Graduate Catalog 2017-2018 > Academic Policies and Procedures/Academic Services > Academic Procedures

Academic Procedures

A student wishing to transfer graduate credit to Lindenwood from an accredited college or university should request that official transcripts be sent directly to Lindenwood University’s Office of Graduate Admissions by the school(s) previously attended. An evaluation of transfer credit will be made by the appropriate school dean. Credit may be transferred from regionally accredited institutions only. A maximum of nine semester hours of transfer credit is allowed for graduate students. Appeals of transfer credit evaluations should be submitted in writing to the dean of academic services.

If transfer credit is requested from an international institution, students must submit their transcripts and their English translations to World Evaluation Services (WES) for evaluation. For more information regarding obtaining a WES transcript evaluation, please refer to the International Application Procedures section of this catalog or contact the Office of International Students and Scholars.

For policies regarding transfer credit into a specific graduate program or school, please refer to the section of this catalog that describes that program.

A student at Lindenwood who wishes to take courses at another college or university while pursuing a degree at Lindenwood must first obtain permission for the transfer of these courses from the academic advisor and the registrar. A Prior Approval form may be obtained for this purpose from the registrar’s office. Students may be allowed to take courses from other schools during terms in which the requested course is not offered at Lindenwood. Credits accepted in transfer do not affect the student’s grade point average at Lindenwood University.

To withdraw from a course with a grade of W, students must complete, sign, and submit a withdrawal form before the last day to withdraw with a W, with the signature of the academic advisor, and, if the student has attended the course at least once, the signature of the instructor of the course. Students wishing to withdraw from the university altogether must obtain the signatures of the instructors for each course they wish to drop. The deadline to withdraw is set at the two-thirds mark of the term.

Late withdrawals will be approved only under extreme, documented circumstances. A late withdrawal requested due to a low grade in the class, lack of interest in the subject matter, a different learning style from that of the classroom professor, or a change of major/requirements will not be granted.

If a student believes that extraordinary circumstances require withdrawing from a class after the deadline, the student must complete the following steps:

• Write a letter fully specifying the reasons for the withdrawal.
• Gather supporting documentation (physical report, court documents, hospital documents, etc.)
• Meet with the academic advisor for a signature on a Petition for Late Withdrawal.
• Meet with the dean of the school for a signature on the petition.
• Submit the signed petition, along with the letter and documentation, to the associate provost or dean of academic services. 
• If approved for a late withdrawal, the student will receive a W.

Notes: (1) Students are not permitted to withdraw from a course to attend another course if the second course has already had two class meetings.

(2) A student who is a first responder may elect to withdraw from a course with a grade of W at any time during the semester if documentation is provided verifying that the student’s first responder duties were the cause of absences exceeding the number of allowable excused absences. This policy applies to academic withdrawal only.

(3) Calculation of the return of Title IV aid will be based on the last date of attendance for the term.  This may result in a balance due to the university for which the student will be responsible.

Students who wish to appeal a final grade must first contact the course instructor. If the matter cannot be resolved through the instructor, the student may appeal in writing to the appropriate school dean. If resolution is not reached at that time, the student may appeal in writing to the associate provost. An Academic Grievance Committee may be convened to review a grade appeal before a recommendation is made to the provost for review.

Information concerning these procedures is available through the Associate Provost’s Office. Notice of intent to file a grade appeal must be made in writing to the appropriate school dean or associate provost within six weeks of receipt of the grade. Changes under this procedure will be made only during the term immediately following the term in which the disputed grade was given.

Lindenwood University shares information from students’ formal written complaints with the Higher Learning Commission as part of its normal accrediting process. This information is shared in such a manner as to shield all individual identities of complainants. No letters or documents revealing the identities of individual complainants will be shared without the express written permission of the complainants.

Academic Renewal allows returning students to remove previous course work from calculation of their GPA after an extended absence. A returning student seeking to resume a program of study or begin a new program of study after a prolonged absence is eligible for Academic Renewal under the following conditions:

• The student must have been absent from the Lindenwood University system for at least three consecutive academic years.
• The student must not have obtained a degree at Lindenwood or any other institution of higher education in the years between taking leave from Lindenwood and applying for academic renewal.
• The student must declare a major or program of study.
• The student must be enrolled in and complete at least one academic term (semester, quarter, trimester, or five-term) at full-time status, earning a minimum undergraduate GPA of 2.5 or graduate GPA of 3.5 before applying for Academic Renewal.

In addition to the conditions outlined above regarding student eligibility, Academic Renewal is subject to the following conditions:

• Academic Renewal can only be applied once.
• Academic Renewal can only be applied to academic terms completed prior to the student’s leave of absence.
• Academic Renewal can only be applied to courses taken at Lindenwood University.
• For undergraduate students, up to three terms can be selected for Academic Renewal; for graduate students, up to two terms can be selected.
• Once implemented, the Academic Renewal cannot be removed.
• Students approved for Academic Renewal are subject to the degree requirements listed in the catalog that is active at the time they are reinstated.
• No course from a term selected to be removed from GPA calculation can be used to satisfy an academic requirement (e.g., toward graduation, prerequisites, or certifications).
• All courses from terms will be removed from calculation of the student’s GPA regardless of the grades earned. However, these courses will not be entirely erased. All courses taken by the student will still appear on their transcript. A note will appear on the student’s transcript for each redacted term.
• A student may not apply for Academic Renewal in their final semester.

Students considering applying for Academic Renewal must inform an academic advisor of their intent to do so. The advisor will consult with the student regarding which academic terms to remove from calculation of the student’s GPA. The student should submit a petition for Academic Renewal to the Office of Academic Services signed by the student’s academic advisor and school dean. The student will be notified of a decision within 30 days of submission of the petition.

Notes: (1) Applying for Academic Renewal can affect a student’s eligibility for financial aid.  Students are encouraged to contact the Office of Financial Aid (financialaid@lindenwood.edu) before applying for Academic Renewal.

(2) Students on the GI Bill should contact the Veterans Affairs Center (ksieve@lindenwood.edu) before applying for Academic Renewal.

Students are responsible for tracking their own academic progress and eligibility for graduation. Specifically, in order to track the progress through a degree, each student must maintain a checklist of all requirements. The academic advisor will confirm that all degree requirements have been met; however, ultimate responsibility for tracking the student's progress through a program and assuring that all degree requirements for graduation are met lies with the student. Only the provost and the registrar have the authority to certify that all requirements for graduation have been fulfilled and post a notification of degree completion on a student’s transcript.

In addition to tracking their own progress through academic programs, students must submit an Application for Degree. The application must be signed by the student and the student’s academic advisor and be submitted to the Office of Academic Services. Failure to submit an application by the appropriate deadline may postpone the posting of the student’s degree.

The application deadlines are as follows: