Undergraduate Academic Regulations & Procedures
Attendance at Lebanon Valley College is a privilege, not a
right. To provide the necessary atmosphere in which teaching and learning can
occur, the College expects that the conduct of all campus citizens will conform
to accepted standards. The College has the right to require the withdrawal of
any student whose actions are inimical to the purposes of the institution. The
following academic regulations are announcements and do not constitute a
contract between the student and the College. The College reserves the right to
change these regulations and procedures as it deems necessary for the
accomplishment of its purposes, but wherever possible, a student will proceed
to graduation under the regulations in effect at the time of his or her
entrance at the College.
Degrees
Baccalaureate Degrees
Lebanon Valley College confers five baccalaureate degrees.
Bachelor of Arts for students completing requirements in the following major
programs: American studies, art and art history, criminal justice, economics,
English, French, German, historical communications, history, music, music
business, philosophy, political science, religion, sociology, Spanish and
certain individualized majors.
Bachelor of Science for students completing requirements in
the following major programs: accounting, actuarial science, biochemistry and
molecular biology, biology, business administration, chemistry, computer
science, cooperative engineering, cooperative forestry, digital communications,
elementary education, health-care management, health science, mathematics,
music education, physics, psychobiology, psychology and certain individualized
majors. Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, Bachelor of Science in Medical
Technology, and Bachelor of Music: Emphasis in Music Recording Technology for
students completing requirements for the appropriate major program.
Associate Degrees
An Associate degree may be earned by students who have been
admitted through the office of Graduate Studies and Continuing Education and
who have pursued the degree through part-time study. Students may earn an
Associate of Science degree in accounting, general studies and business
administration or an Associate of Arts degree in general studies.
Privacy of Student Records
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974
(FERPA), also known as the Buckley Amendment, helps protect the privacy of
student records. The Act provides for the right to inspect and review
educational records, to seek to amend those records, and to limit disclosure of
information from the records. The Act applies to all institutions that are the
recipients of federal funding.
Annually, Lebanon Valley College informs students of the
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, as amended. This Act, with
which the institution intends to comply fully, was designated to protect the
privacy of education records, to establish the right of students to inspect and
review their education records, and to provide guidelines for the correction of
inaccurate or misleading data through informal and formal hearings.
Students also have the right to file complaints with the
FERPA office concerning alleged failures by the institution to comply with the
act.
Local policy explains in detail the procedures to be used by
the institution for compliance with the provisions of the Act. Copies of the
policy can be found in the following offices: Office of the Registrar, Office
of Student Services, and Office of the Dean of the Faculty. The policy is also
printed in the Faculty Advising Handbook. The offices mentioned also maintain a
Directory of Records that lists all education records maintained on students by
this institution.
Questions concerning the Family Educational Rights and
Privacy Act may be referred to the Registrar’s Office.
Credit Hours
A credit hour is the unit to measure academic progress. Each
course has a credit designation approximately equal to the number of hours to
be spent in class each week. A course requiring three hours of class attendance
each week will carry 3 credit hours. Credit for laboratories is generally
awarded at one half the regular rate.
Application for Graduation
As a student nears completion of the degree requirements,
the student must file an application for the degree and a graduation plan with
the Registrar’s Office. Graduation application deadlines and the semester
Course List and Registration Schedule are available in that office. This
application process provides the student with a timely opportunity to review
his or her degree requirements and to plan or change the student’s course
schedule to ensure completion of all requirements.
The student must complete an Application for the Degree and
a Graduation Plan, meet with his or her advisor, obtain all required signatures
for graduation, including major and minor requirements, and deliver the forms
to the Registrar’s Office in the Humanities Building.
Graduation Requirements
Candidates for a baccalaureate degree shall complete
successfully 120 credit hours, including the requirements for the general
education program and the requirements for majors and minors as
appropriate. Credit hours are accumulated in three separate categories: general
education requirements, major requirements, and electives.
The general education program is that part of the curriculum
shared by all students in all majors. The required courses reflect 54-56 credit
hours. The major programs each require at least 30 credit hours of course work.
Electives are those courses selected by the student that reflect neither major
nor general education requirements.
Candidates for the bachelor’s degree must also take in
residence 30 credit hours of the 36 taken immediately prior to graduation.
Course work taken in all of the College’s programs qualifies as work done in
residence.
