Academic Policies and Procedures

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Class Attendance

Behavior patterns are often hard to change once established. Therefore, students are expected to attend each class session as absences result in lower achievement. Students are responsible for knowing and adhering to the attendance policy as outlined in the South University Academic Catalog, Academic Affairs .

Each student should familiarize themselves with the classroom guidelines paying particular attention to the consequences for missing exams, turning in assignments after the deadline, and receiving points for participation in class. Clarify any questions regarding the course syllabus at the beginning of the term to avoid any unnecessary confusion. Students are responsible for material missed while absent, and should check with their instructors as soon as possible.

Disability Services

South University Disability Services ensures students with disabilities equal access to the college’s educational programs, opportunities and activities. Qualified students requesting reasonable and appropriate accommodations receive services to eliminate physical, programmatic and attitudinal barriers that may arise with disabilities. This can be further reviewed in the South University Academic Catalog, Student Affairs section.

Students who seek reasonable accommodations should notify the Dean of Student Affairs at their campus location.  Students will be asked to submit medical documentation of the need for accommodation to the campus Dean of Student Affairs.  Classroom accommodations are not retroactive, but are effective only upon the student sharing approved accommodations with the instructor.  Therefore, students are encouraged to request accommodations as early during the Admissions process to allow for time to gather necessary documentation.  If you have further questions, contact the Dean of Student Affairs associated with your campus location. Please refer to the South University Academic Catalog Appendix: Contact Information for all Policy Related Questions and Concerns for each South University location. 

Complaints will be handled in accordance with the school’s Student Grievance Procedure for Internal Complaints of Discrimination and Harassment found in the Student Affairs section of the Academic Catalog.

Online Participation Policy

Successful online learning requires active participation in the discussion area of the online classroom. Students must contribute to the class discussion in a substantive way. The quality of the postings is the most important aspect of discussion, and only substantive participation will be counted as active participation. This is measured by recording the posting date on which a student makes a substantive classroom posting. Substantive participation includes responses to discussion questions as well as discourse with other students related to the subject matter. Substantive responses must be based upon the course content, theory, and/or or personal experience, not mere opinion. Substantive responses should also include appropriate documentation/citation. For example, a simple “I agree” will not qualify as a substantive posting. The participation point value in the learning experience is defined within the grading criteria for each assignment (which is located on assignment pages in each course), and/or as directed by the instructor.

Submission of assignments, posting questions to the professor or classmates and/or sending emails to students and/or faculty outside of classroom threads does not count as participation.

Students are expected to read all discussion area postings. The quality of the student responses will be graded. Students will earn weekly participation grades based on the quality and frequency of their comments to others in the discussion assignment(s) based on the established grading rubric in the course.

Everyone’s comments are important. The diversity of experience among members of the class will enhance learning. All students will be treated equitably within the classroom. The classroom is a place of expression and discussion.

  1. Communications must be respectful. Inappropriate language will not be tolerated, and the instructor has the right to determine what is inappropriate. Disrespectful students are subject to discipline or dismissal from the online learning platform for this course. All activities in the classroom will follow standards set in this Student Handbook.
  2. For absence due to prolonged serious illness or personal emergency, the student is expected to contact the instructor as soon as possible. For absence due to technical problems, the student is expected to follow the steps outlined below:
  • Contact your instructor and technical support the same day you are experiencing technical difficulties and work out a plan with your instructor to make up missed assignments.
  • Contact your Academic Counselor and advise them of your technical difficulties within 48 hours.
  • If your technical difficulties will not be fixed for a prolonged period, it is the student’s responsibility to find another source for internet service such as a public library or a friend’s computer.
  • Failure to notify the instructor will be considered a missed deadline. All assigned work must be completed regardless of the reason for absence. Please be advised in the unforeseen event that you would need to formally withdraw from the course this must be done by contacting your Academic Counselor.

