Academic Policies

Lynn Powell Dougherty

ldougherty@uarts.edu
Registrar
Office of the Registrar
Second Floor, Dorrance Hamilton Hall
215-717-6420
215-717-6417 (Fax)
Office of Registrar email: registrar@uarts.edu

The policies stated herein apply to all matriculated UArts undergraduate and graduate students unless otherwise noted.

The Office of the Registrar maintains the official academic record for each student and is responsible for certifying completion of requirements for graduation. Students who are formally admitted to the University, have paid all applicable tuition and fees, and have a program of courses approved by the required advisor(s) are allowed to register. All students are advised to obtain a copy of their curriculum requirements as soon as possible after admission to the University and to check them against their transcripts after each term. Please note that course and program transactions and changes become official only when properly processed through the Office of the Registrar.

Directory Information

The following is considered directory information at the University of the Arts and will be made available to the general public unless the student submits a petition to the Office of the Registrar requesting to withhold this information prior to the end of the last day of registration.

• Name
• Address
• Telephone number
• E-mail address
• Major field of study
• Dates of attendance
• Current enrollment status (full-time/part-time)
• Class standing
• Last institution attended
• Participation in officially recognized activities
• Receipt or non-receipt of a degree
• Academic awards received (Dean’s list, honor roll)

Under the provisions of the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 students have the right to withhold disclosure of directory information.

Please consider carefully the consequences of withholding directory information.  Should you decide not to release directory information, all requests for such information from the University of the Arts will be refused.  For example, organizations such as potential employers, scholarship agencies, members of the press, loan agencies, educational organizations and others will not be given access to the student’s directory information, and will not be able to contact the student. Opting out of directory information may mean that you will miss out on valuable employment, educational, cultural and other opportunities.  Additionally, the University cannot notify your hometown newspaper about awards and honors you receive (e.g., Dean’s list).

To Request Directory Information to be Withheld

A signed petition from the student is required to process this request.  Once processed directory information will not be released until a signed petition to rescind the request is received or until after the student has deceased.

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

In 1974, the Congress of the United States enacted the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, Public Law 93-380, as amended, setting out requirements designed to protect the privacy of students. Specifically, the statute governs 1) access to records maintained by certain educational institutions and agencies, and 2) the release of such records. In brief, the statute provides that such institutions must provide students access to official records directly related to themselves and an opportunity for a hearing to challenge such records; that institutions must obtain the written consent of the student before releasing personally identifiable data from records to other than specified exceptions; and that students must be notified of these rights.

1. Student Rights. As such, all students of The University of the Arts have the following rights with regard to educational records maintained by the University:
   1. The right to review educational records that are maintained by the University.
      These records generally include all records of a personally identifiable nature; however, they exclude the financial records of parents and confidential letters and statements of recommendation received prior to June 1, 1975.
   2. The right to inspect and review records.
      Such requests may be made by completing an “Access Request for Educational Records,” which is available in the Office of the Registrar. Upon receipt of a request an appointment will be made to review records within 45 days.
   3. The right to appeal misinformation in the files.
      If a student believes any information in the file is inaccurate or misleading, that individual may request, in writing, the custodian of the record to amend, delete, or otherwise modify the objectionable material. If said request is denied, the student may request that a hearing be held to further pursue the request. At this hearing, the student may be represented by a person of his or her choice, if so desired. If after the hearing the request to amend is again denied by the University, the student has the right to place in the file a statement or other explanatory document, provided that such statements or documents relate solely to the disputed information.
   4. The right to appeal violation of rights.
      If a student believes that any of his or her rights hereunder have been violated by the University, he or she should make such facts known to the Dean of Students in writing. If the Dean of Students does not resolve the matter and the student still feels that his or her rights have been violated, he or she may so inform the Department of Education in writing.
   5. The right to file a complaint with the US Department of Education.
      Students have the right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the University to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the Office that administers FERPA is:
      Family Policy Compliance Office
      U.S. Department of Education
      400 Maryland Avenue, S.W.
      Washington, D.C.
   6. The right to select a physician or other appropriate professional, at personal expense, to review records on a student’s behalf, that have been created or maintained by a physician, psychiatrist, psychologist, or other recognized professional or paraprofessional while an individual has been a student at the University, filed with The University.
2. Definitions
   1. The Educational Record maintained by the University will consist of:
      1. Directory information as noted above
      2. Application for admission
      3. Applicant’s secondary school records
      4. Cumulative University of the Arts records of grades, credits, grade-point average, and academic actions
      5. Correspondence (or copies thereof) re: admission, enrollment, registration, probation
      6. Student petitions
      7. Disciplinary actions
      8. Departmental appraisals and evaluations of student progress
   2. The Educational Records do not include:
      1. Parents’ and students’ confidential financial documents
      2. Counseling psychologists’ files
      3. Health Office files
      4. Faculty and staff memoranda/files retained for personal/professional use
   3. Educational Records are maintained by the following:
      1. Office of the Registrar
      2. Office of the Dean of Students
      3. Financial Aid Office
      4. Finance Office
      5. Office of Continuing Studies
   4. A dependent student is defined as one who is declared a dependent by his or her parents for income-tax purposes.
   5. A student is defined as a person who attends or has attended the University. Persons who have applied to but who have not attended the University as an enrolled student are not covered under FERPA.
3. University Rights & Responsibilities.
   1. The University may not generally release any information outside the University that is maintained in educational records without prior consent or waiver. However, the University does have the right to release the following information:
      1. Name
      2. Address
      3. Email address
      4. Telephone listing
      5. Date and place of birth
      6. Major field of study
      7. Participation in officially recognized activities
      8. Dates of attendance
      9. Degrees and awards received
      10. The most recent previous educational institution attended by the student.
      11. Enrollment status. If a student does not wish any of this information made public, either in a directory of students or in any other manner, the student must inform the Office of the Registrar no later than the end of the third week of classes each semester of the information not to be released.
   2. The University may disclose FERPA-related information without consent to school officials when there is a legitimate educational interest. A school official is a person employed by the University in an administrative, supervisory, academic, or research or support staff position (including law enforcement unit personnel and health staff); or a person or company with whom the University has contracted (such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent). A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an educational record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility.
   3. While release of information from educational records to outside parties requires the student’s explicit consent, the following exceptions do not require the student’s consent:
      1. Compilation of general enrollment data for reports required by U.S. Government and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Authorities;
      2. Participatory information-sharing with educational service associations such as the College Scholarship Service and the American Council on Education;
      3. Information about an individual student in the event of a personal emergency that is judged to threaten the health and/or safety of that student;
      4. Compliance with judicial orders and lawfully issued subpoenas;
      5. Reference by appropriate University of the Arts faculty and professional staff.
      6. In cases of violent crime, the results of any disciplinary proceeding conducted by the University against an accused student to the alleged victim.
         
         Any release of information as outlined above that identifies an individual student and requires that student’s consent will be recorded in his or her permanent record.
   4. 
      The University reserves the right to inform parents/guardians of dependent students where it deems appropriate-specifically when it has cause to believe that a student’s status at the University may be in jeopardy due to disciplinary reasons.
   5. Requests for the records of a deceased student must be accompanied by a notarized statement from the executor of the estate of the deceased approving the release of records. Requests concerning students who have long been deceased will be evaluated by the University based on legitimate educational interest.
4. Directory Information The University of the Arts has determined that the following information will be considered “directory information” and may release it without prior consent from the student:
   Name
   Address
   Telephone listing
   Email address
   Date and place of birth
   Major field of study
   Participation in officially recognized activities
   Dates of attendance
   Enrollment status
   Degrees and awards received
   Last institution attended

Verification of Enrollment

Students often need to send additional information concerning their enrollment to insurance companies, loan services, scholarship programs, and other outside parties. The student can either request an enrollment verification in writing or through the MyUArts Portal. Any request for verification of enrollment beyond the directory information listed above must be made in writing and signed by the student wishing to release the information. The request for verification must state exactly which information the student wants released and who is authorized to receive it. There is no fee for this service. The Office of the Registrar will verify enrollment for a future semester only after the student has registered in classes and has been cleared by the Student Billing Office. Normal service for other verifications of enrollment is three to five working days from the time the request is received.

Transcript Request Procedures

“Unofficial” transcripts may be viewed and printed through the MyUArts portal or obtained from the Office of the Registrar at no charge.

Students may request an “official” transcript by completing a transcript request form (available in the Office of the Registrar) or via the MyUArts portal by providing the following information:

• Name under which the student attended the University or any predecessor institutions
• Current address and telephone number
• Social security number
• Date of birth
• Last date of attendance
• Major/Degree program
• Address where transcript is to be sent
• Signature Transcripts will not be released without the original signature of the requesting student.

