RECORDS
AND REGISTRATION
All records submitted become the property of the University and cannot be returned to the student.
A change of name form must be submitted with a copy of an official document to substantiate a name change. (This change can only become effective the following semester or summer session.) Forms can be obtained in the Office of Records and Registration.
Students are expected to list their current home (permanent) address and, if living on or near the campus, their college (local) address. When an address change occurs, the Office of Records and Registration must be notified immediately. Communications will be mailed to students at their addresses currently on file. Final grades are sent to the permanent address.
Students may obtain a certified statement of their academic record from the Office of Records and Registration upon written request. Transcript Request Forms are available in the Office of Records and Registration, as well as on the Internet at www.nicholls.edu/records/. There is no charge for transcripts.
Every effort is made to issue transcripts within two to three working days after requests are received. End-of-semester transcripts are mailed as soon as final grades are posted. Transcripts for graduation candidates are usually mailed beginning the first working day after Commencement day. A student is considered to be in good standing and is eligible to continue studies at Nicholls or transfer elsewhere, unless a statement otherwise is noted on the transcript.
Transcripts cannot be released if the student either is indebted to the University or has not yet submitted official transcripts from institutions previously attended.
Transcript of Co-curricular Activities
If the student has submitted to the Office of Student Affairs a record
of his or her co-curricular activities at Nicholls, upon request to
the Office of Records and Registration, the student may receive a
copy of the co-curricular transcript. There is no charge for the transcript.
Falsification of Academic Information or Records
A student who is charged with falsifying academic information, forging, or altering official academic documents, or withholding information relating to his or her admission, transfer credits, academic status, records, etc., shall be notified to report to the Office of Student Life where the student will be informed of these charges. The student will be formally notified of legal rights, and shall have the option of a hearing before the Disciplinary Committee, or the student may choose to waive the right to a hearing and sign his or her consent of cancellation of registration, denial of credit, or other appropriate action.
Students are offered a variety of means to register for classes:
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Ballroom registration
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Departmental registration
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Telephone registration (PIN number from advisor required)
Available dates and times of the various means of registration are advertised in each semester’s Schedule of Classes.
Prior to any scheduled registration period, the student must meet with an assigned faculty advisor or major professor to complete a Registration Schedule Form (RSF). This form allows each student and advisor to identify those courses (course name, course number, section number, course computer number, credit hours, etc.) the student wishes to or must take. It also allows the student and faculty advisor to identify alternate section numbers of courses should the student's first-choice section be closed or cancelled; and alternate course selections that fit the student's degree plan should the student's first-choice course selections not be available at the time the student registers.
University policy requires the student to obtain permission from his or her dean should the student wish to take a course overload.
A copy of the RSF will be kept by the advisor and another will be given to the student for registration. The student must bring a copy to the Registration Center to be admitted.
It is the responsibility of each student to be aware of the requirements of the curriculum in which he or she is enrolled and to register for course work applicable toward the degree concerned. Transfer students should secure personal copies of their official transcripts to present for advisement before and/or during registration; this will avoid unnecessary repetition of courses which may have been completed at another institution and will allow advising to be done more efficiently and effectively.
Complete information about registration policies and procedures can be found in the University Schedule of Classes published prior to the fall and spring semesters and the summer session.
Students whose names do not appear on the last class list after the 14th class day will not be permitted to attend class without written permission from the Office of Records and Registration.
Students may officially drop a course for which they have registered by filing with the Office of Records and Registration a drop form approved by their academic dean and available in the dean's office.
A student should consult with an assigned faculty advisor before adding or dropping a course or changing sections. This is to ensure that the student chooses those courses which will apply toward the student's degree.
An abbreviated version of the RSF, the Registration Schedule Form/Drop-Add (RSF/Drop-Add) can be used after the student's initial registration to drop and/or add courses.
Courses may be added through the last day of late registration. The student's advisor should approve the change. The form must be processed before the deadline listed in the University Calendar.
A student may drop a course with a grade of W (or resign with an automatic W) through the last day to drop a course as listed in the current University Calendar. When a student's official record in the Office of Records and Registration indicates that he or she is registered in only one course in which a final grade will be earned, and the student wants to drop that course, or is dropped for non-attendance by the academic dean, a resignation form must be processed to clear the records. Any time within a semester or session that a student is dropped from a course for non attendance, a grade of F will be recorded in that course, and the grade will be used in the computation of the grade-point average.
A student may change the section of a course in the same manner as that used for adding and dropping courses.
Ineligibility for Registration
Students who have not met an admission, immunization, housing, or
payment requirement are ineligible to register (ITR) until the requirement(s)
has been met.
Students who wish to resign must complete an official form available in their academic dean's office. Grades of W are posted through the last day to drop a course or resign. After that date, students will not be permitted to drop a course or resign from the University. Exceptional cases, such as one involving a major illness or accident, may be presented to the student's academic dean for resolution or processing. A resignation form requires the signatures of the student, the academic dean, the dean of Student Life, the director of the Library, the director of Financial Aid and the Controller. In addition, students receiving Title IV financial aid must submit a form signed by instructors verifying class attendance, however slight, during the semester or session in question.
A student who leaves the University without properly completing a resignation form will receive grades of F or U in all courses. A student who voluntarily withdraws from the University during a regular semester or summer session is considered a continuing student for purposes of registration for the next semester or session. A student on probation cannot remove his or her probationary status without completing the semester.
