Undergraduate Program

Summer Sessions: Academic Policies & Regulations

Please consult 2007-2008 William and Mary Course Catalog.

Studying in a tree

Add/Drop

For a period after the beginning of classes a student may add or drop courses. Deadlines and procedures for adding and dropping courses are available on the University Registrar's web site at http://www.wm.edu/registrar/. Students who wish to add or drop classes must do so on or before the published deadlines. Unless correct procedures are followed, course changes have no official standing and will not be recognized as valid by the College. Courses dropped during the add/drop period are not displayed on the student's academic transcript. A student may not add or drop a course after the last day of add/drop except in unusual circumstances. In these cases, the student must submit a petition to the Committee on Academic Status. Petition forms are available through the Office of the Dean of Students. Petitions to add or drop a course must have the consent of the instructor. The faculty advisor's recommendation may be solicited as well.

Top of Page

Auditing Classes

Degree seeking students may audit a course after obtaining permission of the instructor on the form, Permission to Audit form which is available at http://www.wm.edu/registrar/forms.php. Students may not select a course for audit via web registration. Audited coursed receive grades. If the student meets the requirements for auditors prescribed by the instructor, the course will be included on the transcripts with the symbol 'O' (satisfactory audit). Where those requirements have not been met, the course will be included on the transcript with the symbol 'U' (unsatisfactory audit). No credit or quality points are earned.

Top of Page

Class Attendance

An education system centered upon classroom instruction is obviously predicated on the concept of regular class attendance. Regular attendance is especially important in the summer sessions, when classes are in session for five weeks and class meeting times are of longer duration. The following principles are to be observed:

  1. Except for reasonable cause, students are expected to be present at all regularly scheduled class meetings. Students should be aware that most instructors have attendance policies. Irregular attendance might result in a lower course grade or failure of the course.
  2. Students whose attendance becomes unsatisfactory to the extent that their course performance is affected adversely should be so informed by their instructor and reported to the Dean of Students.
  3. Each student is responsible for notifying professors of absences, and faculty may call the Office of the Dean of Students to ask for verification of student illnesses. In view of the Honor Code, a student's explanation of class absence should be sufficient in most instances. If required by a professor, documentation of medical absence may be obtained from the Student Health Center.
  4. Students who will miss classes due to personal difficulties or family emergencies should contact the Dean of Students Office as soon as possible.

Top of Page

Course Load

Students may not take more than seven hours per session. Requests for overloads must be approved by the Committee on Academic Status. Students taking college courses for the first time should consider enrolling in only one course.

Top of Page

Grade Review Procedures

A student who believes that a final course grade has been unfairly assigned must first discuss the grade with the instructor. If, after the discussion, the issue has not been resolved, the student must file a formal written statement requesting a grade review and give a full explanation of the reasons for the request. The student must file this request with the appropriate office by the end of the sixth week of the fall semester following the summer session course in which the grade was received. Procedures for filing a grade review request differ by School. For Arts and Sciences courses, students should consult the Dean of Undergraduate Studies; for Business courses, students should consult the BBA program director; for Education courses, students should consult the Dean of the School of Education.

Top of Page

Grading System
Letter Grade Quality Points Per Credit Hour Meaning Credit Earned Used to Calculate GPA?
A 4.00 Excellent Yes Yes
A- 3.70   Yes Yes
B+ 3.30   Yes Yes
B 3.00 Good Yes Yes
B- 2.70   Yes Yes
C+ 2.30   Yes Yes
C 2.00 Satisfactory Yes Yes
C- 1.70   Yes Yes
D+ 1.30   Yes Yes
D 1.0 Minimal Pass Yes Yes
D- 0.70   Yes Yes
F 0.00 Failure No Yes
P 0.00 Pass Yes No
W 0.00 Withdraw No No
WM 0.00 Medical Withdraw No No
G 0.00 Deferred Grade No No
NG 0.00 Grade Not Reported by Instructor No No
I 0.00 Incomplete No No
R 0.00 Indicates that a course must be repeated No No
O 0.00 Satisfactory Audit No No
U 0.00 Unsatisfactory Audit No No

Top Page

Honor System

Among the most significant traditions of the College of William and Mary is the student-administered honor system. The honor system is based upon the premise that a person's honor is his or her most cherished attribute. The Honor Code outlines the conduct that cannot be tolerated within a community of trust. Prohibited conduct is limited to three specific areas – lying, cheating and stealing. The Honor Code is an agreement among all students taking classes at the school or participating in the educational programs of the College (e.g., study abroad or internship activities) not to lie, cheat or steal. This agreement is made effective upon matriculation at the College and through the student's enrollment, even though that enrollment may not be continuous. A complete description of rights and responsibilities can be found in the Student Handbook.

Top of Page

Incomplete Grades

An incomplete grade indicates that an individual student has not completed essential course work because of illness or other extenuating circumstances. This includes absence from the final examination and postponement of required work with approval of the instructor. It is the student's responsibility to make arrangements with the instructor to complete the work by a specified date. "I" automatically becomes "F" if the work is not completed by the last day of classes of the fall semester following the summer session course, or if the postponed work has not been completed satisfactorily.

Top of Page

Pass/Fail

Summer session courses may not be taken on a Pass/Fail basis. The only exceptions to this policy are courses that have been specifically designated by the College as Pass/Fail courses, such as physical activity courses in the Department of Kinesiology.

Top of Page

Privacy of Student Records

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) afford students certain rights with respect to their educational records. Enrolled students have the following rights under the law:

  1. Enrolled students have the right to inspect their records within 45 days of the request for inspection and are entitled to an explanation of any information therein. "Records" refers to those files and their contents that are maintained by official units of the College. Generally, students have the right to review any official record that the College maintains on them. When access is permitted, documents will be examined only under conditions that will prevent unauthorized removal, alteration, or mutilation. Information to which the student does not have access is limited to the following:
    1. Confidential letters of recommendation placed in student's files before January 1, 1975, and those letters for which the student has signed a waiver of his or her right of access.
    2. Parent's confidential financial statements.
    3. Medical, psychiatric, or similar records "which are created, maintained, or used only in connection with the provision of treatment to the student and are not available to anyone other than persons providing such treatment; provided, however, that such records can be personally reviewed by a physician or other appropriate professional of the student's choice."
    4. Personal files and records of members of the faculty or administrative personnel, which are in the sole possession of the maker thereof, and which are not accessible or revealed to any person except a substitute.
    5. Records of the Admissions Office concerning students admitted but not yet enrolled at The College. Letters of recommendation are removed from the admissions files before the files are forwarded to the Office of the University Registrar.
    6. Documents submitted to the College by or for the student will not be returned to the student. Normally, academic records received from other institutions will not be sent to third parties external to the College, nor will copies of such documents be given to the student. Such records should be requested by the student from the originating institution.
  2. Students have the right to request an amendment of the education record that the student believes is inaccurate or misleading. Should a student believe his or her record is incorrect, a written request should be submitted to the appropriate College official indicating the correct information that should be entered. The official will respond within a reasonable period concerning his or her action. Should the student not be satisfied, a hearing may be requested.
  3. Students have the right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student's education record, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.
  4. Students have the right to file a complaint with the US Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the College to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the office that administers FERPA is: Family Policy Compliance Office, US Department of Education, 600 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20202-4605.
  5. Disclosure to members of the College community:
    1. "School Official" is defined as a person employed by the College in an administrative, supervisory, academic or research, or support staff position; or a person or company with whom the College has contracted (such as attorney, auditor, or collection agent).
    2. A school official must have a legitimate educational interest in order to review an education record. "Legitimate Educational Interest" is defined in the following manner: the information requested must be within the context of the responsibilities assigned to the School Official; the information sought must be used within the context of official College business and not for purposes extraneous to the official's area of responsibility or the College; information requested must be relevant and necessary to the accomplishment of some task or to making some determination within the scope of College employment.
  6. Directory Information: The College has designated the following information as "Directory Information" which may be released to the public without the consent of the student:
    • Student's Name
    • Current Classification
    • Address (permanent, local, and email)
    • Previous schools attended and degrees awarded
    • Telephone Number (permanent and local)
    • Date of Birth
    • Dates of Attendance
    • Current Enrollment Status
    • Degree(s) earned and date awarded
    • Major(s), Minor
    • Honors or Special Recognition
    • Height and weight of members of athletic teams