Candidates for an associate’s degree must accumulate at
least 60 credit hours including the course work appropriate to their major
program. Fifteen of the last 18 credit hours toward the degree must be taken in
residence. Coursework taken in all of the College’s programs qualifies as work
done in residence.
Candidates for a degree must obtain a cumulative grade point
average of at least 2.00 and a major grade point average of at least 2.00.
Students who have 11 or fewer credits remaining to complete
the degree may participate in the graduation ceremony.
Advising Program
Each student has a faculty advisor whose role is to counsel
about registration procedures, course selections, academic requirements, and
regulations. The student is strongly encouraged to obtain the advisor’s counsel
and approval before registration, withdrawal, election of pass/fail option,
and/or change in credit/audit status.
Arrangement of Schedules
Each student arranges a semester program of courses in
consultation with his or her faculty advisor. Students already in attendance do
this during registration periods. New students accomplish this on orientation
days.
Limit of Hours
To be classified as full time, a student must take at least
12 credit hours in a semester. Seventeen credit hours is the maximum permitted
without approval from the student’s advisor and permission of the registrar. To
be permitted to take more than 17 credits, the student should have a cumulative
grade point average of 3.0 or higher, or be a senior. Audited courses are
counted in determining the course load, but music organizations are not.
Students shall pay the prevailing tuition rate for each credit hour beyond 17
(not counting music organizations).
Class Standing
Students are classified academically at the beginning of
each year. Membership in the sophomore, junior or senior classes is granted to
students who have earned a minimum of 28, 56 or 84 credit hours respectively.
Satisfactory Academic Progress
Satisfactory academic progress toward a degree as a
full-time student is defined as completion of 24 or more credits per academic
year while maintaining a cumulative grade point average of 1.6 (1–27
credits), 1.7 (28–55 credits), 1.8 (56–83 credits), 1.9 (84 or
more). A 2.0 grade point average is required for completion of the
baccalaureate degree. It is also necessary for full-time students to complete
at least 24 credits per academic year in order to maintain eligibility for
federal, state and institutional financial aid.
Transfer Credit
A student applying for advanced standing after having
attended another accredited institution shall send an official transcript to
the dean of admission. If requested, the student must provide copies of the
appropriate catalogs for the years of attendance at the other institution or
institutions.
Credits are accepted for transfer provided the grades are
C– (1.67) or better and the work is equivalent or similar to work offered
at Lebanon Valley College. Grades thus transferred count for credit hours only,
not for quality points.
A candidate for admission holding an associate degree from a
regionally accredited college can be admitted with full acceptance of course
work at the previously attended institution. However, course work in the major
field for which the applicant has received a D shall not be counted toward
fulfilling the major requirement.
Because Lebanon Valley College is a liberal arts
institution, consideration of full acceptance of the associate degree will be
granted with the understanding that the candidate has followed a basic course
of study compatible with the curriculum and academic programs of the College
and has been enrolled in a transfer program. A total of 60 credits will be
accepted for an associate degree and 57 credits for a diploma program. A
maximum of 90 credit hours will be accepted toward a baccalaureate degree.
In most instances the applicant may be expected to complete
the baccalaureate degree within two years. However, when the requirements of a
particular major field or the nature of the previous study demand additional
work beyond two years, the applicant will normally be notified at the time of
admission.
Students transferring to Lebanon Valley College in order to
complete work on a baccalaureate degree will normally be expected to pass at
least one 3-hour course in their intended major for each semester they spend at
the college. “Semester” shall normally be defined as 15 credit hours. Beyond
this minimum requirement, departments may require additional courses if they so
desire.
Lebanon Valley College students enrolled for a degree may
not carry courses concurrently at any other institution without prior consent
of their advisors and the registrar. Students who desire to study away from campus
for summer study must obtain prior approval from their advisors and the
registrar.
Discontinuance of Courses
The College reserves the right to withdraw or discontinue
any course.
Registration and Preregistration
Students are required to register for courses on designated
days of each semester. Preference is given to upper-class students in the
preregistration process to ensure registration in courses required for their
major fields of study. Students desiring to register later than one week after
the opening of the semester will be admitted only by special permission of the
instructor and the registrar.
On entering Lebanon Valley College, students indicate that
they are open or that they have a particular intended major. Students may make
a formal declaration of major during the second semester of their freshman year
and must make a formal declaration by the time they have completed 60 credit
hours.
