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 Undergraduate Residential Programs  and Undergraduate Online Programs  sections 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. Unless explicitly identified, NEC students completing a minor are exposed to many of the programmatic learning objectives associated with the discipline or major field of study. Please see the Undergraduate Residential Programs  and Undergraduate Online Programs  sections 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) in the designated enrollment periods below are eligible. At the time of calculation, all students meeting this requirement with a semester or combined term GPA of at least 3.5 will be included on the Dean’s List.

Residential Undergraduate Dean’s List Enrollment Period

• Fall Dean’s List: 12 credits in the Fall Semester and Winter term combined
• Spring Dean’s List: 12 credits in the Spring Semester

Online Undergraduate Dean’s List Enrollment Period

• Fall Dean’s List: 12 credits completed 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 by an instructor 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 or their designee will make the conversion in consultation with the affected students and appropriate faculty.

IF (Incomplete Failure):  This grade is applied to the student’s record if an incomplete is not changed to another grading option prior to the published deadline.

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

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.

Students who believe they have been graded wrongly must immediately bring this to the attention of their instructors. Should disagreement ensue, students are best served by seeking counsel from their faculty advisors, program director, or with the Dean of the Academic Division, who, if necessary, can act as intermediaries to seek resolution. As a last resort, disagreements may be appealed to the Chief Academic Officer or their designee.

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 who receives the Incomplete in a semester has 30 days from the first day of the following semester (Friday of the 5th week in a 14 or 15-week semester) to complete any grade of Incomplete received in a semester. A student who received the Incomplete in the online 7-week terms have 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 semester 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 honors, warning, probation, etc.

Audited Courses

Students wishing to audit a course may do so by contacting the Registrar’s Office. Permission of the instructor is required. The workload and attendance policy in the course is to be determined by the instructor and should reflect expectations of both the instructor and the student. No credit is granted for an audited course. A grade of “AU” will not be entered on the student’s permanent record unless a student satisfactorily completes the attendance and workload requirements of the course. Full time students are not charged for an audited course. Part‐time students will be charged one‐half the current tuition rate for that course. All students will be charged any course‐related fees. After the end of the add/drop period, a student may not convert an audited course back to the letter grading system.

Pass/No Record Option

Only 16 credits under the Pass/No Record (P/NR) option may be submitted for graduation. The Pass/No Record option is not permitted in the student’s major program except for internships.

The student must file with the Registrar’s Office the appropriate form indicating their desire to be graded P/NR during the first 20 days of the semester (Friday of the 4th week in a 15-week semester). Otherwise, the A‐F system will be used.

No petitions will be accepted to convert from A‐F to P/NR after the first 20 days of the semester (Friday of the 4th week in a 15-week semester). Students may, however, petition to convert from P/NR to A‐F. Petitions to convert to a letter grade must be submitted to the Office of Academic Affairs.

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

Normal Course Load

Semester Calendars

In order to maintain full‐time status, an undergraduate residential student in the semester-based calendars must be registered for at least 12 credits per semester. The normal course load for a full‐time student is 16 to 18 credits per semester. Students who enroll in more than 18 credits per semester will be charged per credit for the overload. Students who have completed at least 16 credits at NEC and have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher may enroll in up to 20 credits with no overload charges.

7-Week Term Calendars

In order to maintain full-time status, an undergraduate online student enrolled in the 7-week term calendars must be registered for at least 4 credits per term. The normal course load for a full-time student is 4 credits per 7-week term. Students who wish to enroll in more than 4 credits per term should consult with their academic advisor.

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 and/or 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. Attendance policies may vary among instructors, and some courses may involve specified grade reductions for missed classes and/or 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 Withdrawal

Adding/Dropping

Semester Calendars

Undergraduate residential students in the semester-based calendars may add or drop courses online during the first five class days (Friday of the first week) of the fall or spring semester. After this date, students may petition to add/drop classes, with approval of the instructor and faculty advisor. Petition forms are available online through the Registrar’s Office webpage here. Dropped courses are not recorded on a student’s academic record. The Add/Drop period for courses shorter than 15 weeks (including 7 week courses and Summer or January terms) will be proportionate to the length of the term.

7-Week Term Calendars

Undergraduate online 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.

Specific Add/Drop dates for each term are published in the academic calendars.

Withdrawing

Semester Calendars

An undergraduate residential student may withdraw from a course for any reason up to the tenth class day past mid‐semester (Friday of the 10th week in a 15-week semester). Withdrawals are noted on the student’s academic record with the designation of “W.” Students are financially responsible for all courses with a “W” grade. Withdrawal forms are available online through the Registrar’s Office webpage here, and must be completed and returned to the Registrar’s Office by the deadline listed above. After the last date to withdraw, students must petition to do so. Petitions are available online through the Registrar’s Office webpage here, and must be approved by the student’s Dean of the Academic Division. If a petition is not granted, an appeal can be made to the Chief Academic Officer or their designee.

7-Week Term Calendars

After the start of term, undergraduate online 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 7-week courses is last day of the 5^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.

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.

Internships

The College recognizes the importance of integrating academics with learning experiences outside of the classroom. Internships can provide exposure to a career field, increase self‐confidence, help in the attainment of practical skills and provide contacts and references that will be helpful in gaining employment after graduation.

Internship sites can be arranged through a faculty member or the Office of Career and Life Planning. The Office of Career and Life Planning maintains up‐to‐date listings of internship sites and will work with students and faculty to find an appropriate site. Through a careful contracting and evaluation process, the College encourages reflection on career goals and their successful integration into the student’s education as part of the internship process.

