The minimum full-time load for the fall and spring semester is 12 credit hours, and the normal maximum full-time load is 18 credits. Students wishing to carry an academic load of more than 18 credits in the fall or spring semester must obtain approval from the Admissions and Records Coordinator/Registrar in the Admissions Office. Exception: 18 credits plus one credit for Orientation/Student Skills does not require approval.
The minimum full-time load in the summer semester is 8 credits, and the maximum load is 12 credits. Students wishing to carry an academic load of more than 12 credits in the summer semester must obtain approval from the Admissions and Records Coordinator/Registrar in the Admissions Office. Exception: 12 credits plus one credit for Orientation/Student Skills does not require approval.
For more information, please see the College Catalog.
At the end of each semester, the Dean's List recognizes all regular full-time students who earned a grade point average between 3.2 and 3.4. The President's Honor Roll recognizes students who earned a grade point average of 3.5 or better.
Appropriate honors based on the overall academic achievement (cumulative grade point average) of students in a degree or certificate program at Virginia Western Community College are as follows:
For more information, please see the College Catalog.
Students are considered to be "in good academic standing" if they maintain a semester minimum GPA of 2.00, are eligible to reenroll at the college, and are not on academic suspension or dismissal status. Students on academic warning or academic probation who are eligible to re-enroll may be considered eligible to receive financial aid assistance or other benefits requiring a "good academic standing" status.
For more information, please see the College Catalog.
Final grades can be accessed via MyVWCC after the end of each semester. Final grades are a part of the student's record and are recorded on the student's permanent report. For information about changing a contested grade, see the section on Student Grievance Procedure.
Once a grade has been awarded, it is normally permanent. In situations where there are documented, mitigating circumstances or an uncontested error, grade changes must be requested within one year of the receipt of the grade in question. (Note: For a contested grade, the student must follow the timeline and steps outlined in the "Final Grade Appeal Procedure" under the Student Grievance Procedure. The following guidelines do not apply to contested grade changes.)
In order to request a grade change for mitigating circumstances or uncontested error, the first point of contact for the student must always be the instructor. If the instructor agrees that a grade change is warranted, the change will be submitted to the Academic Dean and the Registrar for approval.
If the matter was not satisfactorily resolved with the instructor and the student wishes to pursue the grade change, the student must then contact the Academic Dean. The Academic Dean will attempt to mediate the grade change request with the faculty member and will notify the student of the decision. If the Academic Dean denies the student's grade change request, the student may then contact the Admissions and Records Coordinator/Registrar for a third appeal. At this point, the student must complete a "Request for a Grade Change – Uncontested Grade" which can be obtained in the college Admissions and Records Office. If the Registrar does not approve the grade change, the final option is for the student to appeal the grade change through the Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs. The decision of the Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs is final.
Students must either attend their face-to-face courses or demonstrate participation in their distance learning courses by the last date to drop for a refund or they will be reported to the Admissions Office and withdrawn as no-show students.
In this case, there will be no refund of tuition in the course, and the student will not be allowed to attend/participate in the class or submit assignments. Failure to attend or participate in a course will adversely impact a student's financial aid award.
Students will be allowed to enroll for the third and final time in a course without having to obtain approval from the Academic Dean and the Records Coordinator/Registrar when:
Except under the conditions cited above, a student will not be allowed to enroll in a course more than two times without the approval of the Academic Dean and the Records Coordinator/Registrar.
For more information, please see the College Catalog.
Students who violate the attendance or participation guidelines for the course as of the withdrawal deadline will be reported to the Admissions Office and withdrawn with a grade of "W." Students who stop attending or participating in a course after the withdrawal deadline will receive a grade of "F." There will be no refund of tuition or reinstatement in the course. Financial Aid recipients will incur an outstanding tuition debt to the college and will be blocked from future enrollment.