      Students may prohibit the release of directory information by completing a "Request for Confidentiality" form, located on the University Registrar's website at http://www.wm.edu/registrar/forms.php. This request must be submitted in person to the Office of the University Registrar and will remain on file indefinitely until written notice is submitted by the student to remove it. For additional information regarding students' rights related to the release of personally identifiable information, see the University Registrar's website at http://www.wm.edu/registrar/privacy.php or the section entitled "Statement of Rights and Responsibilities" in the Student Handbook.

  7. Release of Academic, Judicial, and Financial Information to Parents: Students who wish their parents to have access to academic, financial or judicial information protected by FERPA may provide consent by completing the appropriate form in the Office of the Dean of Students. This consent allows the Dean's office to discuss academic and judicial issues with the parent, and the Bursar to discuss financial issues. Students may provide consent for any of the three areas, but have the right to refuse consent for any or all of the three areas of information.
  8. Student Assessment: The College of William and Mary conducts periodic reviews of its curricular and co-curricular programs as part of the College's state-mandated responsibility to monitor student outcomes and assure the continuing quality of a William and Mary degree. Surveys, course portfolios (including examples of student writing), and other procedures are used to gather information about student achievement and experiences. Information collected as part of the assessment program will not be used to evaluate individual performance and will not be released in a form that is personally identifiable. Students who do not want their work to be used in institutional or program assessments must submit a letter indicating that preference to the Dean of Undergraduate Studies.

Top of Page

Transfer of Credits to Other Institutions

Most colleges and universities allow credit hours earned from successful completion of coursework taken at the College of William and Mary to be transferred. Specific practices and policies, however, vary greatly by institution. Students wishing to transfer credits should obtain in advance the approval of an appropriate officer at their home institution.

Top of Page

Transcripts

Transcripts of academic records for the College of William and Mary are issued by the Office of the University Registrar upon the student's request. A fee of five dollars is charged for each official transcript. Payment may be made by cash, check or money order when ordering in person. Orders sent by mail must include payment in the form of a check or money order ( U.S. funds). Official transcripts issued to students will be placed in a signed, sealed envelope and will bear the stamp "Official Transcript Issued to Student." Official transcripts usually are prepared and released within 5-7 business days. Additional time should be allowed for requests made at the end of the semester or during registration periods. Official transcripts are usually required for admission to a college or university and frequently for employment purposes.

Official transcripts must be requested in writing with the student's signature. Request forms are available online at http://www.wm.edu/registrar/forms.php. Requests may be mailed to: The College of William and Mary, Office of the University Registrar, Attention: TRANSCRIPTS, P.O. Box 8795, Williamsburg, Virginia 23187-8795. Faxed requests for transcripts are not accepted.

There is no charge for a copy of an unofficial transcript. Currently enrolled students may view their transcript on line via my.wm.edu and Banner Web. Currently enrolled students may also request an unofficial transcript in person and generally pick it up the next day. Unofficial transcripts will only be issued to the student or to a College of William and Mary office. Official transcripts must be requested in all other cases.

In accordance with the 1988 Virginia Debt Collection Act, Section 2.1-735, no official or unofficial transcript will be released for students who have outstanding fines or fees, nor are they viewable over the web.

Top of Page

Withdrawal from Courses

After the add/drop period, students may withdraw from a course with a grade of "W" through the third week of classes. See the Calendar for the exact deadline.

Top of Page

©2008 · Arts & Sciences at The College of William and Mary