Academic Policies & Resources in Continuing Education Programs

Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy  

Grading System: Letter grades and numerical point values are assigned as listed below:

* ADW (Administrative Withdrawal): This grade is submitted when a student attended the course infrequently prior to the last date to withdraw, failed to comply with the required procedure for withdrawal, and did not attend at all subsequent to the last date to withdraw. This grade is noted on permanent record, but not calculated in grade point average.

**ADI: Administrative Incomplete. This grade is submitted only in extraordinary circumstances when the instructor of record did not or could not turn in grades. A grade of ADI will be converted to a letter grade by the instructor of record as soon as conditions permit. When extreme circumstances, such as the death of a faculty member, make it impossible for him or her to convert the ADI, the VPAA will make the conversion in consultation with the affected students and appropriate faculty.

IF (Incomplete Failure): This grade is added to a student record if an incomplete is not finished by the deadline.  This grade is noted on the permanent record AND calculated in grade point average.

Prerequisites and Repeated Courses

An instructor may waive a prerequisite if the student has demonstrable competence in areas embraced by the prerequisite.

Credit is not given a second time for a repeated course, unless the Academic Catalog and/or the official course schedule state that the course may be repeated for credit. When a course not repeatable for credit is repeated, all grades remain on the student’s permanent record, but only the highest grade is used in computation of the grade point average. Students may repeat a four‐credit NEC course with an equivalent three‐credit course taken at another institution. Only three credits of credit would be awarded in this case. Students who need to repeat courses no longer offered due to curricular changes may take an approved substitute if available. Substitutions must be approved by the discipline in the case of a major course or the Associate Dean of Liberal Arts Education in the case of a Liberal Core Curriculum course.

Calculation of Grade Point Average

To compute a student’s cumulative grade point average (GPA), numerical values are assigned to each letter grade as indicated above. Grades of I, P, NR, AU, ADW, ADI, W and WD are not used in grade point calculations. The sum of the grade points earned is divided by the number of GPA hours, resulting in the student’s cumulative GPA.

Final Grades

The decision of an instructor to award a grade is presumed to be final. Grades become a part of the student’s permanent record. Under ordinary circumstances, no one else within the College has the right to change an instructor’s grades.

A Student who believes that he/she has been graded inaccurately or wrongly must immediately bring this to the attention of his/her instructor. Should disagreement with the instructor ensue, the student may appeal the grade to the Program Director. The student must present the appeal in writing. The Program Director will review the information, consult with relevant parties, and make a determination. As a last resort, the student may appeal the decision to the Vice President, School of Graduate and Professional Studies.

Academic Standing

Faculty must submit grades within 2 business days after the end of the course. NEC will then review the standing of each student at the end of each term. The Online Continuing Education Academic Committee will perform a close review of student academic standing after every term and decisions regarding probation and suspension will be made at this time. Students will receive formal notification from the college. Student questions about academic standing or the review process should be directed to the Registrar’s Office.

Each student is expected to make satisfactory progress toward meeting degree requirements. All undergraduate students who have a cumulative GPA below 2.0 are subject to having their academic records reviewed by the Academic Standards Committee, which will determine appropriate action as indicated below. For purposes of record, students who are not under academic probation and have not been suspended or dismissed are defined as being in good academic standing. Students who do not meet the general criteria for good standing will receive emails of probation or suspension.

General: Any student who has attempted 16 or more credits at New England College and has achieved less than a 2.0 cumulative grade point average will be placed on probation status. The student will have the following 4 terms of graded coursework to achieve a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.00 or will be suspended for a minimum of 1 term.

Undergraduate students who have been placed on probation are allowed continued enrollment. Undergraduate students who have been suspended will not be permitted to continue enrollment until such time as the suspension is rescinded. Undergraduate students who are actively enrolled at the time they become suspended will have the choice to complete the course(s) or withdraw at 100%.

Appeals

Students who have been placed on probation or who are suspended may appeal their status to the Online Continuing Education Academic Committee. Appeals request must be submitted to the Online Continuing Education Committee in writing. The Committee will review each appeal and may confirm or change the student’s academic status with such conditions as is deemed appropriate. The Committee will provide the student with written statements of the actions taken in regard to the student’s appeal. Adverse decisions by the Online Continuing Education Academic Committee may be appealed to the Dean of Graduate and Professional Studies, who will make final determination.

Notification

Students placed on probation or who are suspended shall be notified in writing.

Add/Drop Period

Students must register for courses prior to the term start. Course adds will not be permitted past the Wednesday of the first week of term.

