Academic Policies and Resources

The Academic Program

New England College students must complete the Liberal Arts and Sciences Core Curriculum  as well as an approved major as part of their academic program. Approved majors may be found in the Online Continuing Education Programs  section of this catalog. Additional requirements for a degree are outlined in the Graduation Requirements  section.

Additional Majors

Students may pursue more than one major offered at New England College. Students must satisfy all requirements for additional majors as outlined in the catalog. These requirements include all major required courses, satisfaction of the major GPA of at least a 2.00 (or higher, as stated by the program), and completion of at least 12 major credits at New England College. Completion of an additional major does not necessarily mean a second degree has been earned.

Minors

Students may declare one or more minors offered at New England College. Please see the Online Continuing Education Programs  section of this catalog for approved minors.

Student Class

New England College classifies undergraduate students using the following criteria:

• First Year: 0-29 credit hours earned
• Sophomore: 30-59 credit hours earned
• Junior: 60-89 credit hours earned
• Senior: 90+ credits hours earned

Course Levels

Courses are generally numbered to assist with the appropriate level of student class:

• First Year: 1000 level
• Sophomore: 2000 level
• Junior: 3000 level
• Senior: 4000 level
• Graduate (Master’s): 5000-6000 level
• Graduate (Doctoral): 7000-8000 level

Please note that these are general guidelines to assist students with progression through their program. Students are encouraged to work with their faculty or academic advisor to determine appropriate courses each term.

Dean’s List

Superior academic achievement is recognized twice each year. All students completing 12 or more credits for grades (not pass/no record) are eligible. At the time of calculation, all students meeting this requirement with a combined GPA of at least 3.5 in the corresponding terms will be included on the Dean’s List.

• Fall Dean’s List: 12 credits complete in Summer II, Fall I, Fall II, and Winter terms combined
• Spring Dean’s List: 12 credits completed in Spring I, Spring II, and Summer I terms combined

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 Chief Academic Officer 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.

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 they have been graded inaccurately or wrongly must immediately bring this to the attention of their 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 Academic Division.

Incomplete Grades

An “I” (Incomplete) is given only in exceptional circumstances beyond the student’s control (e.g. illness, unexpected delay in receiving materials for which the student is not responsible, etc.). A student has 30 days from the end of the term to complete any grade of incomplete received in the term. Unless the instructor notifies the Registrar’s Office that another grade has been issued, grades of incomplete are automatically converted to grades of “IF” or “NR”.

Faculty may grant an extension to students with compelling reasons for needing more time to complete course work. An extension is also applicable to students not registered in the term following the incomplete. Extensions will be granted only for extenuating circumstances.

When the coursework for an incomplete is submitted and the grade is changed, the new grade will be applied immediately to the student’s standing with regard to academic probation, etc.

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 transcripts may be ordered through the Registrar’s Office. Please visit their webpage here for instructions.

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.

Academic Expectations

Email Policy

New England College uses NEC e‐mail as a means for official communication with students. As these communications may be time sensitive, the college expects that such communications will be read in a timely fashion. The college expects that students check their NEC e‐mail at least once per business day while enrolled. The college will continue to use the NEC email system as a means of official communications during the Winter and Summer breaks. Students are expected to check their NEC email accounts during these breaks at least twice during the business week. Students who have their NEC e‐mail forwarded to a different email address bear the responsibility to ensure that important and time‐sensitive communications are not lost.

Expected Student Academic Work per Credit

Workload expectations in this policy are an estimate of the amount of work needed for an average student to earn an average grade. Course grades are based on the quality of the work submitted, not on hours of effort. Workload expectations per credit do not vary with the method of delivery of the course or the length of the academic term. One credit represents approximately 45 total hours of work over the course of a term, averaged over each week during the term, in order to complete the work of the course. New England College follows standard Student Hours which are derived from the Carnegie Unit.

As an example, a 4 credit hour course has an expectation of approximately 180 hours of work. To calculate this per week, divide 180 work hours by the number of weeks in the term.

• 180 ÷ 7 Week course: 25 hours per week estimated
• 180 ÷ 10 Week course: 18 hours per week estimated
• 180 ÷ 12 Week course: 15 hours per week estimated
• 180 ÷ 15 Week course: 12 hours per week estimated

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.

Course Registration and Withdrawals

Special Topics

Courses numbered 1990, 2990, 3990, 4990, 5990, 6990, 7990, and 8990 are special topics under their appropriate subject code unless otherwise noted in the course catalog. Special Topics courses are designed to explore a variety of topics within the discipline based on student or faculty interests.

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 Dean for Liberal Arts Education in the case of a Liberal Core Curriculum course.

Add/Drop/Withdraw 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 Academic Division 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.

Withdrawals and Leaves of Absence

A student who wishes to withdraw from the College during the academic year must notify Academic Advising 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.

Students on an approved leave of absence are considered withdrawn for financial aid purposes.  A withdrawal may cause a return to Title IV calculation and for loans to enter their repayment period.  Please refer to the Return of Federal Financial Aid (Title IV) policy and the College refund policy at https://www.nec.edu/admission/financial-aid/undergraduate-sfs/payment-plans/.

Exceptions to Academic Policy

Exceptions to the College’s academic policies may be requested only by petition, which must be approved by the appropriate Dean of the Academic Division and the Registrar. This decision can be appealed to the Chief Academic Officer or their designee.

Academic Resources

Academic Advising

New England College uses a developmental model of advising students by working with our students in online and off-site locations. We create a collaborative team approach supported by the student, an academic advisor, and Program Director or Dean of the Academic Division  to ensure that the student reaching their academic goals.

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