Academic Policies and Resources

Grading System

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

^{* see following for description}

* 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.

* W (Withdrawal): This grade is submitted when the student withdrew from class by the withdrawal deadline.

* WD (Withdrew from school): This grade is submitted for all outstanding classes when a student withdraws from school.

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

Faculty must submit grades within 3 business days after the end of the course. The decision of an instructor to award a grade is presumed to be final. Grades submitted become a part of the student’s permanent record. Under ordinary circumstances, no one else within the College has the right, or competence, 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 Manager. The student must present the appeal in writing. The Program Manager will review the information, consult with relevant parties, and make a determination. As a last resort, the student may appeal the decision to the Dean of the School of Graduate and Professional Studies.

Accessing Transcripts and Grades

Final grades and unofficial transcripts are available to students through the college’s MYNEC web services. Students are entitled to examine and make copies of any graded examinations and papers not handed back in class. Official transcript requests must be submitted in writing to the Registrar’s Office.

Academic Standing

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

Undergraduate students who have been placed on probation or who are suspended may appeal their status to the Academic Standards Committee. Appeals must be submitted in writing, by the deadline stated, to the Graduate and Online Academic Support Center (goasc@nec.edu), who will forward the request to the Academic Standards Committee. Students have the option of appearing before the Committee in person or via phone to present their cases by scheduling an appointment with the Committee.

The committee, or its designee(s), will review each appeal. The committee may confirm or change the student’s academic status with such conditions as it deems appropriate. The Committee’s designee will provide the student with written statements of the actions taken by the committee in regard to the student’s appeal. Adverse decisions by the committee may be appealed, on procedural grounds only, to the Vice President for Academic Affairs who will review the matter and make a final determination.

Notification

Students placed on warning, probation, or suspension shall be notified in writing by the School of Graduate and Professional Studies.

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 Dean 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

Class Attendance Policy

Students are expected to attend and participate in all dimensions of every course. A student’s grade in a course may include attendance as well as online participation, and these policies and grading procedures will be stated clearly, in writing, by the instructor in the course syllabus before the end of the add/drop period. Students are personally responsible for the material missed as a result of absence from class. Attendance policies may vary from instructor to instructor, and some courses may involve specified grade reductions for missed classes or missed online participation. It is the responsibility of each student to understand fully the attendance policies and procedures for every course in which the student is enrolled.

New England College respects student absences from classes due to religious observances. In such cases, students are expected to notify their instructors prior to the anticipated absence. Making up missed assignments is the student’s responsibility.

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.

Student Access and Accommodations

Telephone: 603.428.2302

New England College believes students with disabilities are valued as part of our campus diversity and strives to create usable, equitable, inclusive learning environments. Due to the design of a course or program, students may experience barriers to their full and meaningful participation. When this occurs, students should request accommodations through the Office of Student Access and Accommodations.

New England College is committed to ensuring equal access to all of its programs, services, and activities. To be eligible for accommodations, the student will need to provide the Office of Student Access and Accommodations with current appropriate documentation. Regardless of the disability, the Office of Student Access and Accommodations needs to be contacted, as it handles all requests for accommodations for students.

Each student will participate in the interactive process of determining what accommodations are reasonable. The Office of Student Access and Accommodations will then provide a letter of accommodation. This letter must be given to the appropriate faculty and staff before the accommodation(s) can be put in place. Testing documents must be received a minimum of one week before an accommodation can be provided. The accommodation process may take longer than one week if the Office of Student Access and Accommodations works with an outside agency.

Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), also referred to as the “Buckley Amendment” was designed to protect the privacy of students’ educational records. In accordance with the provisions of the FERPA (Section 438 of the General Education Provisions Act, 20 USC 1232g), New England College has adopted regulations to protect the privacy rights of its students, including online/distance learners.

With few exceptions, New England College has a policy of not disclosing any directory information without student consent to anyone outside the College. While disclosure is permitted by FERPA, the College is under no obligation to provide information, and will do so only on a selective basis. Our intention is to act in the best interest of students regarding their education, well-being and safety.

Students’ fundamental rights under FERPA include:

• The right to inspect and review their education records
• The right to have some control over the disclosure of information from their education records
• The right to request to amend inaccurate education records
• The right to be notified on an annual basis of College policies regarding FERPA, and
• The right to file complaints with the Department of Education regarding alleged failure of the College to comply with the act

FERPA gives parents certain rights with respect to their children’s education records. These rights transfer to the student when they reach the age of 18 or attends an institution of higher learning. Records may be released to parents without a signed consent from the student or under certain exceptions. These include:

1. Health or safety emergency|
2. Where the student has been found in violation of the institutions code of conduct relating to the use of alcohol or a controlled substance if the student is under the age of 21
3. By submission of evidence that the parents declare the student as a dependent on their most recent Federal Income Tax form

The release to parents of education records under any of these exceptions is a permissible release. Thus, under FERPA, an institution is not required to disclose information from the student’s education records to any parent of a dependent student. It may, however, exercise its discretion to do so.

The Office of Student Development will notify students of their FERPA rights upon entry to New England College and once a calendar year thereafter. Notifications will be sent to the student’s official College email address. In addition, the policy will be available on the College website. Printed copies of this statement are available upon request (accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope) to:

Office of Student Development
New England College
98 Bridge Street
Henniker, New Hampshire 03242

The full NEC FERPA policy may be found in the Student Handbook, accessible on the NEC website. Additional FERPA information can be found at http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html