It is the responsibility of students to know and to comply with the academic regulations of the University and their respective colleges. University Academic policies can be found in the Villanova University Catalog, Undergraduate Studies, that is located at http://catalog.villanova.edu/

The Registrar’s Office (Tolentine Hall 202, 610-519-4030) is responsible for registration processes; course and student records, transcripts, and enrollment reports; and other similar documents. Any changes in a student’s personal data such as permanent or local address, phone numbers, etc., should be reported to this office.

A. Access to Academic Records

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), also known as the Buckley Amendment, prohibits access to student records by any third party without written authorization from the student. The University Policy is located at http://catalog.villanova.edu/catalog/univ/univb.htm#STUDENT_RECORDS.

From time to time, parents call the Dean’s Office inquiring about a grade report or the academic progress of their son or daughter. While an academic advisor can engage in general conversation about a student’s progress, no specific grades or other information can be provided by the advisor without the student’s permission or proof of the dependent status of the student as required by FERPA.

Since determining dependent status of each individual student is a difficult undertaking, the University provides a consent form which, when completed, permits parental access. The form, if completed, will be included in the student’s academic folder in the Dean’s Office, and the information will also appear on BANNER on the form “SPACMNT.” If a consent form is not signed, then the parents will not be allowed access to the student’s academic record unless the parent can show that the student is a dependent of the parent for tax purposes or the student gives written permission for the disclosure.

Students are under no obligation to sign a consent form. If a form is completed, then a student may revoke the consent in writing to the Office of the Registrar at any time. Upon revocation, the parent would again be required to establish the student’s dependent status or obtain the student’s permission in order to have access to academic records.

B. Transcripts

If a student requires a copy of their transcript, then they must apply in person or in writing to the Office of the Registrar. Phone calls or third party requests will not be honored.
Students may fax their request to: 610-519-4033.
In the request, the student must include:

• Name
• Dates of attendance at Villanova
• Social Security Number
• Major, College, or Degrees (if any)
• The address to which the student would like the transcript sent

Currently there is no charge for transcripts. Please allow two weeks for delivery of the transcript.

C. Academic Standing, Probation, and Dismissal from the College

• whose gpa falls below 2.00;
• who is not making sufficient progress toward a degree due to excessive course drops or withdrawals even if the grade-point average is above 2.00;
• who has not declared a major by the end of the sophomore year without permission of the Dean;
• whose course selection does not indicate progress towards an A&S degree even if the grade-point average is above 2.00;.

There is no requirement that a student must receive a Letter of Concern or have been placed on Probation prior to being dismissed. A Dismissal from the College may be appealed in writing. University policy does not permit students who have been dismissed by the University to attend summer sessions at Villanova.

Matriculated students who fail to register for or attend classes in any given semester will be considered to have unofficially withdrawn from the College. To be considered for readmission, the student must submit the request in writing to the Dean.

Students who have been dismissed or who have withdrawn frequently continue their academic work and take courses at another institution. Villanova does not pre-approve such courses. If these students apply for readmission, courses taken at other institutions will be evaluated for transfer credit by the Dean. Such students seeking readmission to the College of Liberal Arts and Science will not be able to seek transfer credit for courses taken at two year (community college) institutions.

D. Course Pre-registration

Each semester, the Registrar’s Office offers students an opportunity to register for courses for the following semester online using the student’s Novasis account. Pre-registration for courses requires a pin number obtained from the student’s faculty advisor following an advisement meeting.

The registration day and time assigned is based on a priority of the total number of earned credit hours within the achieved class status of the student. Seniors register first; freshmen register last. There is no guarantee that students will have available to them a particular professor or a course section offered at a particular time. To ensure appropriate degree progress, students are encouraged to register for courses and sections within a reasonable amount of time from the pre-registration date and time assigned to them by the Registrar’s Office.

To check your registration time:

Note: You will need your NOVASIS PIN but not your Registration
PIN to check your appointment time.
 

To register for courses online:

NOTE: A student may not sit in a closed section of a course with the intention of being added to the class at a later date. A student cannot be signed into a closed section by a faculty member, only by the department chair.

E. Course Load: Overloads and Underloads

All students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences pursuing the Bachelor of Science Degree or the Bachelor of Arts Degree are required to be a full-time student by taking a minimum of 12 credit hours (four courses of three credits or more) each semester. Students who wish to take less than 12 credits a semester must seek approval from their academic advisor and the Dean.

