The Academic Fresh Start and Academic Forgiveness Policies enable an undergraduate student to neutralize, in part, the grade impact of prior academic performance. Academic Fresh Start and Academic Forgiveness provide for the computation of an alternative GPA and for the use of that GPA in most academic situations. A student may apply only once, and to only one or the other, and the process cannot be reversed. A student may not apply for either policy until he or she has been reinstated into his or her college.
Total units, including Pre-Academic Fresh Start, transfer work accepted, K-State resident graded units attempted and miscellaneous units completed establish the level for academic warning and dismissal calculation. However, transfer units and grades are not computed in K-State grade point averages.
Students are dismissed if:
Total Units* — K-State cumulative GPA less than
*see first paragraph
Students who neglect their academic responsibilities may be dismissed at anytime on recommendation of their academic dean.
Students will not be dismissed if their K-State term GPA is at least 2.20 on 12 or more graded units (or the minimum grade point average established by the student’s college, if higher).
Continuing students whose K-State cumulative GPAs are above the dismissal threshold but whose K-State term GPAs are less than 1.00 will have registration for the next term held subject to review by their academic dean.
Dismissed students must normally wait at least two terms before being reinstated.
If a student wants to drop or add a course or if an instructor recommends a change, the student should confer with an advisor.
No student may add a course with 70 or more calendar days (10 or more weeks in length) after the 5th calendar day of classes without consent of the instructor.
The last day for dropping courses with 70 or more calendar days (10 or more weeks in length), without a "W" being recorded is at the 36th calendar day of the term. After the 68th calendar day of the term, courses may not be dropped. For courses less than 70 days (10 or more weeks in length), the drop dates are prorated. Refer to the Course Schedule.
Undergraduate students, except first-term freshmen and students on academic warning, may enroll in certain courses for which they have the normal prerequisites under the A/Pass/F grading option. Under this option, students earning a grade of A in a course will have an A recorded on the transcript for that course; a grade of B, C, or D will be recorded as Pass; a Grade of F will be recorded as F.
Students may request the A/Pass/F grading option for eligible courses through the 28th day of a 16-week term or through the 14th day of summer term. Students requesting the use of the A/Pass/F option must obtain the signature of their advisors. The decision by a student to use the A/Pass/F option is treated with strict confidentiality.
It is the responsibility of a student requesting enrollment under the A/Pass/F grading option to be sure that such an enrollment is valid in the declared degree program. A course originally completed under the A/Pass/F grading option may not be converted at any time to a graded basis.
Students should be aware that some institutions, scholarship committees, and honorary societies do not find work taken on a non-graded basis (Pass) acceptable. Furthermore, many employers do not view non-graded (Pass) course work favorably. All students should be cautious in using the A/Pass/F grading option. Each department or division may specify which courses its majors may take under the A/Pass/F grading option consistent with the university requirements listed below.
A student may enroll under the A/Pass/F option for any free elective course offered under this option, that is, in any course that is in no way specified even in general terms in his or her curriculum, secondary major, or minor. Courses that are specified by name or number and courses that meet general distribution requirements, and courses to be applied in a secondary major or minor are not considered free electives. Students may submit Pass units for graduation requirements up to and not exceeding one-sixth of the total number of units required for a bachelor’s degree. That is, five-sixths of all units submitted for the degree must be units submitted on a graded or credit basis.
An instructor may drop a student from any or all components (e.g., lecture, recitation, lab, etc.) of a course if the student is absent at the beginning of the first class period of any component of the course. Students who cannot be in attendance should arrange prior consent from the instructor in order not be dropped.
Beginning the first calendar day of the term, an instructor is to notify Enrollment Services, 210 Willard Hall (or in Salina, the K-State Salina Registrar’s Office) if he/she would like to have a student dropped from a course because of the above policy. Submit the class roster as soon as possible and NO LATER THAN the end of the 12th calendar day of the term. Non-standard classes are prorated.
Students are classified as follows:
Certain courses for which the learning experience is based primarily on participation and/or attendance may be offered solely on a Credit/No Credit basis. No grades are given for such courses.
For courses that are normally given for a grade, the designation Credit may be obtained in the case of credit by examination. (See the Undergraduate Catalog for additional information).
The university uses the following grades:
The grade of Incomplete (I) is given in regular courses (other than independent studies, research, and problems) upon request of the student for personal emergencies that are verifiable. The faculty member has the responsibility to provide written notification to the student of work required to remove the incomplete. The student has the responsibility to take the initiative in completing the work, and is expected to make up the incomplete during the first term in residence after receiving the grade of I. If the student does not make up the incomplete during the first term in residence at the university after receiving it, a grade may be given by the faculty member without further consultation with the student.
