Continuous Enrollment
Students must remain continuously enrolled once they matriculate. “Continuous enrollment” is defined as being (a) registered for credit(s), or (b) on an approved leave of absence. A student who fails to re-enroll in the next term or fails to request and receive an approved leave of absence or fails to re-enroll at the completion of an approved leave of absence, will be withdrawn from the College and must apply for readmission. Students who participate in an exchange program with one of the College’s educational partners do not have to apply for leaves of absence.
Students are required to sign an enrollment agreement (terms of enrollment) in their entry term of enrollment. The agreement is enforced through graduation, withdrawal from the College, or change of academic program.
Registration
Students register for classes/credits online using My Academic Services each term. The Office of the Registrar provides the registration materials via email prior to the beginning of the next term. Registration is available for graduate students, seniors and students who receive and/or have received veterans benefits, and/or service members, on the first day registration opens. Juniors, sophomores and freshmen register on subsequent days and then new students are able to register on the last day of the week registration opens.
- Registration materials contain links to and information regarding academic and administrative policies, including tuition, fees, deadlines, course prerequisites, etc. By enrolling in courses/credits online, students acknowledge that they understand and will abide by these policies.
- Students may register for classes, independent studies, and other learning experiences only if they are free of all debts to the College, including accounts with the student accounts office and the library.
- Failure to enroll: Students who fail to enroll or to apply for a leave of absence do not comply with the Continuous Enrollment policy and will be withdrawn from the College. Also see Leave of Absence policy and Withdraw from College policy.
- Late registration: Students registering after the enrollment grace period/drop-add period will be charged a late fee.
- See individual program sections for more details
Taking Courses at Other Colleges
Students may take courses at other colleges while enrolled at the College. However, such courses cannot be used to help fulfill a student’s registered course load. Students must arrange for official transcripts from the other colleges in order to count these credits towards a College degree. See Transfer Credit Policy. Students who wish to receive financial aid while enrolled at both the College and another college should consult the Financial Aid office about a Consortium Agreement.
Credit Load and Overload
Fulltime enrollment for students consists of 12 to 16 credits. In appropriate situations, additional credits may be approved by the student's advisor. See individual program sections for details concerning half-time, less than- half-time, and overload credits.
Entering Student Load Requirement
On-campus undergraduates must enroll full-time and complete a full-time load in their first enrollment period. Online undergraduate, master’s and PhD students may elect to enroll for full-time or part-time for their first enrollment period.
Decrease/Increase of Credits (Drop/Add)
A student wishing to increase/add or decrease/drop the amount of credits enrolled for the term must submit written notification to the Office of the Registrar. The effective date of the drop or add is the date that the written notice is received in the Office of the Registrar. Drop/Add forms can be found on the College’s website.
Decrease of credits: Student may be entitled to a refund on the decreased portion of credits depending on the effective date of the dropped credits. See Refund Policy. NOTE: Decreasing credits may affect financial aid eligibility. Consult the Financial Aid Office.
Increase of credits: Requests to add courses or credits must be received in the Office of the Registrar by the published drop/add deadline dates.
Overload credits: Students who enroll for more than fulltime credit loads, or who submit course contracts or evaluations for more credits than their original enrollment for the term, are obligated to pay tuition for the additional credit(s). See per credit charge for each academic program for applicable charges.
NOTE: Overload credits will not be recorded until approved by an advisor and payment arrangements are made by the student.
Drop/Add
Students may drop and/or add credits during drop/add periods. For full-length term courses, a course may be dropped or added during the first 10 days of the course. Session courses may be dropped or added within the first six (6) days and Block courses may be dropped or added during the first three (3) days of the course. See the Academic Calendar for specific dates for each term. Courses dropped during this period will not be reflected on the student's transcript. Once the drop/add period ends, no credits may be added or dropped. Dropping or being administratively dropped from a course may affect financial aid eligibility. Students should consult with Financial Aid and their academic advisors before dropping courses. [Also see Refund Policies.]
“No Shows” / Participation / Non-participation in Courses
The course instructor (for classroom, field or online courses) or the faculty advisor (for independent or mentored studies courses) must indicate if a student has stopped participating in the course by completing the attendance module for the course on My Academic Services or equivalent process. If a student has stopped participating in a course or mentored study, the course instructor must indicate “not participating” in the drop down menu and also enter the “last date of attendance.” If a student stops participating at any point in the course, it is the responsibility of the course instructor or faculty advisor to indicate such on the My Academic Services attendance module for the course and to specify a date of last attendance. Students who are listed on My Academic Services by course instructor or by faculty advisor as not attending will be administratively dropped, withdrawn or given a grade of No Credit depending on the actual last day of participation.
Withdrawal from Courses
If a student is withdrawing from all courses, the student must follow the College policy for Withdrawal from the College. Students may elect to withdraw themselves from a course by the published student-initiated withdrawal date for a given term. See Academic Calendar for specific dates for each term. There will be no refund for “withdrawn” credits/courses. To withdraw from a course, students must submit the Drop/Add/Withdraw form available on the website or from the Office of the Registrar. If a student officially withdraws from a class before the course is completed and during the withdrawal period, the student's record will be marked as a withdrawal, "W." After the withdrawal date for that course, if a student drops or withdraws from a course, a grade of "NC" (no credit) will be recorded. If a student withdraws from a course which is designated as a co-requisite for another course in which the student is enrolled, withdrawal from such course(s) may also be required. Exceptions to the withdrawal from a co-requisite course may be made in unusual circumstances, but will require the approval of the relevant Academic Dean responsible for the courses affect. The "W" grade counts against the student's completion rate but not the student's GPA in Satisfactory Academic Progress calculations. After the student-initiated withdraw date, students will receive their earned grade per the instructor (credit/letter grade, no credit). For options regarding incomplete see Incomplete Policy. Withdrawing or being administratively withdrawn from a course may affect academic standing.