Fees:

Official transcripts are subject to a $5.00 fee with the following exceptions for special services:

• $10 fee for faxed requests, which must include a credit card number, expiration date, and an authorizing signature. The University accepts Visa or Mastercard payments.
• $12 fee for emergency service that will be processed within one day of receipt of request and sent via U.S. Mail.
• $30 fee for overnight service for distribution only in the U.S. The transcript request will be processed within one day and sent via FedEx overnight service.
• $40 fee for International service that will be processed within one day and sent via DHL.
• Transcripts will not be processed if there is a financial hold on the student’s account. Please allow three to five working days to complete requests.
  Mail requests to:

  Office of the Registrar
  The University of the Arts
  320 S. Broad Street
  Philadelphia, PA 19102
  Attention: Transcript Requests

  or Fax requests to:

  Office of the Registrar
  The University of the Arts
  Attention: Transcript Requests
  215-717-6417

Academic Advising and Student Responsibility

Academic advising at the University is designed to assist students in directing and completing their degree programs by providing guidance through contact with informed advisors and information available in various UArts publications. Students are expected to refer to the University Course Catalog and course bulletins for information on policies, procedures, and deadlines. Students are assigned a faculty advisor in their department and when in doubt about any College or University regulation should seek advice from their academic advisor or the Office of the Registrar.

Each student is responsible for observing all regulations in the UArts Course Catalog that may affect academic progress, financial obligations, relationships with University authorities, transferability of credits, acceptance of credits for graduation, and eligibility to graduate, as well as:

• Knowing regulations regarding withdrawals, refund deadlines, program changes, and academic policy.
• Registering each semester in accord with the posted schedule (see Academic Calendar). Failure to register will result in a late registration fee.
• Meeting any financial or academic requirements that have caused a hold to be placed on their student record. A student cannot officially register until clearance has been obtained from the Student Billing Office.

Registration

Registration information can be found here.

Registering for Other Categories of Study

Registering for other categories of study can be found here.

Grading Policies

Grading Policies can be found here.

Academic Grievance Procedure

Students who have a concern or grievance regarding any academic matter, other than actions taken by the Academic Review Committee, may use the following process to address those concerns. If the concern or grievance is directly related to actions taken by the Academic Review Committee, please submit a letter of grievance directly to the Office of the Provost.

Grievances must be submitted no later than the end of the seventh week of the semester following the one in which the cause of the grievance occurred. This deadline has been set to allow time for the resolution of incomplete grades from the previous semester in accordance with the policies noted elsewhere in this catalog.

Please note that a student may request the assistance of any staff member of the University at any stage of the grievance process.

1. Students who have a concern or grievance regarding an academic matter are encouraged to discuss their concern directly with the instructor.
2. If they are not comfortable presenting their concern in person, or are not satisfied with the outcome of the discussion, they should submit their grievance in writing to the instructor, and send a copy to the chair/director of the department in which the instructor teaches, and the dean of the college.
3. The instructor must respond, in writing, to the student within 10 business days. The department Chair or Director is available for consultation by either the student or the faculty member, and must be copied on the instructor’s response. The chair/director has the right to forward the concern to the Office of the Dean should he/she conclude that either the student or instructor’s concerns warrant further review or intervention.
4. If the student believes that his/her concern requires further attention, he/she may submit the matter in writing to the Office of the Dean of the college in which the course is offered, or to the Office of the Director of Liberal Arts when applicable.
5. The Dean/Director of Liberal Arts must either rule on the case or charge an Academic Grievance Committee within 10 business days. If the Office of the Dean/Director of Liberal Arts does not wish to rule on the matter, he/she may convene an Academic Grievance Committee or similar committee to review the concern. The composition of the Academic Grievance Committee is determined by the Dean/Director of Liberal Arts.
6. As a last resort, the Office of the Dean/Director and/or the student may forward concerns to the Office of the Provost for final resolution.

Change of Grade

An instructor may change a grade only if an error occurred in computing or recording the final grade, or if reevaluation of previously submitted work is warranted. Extra work, beyond that required of other class members during the period when the class met, or work handed in after the completion of the course, may not be offered as reasons for a grade change.