If after the end of the first term the Incomplete (I) remains on the record it will be designated as IX for record-keeping purposes and will be computed in the student’s GPA, weighted at 0 points per unit. A grade of NR will be treated in a like manner using the designation NX.
Courses in which a Cr or P grade is received will be used in fulfilling graduation requirements. Only the grades A, B, C, D and F (and the designations IX and NX under conditions described above) are used in calculating resident grade averages.
For each term unit of graded work, students earn points, as follows:
Bachelor’s degree candidates who have completed a minimum of 60 units in residence, with at least 50 units in graded courses, are considered for graduation with scholastic honors as follows:
Students with a Doctor of veterinary medicine degree candidates are eligible to receive these honors based on courses completed in the professional program.
Students with at least 12 graded hours whose semester grade point average for a given semester is 3.75 or above will be awarded semester scholastic honors.
Undergraduate minors provide students an opportunity to emphasize study in an area outside their major curriculum. Because expertise in areas related to a major may be beneficial, students are encouraged to consider broadening their course of study through pursuit of a minor. Students completing all requirements for a minor will receive official recognition for their emphasis on their permanent records.
A minor requires completion of at least 15 designated units of course work. Faculty in departments offering minors have specified courses that enable students to acquire moderate expertise in their discipline. Courses forming a minor may be used to satisfy the general requirements of a major curriculum, including free electives.
Declaration of a minor is optional. Students are not required to complete a minor to graduate.
Students interested in completing one or more minors should consult their advisor. Additional counsel should be sought from the minor program director. Students are encouraged to seek advice and information about potential areas of emphasis early in their academic planning.
For more information on specific minors, consult individual department course listings.
Normally a student must wait at least two terms before being considered for reinstatement.
A dismissed student will be readmitted only when approved for reinstatement by the academic standards committee of the college the student is attempting to enter; the application for reinstatement must be directed to the academic standards committee.
Students who earn a term grade point average of at least 2.00 but less than 2.20 on 12 or more credits during the term they are dismissed can be considered for immediate reinstatement.
A student’s grades may be accessed through iSIS or by ordering an academic transcript. Parents of a dependent student may obtain grades by submitting proof of dependency to the Registrar’s Office or with written permission from the student.
Students may retake courses in order to improve grades. If a course is retaken, the original grade is noted as retaken and removed from the grade point average.
Retakes can be accomplished only by re-enrolling in and completing a K-State resident course. Courses originally taken on a letter grade basis may be retaken on an A/Pass/F basis if appropriate, or if originally taken on an A/Pass/F basis may be retaken on a letter grade basis. The retake grade will always be used in the grade point average computation regardless of whether it is higher or lower than the original grade.
Although there is no limit to the number of times a course may be retaken, a student may retake a course with subsequent removal of the prior grade from calculation of the grade point average only once for each course, and for a total of five courses during the student’s academic career at K-State. Any grades obtained from retaking courses beyond these limitations will be used in calculating the grade point average. A retaken course will count only once toward meeting degree requirements. Courses retaken before fall 1986 will not be used in determining whether five courses have been retaken.
Any course retaken after completion of a bachelor’s degree will not affect the credits or the GPA applied to that degree.
If the student received less than 3.00 in a course, the student may retake the course with approval of the major professor and the supervisory committee. If the course is retaken by the direction of the major professor and the supervisory committee, the original grade is noted as retaken and removed from the grade point average. The retake grade will always be used in computing the grade point average regardless of whether it is higher or lower than the original grade. A student may retake a course with subsequent removal of the prior grade only once for each course and for a total of two courses in the program of study. An approved program of study must be on file in the Graduate School at the time the retake request is submitted. Retake requests must be made prior to enrolling in the course.
Upon request to the Registrar, a record covered by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act will be made available to the student within a reasonable time and no later than 45 days after the request. Copies are available at the student’s expense and explanations and interpretations of the records may be requested from the official in charge. If the official believes that a particular record or file contains inaccurate or misleading information or is otherwise inappropriate, the university will afford an opportunity for a hearing to challenge the record’s content. Prior to any formal hearing, the official in charge of the record is authorized to attempt, through informal meetings and discussions with the student, to settle the dispute. If this is unsuccessful, the matter will be referred to the appropriate vice president.
If the student is still dissatisfied, a hearing may be requested. The hearing, conducted by a hearing officer appointed by the president, will be held within two weeks. The student will have the opportunity at the hearing to present any relevant evidence, and a decision will be rendered within two weeks after the hearing. If the result does not satisfy the student, he or she may place a statement in the file.