Leave of Absence (LOA)/Withdrawing from a Term
Students wishing to take a break from their studies or to further educational or personal goals may request a leave of absence (LOA). Students wishing a LOA must submit a written, signed notification (Application for Leave of Absence) to the Office of the Registrar, and comply with all required procedures stated on the form. The effective date of the LOA is the date that the written notice is received in the Registrar’s Office. A LOA extends for one term. A student may request and be approved for an additional term, for a maximum of two consecutive terms of LOA. No more than two consecutive LOAs will be permitted.
Students requesting a LOA after the term in which they are currently enrolled has started but before the term has ended, are considered to be “withdrawing from the term.” The effective date of LOA/term withdrawal will determine whether or not a student is entitled to a refund of “refundable/not-attempted” credits. [See Refund Policies.]
Military personnel who leave the College in order to perform military service may take a LOA for up to five years. After the five years, the student must reapply. Please see Veterans Admissions Policy in the Admissions section and the Deployment and Recall to Active Duty Policy in the Financial Aid section.
Forms for Leave of Absence/Withdrawal can be found on the College’s website.
Withdrawal from the College
Students wishing to withdraw from the College must submit a Leave of Absence or Withdraw form to the Office of the Registrar. The effective date of the withdrawal is the date that the written notice is received in the Office of the Registrar. The effective date of withdrawal will determine whether or not a student is entitled to a refund. See refund policy for appropriate percentage of refundable tuition.
A student will be determined to be withdrawn from the College if she/he has not been continuously enrolled. See Continuous Enrollment Policy.
New students have until the end of New Student Orientation to give written notice of their intent to withdraw. Application and orientation materials fees will not be refunded.
Financial aid recipients who stop attending and/or participating in their coursework must officially withdraw. The Financial Aid Office is required by federal regulation to calculate the amount of funding the student received compared to what the student actually “earned” based on the portion of the enrollment period the student completed. This calculation may result in a financial obligation for the student. Such financial obligations may include immediate repayment of student loan funds to their lender, a balance owed to the College, and/or a debt owed to the U.S. Department of Education.
Forms for Leave of Absence/Withdrawal can be found on the College’s website.
Readmission to the College
Students must apply for readmission to the College if their matriculation is terminated for any reason. (Also see Continuous Enrollment policy) An application for readmission must be submitted to the Admissions Office, accompanied by applicable fees, and other documentation supporting the application. Contact the Admissions Office for complete application instructions.
Students who are readmitted to the College must adhere to the policies, procedures, and guidelines that are in place during the first enrollment period of re-admittance. See Academic Standing following Academic Suspension section for additional information. Students who were placed on academic warning remain in this status as a readmit until they meet minimum standards.
Veterans
Minimum Enrollment Requirements
Students earning a degree from Prescott College must satisfy minimum enrollment requirements as follows:
- Students will attend a new student orientation at the beginning of their first term either in Prescott or online dependent on their program.
- Undergraduate: Equivalent of one year (two terms) of full-time enrollment.
- Online master’s: Minimum equivalent of one year (two terms) of full-time enrollment, and attend residencies as specified by certain programs. Online Ph.D.: Minimum equivalent of one and one-half years (three terms) of full-time enrollment, and attend required residencies.
Time limits for completing degree or program requirements
Diplomas will be awarded when all requisite credits and requirements have been confirmed through a graduation audit. Per the incomplete policy, pending program completers with incomplete courses may petition for a maximum of one additional term with approval/support of course instructor(s). Uncompleted courses become No Credit at the end of the subsequent term. Students who have not completed graduation requirements at the end of the subsequent term must then enroll for a minimum of 1 credit in order to complete their Prescott College degree. For other requirements not related to coursework (e.g. research paper, thesis publication, etc.), pending graduates will be granted a maximum of 12 months from intended graduation date to complete the requirement(s). After that deadline, student must be readmitted to the College and enroll for a minimum of 1 credit in order to complete their degree. See Incomplete Policy for eligibility and timeframes.
Graduation and Commencement
Graduation - Graduation refers to the fulfillment of degree requirements and the conferral of a degree.
Commencement - The public ceremony to celebrate your accomplishments.
The student submitted graduation application will initiate the graduation process toward the conferral of a degree, as well as reserving a spot in the commencement ceremony. Participating in commencement does not mean that a student has graduated.
All degree requirements must be completed by the last day in the term in which the degree is to be awarded. The student is also responsible for providing all documentation relating to the completion of his/her degree program to the Registrar's Office within 15 calendar days following the last day in the term in which the degree is to be awarded. Documentation may include, but not be limited to, final official transcripts from other educational institutions or programs, proof of approval for the publication of dissertation, change of grade forms (including removal of "I" grades), etc. Failure to meet these responsibilities may result in a delay or non-awarding of the degree.