Student Participation in Online Coursework While Abroad (Policy)

Students traveling abroad may continue to participate in online course work. A student logging into the student portal or the BrightSpace learning environment must provide documentation to their Academic Counselor for permission to access these platforms. Documentation should be provided at least 48 hours prior to travel. Acceptable documentation includes military orders for active duty military or spouses, or proof of travel, such as a paid receipt or ticket for ticket for travel by air or sea.  Proof of travel must include the student's name, destination and dates of travel. Once acceptable documentation is approved, access to the student portal and BrightSpace will be granted within 24 hours.
 

Student Participation in Online Coursework While Abroad (Procedure)

Acceptable documentation

  • Military Orders
  • Proof of Travel (plane or ship) - must be a paid receipt or actual ticket, and include
    • Student Name (as it appears in Student Information System)
    • Destination
    • Dates of travel
  • Official entry visa that bears the county of entry and the student's name (as it appears in Student Information System)

Changing Programs

Students should refer to the policies and procedures outlined in the South University Academic Catalog, Academic Affairs.

International students must consult with the school’s Designated School Official prior to changing majors as doing so may impact F-1 (student) visa status eligibility.

Consult the South University Academic Catalog for information regarding specific campus offerings and academic program curricula.

Adding and Dropping Courses

Students may adjust their schedules without penalty by dropping and/or adding courses during the Drop/Add period.  Drop/Add periods are dependent on the term the student is enrolled in and may have financial implications, so students should consult with their Academic Counselor and Financial Aid Advisor for information. Students are also encouraged to consult with their Program Director before dropping or adding a course as course offerings will vary. Further information on the Drop/Add policy can be found in the South University Academic Catalog, Academic Affairs section.

Grade Reports

Grade reports are available on-line through https://mycampus.southuniversity.edu/portal/server.pt.  In accordance with FERPA regulations, South University will not release a student’s grade over the telephone. If a student experiences a problem while accessing grades through the student portal, a trouble ticket should be submitted through https://inside.southuniversity.edu/help.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, as amended

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, as amended (“FERPA”), sets out requirements designed to afford students certain rights with respect to their education records. In addition, it puts limits on what information South University may disclose to third parties without receiving prior written consent from the student.

The complete FERPA policy can be accessed in the South University Academic Catalog, Academic Affairs section.

Official Transcript Requests

South University has partnered with Parchment to order and send student transcripts securely. Our South University Parchment storefront site makes it easy to place your order through a guided process, and it also outlines delivery options and required fee of $10. Status updates will be sent to the email address that you provide and make tracking your order easier online. Students who are current on their payment plan will have their transcripts released.

To get started please visit Parchment. 

Satisfactory Academic Progress

A student must demonstrate Satisfactory Academic/Financial Aid Progress by successfully completing courses attempted.  Poor performance may lead to an academic/financial aid warning and/or academic dismissal from the University. It is very important that students attend all registered courses and complete them successfully.

The following criteria are used to determine whether or not a student is making academic/financial aid progress, where a student must be able to:

  • Maintain a minimum acceptable cumulative grade point average (CGPA);
  • Achieve the minimum incremental completion rate (ICR); and
  • Complete the program within a maximum allowable timeframe (MTF)

Please review the Satisfactory Academic Policy in the South University Academic Catalog, Academic Affairs.  Some programs also have Progressions Policies to ensure the student is successful in the program.  Programs with specific Progressions Policies are also listed in the catalog.

It is the student’s responsibility to understand satisfactory progress and ask questions to the Academic Counselor or Program Director as needed.

Graduation

Each student must satisfy the graduation requirements listed in the South University Academic Catalog, Academic Affairs section. 

Commencement exercises are held once a year, and are traditionally at the end of spring quarter (June). A graduation application should be completed two quarters prior to the anticipated graduation date and will be made available to the student in the student portal. A graduation fee is due and payable during the student’s last quarter of enrollment.

Honors at Graduation

All work taken at South University will count in the calculation of the cumulative grade point average for honors at graduation. The calculation will include original and repeated course grades.  For a description of available honors, please reference the South University Academic Catalog, Academic Affairs section.