Kansas State University is in compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, as amended; this law established specific guidelines concerning the release of information and the student’s privileges to inspect and review their own educational records.
Kansas State University maintains various student records, to document academic progress as well as to record interactions with University staff and officials. To protect the student’s rights to privacy, and to conform with federal law (FERPA), the University has an established the Student Records Policy. Interpretation of this policy is based on experience with educational records, and the policy itself may subsequently be modified in light of this experience. Notice of this policy and of students’ rights under FERPA is given annually. Copies of this policy are available at the Registrar’s Office, 118 Anderson Hall (or K-State Salina, 208 College Center), and are published in the Undergraduate and Graduate catalogs and in the Course Schedule.
Certain information concerning students is considered to be open to the public upon inquiry. This public information is called directory information and includes: name, local address and telephone number, permanent address, e-mail address, date and place of birth, photograph or likeness, college, curriculum, enrollment status (full/part time), classification, dates of attendance at Kansas State University, awards and academic honors, degrees and dates awarded, most recent previous educational institution attended, participation in officially recognized activities and athletic teams, and height and weight of athletes.
Directory information as defined above will be released upon inquiry, unless the student has requested that this information not be released. The student’s request to have directory information withheld must be submitted to the Registrar’s Office, 118 Anderson Hall (or K-State Salina, 208 College Center). The Registrar’s Office will notify other appropriate University offices by placing a notation within the Student Information System. See the Non-Disclosure Request Form.
With the exception of the information noted above, students’ records are generally considered to be confidential. The following policies govern access to confidential student records.
*The major exceptions to student review are medical and counseling records. These may be released, however, to other medical or psychological professionals at the written request of the student; and may be inspected by the patient at the discretion of the professional staff. Other exceptions are law enforcement records, private notes of staff members, and financial records of parents.
The appropriate University official may request that the student’s record not be released in the case the student has a delinquency in an account with the University, including unpaid traffic or parking violations, or if official disciplinary action has been taken. The effect of this action is that transcripts are not released, and enrollment is withheld. In order for the action to be rescinded, the Registrar’s Office must receive authorization from the official who originally requested the action, indicating that the student has met the obligation. To contest the withholding of a record, a student must attempt to settle the dispute with the official who requested that the record be withheld. If this attempt to resolve the dispute is unsuccessful, the matter may be resolved in accordance with the process described in the following section. Further information concerning this policy can be obtained from the Registrar’s Office, 118 Anderson Hall, 785-532-6254.
Upon request to the official listed above, a record covered by the FERPA will be made available within a reasonable time to the student and in no event later than 45 days after the request. Copies are available at the student’s expense and explanations and interpretations of the records may be requested from the official in charge. If the student believes that a particular record or file contains inaccurate or misleading information or is otherwise inappropriate, the University will afford an opportunity for a hearing to challenge the content of the record. Prior to any formal hearing, the official in charge of the record is authorized to attempt, through informal meetings and discussions with the student, to settle the dispute. If this is unsuccessful, the matter will be referred to the appropriate vice-president. If the student is still dissatisfied, a hearing may be requested. The hearing, conducted by a hearing officer appointed by the President, will be held within two weeks. The student will have the opportunity at the hearing to present any relevant evidence, and a decision will be rendered within two weeks after the hearing. If the result does not satisfy the student, he or she may place a statement in the file.
A student who believes the University has not complied with the FERPA or regulations may send a written complaint to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act Office, Dept. Of Education, 400 Maryland, SW, Washington, DC 20202.
Revised: 03/03/06
The following tables detail the units (credit hours) that are used to verify full time, three quarter time, and half time enrollment status for students at Kansas State University. Term units can be any combination of undergraduate, graduate, and veterinary medicine units. Veterinary Medicine students will always be certified as full time.
| Status | # of Undergraduate term units |
# of Graduate term units |
# of Grad. Asst. (0.4–0.9) term units |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full Time | 12 or more | 9 | 6 or more |
| Three Quarter Time | 9–11 | 8 | 5 |
| Half Time | 6–8 | 5–7 | 3–4 |
| Less Than Half Time | 1–5 | 1–4 | 1–2 |
| Status | # of Undergraduate term units |
# of Graduate term units |
# of Grad. Asst. (0.4–0.9) term units |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full Time | 6 | 5 | 1 |
| Three Quarter Time | 5 | 4 | — |
| Half Time | 3–4 | 2–3 | — |
| Less Than Half Time | 1–2 | 1 | — |