Internships require careful planning. A faculty member can develop and maintain contact with an organization and refer students for internships, or a student can locate a site through networking, research and/or direct application, with the support of the Office of Career and Life Planning or New England College faculty.

Students may elect internships within their major or minor disciplines. Specific guidelines may be established by individual disciplines, but all internships are governed by the following regulations:

• Internships are available to students who exhibit emotional maturity and a strong sense of responsibility, who have earned a minimum of 30 credits at New England College, and are in good academic standing (meeting both College‐wide standards and those specific to the major);
• Internships may take place only at sites approved by the discipline;
• Internships require a full‐time ranked faculty sponsor in the discipline for which credits for the internship will be awarded. A faculty member approved by the department involved and the head of its collegium/division may also serve as an internship sponsor;
• Students are required to submit to the faculty sponsor and on‐site supervisor a brief resume prior to the beginning of the semester in which the internship is being conducted;
• Internships are conducted according to a contract jointly developed by the student, faculty sponsor, and internship site supervisor. Completed internship contracts must be submitted to the appropriate Dean of the Academic Division prior to the beginning of the internship;
• Internships may be awarded from 1 to 16 credits. The number of credits awarded for an individual internship is determined by the discipline and dependent on the complexity of the internship experience, the amount of conventional academic work assigned, and the amount of time spent on‐site by the student intern;
• No more than 16 internship credits may be applied towards the total credits required for graduation. Some disciplines allow fewer than 16 credits to be applied to major requirements;
• Tuition for internships is the same as for other College courses and is subject to the same charges for overloads (19 or more credits).

Internships may be offered in all disciplines under the course numbers 4910, 5901, 5910, and 6910 under their appropriate subject code unless otherwise noted in the course catalog.

Directed Study

A directed study is an academic tutorial course that allows a student to do an in‐depth study with an instructor in an area of mutual interest. Meetings with the instructor will occur on a weekly basis.

The Following Guidelines Apply to Directed Study Courses:

• Directed Study courses normally do not duplicate courses offered during a semester;
• Directed Study courses may not be for more than four credits;
• Students may use no more than 12 credits of Directed or Independent Study courses toward meeting graduation requirements. A combination of no more than 28 credits for Directed Study, Independent Study, and Internships can be applied toward meeting graduation requirements.
• Students Registering for a Directed Study Must:
  • have at least sophomore standing (30 credits or more);
  • have a cumulative GPA of at least 2.5;
  • have no record of having been reported for cheating or plagiarism;
  • have a faculty sponsor for the Directed Study;
  • have completed the Directed Study Contract Form, and have obtained all the necessary signatures;
  • have submitted the completed forms to the appropriate Dean of the Academic Division prior to the start of the Directed Study.

Independent Study

An Independent Study is an academic course that allows a student to do in‐depth study in an area of interest. Students will work primarily on their own, with minimal support and guidance from the faculty sponsor.

The Following Guidelines Apply to Independent Study Courses:

• Independent Study courses normally do not duplicate courses offered on a semester or yearly basis;
• Independent Study courses may not be for more than four credits;
• Students may use no more than 12 credits of Directed or Independent Study courses toward meeting graduation requirements. A combination of no more than 28 credits for Directed Study, Independent Study and Internships can be applied toward meeting graduation requirements.
• Students Registering for an Independent Study Must:
  • have at least junior standing (60 credits or more);
  • have a cumulative G.P.A. of at least 3.0 in the major;
  • have no record of having been reported for cheating or plagiarism;
  • have a faculty sponsor for the Independent Study;
  • have completed the Independent Study Contract Form, and have obtained all the necessary signatures;
  • have submitted the completed forms to the appropriate Dean of the Academic Division prior to the start of the Directed Study.

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.

Withdrawals and Leaves of Absence

A student who wishes to withdraw from the College during a academic year must apply to Academic Advising. If the student is less than 18 years of age the College must have evidence that the parent(s) is/are aware that the student is planning to withdraw.

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

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 normally reenter under the major and graduation requirements in effect at the time of their readmission. Students who withdraw during a semester may be required to apply for readmission before returning the following semester. For further information, please see the Student Handbook.

Return of Federal Financial Aid (Title IV)
Students who withdraw before 60% of the term is completed will have their eligible federal financial aid recalculated according to the length of their enrollment. The percentage of time the student remained enrolled is the percentage of eligible aid for that period that the student earned. A student who remains enrolled beyond the 60% point earns all federal aid for that period. The return of federal financial aid recalculation is performed independently of institutional costs incurred for the period of enrollment. The return of federal financial aid recalculation is performed within 30 days of a withdrawal. Any unearned financial aid paid to New England College for institutional charges will be returned to the source in the following order within 45 days of a withdrawal:

1. Unsubsidized Federal Direct loans
2. Subsidized Federal Direct loans
3. Federal Direct PLUS loans
4. Federal Pell grants
5. Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity grants

Students are responsible to pay their New England College account balance due as of a result of a return of federal financial aid recalculation, within 30 days. There may also be an amount of unearned aid due from the student directly to the Department of Education or to the federal direct loan servicer according to the terms and conditions of the student’s loan master promissory note.

If as a result of the calculation, a student is eligible for federal financial funds that have not yet been disbursed, any grant funds will be disbursed first. If the student is eligible for loan funds, a notice will be sent to the student to sign and return within fourteen days if they choose to accept the loans. The student will not be eligible for a post-withdrawal disbursement of loans if the notice is not returned within fourteen days.  Loans are repaid by the student according to their loan master promissory note.

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.

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