The normal course load each semester for full-time students is five courses of three credits or more excluding labs. The credit limit set by the Registrar during the pre-registration period is 17-credit hours for Arts students and a higher number for Science students. In order to be granted permission for an overload, a student must have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0, (2.75 for the summer), or have achieved senior status and need a sixth course to fulfill graduation requirements.

After all students have had the opportunity to register for five courses, credit limits will be raised by the Registrar for students with a GPA of 3.0 or higher and for seniors  in order to allow them to register for a sixth course through NOVASIS using their semester PIN. No paperwork is required.

 Students with a GPA lower than 3.0 taking Japanese, Chinese, Arabic, or Russian to fulfill their language requirement or in Military Science, Naval Science, Aerospace Studies or Education may have to enroll for more than 17 credits in a given semester and therefore need to have their credit limit raised prior to registering online. In these cases, students must complete and submit the Overload Request Form available in the Dean’s Office prior to their assigned registration day and time. Students who enroll in an extra course without proper permission will be dropped from the course

In no case will permission be given for a seventh course or four six courses and associated labs totaling more that 21 credit hours.

F. Academic Progress and Class Status

Officially, class status is determined by the number of credits earned as follows:

Arts
Freshman 0-29 credits
Sophomore 30-59 credits
Junior 60-89 credits
Senior 90+ credits

Science
Freshman 0-32 credits
Sophomore 33-65 credits
Junior 66-95 credits
Senior 96+ credits

G. Closed Sections

Students will not be permitted to enroll in closed sections. Exceptions to this rule will be made only by the chairperson of the academic department offering the course. If other sections or other courses are available to satisfy the degree requirements, then the exception will not be granted. Student employment conflict is not a legitimate reason for admittance to a closed section.

H. Graduate-Level Courses

A fourth-year student with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 may enroll in a graduate course with the written approval of:

1)   his/her academic advisor,
2)   the chairperson of the department offering the course, and
3)   the Dean before submitting the request to the Dean of the Graduate School. Courses numbered 7000-7999 are graduate courses ordinarily available to qualified undergraduates for undergraduate credit.  

I. Double Majors

Applications to request a double major are available in the Dean’s Office and in the Office of Advising and Professional Development. The completed form must be approved by the Department Chair of the second major and submitted to the Dean’s Office. Students may not double major in both Comprehensive Science and in another science.

J. Dropping/Adding courses (course adjustment)

During the first week of each semester, students are given the option of dropping or adding courses by using their pin number and going online through Novasis, or by completion of a paper form available in the Dean’s Office and in the Advising Office. The drops do not appear on a student’s transcript.

After this period, students may withdraw from courses (WX with approval during WX period, W after WX period) but may not add a course. Theses courses will appear on the student’s transcript. See L for note on Course Withdrawal.

K. Refunds

There will be no refund whatsoever for
• A student who leaves the University without completing the semester or
• A student who is dismissed from the University for disciplinary reasons or scholastic deficiency.

Refunds as the result of official withdrawal will be made according to the schedule listed below. Non-attendance of class does not constitute an official withdrawal. The percentage of tuition charged is based on total tuition charges, exclusive of fees. If withdrawal is authorized by the University, however, then the student may request, in writing, a refund in accordance with the following schedule (activities, library, and medical fees are not refundable):

Fall/Spring
Up to first week: 80%
Up to second week: 60%
Up to third week: 40%
Up to fourth week: 20%
Beyond fourth week: No refund

Summer
Withdrawal within 24 hours of first scheduled class day: 100% refund
Withdrawal within the first week of classes: 75% refund.
Withdrawal past the first week of classes: No refund.

Note: Dates are subject to change. Check Summer Session Catalog for exact deadlines.
 

L. Course Withdrawal (WX) after Close of Drop/Add Period

Students are allowed to withdraw from a course after the close of the first week drop/add period without academic penalty, until a date published each year by the Registrar that is usually two days after the close of pre registration for the forthcoming semester and receive the grade of “WX”. The grade of WX does not affect a student’s grade point average but does appear on the transcript. Forms to request an Authorized Course Withdrawal are available in the Dean’s Office, 105 St. Augustine Center for the Liberal Arts, and in the Advising Office, 451 St. Augustine Center for the Liberal Arts.

