Academic Regulations Registration and Course Assignment

Registration and Course Assignment

• 3.0: Registration and course assignment
• 3.1: Procedures. Registration for courses shall be accomplished in accordance with procedures prescribed by the Registrar.
• 3.2: Placement procedures. Students should complete the following procedures as soon as possible after admission to IPFW. Students completing these procedures shall be notified of the test results and their implications in a timely fashion.
• 3.2.1: English. A regularly admitted beginning student is allowed to register for classes only after completing the appropriate placement procedure. Any other student is allowed to register for classes beyond the session in which the first 12 credits are completed at IPFW only if the student has (1) completed the appropriate procedures or (2) established credit in an entry-level English course.
• 3.2.2: Mathematics. A regularly admitted beginning student is allowed to register for classes only after completing the appropriate placement procedure. Any other student is allowed to register for classes beyond the session in which the first 12 credits are completed at IPFW only if the student has (1) completed the appropriate procedures or (2) established credit in an entry-level mathematics course.

Students who place into developmental mathematics must complete the appropriate developmental course(s) in their first twenty-four credits of IPFW course work, with the exception of developmental mathematics for those students enrolled in a certificate or associate degree program that does not require mathematics.

• 3.2.3: Reading. A regularly admitted beginning student is allowed to register for classes only after submitting one of the following:
  1. SAT test score above 450 on the verbal test
  2. ACT test score above 19 on the individual reading test;
  3. Scoring above the lowest 15 percentile (determined by national norms) on the IPFW placement test.

Students who do not meet at least one of these requirements will be required to complete a reading course as specified by the Department of English and Linguistics and approved by the College of Arts and Sciences during one of the student’s first two enrollment periods.

• 3.2.4: Foreign language. A student who has studied a foreign language before entering PFW and does not have transfer credit should take a foreign-language placement examination or complete the departmental placement process before continuing study in that language.
• 3.2.5: English-as-a-Second-Language1. Prior to admission, the Admissions Office shall determine which prospective undergraduate students have a native language other than English. All such students who do not have transfer credit for an English composition course that carries credit toward graduation shall be identified as ESL students and shall be required to submit scores on the TOEFL or an equivalent test approved by the Department of English and Linguistics.

ESL students shall be admitted with the condition that they achieve appropriate competency levels in English composition.

Based upon TOEFL or equivalent test scores, the Department of English and Linguistics shall determine which ESL students need ESL instruction. Students who are found to be exempt from ESL course requirements shall be subject to the regular English placement-testing and course-completion requirements described in these regulations. Other ESL students shall:

•  3.2.5.1: Be admitted only to the Mastodon Advising Center unless they score the equivalent of 550 or above on the TOEFL and meet the admission requirements of a degree-granting academic unit. Students admitted in this fashion to the Mastodon Advising Center shall not be eligible for admission to another academic unit until they have completed ESL-related requirements.
•  3.2.5.2: Enroll in the appropriate ESL course each semester until the requirement is satisfied.
•  3.2.5.3: Complete the prescribed series of ESL courses within their first 36 credits at IPFW.

The Mastodon Advising Center shall have authority to alter any student's registration if the provisions of Sections 3.2.5.2 and 3.2.5.3 are not being met.

This section applies to undergraduate students only. As noted in the Graduate Programs Bulletin, graduate applicants must follow university-specific requirements to demonstrate competency in English.

• 3.3: Academic load. The following maximums apply to student enrollment:
• 3.3.1: Absolute limit in any academic session or intensive course: A student may never enroll for more than 1.5 credits per week.
• 3.3.2: Limit with special permission: A student's academic load shall exceed 18 semester hours (8 semester hours in a summer session) only under unusual circumstances and with special permission of the academic advisor.
• 3.4: Assignment to intensive courses. No student will be permitted to register in two intensive courses at the same time.
• 3.5: Course prerequisites and corequisites. When registering, a student must satisfy all course prerequisites and corequisites or secure the permission of the instructor. On an instructor's request, the Registrar may remove any student who has not satisfied prerequisites or corequisites.
• 3.6: Auditing. A student ineligible for readmission by reason of having been dropped from IPFW for scholastic or other reasons is ineligible to attend classes as an auditor; any other student may enroll as an auditor by completing regular registration and enrollment procedures, noting "Auditor" on the registration card. Determination of allowable load is in accordance with the credits assigned to the courses involved.

