the grade will be changed to F.
• N–Non-credit, indicates a student took a course and completed required work and tests, but requested no credit.
• O–Audit, indicates a student attended the class, but did not participate or complete required work.
• P –Indicates passing credit received without academic grades or grade points. A limited number of elective courses may be annotated with the grade of P.
• TR–Credit accepted from another university and credit by examination.
• W–Indicates a student has withdrawn or been dropped officially during the first 2/3 of the term.

Pass/Fail Grades

Students with at least 30 semester hours, a grade point average of at least 2.0, and advisor permission, may elect to take one elective course each semester on a pass/fail basis. No more than 12 total hours may be taken pass/fail. Pass/fail forms are available in the office of the registrar. Consult the academic calendar to determine the period of time when pass/fail is an option.

Adds/Drops

Students may change their course schedules, with advisor approval, before the end of the drop/add period. Students dropping or adding courses after the drop/add period expires will be charged a $30 drop/add fee per course. Courses dropped during the drop/add period will not appear on the transcript. Courses dropped after the drop/add period, but before the last day to drop with a W, will be recorded on the transcript with a grade of W. Electing not to attend classes without dropping a class will result in a grade of F. Drop/add period dates are found on the academic calendar.

Withdrawals

Students desiring to withdraw from the university must complete a withdrawal form. Withdrawal forms are available from the office of the registrar. The withdrawal process includes consulting with the office of financial assistance and the business office to determine financial implications. An appropriately executed withdrawal results in a W recorded on the transcript in lieu of a grade. In cases where a course was completed before a withdrawal, the earned grade is recorded. Students failing to complete the withdrawal process receive grades of F.

Late Enrollment

Late registration is permitted during the late registration period. Enrollment after the late registration period must be approved by the instructor(s) of record for the course(s) to be added late, as well as the student’s academic advisor and academic dean.

Classifications

• Freshman–completed 0-29 hours of college credit
• Sophomore–completed 30 hours of college credit
• Junior–completed 60 hours of college credit
• Senior–completed 90 hours of college credit
• Post-Baccalaureate–taking courses for credit leading toward a second undergraduate degree after completion of a first degree
• Post-Graduate–taking courses for credit or noncredit after completing a baccalaureate degree

Repeating Courses

Students wanting to raise their grade point average may repeat a course. Both grades will appear on the transcript, but the last grade received is used for the grade point average. Courses taken at other universities are not accepted to improve grade point averages.

Course Loads

Regular student loads during a semester are 12-18 hours. Students who hold jobs or who scored in the lower quarter on their entrance examination are encouraged to enroll in fewer than 15 hours during their first college semester. Students on probation must take no more than 12 hours. Students who want to take more than 18 hours must have permission from their academic advisor and academic dean.

Bible Requirements

Students must complete a general Bible requirement to earn a baccalaureate degree. Beginning freshmen must complete a 12 hour general Bible requirement. Full-time beginning undergraduates are required to take Bible their first two semesters and are not permitted to withdraw from Bible classes without permission of the dean of the college of biblical studies. Transfer student Bible requirements are the higher of 6 hours or 10% of the hours needed to complete a baccalaureate degree rounded to the nearest 3 hour increment. Transfer Bible majors must complete a 12 hour general Bible requirement.

Chapel Attendance Requirements

Chapel attendance is mandatory for certain students. Refer to the student handbook for chapel attendance policy.

Class Attendance and Absence Policy

When students enroll in the University, they agree to observe the regulations governing attendance. All students are to attend their classes regularly and punctually. The process of education gives the student practical opportunities for self-management; one of the most regular and exacting functions of the student’s daily life is regular class attendance. Failure to attend classes regularly will result in loss of interest, poor quality of work and possible failure. The University, therefore, considers class attendance to be an index of students’ interest and citizenship.

Another index of the students’ maturity is their ability to conduct themselves properly within the class setting. If students disrupt the class, either by tardiness or distractive noises or actions, the student should be given an initial warning. Students may be dismissed from the class upon continuance of disruptive behavior, as determined by the instructor. Students have the right of appeal to the appropriate dean concerning the dismissal.

Class absences

Students, whether present or absent, are responsible for all material presented in or assigned for courses and will be held accountable for such material in the determination of course grades.