After this period, students may request an authorized withdrawal from any course, up to the commencement of final examinations, by providing to the Dean a written statement of justifiable cause for withdrawal, as well as the written recommendation of the instructor and the student’s chairperson. Withdrawal from the course will be contingent upon the Dean’s approval. Justifiable cause is a reason outside of a student’s control such as illness, which is extrinsic to the nature or difficulty of a course and which would prevent a student from completing the substantial requirements of the course.

Students who do not have a justifiable cause to withdraw from a course without academic penalty may still withdraw from the course and receive a grade of “W”. The grade of “W” is equivalent of an “F” grade and is included in computing the student’s quality point average and will appear on the student’s transcript.
 

M. Repeat Freshman Year

The Academic Standing Committee may allow a freshman student to declare academic bankruptcy and repeat the year with a new start on the cumulative average (though a record of the year’s work will remain on the transcript.) There is no refund of tuition.

N. Credit by Examination

To encourage independent study and recognize personal knowledge and mastery of a subject matter, Villanova University provides qualified matriculated students with the opportunity to “test out” of certain courses. The student who successfully passes such an examination satisfies the requirements of and earns the credit for the respective course.
For more information see the website at http://www.villanova.edu/artsci/college/academics/undergrad/challenge_exam.htm, or contact: Mr. Mario D’Ignazio, Assistant Dean, Office of the Dean, 105 St. Augustine Center for the Liberal Arts, and Phone: 610-519-4600.

O. Internship Credit

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences encourages and supports students to seek a variety of work and experiential learning experiences that will help with their career choices and position them as superior candidates as they enter the interview process for post graduation employment. The College provides its students with the opportunity to earn course credit in departmentally related and academically creditable internships. While all work and experiential learning experiences are valuable all such experiences and all students may not be able to earn academic credit.

Internships for academic credit must be directly related to a student’s approved major, minor, or concentration and meet the meet the criteria set by the faculty of the department or program that will award the academic credit. In addition only students with a minimum 3.0 GPA (2.75 summer) are eligible to participate in the program. No credit will be awarded for an internship experience that has not received prior approval. Students on Leave of Absence or Suspension may not participate in internships.

Internships are not restricted to the Delaware Valley and might take place in Washington, D.C., as well as other parts of the country. Internships last for the semester and can be either full time or part time. They are also available during the summer sessions. Internship credit for International Programs (study abroad) is significantly restricted. Internship Program details are available from Ms. Rina Ebert, the Internship Director, St. Augustine Center for the Liberal Arts, Room 415 (610-519-4232).

P. OnLine and Distance Learning Courses

The availability to enroll in DL courses for current Liberal Arts and Science undergraduate students is limited to sophomores, juniors, and seniors with a GPA of 2.75 and above.

The College will accept up to a maximum of four courses, commonly referred to as distance learning or online courses, taken at Villanova or at another accredited college or university toward a degree program within the college. The College reserves the right to test the student in order to assess the outcome of that course. The prior approval form to allow students to take DL courses is available in the Dean’s Office, 105 St. Augustine Center for the Liberal Arts.

Q. Accelerated or Fast Forward Courses

Transfer Credit will not be awarded for Accelerated or Fast Forward courses. In order for a non-professional three-credit course to be considered for transfer credit, the course must have met on at least 15 different days and with a minimum total meeting time of at least 37 hours. For courses in question, the student must provide documentation stating the manner in which the course was taught along with the official transcript. Courses in professional studies will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. The College reserves the right to test students to assess course outcomes.

R. Evening, One Night A Week Courses

No students may enroll in Introductory survey courses (i.e. 1040, 1050, 1051) that meet one night a week.

Students whom have completed 45 credit hours may request permission to register for advanced courses that meet one night a week in the evening by completing the Permission To Enroll In Restricted Evening Courses Form before their enrollment day and time assigned by the Registrar each semester. The form is available in the Dean’s Office, 105 St Augustine.

S. Summer School at Villanova

In order to accommodate students wishing to accelerate or enrich their studies, Villanova offers three summer sessions. Courses taken in Villanova Summer School are treated the same as those taken during the regular year. Prior to enrollment in Villanova Summer School, students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences must secure a pin number from their advisor. A student may take at most 12 credits in the summer.

T. Summer School at Other Institutions

Students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences may be permitted to take summer school courses at institutions other than Villanova University if the course is not offered as a Distance Learning (DL) course by Villanova. A student may take at most 12 credits in the summer.