Change of Registration
Change of registration, including pass/fail elections,
changes of course hours credit, changes from credit to audit and vice versa,
must be approved by signature of the advisor. In most instances, registration
for a course shall not be permitted after the course has been in session for
one full week. With the permission of the advisor, a student may withdraw from
a course during the first 10 weeks of the semester. However, first-time, first-
semester freshmen may withdraw from a course at any time through the last day
of semester classes with permission of the advisor. A fee is charged for every
course added at the student’s request after Add/Drop Day.
Students who drop below full-time status (below 12 credits)
during the publicized Add/Drop Period (the first full week of classes) will be
re-billed as part-time students. Resident students who drop to part-time must
have the permission of the dean of students. Other considerations regarding
financial aid, academic progress, and health insurance must be made before
dropping to part-time status.
Students who drop courses after the publicized Add/Drop
Period will not have their status changed to part-time. However, consideration
must be given to academic progress and future eligibility for financial aid and
scholarship monies.
Auditing Courses
Students may register to audit courses with the approval of
their academic advisor. Audited courses are counted in considering the course
load relative to the limit of hours and may result in an overload charge. No
grade or credit is given for an audited course, but the registrar will record
the audit on the transcript if the student attends regularly. A change of
registration from credit to audit or from audit to credit, with the approval of
the instructor, must be accomplished by the end of the tenth week of semester
classes.
Pass/Fail
After attaining sophomore standing (28 credit hours), a
student may elect to take up to two courses per semester and one per summer
session on a pass/fail basis; however, only six such courses can be counted
toward graduation requirements. No courses elected by students to be taken
pass/fail may be used to meet the requirements of the general education program
or other programs, the major(s), the minor(s) or secondary education
certification. A student may select or cancel a pass/fail registration any time
during the first 10 weeks of a semester. Passing with honors will be designated
by the grade PH indicating that a grade of B+ or higher was earned. If a
student does not pass the course, the student will receive an F on the
transcript.
Repetition of Courses
A student may repeat as often as desired, for a higher
grade, a previously taken course, subject to the following provisions: the
course must have been taken in courses staffed by the College, the course has
to be retaken at Lebanon Valley College, and the semester credit hours are
given only one time. The higher grade received each time taken is computed in
the cumulative grade point average. Each semester grade report will show hours
credit each time passed, but the total hours toward a degree will be equal only
to the semester hours credit for the course. For a course previously passed
P/F, the grade received in the subsequent registration for regular grade is the
“higher grade.” Each grade received remains on the permanent record and a
notation is made thereon that the course has been repeated.
Concurrent Courses
A student enrolled for a degree at Lebanon Valley College
may not carry courses ?concurrently at any other institution without prior
consent of his or her advisor and the registrar.
External Summer Courses
A student registered at Lebanon Valley College may not
obtain credit for the courses taken during the summer at another college unless
such courses have prior approval of his or her advisor and the registrar.
Attendance Policy
Each student is responsible for knowing and meeting all
requirements for each course, including regular class attendance. At the
opening of each semester, the instructors shall clearly inform students of
class attendance regulations. Violations of those regulations shall make the
student liable to receive a grade of F in the course.
Excused absences do not absolve students from the necessity
of fulfilling all course requirements.
In-Absentia
The College treats students in domestic or foreign study
programs as students-in-absentia. Any student who studies for a semester or
academic year at another institution with the intent of returning to the
College is considered a matriculated student. A student desiring in-absentia
status should complete the form in the registrar’s office and secure the
approval of the advisor, the registrar and the director of study abroad and
domestic programs. Students will receive information on registration and room
sign-up after they notify the registrar of their address abroad or in the
United States.
Leave of Absence
For reasons of health or other compelling circumstances,
students may request a voluntary leave from the College for one or two
semesters. A student desiring such a leave should complete the form available
from the registrar and secure the approval of the associate dean of the
faculty. Students on leave are regarded as continuing students and retain their
status for registration and room sign-up, if available. Students on leave will
receive information on those procedures and will be asked to verify their
return. The College reserves the right to require a leave of absence for
medical reasons at any time it is deemed reasonably necessary to protect the
student, other students, members of the College community, or the interests of the College itself. Before a student returns from a medical leave of absence, a clearance interview with one of the counseling psychologists, the dean of students, or the associate dean of the faculty—as well as additional documentation—may be required.
Withdrawal from College and Readmission
To withdraw from the College, a student must complete an official withdrawal form obtained from the registrar. Continuing education students must complete an official withdrawal form obtained from the director of continuing education. Readmission of a student requires written permission from the associate dean of the faculty.