An auditor does not receive academic credit, but is assigned a grade of W or NC in the course. An auditor may later be allowed to take an examination for credit, under the usual rules, in courses audited. (see Section 7.1)

• 3.7: Initial registration. A student's initial registration shall occur according to the timetables for registration established for each academic term as published in the Schedule of Classes. An academic advisor's approval is required for all students who register at the Registrar's Office and for the following students: freshmen, first-term re-entry, transfer, or those in a new major, and those on academic probation. School/division policy determines whether an academic advisor's approval is required for other students. A completed registration form with appropriate signatures must be submitted to the Registrar's Office or the student's department.
• 3.8: Schedule Revisions. A student may make schedule revisions in accordance with the following policies. The student must submit the completed schedule revision form with appropriate signatures to the Registrar's Office or the student's department. All schedules and deadlines are prorated for courses not meeting for an entire fall or spring semester.
• 3.8.1: Course additions. A student may add a course after the initial registration on the schedule revision form. An academic advisor's approval is required for all students who add courses at the Registrar's Office and for the following students: freshmen, first-term re-entry, transfer, or those in a new major, and those on academic probation. Additional restrictions are described below:

• 3.8.2: Course drops (cancellations of registration). A student may drop a course, subject to the time limits below and the restrictions described in this section and in section 3.9 by presenting a request at the Registrar's Office, the student's department, or through self-service in the online registration system.

The following table displays the point in time a withdraw grade will be recorded on the permanent record, based on course length.

Day 1 of a course is the first day of the term or part of term. All calendar days are counted, including weekends.

The opportunity to drop a class is restricted as specified below:

• 3.8.2.1: Alleged academic dishonesty.  Students will not be permitted to drop a class in which there is an allegation of academic dishonesty.
• 3.8.2.2: Late-term drops related to academic performance.  After the ninth week (or equivalent), students will not be permitted to drop a class due to poor academic performance in the class.
• 3.8.2.3: Late-term drops unrelated to academic performance.  After the ninth week (or equivalent), and with the approval of the student’s academic advisor and the student’s dean/division director, a student may drop a course when the reason for requesting the drop is unrelated to the student’s academic performance in the course.
• 3.8.2.4: Post-term drops.After the end of the sixteenth week, a course may be dropped only by following the procedure for a change of grade (see Section 6.6).
• 3.8.3: Change of Pass/Not-Pass option. A student may change the pass/not-pass option for a course during the first four weeks of a regular semester or the first two weeks of a summer session by obtaining the signature of the academic advisor next to the appropriate notation on the schedule-revision form.
• 3.8.4: Change of auditing option. A student may alternate between audit and credit status during an academic session. A change from audit to credit or credit to audit may occur only during the first six weeks. The regular audit deadline is the Friday ending the first week of class.  The late audit deadline is the Friday ending the sixth week of class.  Approval of a regular change of auditing status in the first week of class requires a signature or written acknowledgment from the student's advisor and a representative from the Financial Aid Office (when applicable).  Approval of a late change in auditing status during weeks two through six requires a signature or written acknowledgement from the course instructor, academic advisor and a representative from the Financial Aid Office (when applicable).
• 3.9: Withdrawal from the university.  Withdrawal from the university is normally accomplished by withdrawing from each course in which the student was enrolled.  Special circumstances which can affect the withdrawal are specified below.
• 3.9.1: Withdrawal for military service. Any student called to active military duty may present a copy of their military service orders and (a) withdraw from all courses and receive a 100% refund of tuition and fees at any time during the semester through the end of final examinations or (b) with the permission of each instructor, receive an Incomplete or final grade in the courses taken.  Such requests and documentation may be presented by the student or other responsible party who has the student’s permission to make the request.  Refunds of fees will not be made if the student receives a grade and credit for the course, and all refunds will be adjusted as required by financial aid regulations.  If a withdrawal is processed after the fourth week of classes, the grade of W will be assigned.
• 3.9.2: Withdrawal for personal circumstances.  Students who seek to withdraw from IPFW after the ninth week of classes, based on personal circumstances, should contact the Dean of Students for guidance about the process.
• 3.10: Attendance. Every student is expected to attend every meeting of the classes for which the student is enrolled. Work missed during absences may be made up with the instructor's permission. At the beginning of the academic session, each instructor shall make a clear statement to all students regarding the instructor's policy for handling absences. Any student who discontinues class attendance and does not meet course requirements shall receive a grade of F for unauthorized withdrawal.
• 3.10.1: Students who must report their class attendance in order to satisfy requirements of financial-aid sponsors are obligated to present the sponsor's certification form to each instructor.
• 3.10.2: Each instructor will certify that student's attendance by completing the form.
• 3.10.3: Unless a prior agreement has been made by the instructor with the student, no instructor will be obligated to certify student attendance for more than the most recent class.

A student may not attend any class before completing official registration procedures, after withdrawing from the class, or after the registration has been canceled. An instructor who discovers an unregistered student in a class should discuss the problem with the student and notify the Registrar's Office if the problem is not promptly resolved.

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