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Student's official academic records are maintained in the Registrar's Office. Transcripts of these records are not furnished to individuals, other institutions, or prospective employers without the written consent of the student concerned. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Holly A. Hein -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Confidentiality of Student Records The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords students certain rights with respect to their education records. These rights include: (1) The right to inspect and review the student's education records within 45 days of the day the College receives a request for access. A student should submit to the registrar a written request that identifies the record(s) the student wishes to inspect. The College official will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected. (2) The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the student believes are inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy rights under FERPA. A student who wishes to ask the College to amend a record should write the registrar, clearly identify the part of the record the student wants changed, and specify why it should be changed. If the College decides not to amend the record as requested, the College will notify the student in writing of the decision and the student’s right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the student when notified of the right to a hearing. (3) The right to provide written consent before the College discloses personally identifiable information from the student's education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent. The College discloses education records without a student’s prior written consent under the FERPA exception for disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a person employed by the College in an administrative, supervisory, academic or research, or support staff position (including law enforcement unit personnel and health staff); a person or company with whom the College has contracted as its agent to provide a service instead of using College employees or officials (such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent); a person serving on the Board of Trustees; or a student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibilities for the College. (4) The right to file a complaint with the U.S. 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 (5) FERPA permits institutions to identify certain items of information as “directory information”. This information may be released upon request unless the student, during the first 10 days of the semester, has indicated, in writing to the Student Affairs Department, the s/he does not wish this information released. The College identifies directory information as: Student’s Name The above “directory information” may be released without the student’s consent. All requests from non-college agencies must be submitted in writing to the College registrar. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Academic Standing Appeal Policy Students who document, in writing, extenuating circumstances that could not be prevented, may request reconsideration of academic standing from the Academic Regulations Committee. Academic Regulations Committee -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Midsemester grades are issued in the seventh week of the semester. These grades are for student information only, and are not entered on the transcript. Students will receive copies of final semester grades approximately three weeks after the end of the semester. The grades then become part of the academic record. Once a grade has been submitted to the registrar, that grade may be changed if, and only if, an error has been made in the calculation of transcription of the original grade. Under no circumstances will a change in grade for a student be allowed because of the submission of additional work after the grade has been submitted. Grade changes, when approved, may only be made for one semester following the semester in which the grade was originally submitted. Should a faculty member wish to change a grade for any other reason, the request with justification, should be submitted to the Academic Regulations Committee for approval. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Students are required to report their correct address at the time of registration or as soon thereafter as it is known. Any changes of address must be reported to the Registrar's Office. The address should be in the student's actual place of residence. If the mailing address is different, it should also be reported to the Registrar's Office, North Coop, (207) 948-3131, ext. 244 or email the registrar's office. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There are two dates each year when degrees are conferred. The first is commencement day in May. Candidates who wish to graduate in May must file an application for degree with the registrar's office by February 15. Upon presentation of an application for degree in the registrar's office, candidates will be billed a $100.00 graduation fee. Students have until the day of their graduation to finish all degree requirements and resolve all financial obligations to the College. Any student who fails to finish all degree requirements or resolve any financial obligation by the day of graduation will not be allowed in participate in the commencement ceremony and will be required to reapply for graduation at a later date. Degrees are also conferred on the last day of December each year. Processing completion of degree requirements may take up to thirty (30) days. Candidates must file an application for degree with the registrar's office by September 15. They have until the last day of the final period to finish all degree requirements and resolve all financial obligations to the College. There will be only one commencement ceremony each year. Students whose degrees are conferred following the fall session are encouraged to participate in commencement ceremonies the following May. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The grading system used at Unity College follows:
Note: All students have the right to review and challenge their records. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Students with a need to earn a higher grade may repeat a course previously taken; both the first and subsequent enrollments and grades will be permanent entry on the academic record and transcript. The highest grade will be used in computing the cumulative grade point average. No additional credit will be granted for the repeated course. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The dean's list is published after the end of each 15-week semester and includes names of students who have earned a minimum of 12 credit hours during the semester with a grade point average of 3.33 or higher. A student who receives an F in any course is ineligible for the dean's list. Honors: Semester grade point average of 3.33-3.49 High Honors: Semester grade point average of 3.50-3.74 Highest Honors: Semester grade point average of 3.75 or above -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Policies set forth in this publication provide specific guidance for students at Unity College. It is the responsibility of each student to be familiar with policies which govern his or her course of study and to ascertain and fulfill all academic requirements to achieve his or her educational objective. It is the responsibility of the faculty and staff to advise and assist the student in this effort. Questions should be directed to the student's academic advisor or to the Registrar's Office. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unity College welcomes applications from veterans as well as from active duty military personnel, reservists, the National Guard, widows and widowers of veterans, and war orphans. Those persons wishing to be considered for educational benefits from the Veterans Administration must submit to the registrar copies of discharge papers (DD-214), and, if applicable, marriage licenses and birth certificates of dependents, along with the appropriate applications. Official transcripts of any previous training must also be submitted to the veterans office. Dependents of deceased or service-connected disabled veterans must contact the veterans center that holds the veteran's records, and inform the center of their intention to attend Unity College. The degree programs of Unity College are approved by the Maine State Approving Agency for Veterans Education Programs for persons eligible for educational benefits (GI Bill) from the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs. Students who have questions about their eligibility should visit the Veterans Administration web site at www.gibill.va.gov or call (toll Free) 1-888-442-4551. Students who request veteran's educational assistance are required to have all previous post secondary experience evaluated for possible transfer credit in order to be eligible for benefits. For more information contact the registrar of Unity College. Veteran students are expected to complete all of their registered courses each semester. Any change in academic workload must be reported to the registrar. Failure to do so may result in an overpayment. Unity College's degree programs are approved by the Maine State Approving Agency for Veterans Education. |