Please note: This is NOT the most current catalog.
Records/Policies
ACADEMIC RECORDS
A permanent academic record of courses and grades is prepared for
each student who registers in the regular academic programs of
St. Olaf College. An unabridged transcript of this record is
maintained in a vault in the Registrar’s
Office.
Upon graduation or withdrawal from the college,
a student’s academic
record continues to be stored on a permanent basis at the college with a
second copy deposited out of state.
A copy of the permanent record may be released only
upon the written consent of the individual student or in conjunction
with “Academic Records,” and “Transcripts
of Academic Records” defined in The Book, available online at http://www.stolaf.edu/stulife/thebook.
Corrections of errors on the academic record must be reported to the registrar
within one year.
Questions concerning transcripts and academic records
should be directed to the Registrar’s Office.
Procedures affecting St. Olaf’s academic records are in accordance with
the U.S. Family Privacy Law of 1974.
ACADEMIC RECORDS: FAMILY educational rights and privacy
act (ferpa)
St. Olaf protects student academic records in accordance
with the U.S. Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974.
Permanent records may be released only upon the written consent
of the student. While the college does not send grade reports to
parents or guardians, such information can be made available to
eligible individuals upon special request. The provisions of the
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act prohibit the college
from releasing grades or other information about academic standing
to parents unless the student has released such information in
writing, or unless the student is a dependent as defined by FERPA.
(Essentially, a student is considered a dependent if he or she
is legitimately claimed as such on the parent’s most recent
IRS income tax form, or if the parent(s) is paying a portion of
the student’s
college expenses.) Forms are available in the Office of the Dean of Students
for parents who request this information. Further information concerning St.
Olaf College procedures in compliance with FERPA is available in the St. Olaf
Student Handbook, available online at http://www.stolaf.edu/offices/registrar/ferpa.html and from the Office of the Registrar.
CATALOG
The St. Olaf College Academic Catalog or the Catalog Supplement
is published once each year on paper and on the St. Olaf College
website. Students must meet the graduation requirements outlined
in this catalog in the year they first enter St. Olaf as degree
candidates. Academic regulations and procedures as they apply
to students may change during their time at St. Olaf, but graduation
requirements remain those in effect at the time of entry.
CERTIFICATIONS
The Registrar’s Office certifies many forms including insurance forms
and student loan papers. Certifications requiring the release of a grade point
average or rank in class must be accompanied by a written request from the
student. Facts of public record are confirmed without written request. These
include dates of attendance, graduation and major.
DEGREE AUDITS
A degree audit is a computerized review of a student’s course transcript
matched against the college’s requirements for a degree. Except for progress
in the major, the senior residency requirement, six courses with grades of
C or higher in the major and the 21-outside-course requirement, it tells the
student where he/she stands relative to graduation at a given moment.
Students should report an error found on a degree
audit to the registrar immediately. The student alone is responsible
for understanding and meeting degree requirements.
Students have immediate access to their degree audit
online and may print a copy of it at any time. Along with the deans
and other academic officers, advisers and students may request
printed audits on a need-to-know basis.
Copies of the degree audit are available to students
free of charge on a next-day basis at the registrar’s window.
Students must pick them up in person by presenting a picture identification
and signing a receipt.
Like transcripts, degree audits are private
documents. The Registrar’s
Office cannot provide copies to third parties inside or outside of the college,
including to other students acting as proxies. As is the case with all academic
records, St. Olaf’s procedures regarding student degree audits are administered
in compliance with the U.S. Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974.
CURRICULUM AND EDUCATIONAL POLICIES COMMITTEE
The Curriculum and Educational Policies Committee
(CEPC) is a standing faculty committee. In addition to its curricular
policy responsibilities, the CEPC:
- Establishes academic regulations, recommends
procedures and sets policy for the academic calendar.
- Hears and acts upon student petitions for
exceptions and adjustments to academic regulations, deadlines
and fees. Decisions of the CEPC are final and subject to no
further appeal.
Students have the right to appeal petitions denied
or fees assigned by the registrar to the committee by re-submitting
the petition to the registrar. If the committee has completed business
for the semester or year, decisions may be delayed over a vacation
break or summer. Decisions made by the committee are final.
FINANCIAL OBLIGATIONS
Permission to register, as well as the release of
an official transcript or a diploma, will be denied to students
who have outstanding financial obligations to the college. Questions
should be directed to the Business Office.
ACADEMIC HANDLING FEES
The Registrar’s Office assigns a handling fee for special services such
as late registrations, late course adds or drops and other changes in registration
or appeals done by petition. Petition forms are available from the registrar.
Students may appeal the fee to the curriculum and educational policies committee
by resubmitting the petition to the registrar. Decisions of the committee are
final. If the student submits an appeal after the committee has finished business
for the semester or year, a decision may be delayed until after a vacation
or summer break.
PETITIONS
Students may petition for waivers to academic regulations,
fees and college deadlines at any time during the regular academic
year. Petition forms are available from, and returnable to, the
Registrar’s Office. A student
will be notified by e-mail when a petition has been acted on. The petition
remains in the student’s file in the Registrar’s Office.
In cases where a petition is denied, or a fee charged
by the registrar, the student may appeal to the curriculum and
educational policies committee by resubmitting the original petition
to the registrar.
Petition forms must be completed in full with appropriate faculty signatures
where applicable. The petition form must be accompanied by a written explanation
setting forth the circumstances of the student’s case under petition/appeal.
REFUND POLICY (WITHDRAWALS)
Tuition and fee refunds for anyone leaving within
five weeks after the beginning date of any semester will be determined
according to the following scale:
One week or less — 90% refund
Two weeks or less — 80% refund
Three weeks or less — 60% refund
Four weeks or less — 40% refund
Five weeks or less — 20% refund
Over five weeks — no refund
Students who enroll for the year but who elect to omit an Interim
are not entitled to a refund of Interim tuition and room. Students
not participating in an Interim program are eligible for an Interim
board refund through application at the Business Office. If a
student drops a performance studies course (lesson) after the
first day of class, no refund of music lesson fees is made.
TRANSCRIPTS
The transcript is a complete and unabridged course
record. In addition to courses and grades, the transcript reports
the grade point average. The student’s
rank in class along with major, honors or other distinctions are recorded
on the transcript once they are fixed immediately prior to Commencement.
Transcripts of the academic record are available in three formats: official
transcripts, unofficial transcripts and transcript/degree audits. Students
may print their own unofficial transcripts, accessible via the registrar’s
website.
Upon written request, official transcripts may be
received in person, by mail or sent to third parties. Official
transcripts are printed on college-designed paper with appropriate
signatures. See the Registrar’s Office website
for current transcript fees and rush fee. Only official transcripts can be
mailed. Regardless of a student’s location — on or off campus — telephone
requests for transcripts cannot be accepted under any condition. Under special
conditions, the Registrar’s Office will accept a faxed request for
an official transcript: contact the office [(507) 646-3015, fax (507) 646-3210,
e-mail: registrar@stolaf.edu)] to be informed on the steps.
A copy of the transcript may be released only upon
the written consent of the individual student, or in conjunction
with “Academic Records and Transcripts” defined
in The Book, http://www.stolaf.edu/stulife/thebook. For example, faculty
advisers receive issues of the transcript/degree audit each year
but, along with deans and other academic officers, may request
them at other times. Parents may not receive student transcripts
independent of the student’s written
request unless approved in advance by the dean of students.
Current students can have access to their transcripts
through St. Olaf’s
pages on the World Wide Web.
St. Olaf’s transcript/records policy is administered in accordance with
the U.S. Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974.
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