Excused Absences

The university automatically considers the following circumstances as acceptable reasons for missing class and regards them as constituting “excused absences”:

• participation in athletic or school-related events (documented by the student’s name in an all-faculty e-mail notification from the sponsoring department);
• personal illness (documented by a healthcare professional);
• pregnancy, childbirth, or medical status or condition resulting from pregnancy or childbirth;
• death in the immediate family; or
• or participation in required military service, active or reserve.

Instructors may excuse student absences for additional reasons at their discretion.

Students are responsible for informing their instructor of the reason for any absence—in advance, if possible, on the day of the absence whenever feasible, or otherwise on the day of return to class.  

Make-Up Work

Any student whose absence is automatically excused (see above) or is excused at the instructor’s discretion will be given an opportunity to make up, in a manner acceptable to the professor, any class work and/or assignments missed due to absences.

For absences due to unexcused reasons, the professor will determine whether or not a student may make up assignments or class activities, as well as what penalties will be assessed for late submissions.  

Students should work with faculty to determine the method and timeline for completing any approved make-up work. The method and timing for making up missed course work may depend on the nature of a particular course or activity and could include either completing a portion of the course in a subsequent semester or even retaking the course altogether.

Absence policy

Students whose total absences (whether excused or unexcused) exceed 25% of the scheduled class and/or laboratory meeting times will be notified of their status by their professor and referred to the dean over the course in question. A referral to the dean may result in the student being given a grade of “F” for failing to attend enough of the course to earn academic credit.  

This threshold of 25% is equivalent to 3 absences for classes meeting once a week, 6 absences for classes meeting twice a week, and 9 absences for classes meeting three times a week. For classes delivered in an online or hybrid environment, the professor will determine the specific academic activities for which student participation constitutes attendance, including for example, engaging in regular, substantive interactions (RSIs), accessing scheduled course content, and/or participating in assigned activities provided through the course module. Simply logging in or accessing the online course will not constitute attendance.

Students who enter the university after the first day of class will accrue absences from the official class start date.

Students have the right to appeal dismissal and should follow the appeals process set forth under “Grade Appeals” in the university catalog.

Student accommodations

Reasonable accommodations may also be available for students who are unable to attend due to documented ongoing illness, injury, or disability status, including pregnancy, childbirth, or medical status or conditions resulting from pregnancy or childbirth. Students experiencing short-term illness, injury, or pregnancy-related disability are encouraged to contact LCU Accessibility Services (accessibilityservices@lcu.edu) in the Center for Student Success (806-720-7156) for more information about accommodations.
 

Transfer Credit Policy

Transfer credit is accepted only from colleges and universities with institutional accreditation by a U.S. Department of Education recognized Institutional Accrediting Agency.  Previously earned credit will be evaluated for transfer using official transcripts. To be acceptable for transfer credit, courses must be of comparable content and level and a grade of C or better must be earned. The office of the registrar is responsible for the evaluation of transfer credit and communication of the results.  

Credits earned in certificate, continuing education, technical, and vocational programs, such as the Applied Associate degree programs (A.A.S. or A.A.A.) in the state of Texas, include courses that are not typically transferable unless specified in an articulation agreement. Other courses submitted for transfer will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis for comparability to LCU course content, level, and faculty qualification.  Coursework submitted for transfer consideration from United States military transcripts is evaluated using the Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Forces, published by the American Council on Education.

Acceptability of credit for transfer does not imply that such work is applicable to the requirements of the degree sought. Specific educational programs may have additional requirements for transfer credit, especially concerning awarding credit to fulfill discipline-specific Major or Supporting courses in the published program curriculum.  This guidance is communicated to the office of the registrar for use in the evaluation of transfer credits.

General Education Transfer 
Students who have earned an Associate of Art (A.A.) or Associate of Science (A.S) from a Texas institution with U.S. Department of Education recognized institutional accreditation will be considered to have met LCU general education requirements, except required Bible courses (as published in the Academic Catalog). 

Additionally, some academic programs have identified specific general education courses as required for their major.  Students transferring in with a completed A.A. or A.S. degree may still need to complete such courses for these academic programs.  This guidance is communicated to the office of the registrar for use in the evaluation of transfer credits. 