Students may drop a course before the start of term without being recorded on the student’s transcript. The last day to drop a course is Sunday before term starts at 11:59 PM EST.

After the start of term, students who wish to withdraw from a course will receive a W grade on their transcript. The W will not affect GPA or academic standing. Students who wish to withdraw must contact either their Academic Advisor or the Registrar’s Office in writing before the deadline.

The last day to withdraw from courses is as follows:

• 7-week terms: last day of the 5^th week of classes (Sunday, 11:59 PM EST)
• 12-week terms: last day of the 7^th week of classes (Sunday, 11:59 PM EST)
• 15-week terms: last day of the 9^th week of classes (Sunday, 11:59 PM EST)

Exceptions to the policies above will only be considered in rare circumstances and require a petitioned approval from the Associate Vice President of the School of Graduate and Professional Studies at New England College. Students may begin the petition process by contacting their Academic Advisor or Registrar’s Office. Petitions must be submitted within 30 days of the end of the term in question to be considered.

Please contact Student Financial Services at sfs@nec.edu for the refund schedule for withdrawing from courses.

Financial aid students should be aware that withdrawals on their academic record affect satisfactory academic progress and may impact their eligibility for financial aid.

Classification of Students according to number of credits obtained

Withdrawals and Leaves of Absence

A student who wishes to withdraw from the College during the academic year must notify Academic Advising in the School of Graduate and Professional Studies in writing.

Students are automatically granted a leave of absence for a period of two years if they are in good academic standing. All other students must apply for readmission should they wish to return to the College.

The normal limitation for a leave of absence from the College is two years. Students whose absence exceeds this limitation may be required to file for formal readmission to the College, in which case they would reenter under the major and graduation requirements in effect at the time of their readmission. Students who withdraw during a term may be required to apply for readmission before returning the following term.

Academic Success, Tutoring

New England College offers free tutoring to online students through the online service Smarthinking. Students who need assistance starting an assignment, generating ideas for developing a paper, or need specialized assistance in mathematics or business, can use Smarthinking to connect with a trained professional tutor who will be able to answer questions online and provide students with feedback. Smarthinking provides online tutoring in a variety of subjects. Certain areas are covered 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Disability Services

Telephone: 603.428.2302

Accommodations Policy

New England College has a history of success in challenging and supporting students of diverse academic backgrounds who wish to achieve their full intellectual and personal potential.

Unlike some schools designed exclusively for students with learning differences, New England College does not have a special program just for students with disabilities. We have found, however, that our support services can meet the needs of students who are good self‐advocates and who do not require a formal, structured program, but who can find success when offered academic support in conjunction with small classes and personal attention by faculty and staff. Typically these students have done well in “mainstream” college preparatory programs in high school, or as graduate students were successful in completing an undergraduate degree.

New England College is committed to assuring equal access to all of its programs, services, and activities. Students needing accommodations (such as extended time on tests, permission to tape lectures, wheelchair accessibility, etc.) should set up an appointment with the Disability Services Office. To be eligible for accommodations the student will need to have current, appropriate test results that are submitted to the Disability Services Office. The testing must be administered by a licensed, qualified professional and must include a diagnosis and specific recommendations. IEPs, minutes from 504 planning meetings, or letters from school officials are not acceptable as legal documentation; however, they can be provided along with the required testing so that the Disability Services Director can more fully understand the needs of the student. Other types of disabilities must be documented by a certified medical and/or mental health professional, and must include a current detailed diagnosis, recommendations, and reasons for specific suggested recommendations. Regardless of the learning need or disability, the Disability Services Office needs to be contacted as it handles all requests for accommodations.

It is important to remember that all requests for accommodations must come through the Disability Services Office at which time the student will participate in the Needs Assessment process. Once the student has completed the Needs Assessment form it must be given to the appropriate faculty and staff. Test documents must be received a minimum of a week before accommodations can be provided. In situations where many different parties are involved in developing accommodations, three prior weeks may be required.

Under ADA and 504 requirements the student is responsible for disclosing his/her disability to each person the student contacts for an accommodation. The College reserves the right to review documentation and determine individual accommodations and services. The College maintains the right to determine the appropriate accommodation based on the student’s documentation. Accommodations are based on a review of the test results and may be different than services provided in high school, or as an undergraduate student.

Relevant information from disability documentation may be shared with College personnel at the discretion of the Disability Services Office. All questions about the College’s compliance with ADA/504 should be directed to the College’s Campus Compliance Officer in the Disability Services Office.