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Academic Policies

Students must specifically request academic forgiveness from the Vice President for Academic Affairs at the time of readmission to Northwestern College. At least five years must have elapsed since the last attendance date at Northwestern College. 
 
Under the policy:
(1) All student grades in their prior academic periods at Northwestern College are excluded from the GPA calculation required for graduation.
(2) All coursework and grade information will be included on transcripts, with academic forgiveness so noted.
(3) Graduation honors will be determined by considering the cumulative GPA of all coursework attempted at Northwestern College.

A student’s normal progress is based on the number of credits attempted at Northwestern College and if applicable, any credits transferred in, and the cumulative grade point average. A student is making normal progress toward graduation if he or she has attempted the credits and cumulative grade point average is at or above what’s listed below.
 

Classification Attempted Hours Placed on probation when minimum cumulative gpa is below: Suspended when cumulative gpa is below:
Freshman 0-23.99 1.75 1.00
Sophomore 24-54.99 1.90 1.50
Junior/Senior 55 and up 2.00 1.70
Students may audit any lecture course, but they will receive no academic credit. Audited hours do not count toward full-time status. The deadline for electing to audit a course is the 5th day of the term in which the class is taken. Students must receive the instructor's approval to audit a course. 
At Northwestern College students are classified by the following:

Freshman: 0-23 credit hours
Sophomore: 24-54 credit hours
Junior: 55-88 credit hours
Senior: 89+ and above credit hours

The maximum number of credits that a student may take in a given semester is 18. Exceptions for an overload may be granted if the student has the following cumulative gpa:

3.30 when registering for the sophomore year
3.15 when registering for the junior year
3.00 when registering for the senior year
Freshmen are not eligible for an academic overload.

A Course Overload Form is available on-line or can be picked up at the Office of the Registrar.
What does it take to gradaute from Northwestern College?
1). Complete the general education requirements as listed in the Integrative General Education section of the college catalog.
2). Complete an academic major.
3). Complete a minimum of 124 semester credits.
4). Achieve a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00 in all course work attempted at Northwestern College and a minimum GPA of 2.00 in the courses comprising the major. Exceptions to the requirement of a cumulative 2.00 GPA will be made for programs in which an outside accrediting organization mandates a higher GPA (for example, athletic training, nursing, etc.).
5). Fulfill the residence requirement as described later in this section.
6). Fulfill chapel attendance requirement.
    
A Directed Study is an individualized course of study that is intended to be an extension of a previous course or study of a topic not covered under the current curriculum. Directed Study courses are 2, 3, or 4 credits. Students may complete up to 8 credits of Directed Study. 

Qualifications: Must be a Sophomore, Junior, or Senior; must have a minimum cumulative gpa of 2.5. (Students taking a Directed Study of a previous course must have received at least a grade of B in that course). Applications are available in the Registrar's Office. (Directed Study Forms) should be submitted to the Vice President for Academic Affairs at least three weeks prior to the beginning of the course.

Minimum credits: In order to participate in Extra-Curricular activities at Northwestern, students must have passed at least 24 credit hours in the previous two semesters of study, with summer school course work to be computed as part of the spring semester. 
 

Probation: Students involved in Extra-Curricular activity who would be placed on probation will be permitted to carry no more than 13 credit hours during the next academic semester and will be ineligible to participate in extra-curricular activities. The chart below indicates minimum cumulative gpa needed for respective credits attempted.
 

Classification Attempted Hours Placed on probation when minimum cumulative gpa is below: Suspended when cumulative gpa is below:
Freshman 0-23.99 1.75 1.00
Sophomore 24-54.99 1.90 1.50
Junior/Senior 55 and up 2.00 1.70

A reported grade, other than an incomplete, may be changed only through student petition to the faculty member. Grades will be changed only in cases of instructor error. Grades are not changed based on a student’s request to submit additional work to raise a grade. No grade can be changed more than 30 calendar days after it has been reported to the registrar’s office.

More information about the Honors program can be found here

A student may request an incomplete grade from their instructor before the last class day of a course. An incomplete generally is not awarded merely because the student has failed to complete the work within the allotted time period, but is given only when there are circumstances beyond the control of the student, such as serious illness and/or family affliction. The student must turn in all the completed course work to the instructor by the incomplete deadline, which is four weeks from the last day of the term. The instructor must then submit the final grade to the registrar no later than one week after the incomplete deadline. If the incomplete grade is not changed at that time, the final grade will automatically become an “F”.

In compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Northwestern College will provide, on a flexible and individualized basis, reasonable accommodations to students who have a documented disability that may affect their ability to participate in course activities or to meet course requirements. Students with disabilities are encouraged to contact both their instructor and the college disability service provider to discuss their individual needs and accommodations.

Students with an existing ADA accommodation who require additional time to complete coursework beyond the last day of a session or term will be granted an incomplete grade if their accommodation specifies additional time for assignments. The student must notify their instructor that an incomplete is needed by the last day of the course. Instructors are required to award an incomplete, in accordance with the student’s ADA accommodation. The instructor will verify the accommodation with the ADA compliance officer, and the student will be granted a four-week extension after the end of the session or term to complete the requirements of the course. The grade will automatically become an “F” if the final grade is not submitted to the registrar one week after the incomplete deadline unless another extension is requested by the student, provided for in the student’s accommodation, and approved by the instructor.

Students have the option of taking a maximum of 12 elective credit hours of Pass/No Pass course work. This option may not be used for General Education requirements or for any requirements for a major, minor, or career concentration. 
Freshmen may not take courses on a pass/no pass basis. Sophomores and Juniors may take one course per semester; Seniors may take two courses per semester.