Academic Credit and Advanced Placement Opportunities
An undergraduate student with an exceptionally high score on the ACT (American College Test) examination or who has prior knowledge of a subject may be placed in advanced level course work in certain academic disciplines. Credit will not be granted for academic sequence course work taken previously and for which grades have been earned. Credit by petition is applicable to courses taken at Nicholls only, not to transfer courses. Students are allowed advanced placement credit only in courses numbered below 200. If the advanced level course work is completed with a grade of C or better the first time taken, the student may receive credit for the lower level course work by submitting a completed Credit by Petition form to the Office of Records and Registration. A student who earns less than a C in the advanced course work forfeits eligibility to petition for credit for the lower-level course work. Credit will be allowed only on academic sequence course work approved by the appropriate department head. Credit received by petition may be applied toward graduation but will not be considered in computing the overall grade point average. The petition form can be obtained from the office of the student's academic dean.
Correspondence, Independent Study, Extension Work
Credit toward a degree may be awarded for independent study and for correspondence and extension courses completed through accredited colleges or universities. A maximum of fifty percent of Nicholls degree requirements may be earned through correspondence, extension, military service, military service schools, College Level Examinations Program (CLEP), or any accumulation from all categories of testing, placements, and similar programs. Since the University policy on granting credit for CLEP scores excludes certain academic areas, the student should request further information on the policy regarding CLEP from the Office of Records and Registration or the Testing Center. Credit will be granted for scores of 3 or higher on the Advanced Placement Program of the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB). Official transcript of AP and CLEP test results should be sent directly to the Office of Records and Registration by the testing agencies.
To take a correspondence course, a student must first get permission from his or her academic dean on the appropriate form. Correspondence examinations are administered by the Testing Center for a fee of $20 per examination. The Request for Correspondence Work form is available in the office of the student's academic dean. No credit for correspondence or extension work can be earned toward a degree or for professional growth while a student is under suspension. Nicholls does not offer correspondence courses. Registration packets for many correspondence examinations can be found at the Testing Center.
Advanced Placement Program (Credit by Examination)
Nicholls students may obtain credit by examination in four ways:
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ACT (American College Testing Program)
Advanced Placement Examinations of the College Board (AP)
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College-Level Examination Program of the College Board (CLEP)
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Nicholls State University Credit Examinations
ACT (American College Testing) Program Scores
Entering freshmen are eligible for course credit in English and/or mathematics if their enhanced ACT scores are sufficiently high.
Students receive credit in:
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English 101 if they score 28 or higher in English
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English 102 if they score 32 or higher in English
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Mathematics 101 if they score 23 or higher in mathematics
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Mathematics 102 if they score 27 or higher in mathematics
The University accepts the corresponding Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores in place of ACT scores for advanced placement purposes under exceptional circumstances.
Advanced Placement Program Examinations
Students achieving scores of 3 or higher on the Advanced Placement examinations are eligible to receive credit on the basis of such test scores. Credit is granted for freshman-level and sophomore-level courses only. Students who have completed these tests should have their scores sent by the College Board directly to the Nicholls State University Office of Records and Registration.
College-Level Examination Program
Students enrolled at Nicholls State University may receive credit for prior learning through the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP), a national standardized testing program that offers exams equivalent to final exams in introductory college freshman and sophomore courses. Nicholls accepts credit earned through CLEP only for credit in freshman and sophomore courses. Students must earn the minimum score of 50 or higher to receive credit. Credit is awarded when the CLEP examination score is reported on an official transcript from CLEP, sent directly by the CLEP transcript service to the Office of Records and Registration. Passing scores for subjects credited through CLEP are recorded by an “S,” by the equivalent Nicholls course number and title, and by the appropriate credit hours. CLEP credits will be accepted from other accredited institutions if the scores meet Nicholls credit-granting standards. Resident students may not gain credit through CLEP for courses equivalent to or at a lower level than other courses they have already taken at Nicholls. CLEP exams are administered at the Nicholls Testing Center, an official CLEP Test Center. The following examinations are approved for Nicholls credit: American Government, American History I, American History II, Calculus with Elementary Functions, College Algebra, College Algebra-Trigonometry, College Composition (+essay component), College French, College German, College Spanish, General Biology, General Chemistry, Human Growth & Development, Info Sys & Computer App., Introductory Business Law, Introductory Psychology, Introductory Sociology, Principles of Macroeconomics, Principles of Microeconomics, Trigonometry, Western Civilization I, Western Civilization II. Students should report to the Office of Records for Nicholls courses that are equivalent to the CLEP examinations.
Nicholls State University Credit Examinations
Nicholls administers credit examinations to students who claim special competence gained through practical experience, extensive training, or completion of courses in non-accredited institutions. A credit examination must be approved in advance by the dean of the college in which the course concerned is offered, and the department head and the appropriate instructor in the academic department administering the examination. Students seeking credit by examination will initiate the process by obtaining the required application in the Office of Records and Registration.
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Credit examinations will be permitted only in those areas in which the student has already gained fundamental knowledge of the subject.
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Only students enrolled in the University are eligible to take credit examinations.
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Transfer students may not take credit examinations until all credits accepted as transfer credits are recorded at Nicholls.
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The course for which credit is sought must be included in the current University Bulletin.
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In no case will a student be permitted to take a credit examination in a course which the student has audited or taken for non-credit or a course in which the student made an unsatisfactory grade of W, D, F or U.
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A student may not repeat a failed credit examination.
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Credit examinations may not be used to reduce the University's residence requirements for degree purposes.
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A student must make the equivalent of a C grade or better on the examination to receive credit. However, no grade other than S or U is assigned or recorded.
A student who has completed a minimum of six months (181 consecutive days) of active duty in the United States Armed Forces shall be classified as a veteran. In order to receive credit for military service, the student must present an official document showing honorable discharge or assignment to the National Guard or to reserve status. Two semester hours of health and physical education activity credit will be awarded for each six months of active service, up to a maximum of eight semester hours of credit.