CFCC 2019-2020 Catalog & Student Handbook 
    
    Mar 19, 2024  
CFCC 2019-2020 Catalog & Student Handbook [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Registration



Registration is the term used for enrolling in classes. Students who need help with planning for which courses to take should reach out to their faculty advisor or visit the Academic Advising Center for assistance.

Semester System

The academic year is divided into two semesters and summer sessions. The Fall and Spring semesters offer courses in sixteen (16) weeks, two eight (8) week mini sessions, and one twelve (12) week session. The Summer terms are provided either in a ten (10) week session, eight (8) week session, two four (4) week sessions or two five (5) week sessions. Consult the Schedule of Classes for specific scheduling information.

Semester Hour Credit

Each course listed in the catalog and class schedule is followed by a notation on the number of semester hours it earns. Normally, the number of semester hours earned is based on the number of class, laboratory or shop hours spent under the supervision of the course instructor per week for the semester. Usually one semester hour credit is given for each lecture hour of class per week, for each two hours of laboratory work per week, or for each three hours of shop or manipulative laboratory per week. (A class hour is usually defined as 50 minutes of instruction.) Exceptions may be made in cases where specific classification is not feasible.

Course Load

Students enrolled in the Fall and Spring semesters for 12 or more credit hours are designated as full-time students. Students taking 11 or fewer credits during a semester are considered part-time. Students enrolled in the Summer Session for 9 credit hours or more are designated as full-time students for insurance purposes. Students receiving Financial Aid benefits must be enrolled for 12 or more credit hours each semester to receive full benefits. Veteran’s benefits for the Summer-full time is eight (8) hours for the 10 week session or four (4) hours each five week session. Students who are placed on academic probation may be required to take a reduced course load.

Maximum course loads for which students may enroll are as follows:

  • Fall and/or Spring Semester(s)-Eighteen (18) credit hours except when program requirements determine otherwise.
  • Summer Term-Thirteen (13) credit hours except when program requirements determine otherwise.

Any exception must be approved by the Director of the Academic Advising Center or the Dean of Enrollment Management.

Priority Registration

Currently enrolled students are assigned registration priorities based on their number of completed credit hours. Registration information is emailed to students’ CFCC email account. Students may register online using WebAdvisor/Student Planning (Self Service). A listing of priority dates and times are listed on the CFCC website.

Auditing Courses

Students who wish to audit courses must register for the audit by following the regular admissions and registration procedures and indicating in writing on an audit form which course(s) they are auditing. Auditing students must meet all course pre-requisites. A student who audits a course section shall not displace students enrolling or registering to receive a grade, academic credit, continuing education unit (CEU) or certificate of completion in the course section. If it is determined by the 10% date of the course that a student seeking a grade, credit, CEU, or certificate needs the course, an auditing student may be administratively dropped to allow space for the other student. The audit form must be signed by the instructor and turned into the Registrar’s Office on or before the course start date but not later than the 10% date of the course. Auditing students receive no credit and are not required to participate in class discussion or take tests. At the end of the term, auditing students will receive a grade of “AU” (Audit) or “SR” (Senior Audit). Tuition and fees for audited courses are the same as those taken for credit. Students will be responsible for paying any/all tuition, fees and/or textbook costs. (Seniors age 65+ who plan to audit a course, please read the “Tuition Waiver for Auditing Seniors” paragraph below.) Changes from audit to credit or credit to audit may only be done during registration and through the last day to add a course for the term. Students should be aware that Financial Aid and Veteran benefits do not pay for audited courses. Audited courses do not transfer.

Seniors (age 65+) who wish to audit a course will follow the same policy and procedure information listed in the “Auditing Courses” paragraph above except that they will receive a waiver of tuition. In order to receive the waiver, seniors must provide proof of age through a driver’s license, state identification card, or other government-issued document. Seniors who receive the waiver are not eligible to change from audit to credit.

Withdrawal

Some students may occasionally feel that due to unanticipated circumstances they are unable to complete a class or an academic term successfully. Withdrawing is one option that students have when such difficult situations arise.  However, given the potential negative consequences of withdrawing from one or more classes, students should make this decision only after they have considered other options.

Students who wish to withdraw from a course after the add/drop period but before the established deadline to withdraw must have a mandatory consultation with a counselor (via email, phone, or in-person) prior to withdrawing. Counselors will assist students in determining if withdrawing is the best course of action. If after speaking to a counselor, the student still wishes to withdraw, the counselor will obtain a written request from the student and will initiate the withdrawal on behalf of the student. The final processing of the withdrawal is completed in the Registrar’s Office.

Students who officially withdraw from a class by the established withdrawal deadline (60 percent point of the class) will receive a grade of “W.” Students who do not officially withdraw from a class by the deadline and continue to attend and/or participate by completing assignments will receive at the conclusion of the term a final grade from the class instructor(s) that is based on the attendance and grading policies for the class.

Students who wish to withdraw after the established withdrawal deadline must consult with a counselor who will seek guidance  from their instructor and department chair prior to approval to withdraw. Permission will be granted for documented extenuating circumstances only. No withdrawals may be requested within the last week of the semester.

Withdrawing may have a negative impact on students’ Satisfactory Academic Progress status, and as a result, withdrawals may lead to a loss in eligibility for future financial aid (including loans). Students are urged to review the college policies on Satisfactory Academic Progress for Financial Aid Recipients and contact the Financial Aid Office before withdrawing to discuss potential impact on their bill and/or financial aid eligibility.

Unofficial Withdrawals:

An “unofficial withdrawal” occurs when a student stops attending a course and does not participate in any academic-related activities beyond the 60 percent date of the term.

Students who are unofficially withdrawn will be issued final grades of XF. The grade of XF will be assigned as a student’s course grade when all of the following conditions are met:

  1. Failed a course (no credits earned).
  2. Attended a course at least once in the first 10 percent of the course.
  3. Stopped attending and/or did not participate in any academic-related activity (as defined below) on or before the 60 percent date of the term.
  4. Did not officially withdraw or return to the course beyond the 60 percent date of the term.

No tuition or fee adjustments will be made. The XF grade will calculate the same as an F (failure) grade, affecting GPA in the same manner as an F. Students who receive an XF or W grade may be required to repay a percentage of their Federal Aid back to the Department of Education or to the Veteran’s Administration.

Notes:

  • Examples of “academic-related” activities that may count as attendance are inclusive of (but not limited to): physically attending class, participating in class with a “clicker” device, submitting an assignment/exam/tutorial, attending a study group assigned by the instructor, or participating in an online discussion about academic matters. Simply logging into an online course does not count as an academic-related activity.
  • Please refer to the Academic Calendar for the withdrawal deadlines for each term.

Go to http://cfcc.edu/finaid/ for more information about financial rules and policies.

Prerequisites and Corequisites

A prerequisite is a course that must be taken prior to another course. A corequisite is a course that must be taken prior to or concurrently with another course. The college may mandate prerequisites and corequisites to ensure students are prepared to meet the requirements of the course material. Prerequisites and corequisites are identified in the catalog with the course descriptions.  Students are responsible for meeting their program requirements, including prerequisites and corequisites. If students sign up for a class and do not meet the prerequisite and/or corequisite requirements they will be administratively dropped from the course. 

Students who drop on their own or who are administratively dropped after the first day of class may not be eligible for a full refund.  Students are advised to review published course prerequisites and co-requisites carefully before enrolling. 

Waiver of Prerequisites and Corequisites

The Vice President for Academic Affairs and Workforce Development and the academic deans may waive prerequisites and corequisites. Normally, a waiver will be recommended by the appropriate program director and approved by the department chair, dean, and the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Workforce Development.