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Academic Progress

Class Attendance Policy

Prompt and regular attendance at all class and laboratory sessions is expected. Faculty members are asked to report students for excessive absence when such absence is adversely affecting the student’s academic achievement in a particular course (not necessarily failing work). When this occurs, students may be reported through the early alert system to the Office of Records and Registration with the recommendation to warn the student or to withdraw the student from the course. In the event the student is withdrawn from the course, the grade of “W” will be assigned. Students should not assume that non-attendance will result in their automatic withdrawal from a course. Unless students themselves submit a formal course withdrawal, non-attendance may also result in an “F” grade and thus jeopardize the student’s academic record. Non-attendance does not relieve the student of his/her financial obligations.

Repeating a Course

You may repeat a credit course. All course grades appear on the academic record. In cases in which courses are repeated, the official grade will be the highest grade recorded. The official grade earned in the course will count toward your Cumulative Point Average.

Some courses can be repeated for additional credit and, therefore, cannot be repeated for a better grade. You should check with the Registration and Records Office prior to repeating a course to see if the course is eligible. Grades of W, WI, I or AU cannot be substituted for a previous grade.

Repeating a course previously passed may jeopardize your eligibility for financial aid. Repeated courses cannot be counted toward Satisfactory Academic Progress or Pursuit of Program Requirements unless you are specifically repeating a course as designated by the College degree requirements. You are urged to consult with your academic advisor or counselor before repeating courses in which a passing grade was earned.

Programs such as Dental Hygiene, Health Information Technology, Radiological Technology and Nursing have hundreds of students seeking admission to them. The right to repeat courses in these programs is not automatic. If you fail to complete a course successfully, you may be denied the opportunity to continue in that curriculum. However, you may change to other programs offered by the College, and then re-apply for admission to the original program.

Dean’s List

Matriculated students who complete a semester (fall or spring) with 6 or more credit hours, attain a Grade Point Average of 3.50 or higher for the semester and have no grades of “I” or “F” in that semester are cited for their achievement by being placed on the Dean’s List. A letter of recognition signed by the Provost/Vice President of Academic Services and the Vice President of Student Services is sent to these students after the completion of the fall and spring semesters.

Absence Due to Military Activation

Students who are activated for military duty during the semester should bring official military orders to the Veteran’s Services staff in the Counseling, International and Veteran Services Office. Orders will be evaluated and must reflect activation dates that are concurrent with the student’s absence. Courses may be dropped and tuition and fees reduced accordingly, but only with the required documentation.

Absence Due to Religious Beliefs

No person shall be expelled or refused admission for the reason that he/she is unable, because of religious beliefs, to register, or attend classes, or to participate in any examination, study, or work requirements on a particular day or days.

Any student who is unable, because of religious beliefs, to attend classes on a particular day or days shall be excused from any examination or any study or work requirements.

It shall be the responsibility of the faculty and of the administrative officials to make available to each student who is absent an equivalent opportunity to register for classes or make up any examination, study or work requirements that the student may have missed. If registration, classes, examinations, study or work requirements are held on Friday after four o’clock or on Saturday, similar or makeup classes, examinations, study or work requirements or opportunity to register shall be made available on other days, when it is possible and practical to do so. No special fees shall be charged to the student.

“Fresh Start” Program

Students who previously attended MCC but have not been in attendance for three or more years may choose to take advantage of “Fresh Start.”

The Fresh Start program is by invitation, and can only be approved once. Applications are sent to qualifying students in February, June, and October. Fresh Start allows for the exclusion of all D+, D, D-, and F grades from the calculation of the Grade Point Average (GPA). The courses and grades remain on the transcript in the semester taken, but the notation "Fresh Start" and (E) will appear on the transcript, and the grades will be excluded from the overall GPA calculation.

The excluded courses will not be counted toward graduation requirements and cannot be re-included at a later date. Once courses are excluded with the Fresh Start process, they will remain excluded from the GPA forever at Monroe Community College.

Note: Courses excluded from a student’s GPA are not excluded when calculating Satisfactory Academic Progress and Financial Aid Course Eligibility (FACE)

To qualify for Fresh Start, a student must:

  1. Stop out for three or more years
  2. Be matriculated in the last semester attended (Spring, Summer or Fall) AND in the returning semester (Spring, Summer or Fall)
  3. Earn a GPA of 2.0 or higher in the returning semester
  4. Students cannot choose courses that were part of a requirement for an earned degree, W or I grades, non-credit courses or courses that were excluded for other reasons (ie. repeated, program change)
  5. Qualifying students must return the signed Fresh Start application to Registration and Records by the close of their returning semester to have eligible grades excluded.

*Students requesting that Fresh Start be processed for past terms will be evaluated on an individual basis.

Contact the Registration & Records Office for further information at Registration@degaolife.com or 585.292.2300.