Advising

Each student is assigned an advisor to work with him/her and foster comprehensive support throughout the student’s time at Eastern University. Students entering from high school are assigned advisors based on their INST 150 Introduction to Faith, Reason, and Justice course enrollments with whom they will meet periodically to discuss their academic programs, career goals, and personal problems or needs. When a student formally declares a major, s/he will be advised by an academic advisor within his/her department. Students transferring in more than 24 semester hours of credit from other colleges are assigned faculty advisors in their major areas; they must still formally declare their majors.

Advisors serve as a resource for students and faculty. Students are encouraged to visit their advisors for assistance with course planning, registration, guidance in understanding academic policies and procedures, and any other questions they may have during their time as students. Transfer students are strongly encouraged to visit their advisors in their first week on campus, so staff can facilitate a smooth transition.

Registration

Two registration periods are scheduled each year: one in October for the spring terms; one in March or April for the following summer and fall terms. Summer sessions are voluntary sessions and carry additional fees and charges. All students are expected to register for classes during the registration period, which is announced to students on the Registrar’s webpage and through electronic communication to each student. Students are required to meet with their faculty advisors or advisors to choose classes and to have their course selections formally approved in Student Planning. Students may not register for classes until all advising, financial, and reporting obligations are met.

Classes are open to all students as long as space is available, and as long as all criteria is met. The size of classes is limited in some cases because of the nature of the courses being taught. In some courses, preference is given to upper-class students or students who have majors or minors in certain fields. (In the admission of students to classes, as in all other policies, Eastern does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, age, color, handicap, marital or parental status, or national or ethnic origin.)

Please note that any disputes regarding your student account or registration activity must be filed within one year of the transaction in question. After one year, any disputes must be accompanied by appropriate documentation and are reviewed at the discretion of the Vice President.

Financial Clearance

Students are considered to be registered for a session when the session bill is paid in full or when satisfactory financial arrangements have been made with the Student Accounts Office. This office certifies to the Office of the Registrar that students have made satisfactory arrangements for the payment of all bills and are, therefore, eligible to attend classes.

Course Loads

In the regular fall and spring semesters, the normal academic load for traditional baccalaureate students is 15 credits. A full-time student may take up to 18 credits without special approval or overload credit fees, provided that the student is not on probation with a limit of 16 credits. A nontraditional accelerated student may take up to 7 credits in each 7 week term.

A traditional baccalaureate with a 3.00 grade-point average or better may take additional credits with the Registrar’s approval. The maximum load is 20 credits. There is a per credit charge for every credit over 18 credits up to the maximum of 20 credits.

In a summer session, the maximum course load is seven credits. All maximum load restrictions include college work taken elsewhere in a given period. The maximum credits taken at Eastern and elsewhere in a given period may not exceed the maximum credits allowed at Eastern in that same period.

Student Responsibility

Students are responsible for all courses for which they are registered except for courses that they have officially dropped within the drop period. A student who stops attending a course for which he/she is registered must officially withdraw from the course by the withdraw deadline.

Students are not normally entitled to receive a refund of any special fees, including the fee for taking more than 18 credits or a refund for courses for which they have registered even if they officially withdraw from the course within the withdrawal period (see Withdrawal and Refund Policy).

Students are required to notify the University when their home address changes.

Adding, Dropping, Withdrawing from Course Work

Semester based programs: A student may add and drop courses only during the first week of a semester. A student may withdraw from a course without academic penalty after the add/drop period, up until the last day of classes each semester. The course with a grade of W stays on the permanent record. 

To drop, add, and withdraw from courses officially, a student must obtain a Drop/Add Card from the Office of the Registrar. The signatures of the course instructor and the student’s advisor are required to add a course. Only the advisor’s signature is required to drop or withdraw from a course.

A student who is receiving any type of financial assistance and drops a class or withdraws from a class (or classes) should contact the Financial Aid Office to learn how the change in status affects the aid eligibility.

Term based programs: During the first week of a semester or academic session (or the equivalent time in non-traditional enrollment periods), a student may drop a course by submitting an Add/Drop Form to the Office of the Registrar. A grade of “W” will be entered on the academic record of any student who withdraws from a course or the program within the withdrawal period specified in the academic calendar. Courses carrying a grade of “W” receive no credit and are not counted in the grade-point average, even though the student has a financial obligation to pay tuition and fees. Students are advised to contact the Financial Aid Office after withdrawing from one or more courses to determine if eligibility for student financial aid has changed. (See Withdrawal From Course in Student Financial Aid Information.)

Note: Any student who fails to officially drop/withdraw from a registered course will receive a grade of “F” for the course.

The ability to withdraw and receive refunds for programs vary based upon the established policies of these courses. Grades of “W” are taken into consideration in the calculation of Federal Title IV eligibility. They are also taken into consideration when determining if a student has made satisfactory academic progress.

Mid-Semester Warnings

Students whose estimated course grades are below C level by the mid-point of the semester will receive notification from their advisor identifying the course and giving the instructor’s suggestions or comments. Students receiving warnings are to meet with their instructor(s) as soon as possible. Faculty advisors will be notified of warnings given to their advisees.

Final Examinations

In the traditional baccalaureate programs, final examinations are given at the close of each semester. Students must take their final examinations at the assigned times, which are published with the Schedule of Classes at the time of registration each semester. The schedule of final examinations is also regularly posted to the Office of the Registrar Web page. Exceptions are made only in the case of documented medical emergency or family crisis, such as a death in the immediate family, or when a student has three final exams scheduled on one day. Conflicts should not occur between final examinations since they are scheduled on the basis of course meeting times. Students seeking re-scheduling should submit a Petition to Change Time of Final Exam form to the office of the Dean of their college. The petition must be received at least two weeks prior to the first day of final exams in order to be considered.

Exams will not be given early in order to meet the travel plans of students. Students are to arrange all transportation well in advance in order to avoid conflict with the exam schedule. A student who misses a final exam must report the situation to the Registrar as soon as possible. Dishonesty in a final examination shall be treated according to the policies on academic dishonesty and may be referred to the Judiciary Committee for further action.

Final Grades

At the end of each semester the faculty will file grades with the Registrar. The Office of the Registrar does not report grades to students or others over the telephone. Students may view their grades by accessing Student Planning or Web Advisor on Eastern’s Web site www.eastern.edu. (Web Advisor and Student Planning offer secure access through password protection.)

Requests for Transcripts

Persons may request transcripts of their academic record at Eastern. Official transcripts bear the University seal and the Registrar’s signature in a sealed envelope and are sent directly to authorized recipients. Unofficial transcripts, without seal and signature, may be requested for a student’s personal use. The University will withhold a transcript if financial obligations have not been met.

Students may request official transcripts using www.eastern.edu e-mail or by completing the transcript request form. Transcripts are issued within five business days. A special processing fee of $10.00 is charged when a student requests an official transcript to be picked up in the Office of the Registrar on the same day as the request is made. For a $5.00 fee, a student may request an e-transcript by creating an account in Parchment. (See Transcript Request on the Registrar’s page of www.eastern.edu).

Instructional Delivery of Accelerated Courses

Courses consist of at least 14 hours of instructional time for each credit awarded. Each undergraduate accelerated course is seven weeks in length. Each week of instructional activity begins on Monday and ends the following Sunday at 11:59 p.m. Courses are delivered in the following formats in addition to on-ground classroom instruction:

Online: Online instruction occurs when the learner and the instructor are not in the same physical location, and the instruction is delivered through asynchronous and/or synchronous modalities via the Internet. Synchronous modalities allow individuals to interact online at the same time versus asynchronous modalities that allow individuals to log on at different times.

Blended: Blended instruction includes a combination of online (asynchronous and/or synchronous) delivery and on-ground classes (when the learner and the instructor are in the same physical location and meet in real time as scheduled). Online synchronous classes and on-ground classes are offered in real time as scheduled. Online delivery will not be greater than 49% of total class time.