Academic Procedures

Academic Advisors

Consistent and positive contact between advisors and students is a key component to student success. Each student will be assigned an academic advisor at the start of their program. The academic advisor will meet with individual students as needed and at the request of the student or academic advisor.  This procedure assists the students in keeping the program well planned and in proper order. Although academic advisors are assigned to assist students, all students must accept full responsibility for identifying and completing requirements as they are listed in the catalog.

Catalog Year/Program Changes Policy

Students will complete the degree requirements in place at the time (catalog year) of initial enrollment unless New York State alters those requirements. If a Department makes changes to an academic program, the major application requirements, or the General Education requirements, the practice is to allow students who have been continuously enrolled (summer excluded) to continue following the requirements current at the time of initial enrollment. Any change demanded by institutional curricular policy should not add to the total number of courses nor delay the date of graduation.

Students may opt to advance to a more recent catalog year if it is advantageous to their academic goals; however, the entire set of graduation requirements listed in any one catalog must be used. A change of catalog year form must be approved by both the student's advisor and submitted to the Registrar.

Students who interrupt the program for two or more semesters (summer excluded) must meet the requirements of the catalog current at the time of return.

Course Load

To be classified as full-time, a student must take a minimum of 12 semester hours per semester. Registration for more than 18 hours must have the prior approval of the Academic Guidance and Support Committee. A form requesting permission to exceed 18 hours is available in the Office of Registration or via the RWU intranet on the Registration page. Students must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 to be considered for overload approval.

Course Cancellation Policies

The University reserves the right to discontinue classes having fewer than eight students registered. Also, the University may cancel a student's registration if the student does not make arrangements for university costs acceptable to the Office of Student Accounts.

Registration for Classes

To be registered for classes, a student must complete all parts of the registration process and receive the approval of the Office of Student Accounts. Failure to comply will result in exclusion from classes and cancellation of the student’s registration.