Second Bachelor’s Degrees
A person who has earned a bachelor’s degree from Lebanon Valley College or another accredited college or university may earn a second bachelor’s degree by meeting the following requirements:
1. A minimum of 30 additional undergraduate credits must be completed successfully at Lebanon Valley.
2. All graduation requirements for the major of the second degree must be met satisfactorily.
3. Course work completed successfully as part of the first degree program may be used to satisfy the graduation requirements of the second major
4. No course already taken in the first degree program may be repeated in the second degree program.
5. No more than three credits from student teaching (SED 440, ELM 440 and MED 441) may be counted toward a second degree.
6. Graduates from other accredited colleges or universities shall not be required to meet any general education requirements of Lebanon Valley College.
7. No courses in the second degree program may be met satisfactorily through such non-traditional means as challenge examinations, CLEP, or credit for life experience.
8. No more than three credits from internships may be counted toward a second degree.
9. No courses in the second degree program may be taken pass/fail.
NOTE: Students carrying a second major do not automatically receive a second degree. Student carrying a second major will not receive a second degree without having met all the requirements listed above for a second bachelor’s degree.
Undergraduate Nontraditional Credit
Lebanon Valley College recognizes the ability of highly motivated students to master specific areas of study on their own initiative and provides programs to allow these students the opportunity to gain credit. Except for those seeking a second bachelor’s degree, any matriculated student may earn a maximum of 30 credits toward a bachelor’s degree or a maximum of 15 credits toward an associate’s degree through nontraditional means (challenge exams, advanced placement, CLEP, and credit for life experience). All nontraditional means of examination are graded satisfactory (S) or unsatisfactory (U). An unsatisfactory grade on any nontraditional examination will not be recorded on the permanent record.
Challenge Exam Policy
Many LVC courses can be challenged for credit by examination. Full-time students should request challenge examinations through their academic advisors. Part-time students and those students enrolled through continuing education should make application for challenge exams through the continuing education office. All requests must be approved by the registrar and the chairperson of the department in which the course is listed.
Challenge exams are considered comprehensive examinations in the subject area. The grading criteria for challenge exams will be determined by each department. The exact nature of the examination will be determined by the faculty member and chairperson of the department involved and may include any means of evaluation normally employed by the department. There is a fee for preparation and grading of each challenge exam, and it is charged without regard to the test results.
Challenge exams may not be taken by students who have received any grade in a course equivalent to or more advanced than the course for which the student is requesting credit by examination. Challenge exams may not be used for the purpose of acquiring credit for a course previously failed. Practicums, internships, seminars, research courses, independent study, writing-intensive courses, and courses with laboratory components are normally not subject to credit by examination. Individual departments may have additional criteria regarding challenge exams. Consult the chairperson of the department in which the course is listed for specific information.
Advanced Placement Policy
Advanced placement with credit in appropriate courses will be granted to entering students who make scores of 4 or 5 on College Board Advanced Placement examinations. The official Advanced Placement College Grade Report must be submitted by the student for evaluation by the registrar.
Advanced Placement without credit may be granted on the basis of the Achievement Tests of the College Board examinations or such other proficiency tests as may be determined appropriate by the registrar and by the chairperson of the department.
CLEP (College Level Examination Program) Policy
Credit shall be granted to those students who score well on CLEP examinations that are approved by the College. To receive credit, a student must score above the 50th percentile on the objective section and above a C, as determined by the appropriate academic department for general and subject examinations. The English composition essay is required to receive credit for English Communications with a minimum score of 64 and at the 80th percentile for this CLEP examination. Credit for foreign language at the intermediate level requires a minimum score of 62 (for French), 63 (for German), and 66 (for Spanish) on Level 2 tests.
A maximum of six credits shall be awarded for each examination; of these credits, only three may be applied to the general education requirements in the appropriate area. Credit shall be granted only to students who have matriculated at Lebanon Valley College. Normally, requests for CLEP credit must be approved by the registrar before the student has completed 30 credits.
Credit for Life Experience Policy
Lebanon Valley College provides for the awarding of undergraduate academic credit for knowledge acquired through nonacademic experience in subjects in the College curriculum. The experience should have a direct relation to the material taught in a course in the College curriculum and should extend over a sufficient period to provide substantive knowledge in the relevant area. Matriculated students who believe they qualify for such credit may petition the appropriate department through their academic advisors. Students enrolled in the continuing education program must petition through the continuing education office. This petition must:
(1) detail the relevant experience in question
(2) provide appropriate supporting evidence
(3) note the equivalent College course by department and number
(4) state the number of credit hours sought.