Additional academic credit earned as part of the A.A. or A.S. degree, not utilized to fulfill general education requirements, will be considered for transfer based on General Requirements above.

Application of Previously Earned Credit:  
The university accepts test scores and awards credit for acceptable scores from ACT, SAT, CLEP, DANTES, and IB, and from end-of-course examinations approved by the appropriate department chair or academic dean.  Standards for credit are determined by action of the academic policy committee and are published in the university catalog. A grade value of TR will be assigned where credit is accepted to denote transfer credit. 
Students who wish to appeal a decision concerning the awarding of transfer credit may do so by submitting a written appeal of the transfer decision to be reviewed by the appropriate academic dean or program faculty. 
 

Academic Standards

Academic standing is based on the cumulative grade point average. Grade point averages are computed at the end of each enrollment period. Students have the right to continue their studies at the university as long as they are making satisfactory progress toward a degree and complying with all other university standards.

Academic Probation

Students who fall below the grade point average required for good academic standing will be placed on academic probation. While on academic probation students must do the following:

• Enroll in no more than 12 hours in a semester
• Adhere to the attendance policies
• Repeat course(s) with grades of F
• Limit participation in student organizations and other extracurricular programs.
  • Students may attend organizational meetings but will not hold leadership positions, travel with the organization, or participate in performances.
  • Students participating in multiple student organizations may be required by Student Life to reduce participation.
     

Students who wish to appeal any condition of this policy must submit a letter to the registrar explaining their extenuating circumstances. The registrar will forward the letter to the academic appeals committee. The academic appeals committee will review the circumstances and determine whether or not academic probation should be enforced. The decision of the academic appeals committee is final. 

At the end of a semester of probation, students who have not earned at least a 2.0 grade point average are placed on academic suspension.

Good Academic Standing

Students are considered in good academic standing when all admission requirements have been met and they maintain a cumulative grade point average of 2.00.

Academic Suspension

Students are placed on academic suspension for the following reasons.

• Failing all their courses in a fall or spring term
• Failing to achieve good academic standing after a semester on academic probation

The term academic suspension refers to a period of time when, for academic reasons, students may not enroll in classes at the university. Students on academic suspension may enroll if their circumstances meet one of the following guidelines.

• They have served a suspension period extending through one fall or spring semester
• Their suspension occurred at the end of the spring semester and they elected to attend summer school while on continued probation. With this option, students must enroll for a minimum of 6 hours. At the end of the summer, if they have earned the required cumulative grade point average, they will be eligible to enroll in the fall. If not, their suspension will continue until the end of the fall semester.

Academic Suspension Appeal Procedure

To appeal a suspension, students must submit a letter to the registrar explaining any extenuating circumstances that may have contributed to the problems resulting in their suspension. This letter will be forwarded to the academic appeals committee, which will hear appeals during one of the regular committee meetings in August or January to determine whether any suspensions should be lifted or enforced. The decision of the academic appeals committee is final. Students desiring to enroll at the university after a third academic suspension must petition the academic appeals committee for reinstatement before enrolling. The committee will hear the appeal during the regular meeting dates in August and January. Students who are readmitted must meet with the committee to petition for reinstatement following any subsequent suspension. Students whose appeal is denied may not enroll again for undergraduate credit. Students appealing to enroll after a third academic suspension, who subsequently have their appeal denied by the committee, may appeal in writing to the provost. The decision of the provost is final.

Assessment of Academic Proficiency

Students should complete the UNI2000 University Skills assessment in the first semester after completing 60 semester hours. To enroll in UNI2000, students must be in good academic standing, have completed or will concurrently complete General Education Core curriculum requirements, or have the approval of their academic advisor to register for UNI2000.

Successful completion of UNI2000 is a General Education Core requirement.
 

Declaring and Changing a Major

Students must declare a major (degree to complete) by the time they have accumulated 60 credit hours. While most students will select a program of study during the admission process, if a student is undecided, they will be advised for General Education core curriculum by the Department of Humanities in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences until they declare a major. Students declaring or changing majors must complete a change of major form and submit to the office of the registrar. Changes of major must be approved by the student and the losing and gaining department.