Transfer Credit will not be awarded for Accelerated or Fast Forward courses. In order for a non-professional three-credit course to be considered for transfer credit, the course must have met on at least 15 different days and with a minimum total meeting time of at least 37 hours. For courses in question, the student must provide documentation stating the manner in which the course was taught along with a course description.

In all cases, permission to enroll in summer courses at other institutions must be obtained from the student’s adviser and from the Dean's Office before enrolling in the course(s). Transfer credit will not be accepted without having been approved before the student registers the class. If the summer courses are to be taken abroad, then permission is also required by International Studies Office.

Students seeking prior approval must complete the form, Request To Enroll in Summer Courses At Another Institution, available in the Dean’s Office and attach a copy of the course description(s) usually available on the institution’s Web site. The form and descriptions must be submitted to the Dean’s Office for approval no later than May 15th.

Courses will generally be approved if they are taken at accredited four-year colleges or universities and if they are equivalent to course offerings at Villanova. Upon completion of the course, it is the student’s responsibility to see that an official, sealed transcript is sent to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Villanova.

Transfer credit will be awarded on the Villanova transcript only for pre approved courses in which a student earns a grade of "C" or better. The actual grade received at the other institution does not transfer and is not calculated into the student's cumulative grade point average.

Transfer credits may be used for no more that half the courses required for the degree, no more than half the courses for the major and no more than half the courses required for the core curriculum.
Transfer students must have completed three academic semesters at Villanova before being eligible to study abroad during the academic year.

U. Study Abroad

In order to qualify for study abroad, a student must have a 2.75 or better GPA, good health, and receive prior approval. Transfer students to Villanova are required to have completed three semesters on campus before leaving for overseas studies. The Prior Approval Form, available in the International Studies Office, requires the approval of the various department chairs for courses in their subject area that the student wishes to take abroad and transfer, of the appropriate Foreign Language Coordinators for foreign language courses, of the departmental chairperson of the student’s major, of the Director of International Studies, and the Office of the Dean.

No student will receive study abroad transfer credit for any course that has not received prior approval. Students on Leave of Absence, Suspension, or Unofficial Withdrawal will not receive study abroad transfer credit.  Students studying abroad may not take Distance Learning courses in addition to their approved curriculum.

Courses taken abroad (except for Villanova courses) are considered transfer credit and require a “C” grade or better in order for the credits to transfer. The actual grades received at the other institution are not calculated into the student’s cumulative grade point average. Students wishing further information should contact the Director of International Studies in Middleton Hall, Second Floor (610-519-6412).

V. Leave of Absence

Students who desire to take an authorized Leave of Absence from the College must submit such a request in a formal letter to the Dean. The request may be countersigned by the student’s parent or legal guardian; or, if authorized by the student, the parent or legal guardian may submit the request on the student’s behalf.

The request should indicate the reason for the leave and the anticipated length. Students on leave are not allowed to transfer credit from other institutions for course work taken while on leave except by written permission from the Dean’s Office.

In consultation with the student, the parents and other University offices where applicable, the Dean will determine what issues should be addressed during the leave. A leave should normally be no more than a year.

When the student feels that he or she is ready to return, the student should he or she should contact the Dean and request an interview (which may be by telephone). In preparation for the interview the Dean may request to have put in writing how the issues that that occasioned the request for the leave have been addressed. Upon approval of the Dean the student will be returned to active status. If the student does not return to the University within the time originally agreed to without the approval of the Dean, the student will be considered withdrawn from the University.

W. Suspension

Students placed on suspension are not allowed to transfer credit from other institutions for course work taken while on suspension. Students should not contact heir advisor or academic dean without having first contacted the Dean of Students and receiving certification that all conditions of the suspension have been met and the student can be returned to active status.

X. Withdrawal from the University

Students who wish to leave or who do not plan to return to the University should request a Withdrawal. A student seeking an official withdrawal from the University must submit the request in writing to the Dean and to be followed by an interview with the Dean.

The letter requesting Withdrawal may be countersigned by the student’s parents or legal guardian; or, with the student’s approval, may be submitted by the parent or legal guardian. The Dean may authorize partial refund for tuition according to established University policy. Students who have officially withdrawn and who subsequently wish to return must submit the request in writing to the Dean. Credit for courses taken at two year institutions, (community colleges) will not be considered for transfer back to Villanova.

Matriculated students who fail to register for or attend classes in any given semester will be considered to have unofficially withdrawn from the College. To be considered for readmission, the student must submit the request in writing to the Dean.