The appropriate department will consult with the academic advisor or the continuing education office to determine the best means (interview, examination, portfolio, etc.) for evaluating the experience.
Approval of experiential credit for full-time students must be made in writing over the signatures of the academic advisor, the appropriate department chair, and the associate dean of the faculty. Approval of experiential credit for students enrolled through the continuing education program must be made in writing over the signatures of the director of graduate studies and continuing education, the appropriate department chair, and the associate dean of the faculty.
Experiential credit cannot exceed 6 credit hours in one academic year and cannot exceed a maximum of 12 credit hours in the degree program.
International Baccalaureate Program
Credit for appropriate courses will be granted to entering students who achieve scores of 5, 6 or 7 on International Baccalaureate individual subject examinations. The official International Baccalaureate transcript must be presented by the student for evaluation by the registrar.
Grading Systems and Grade Point Averages
Student work is graded A (excellent), B (good), C (satisfactory), D (requirements and standards met a minimum level), F (course requirements not met). For each credit hour in a course, students receive the following quality points:
A 4.00
|
C 2.00
|
A- 3.67
|
C- 1.67
|
|
B+ 3.33
|
D+ 1.33
|
|
B 3.00
|
D 1.00
|
|
B- 2.67
|
D- .67
|
|
C+ 2.33
|
F .00
|
|
F carries no credit or quality points, but grades of F are used in calculating the grade point averages. The cumulative grade point average is calculated by dividing the quality points by the credit hours completed.
Candidates for a degree must obtain a cumulative grade point average of 2.00 and a major grade point average of 2.00.
Continuing education degree candidates admitted before July 1, 1989, must meet graduation requirements by earning a cumulative grade point average of 1.75. All students and continuing education candidates admitted after July 1, 1989, must meet graduation requirements by earning a grade point average of 2.00. All students must have a 2.00 grade point average in their major, any second major, and any minor.
A student may not take a course that has a prerequisite course he or she has failed.
In addition to the above grades, the symbols I and W are used. I indicates that the work is incomplete (certain required work postponed by the student for substantial reason with the prior consent of the instructor) but otherwise satisfactory. This work must be completed within the first eight weeks of the next semester, or the I will be changed to an F. Appeals for an extension of time must be presented to the registrar by the first week of the next semester. W indicates withdrawal from a course through the tenth week of semester classes, except for first-semester freshmen who may withdraw through the last day of the semester.
Once a grade has been recorded it may not be changed without the approval of the instructor and the registrar. Students who feel the grade may be inaccurate should contact the instructor at once, but in no case later than the end of the semester following the course in question.
Academic and Graduation Honors
The Dean’s List
Students achieving a 3.40 or higher grade point average while carrying at least 12 credit hours for grade shall be named to the Dean’s List at the end of each semester.
Graduation Honors
After completing a minimum of 60 calculated credit hours of residence work, a student may qualify for graduation honors. The honors to be conferred are summa cum laude for grade point averages of 3.75–4.0, magna cum laude for grade point averages of 3.60–3.74, and cum laude for grade point averages of 3.40–3.59.
Departmental Honors
All major programs provide the opportunity for departmental honors work during the junior and senior years. For specific information, interested students should contact the appropriate department chairperson. The minimal requirements for departmental honors are a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0, both at the time of application and at the time of graduation; a written thesis; an oral presentation; and approval by a majority vote of the full-time members of the department. This project is undertaken on a subject of the student’s own choosing under the supervision of a faculty advisor. Opportunity also exists to do creative work. A maximum of 9 hours credit may be earned in departmental honors.
Phi Alpha Epsilon
Students graduating with grade point averages of 3.50 or higher are eligible for induction into Phi Alpha Epsilon, provided they have earned a minimum of 60 credit hours of residence work.
Academic Honesty
Lebanon Valley College expects its students to uphold the principles of academic honesty. Violations of these principles will not be tolerated. Students shall neither hinder nor unfairly assist the efforts of other students to complete their work. All individual work that a student produces and submits as a course assignment must be the student’s own.