Courses taken on pass/no pass basis will count towards the 124 hour graduation requirement, but will not affect the student's grade point average. A (Pass/No Pass Form) must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar by the 5th class day of the semester.


"A"/Pass/No Pass for Honors Courses:
Rules noted above apply to the 'A'/Pass/No Pass option, expect for the follwoing:
a). if grade of 'A' is earned, the student's grade point average will be affected.

Any student whose cumulative gpa is below the minimum standard shall be placed on academic probation for the following semester. Students placed on academic probation will be permitted to carry no more than 13 credit hours during the next academic semester and will be ineligible to participate in extra-curricular activities. Any student placed on academic probation for a second consecutive semester shall be suspended. An exception shall be granted if the student's semester gpa during the semester on probation is above a 2.00. In this case, the student shal be granted a second semester on probation. A student may be granted this exception only one time. Any student who would be on probation for a third semester, whether or not any are consecutive, shall be suspended.

The chart below indicates minimum standard cumulative gpa needed for respective credits attempted. 
 

Classification Attempted Hours Placed on probation when minimum cumulative gpa is below: Suspended when cumulative gpa is below:
Freshman 0-23.99 1.75 1.00
Sophomore 24-54.99 1.90 1.50
Junior/Senior 55 and up 2.00 1.70

Any student who would be on probation for a second consecutive semester shall be suspended. Any student who would be on probation for a third semester, whether or not any are consecutive, shall be suspended.
 

Classification Attempted Hours Placed on probation when minimum cumulative gpa is below: Suspended when cumulative gpa is below:
Freshman 0-23.99 1.75 1.00
Sophomore 24-54.99 1.90 1.50
Junior/Senior 55 and up 2.00 1.70


Academic suspension means that a student is not allowed to return as a student for the next semester. If after one semester the student wishes to return to Northwestern, they must contact the Academic Affairs Committee to determine if re-admittance is allowed based on the student's appeal. Re-admittance procedure guidelines are provided below:

 

4.64.1 Procedure Guidelines

               

The exclusive focus of any reinstatement decision is a student’s academic viability.  The judgment of the subcommittee will be based on compelling evidence(e.g. good grades from another institution, a substantive and well-crafted letter of application, consideration of student’s ability and past history, etc.) that the student will attain and maintain good academic standing, and will graduate.

 

  1. A student is suspended for a minimum of one semester.  Students wishing to return after one semester must submit a Reinstatement Application to the Office of the Registrar. (The Registrar shall provide a copy of the Reinstatement Application to the Director of Admissions, the Director of Residence Life, and the Director of Academic Support so as to provide adequate notification of the student’s possible return to campus.)

 

  1. At least one semester before the semester in which the student wishes to enroll, the student must contact and meet (in person or by phone) with the Director of Academic Support.  At this meeting, the student and director will draw up and sign a Reinstatement Eligibility Contract.  The student must draw up a Reinstatement Eligibility Contract beforeenrolling in college courses elsewhere. The contract will specify the following:   

 

a.         In consultation with the Registrar, it will include what courses, at which institution(s), and what grades are necessary to be readmitted.  At a minimum, the student must take at least four courses at a community college and attain at least a 3.0 grade point average in those courses.  Type and level of difficulty of each course will also be factors. 

 

b.        The Reinstatement Eligibility Contract will have a verifiable plan to reverse past academic and personal patterns that hindered their success at Northwestern College. 

 

c.         The contract will spell out various academic ‘scenarios’ showing what courses and grades are needed at Northwestern College to attain good academic standing, should the student be readmitted. 

 

  1. The make-up of the Reinstatement Subcommittee will be those who are best suited and trained to make an academic decision regarding the likelihood of a student’s success.  The Reinstatement Subcommittee includes the Director of Academic Support (non-voting, advisory member), the Registrar, and three faculty members taken from the Academic Affairs Committee. Committee members should be well versed in the reinstatement guidelines, criteria, and process.

 

  1. The third Friday in July and the Wednesday before Spring classes begin are the deadlinesfor reinstatement applications. Reinstatement applications are available from the Office of the Registrar. All reinstatement application materials (Reinstatement Application, Reinstatement Eligibility Contract, and any academic transcripts) should be in the hands of the Registrar by the appropriate deadline.

 

  1. Upon receipt of ALL reinstatement materials, the Registrar shall notify the Reinstatement Subcommittee of the request for reinstatement and schedule a meeting. The student has the option of meeting with the subcommittee prior to its deliberation but must request this option on the Reinstatement Application. The subcommittee will make a decision within one week after the deadline. The subcommittee decision is final.

 

  1. The student shall be promptly notified by a member of the Reinstatement Subcommittee of its decision which includes a phone call and an official letter providing details of the grounds for the subcommittee’s judgment.
Credits will be accepted for coursework with grades of "C" or higher.  Before enrolling for coursework at another institution, students must receive approval from the Registrar's Office by submitting the Acceptance of Coursework from Another Institution form.

Residential students who wish to withdraw from college during the semester must obtain a withdrawal form from the Registrar's Office and complete the withdrawal process by obtaining the necessary signatures. Students in online programs must complete the drop/withdrawal form for online students. Students will be granted honorable dismissal and receive W's in their registered courses provided the withdrawal form is submitted to the Registrar's Office within the time limit for dropping courses. Determination of tuition, room and board refunds is based upon the date the student completes the withdrawal process.

Students who leave college without completing the official withdrawal process (or after the deadline for dropping courses) may not be granted honorable dismissal. A grade of F is given in each course in which they were registered.

More information about the Writing Center/Academic Support can be found here.