Please note: This is NOT the most current catalog.

Academic 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. Corrections of errors on the academic record must be reported to the registrar. If students believe a grade entry on the academic record is incorrect, they must bring the concern to the registrar's attention within one year of the grade's official posting.

Questions concerning transcripts and academic records should be directed to the Registrar’s Office.

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. (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 on the registrar's website.

CATALOG

The St. Olaf College Academic Catalog is updated once each year. Beginning in the summer of 2007, the St. Olaf College Academic Catalog is available only on the college's website. Students must meet the graduation requirements outlined in the catalog for the academic year in which they first enter St. Olaf as degree candidates. Academic regulations and procedures as they apply to students may change during students’ time at St. Olaf, but graduation requirements remain those in effect at the time of entry.

CURRICULUM COMMITTEE

The Curriculum Committee is a standing faculty committee. In addition to its curricular policy responsibilities, the Curriculum Committee:

  1. Establishes academic regulations, recommends procedures and sets policy for the academic calendar.
  2. Hears and acts upon student petitions for exceptions and adjustments to academic regulations, deadlines and fees. Decisions of the Curriculum Committee 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.

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, advisors and students may request printed audits on a need-to-know basis.

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.

ENROLLMENTS AND DEGREE VERIFICATIONS

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.

The National Student Clearinghouse, a repository for enrollment information for most colleges and universities in the U.S.A., is authorized as the College's agent for providing enrollment and degree verifications. Potential employers or background screening firms may request a verification on a student. Students may access enrollment verification or proof of full-time enrollment for health insurance, scholarship, or other purpose. Instructions may be found on the Registrar's web site.

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 (Students Accounts).

petitions, ACADEMIC HANDLING FEES

Students may petition for waivers to academic regulations, fees, and college deadlines at any time during the regular academic year, but see LATE ADD, LATE DROP, S/U CHANGES. Graduation requirements are not subject to petition or waiver. Petition forms are available from, and are to be returned 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.

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.

The Registrar’s Office assigns a handling fee for special services such as late course adds or drops and other changes in registration or appeals done by petition.

In cases where a petition is denied, or a fee charged by the registrar, the student may appeal to the Curriculum Committee by resubmitting the original 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.

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 (music lesson) after the fifth 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 two formats: official transcripts and degree audit from the Student Information System (SIS), accessible via the registrar’s website. Students may print their own degree audits.

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 [507-786-3015, fax 507-786-3210, 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. For example, faculty advisors 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 registrar in consultation with the dean of students. St. Olaf’s transcript/records policy is administered in accordance with the U.S. Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA).