Instruction at Lycoming College is organized, with few exceptions, on a departmental basis. Most courses are unit courses, meaning that each course taken is considered to be equivalent to four semester hours of credit. Exceptions occur in applied music and theatre practicum courses, which are offered for either one-half or one semester hour of credit, and in departments that have elected to offer certain courses for the equivalent of one, two or three semester hours of credit. Furthermore, independent studies and internships carrying two semester hours of credit may be designed.

The normal student course load is four unit courses (16 semester hours) during the fall and spring semesters. Students who elect to attend the special sessions may enroll in one unit course (four semester hours) during the May term and one or two unit courses (four - eight semester hours) in each of the summer terms. A student is considered full time when enrolled for a minimum of three unit courses, or the equivalent, during the fall or spring semesters, one unit course, or the equivalent, for the May term, and two unit courses for each of the summer terms.

Students may enroll in five unit courses (20 semester hours) during the fall and spring semesters if they are Lycoming scholars or were admitted to the Dean’s List at the end of the previous semester. Exceptions may be granted by the Dean of the College. Overloads are not permitted during the May and summer terms.

Matriculated students who wish to study at other campuses must obtain prior written approval to do so from their advisor, the chair of the department in which the credit will be awarded, and the Lycoming College Registrar. Course work counting toward a major or minor must also be approved in advance by the chair-person of the department in which the major or minor is offered. Once a course is approved, the credit and grades for the course will be transferred to Lycoming and calculated in the student’s grade point average as if the courses were taken here. This means that "D" and "F" grades will be transferred as well as all other grades. Unapproved courses will not transfer. Final determination of transfer credit will be made by the Registrar based on official transcripts only.

Students are expected to complete their last eight unit courses (32 semester hours), and 16 semester hours in their major at Lycoming. Requests for waivers of this regulation must be sent to the Committee on Academic Standards.

Students may earn credit or advanced placement through the standardized examinations listed below. A maximum of 50 percent of the course requirements for the Baccalaureate degree may be earned through these examinations. The appropriate academic department will determine which tests they will accept and the course equivalencies. A list of approved examinations is available in the Office of the Registrar. Although these examinations may be taken after matriculation, new students who are competent in a given area are encouraged to take the examination of their choice before entering Lycoming so that the college will have the test scores available for registration advising for the first semester of enrollment. Students applying to the college for the first time should inform the Admissions Office that they have completed these tests and provide the official scores as part of their application packet. Continuing students must send official test scores to the Office of the Registrar and inform their academic advisors when examinations have been taken.

The College Entrance Examination Board Advanced Placement (CEEB AP) - Depending upon the exam, a score of three or four is required for credit.

College Level Examination Program (CLEP) - A score equivalent to a grade of "B" or above is required.

Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES) - A score equivalent to a grade of "B" or above is required.

The policy regarding student educational records is designed to protect the privacy of students against unwarranted intrusions and is consistent with Section 43B of the General Education Provision Act (commonly known as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, as amended). The details of the College policy on student records and the procedures for gaining access to student records are contained in the current issue of the Student Handbook, which is available in the library and the Office of the Dean of Student Affairs.

During the registration period, students select their courses for the next semester and register their course selections in the Office of the Registrar. Course selection is made in consultation with the student’s faculty advisor in order to insure that the course schedule is consistent with College requirements and student goals. After the registration period, any change in the student’s course schedule must be approved by both the faculty advisor and Office of the Registrar. Students may not receive credit for courses in which they are not formally registered.

During the first five days of classes, students may drop any course without any record of such enrollment appearing on their permanent record, and they may add any course that is not closed. The permanent record will reflect the student’s registration as of the conclusion of the drop/add period. Students wishing to withdraw from a course between the fifth day and the 9th week of classes must secure a withdrawal form from the Office of the Registrar. Withdrawal grades are not computed in the grade point average. Students may not withdraw from courses after the 9th week of a semester and the comparable period during the May and summer terms. Students who stop attending a course (or courses) but do not withdraw will receive a grade(s) of "F."

In zero semester hour and two semester hour (1/2 unit) courses meeting only during the last half of any semester, students may drop/add for a period of five days, effective with the mid-term date shown on the academic calendar. Withdrawal from zero-credit and half-semester courses with a withdrawal grade may occur within 4 1/2 weeks of the beginning of the course. It is understood that the period of time at the beginning of the semester will be identical, for example, a period of five days as indicated above.

A special opportunity exists in the Williamsport area for students to take courses at the Pennsylvania College of Technology. Students may enroll for less than a full-time course load at Penn College while remaining enrolled in courses at Lycoming.

Students must be enrolled full-time in a degree program and have earned no more than 93 semester hours. Cross registration is available for the Fall and Spring Semesters, and Summer I and II. It is not available for May Term.

Students who do not wish to pursue a degree at Lycoming College may, if space permits, register for credit or audit courses on either a part-time or full-time basis. Students who register for less than 12 semester hours are considered to be enrolled part-time; students who register for 12 or more semester hours are considered to be enrolled full-time.

Anyone wishing to register as a non-degree student must fill out an application form in the Admissions Office, pay a one-time application fee and pay the tuition rate in effect at the time of each enrollment. After a non-degree student has attempted four unit courses (16 semester hours), the student must either matriculate or obtain permission from the Dean of the College to continue study on a non-degree basis.

All non-degree students are subject to the general laws and regulations of the College as stated in the College Catalog and the Student Handbook. The College reserves the right to deny permission to register individuals who do not meet the standards of the College.

Students who wish to change from a non-degree to a degree status must apply for admission as a degree candidate and satisfy all conditions for admission and registration in effect at that time.

Any person may audit courses at Lycoming at one-fourth tuition per course. Members of the Lycoming College Scholar Program may audit a fifth unit course per semester at no additional charge. Laboratory and other special fees must be paid in full. Examinations, papers, and other evaluation devices are not required of auditors, but individual arrangements may be made to complete such exercises with consent of the instructor. The option to audit a course must be declared by the end of the drop/add period. Forms are available in the Registrar's Office.

The academic program at Lycoming is based upon the assumption that there is value in class attendance for all students. Individual instructors have the prerogative of establishing reasonable absence regulations in any course. The student is responsible for learning and observing these regulations.

A student who wishes to withdraw from the College during the semester should contact the Office of the Associate Dean of the College or the Assistant Dean for Freshmen. College personnel will explain the procedure to ensure that the student’s financial and academic records are properly closed.

A student who decides to discontinue study at the College as of the conclusion of the current semester must provide the Registrar with written notification of such plans in order to receive a refund of the contingency deposit. See page 14 for details.

Use of the pass/fail grading option is limited as follows (this does not apply to ENGL 105):

Students shall have the option of repeating courses for which they already have received a passing grade in addition to those which they have failed. Recording of grades for all repeated courses shall be governed by the following conditions:

Assigning final course grades is a responsibility that falls within the professional judgment and expertise of each faculty member. Grades assess as accurately as possible a student’s performance according to clear criteria provided in the course such as academic performance, class attendance, and punctuality in submitting assignments. Student appeals of the final course grade must follow the three-step procedure outlined below.

(1) Within two weeks of the beginning of the semester following the conclusion of the course, the student should request an informal conference with the instructor to discuss the grade and attempt to resolve the concern.
(2) If the outcome of the informal conference is not satisfactory to the student, or the instructor is not available, the student may submit a written request to meet with the department chairperson (or another faculty member in the department in instances involving the chairperson) within two weeks of meeting with the instructor. The student’s request must include a written statement outlining the basis for the appeal. It is the function of the chairperson to determine the relevant facts and to attempt to resolve the disagreement. The decision regarding the course grade in question will be made by the instructor in consultation with the chairperson (or his/ her stand-in). The student will receive from the department chairperson written notification of the decision within one week of the meeting with the chairperson.
(3) If resolution has not been achieved at step two, the student or the instructor may make a written appeal to the Dean of the College within two weeks of the department chairperson’s written notification. In order to resolve the disagreement, the Dean will confer with the student and the instructor in private sessions, and may call additional witnesses. If the Dean is unable to accomplish a resolution, s/he will forward the case to the Committee on Academic Standards, which will make a final decision on the matter. The Dean will communicate in writing to the student and the instructor the final decision within three weeks of receiving the appeal. This is the final step in the appeal process.

The following table is used to determine the academic grade level of degree candidates. See page 17 for related Financial Aid information.                                   

Students will be considered in good academic standing if they meet the following standard:

fewer than or equal to 16                                                           1.70

more than 16, fewer than or equal to 32                                      1.80

more than 32, fewer than or equal to 48                                      1.90

more than 48                                                                            2.00

Students will be subject to suspension from the College when:

• their cumulative grade point average is below good standing for any two semesters, or
• they earn a grade point average of 1.00 or under in any one semester.

The period of suspension will be for a minimum of one full semester, not including May term or the summer sessions.

• After this time students may apply for readmission to the College. The decision for readmission will be made by the Committee on Academic Standards. Readmission is not guaranteed.
• Students readmitted after suspension will be on academic probation.
• Students readmitted after suspension who fail to meet the required standards may be dismissed.
• Students may request permission to take courses at another institution. Courses not receiving prior approval and with grades below a "C" will not be accepted for transfer.

Students will be subject to dismissal from the College when:

• they exceed 24 semester hours of unsuccessful course attempts (grades of F and W) except in the case of withdrawal for documented medical or psychological reasons, or
• they cannot reasonably complete all requirements for a degree.

The standard length of dismissal will be for a period of two years.

• After this time students may apply for readmission to the College. The decision for readmission will be made by the Committee on Academic Standards. Readmission is not guaranteed.
• Students readmitted after dismissal will be on academic probation.
• Students may request permission to take courses at another institution. Courses not receiving prior approval and with grades below a "C" will not be accepted for transfer.

Probation, suspension, and dismissal become effective at the end of the semester in which the student fails to meet the academic standards listed above. The student will be notified of such action via U.S. mail. Receipt of such notice is not a prerequisite to the student’s being placed on probation, suspension, or dismissal.

The integrity of the academic process of the College requires honesty in all phases of the instructional program. The College assumes that students are committed to the principle of academic honesty. Students who fail to honor this commitment are subject to dismissal. Procedural guidelines and rules for the adjudication of cases of academic dishonesty are printed in The Faculty Handbook and The Pathfinder (the student academic handbook), copies of which are available in the library.

Students are admitted to the Dean’s List at the end of the fall and spring semesters if they meet all of the following conditions:

• complete at least 12 semester hours for the semester
• earn a minimum grade point average of 3.50 for the semester
• do not incur grades of F
• do not incur grades of P (except in those courses graded only as P/F)
• do not repeat any courses (except those which may be repeated for credit)

Students are awarded the Bachelor of Arts degree, the Bachelor of Science degree, or the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree with honors when they have earned the following grade point averages based on all courses attempted at Lycoming, with a minimum of 64 semester hours (16 units) required for a student to be eligible for honors:

summa cum laude................ exactly 3.90-4.00
magna cum laude................. exactly 3.67-3.89
cum laude............................ exactly 3.33-3.66

Societies - Superior academic achievement is recognized through the conferring of awards and prizes at the annual Honors Convocation and Commencement and through election to membership in honor societies.