In exceptional circumstances, a student may be granted an Incomplete, which is posted to the transcript as an “I.” Once the work for the course has been completed, a Change of Grade Form must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar in order to convert the “I” to the earned grade. Please refer to the section of this catalog titled “Grade of Incomplete” for more information.

Academic Review

Undergraduate Requirements

Undergraduate students who maintain a minimum 2.0 cumulative and semester grade-point average (GPA) are considered to be in good standing. In some programs students must also satisfy minimum grade requirements in major coursework. (Please refer to the department sections of this catalog for more specific information on minimum grade requirements for certain majors.)

Students who have taken Incompletes will not be evaluated by the Academic Review Committee until the seventh week of the following semester, when final grades are due. Please note that, as a result, financial aid for the semester in progress may be adversely affected.

Graduate Requirements

A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 is required for good standing and for graduation for graduate students. If a student is unable to achieve a semester or cumulative GPA of 3.0, he or she will be placed on probation. If a 3.0 GPA and/or other conditions are not attained by the following semester, the student may be dismissed from the program. While on Probation, a student will be ineligible to hold a graduate assistantship or to receive a University supplemental grant-in-aid or scholarship.

Undergraduate and Graduate Academic Review Policies

Students who fail to meet these minimum requirements will be reviewed by the Academic Review Committee (ARC). The Committee evaluates the records of such students, determines their academic status, gives benchmarks for progress in order to assist their return to good standing, and, when appropriate, dismisses students, according to University policy. It is the duty of the Committee to determine appropriate forms of censure for any student who is considered by the committee to be in academic jeopardy. The determination of academic jeopardy may be made as necessary and determined by the ARC on a case-by-case basis. Inadequate progress in the pursuit of degree requirements and multiple non-sequential semesters on probation are criteria for additional censure.

Academic Censure

Probation

The Academic Review Committee (ARC) places students who are no longer in good standing on Probation, in accordance with University policy. The Committee can also place additional requirements on students to encourage adequate progress towards completion of the degree and improved academic performance. These additional requirements may include repeating courses, meeting with advisors, limiting the number of credits taken in a given semester, tutoring, and/or counseling. Students placed on Probation will receive a letter from the dean’s office of their college on advisement from the Academic Review Committee, in which the terms and conditions of the Committee’s decision are explained.

While undergraduate students may be placed on probation three times prior to dismissal, the ARC may reduce the number of semesters that precede dismissal each time the semester GPA is below 1.5, or when the student fails to fulfill the requirements previously set by the ARC, or when the ARC determines that the student is in sufficient academic jeopardy to warrant additional censure.

Dismissal

The Academic Review Committee may also dismiss students:

1. After three semesters on Probation.
2. After a single semester GPA below 1.0.
3. After continued failure to fulfill academic probationary requirements specified by the Academic Review Committee.

Students who are being dismissed will receive a Letter of Dismissal from the Office of the Dean of their college. Guidelines for appeal of a dismissal, in the event of extenuating circumstances, are described in the Letter of Dismissal. Any student whose appeal of dismissal is upheld and who is permitted to enroll will automatically be placed on Probation until the stated conditions are met, and will not be eligible to appeal future dismissals.

Academic Censure and Financial Aid

Academic censure imposed by the Academic Review Committee may have financial aid ramifications, including loss of financial aid after two consecutive semesters on Probation, (or as the result of not completing the minimum number of credits per year). Please refer to the Financial Aid section of this catalog for more specific information.

Disciplinary Dismissals

In addition to Academic Dismissal, the University may dismiss students for disciplinary reasons. In such cases, students will automatically receive the grade of “W” for all classes in which they were enrolled at the time of dismissal. For more information on disciplinary action, please refer to the Student Code of Conduct section in this catalog.

Appeal

Students who are dismissed may make an appeal to the Academic Review Committee regarding the dismissal. In order to request a hearing for an Appeal by the Academic Review Committee, students must contact the Dean’s office of their college by the date indicated in the Letter of Dismissal. Students must also deliver a written request for an appeal to the Committee at the time of the hearing, and will be notified of the Committee’s decision at the completion of the hearing.

Students who wish to contest the outcome of the Appeal, or who wish to file a grievance regarding the Academic Review proceedings should write a letter directly to the Office of the Provost.

Policies Specific to Graduate Students

Policies specific to graduate students can be found here.

Graduation Requirements

Graduation requirements information can be found here.