Cheating and plagiarism are acts of academic dishonesty. Cheating is an act that deceives or defrauds. It includes, but is not limited to, looking at another’s exam or quiz, using unauthorized materials during an exam or quiz, colluding on assignments without the permission or knowledge of the instructor, and furnishing false information for the purpose of receiving special consideration, such as postponement of an exam, essay, quiz, or deadline of an oral presentation.
Plagiarism is the act of submitting as one’s own the work (the words, ideas, images, or compositions) of another person or persons without accurate attribution. Plagiarism can manifest itself in various ways: it can arise from sloppy, inaccurate note-taking; it can emerge as the incomplete or incompetent citation of resources; it can take the form of the wholesale submission of another person’s work as one’s own, whether from an online, oral or printed source. The seriousness of an instance of plagiarism—its moral character as an act of academic dishonesty—normally depends upon the extent to which a student intends to deceive and mislead the reader as to the authorship of the work in question. Initially, the instructor will make this determination.
Once academically dishonest work has been submitted, the instructor shall report the suspected incidence to the associate dean of the faculty. At the moment the work has been submitted, the student involved forfeits the right to withdraw from the course or to change his or her course status in any way. The College’s expectations and the measures it will apply to support and enforce those expectations are outlined below.
For the first offense of academic dishonesty, the faculty member has the option of implementing whatever grade-related penalty he or she deems appropriate, up to and including failure in the course. The associate dean of the faculty shall send the student a letter of warning, explaining the policy regarding further offenses and the appeal process.
For the second formally established offense of academic dishonesty, failure in the course is mandatory; the associate dean of the faculty shall so inform the faculty member(s) involved. Additionally, the associate dean of the faculty has the authority to take further action against the student, up to and including expulsion from the College.
For the third formally established offense of academic dishonesty, failure in the course and expulsion from the College are mandatory.
The associate dean of the faculty has the authority to determine whether actions or reasonable suspicions of actions by a student constitute “offenses of academic dishonesty” as described above.
Information related to offenses of academic dishonesty must be passed by the faculty member to the associate dean of the faculty who shall retain the information for as long as the student involved is enrolled at the College. Information and evidence concerning academic dishonesty are the property of the College. Once the student has graduated from the College, the associate dean of the faculty will destroy these records.
All actions against a student for academic dishonesty may be appealed by the student being accused. A written appeal must be presented to the associate dean of the faculty no later than the official date that mid-term grades are due the semester following the semester in which the action was taken against the student. The dean of the faculty will serve as final arbiter.
Academic Probation and Suspension
At the conclusion of each semester, the Dean’s Academic Advisory Council meets to review the academic performance of all undergraduate students. The members of the council are the vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty, the vice president for enrollment and student services, the dean of student services, and the registrar.
To maintain themselves in good academic standing at the College, students must achieve minimum cumulative grade point averages appropriate to progress toward their degree, and they must complete coursework at a regular and sustained pace. Minimum cumulative GPAs are as follows:
Semester Hours Completed Required Cumulative
Semester Hours Completed
|
Required Cumulative GPA
|
1-27
|
1.60
|
| 28-55 |
1.70 |
| 56-83 |
1.80 |
84 or more
|
1.90
|
At the conclusion of each semester, the College examines students’ academic records. Students who have not achieved the above minimum grade point averages will be given an Academic Warning, placed on Probation, or Academically Suspended from the College.
Academic Warning: The first time students fall below the required cumulative GPA as listed above, they will be given Academic Warning. Academic Warning constitutes a formal notification that a student’s academic performance is weak and that he or she needs to devote increased attention to academic work. Students receiving Academic Warning are cautioned that unless they achieve an acceptable cumulative grade point average, they will be placed on Probation and thereby lose the privilege of participating in extracurricular activities (including such activities as intercollegiate sports, student government, campus media, student clubs, and Greek and service organizations).
Probation:Students who fall a second time below the required cumulative GPA (whether in consecutive or nonconsecutive semesters) will be placed on Probation. A student on Probation will not be permitted to take part in extracurricular activities.
Final Probation: Students who fall a third time below the required cumulative GPA (whether in consecutive or nonconsecutive semesters) will be placed on Final Probation. A student on Final Probation will not be permitted to take part in extracurricular activities, and the student will be informed that unless the student restores himself or herself to good academic standing and maintains that status, the student will be suspended from the College.
Academic Suspension: Students will be suspended academically from the College when (1) they fall a fourth time below the required cumulative GPA (whether in consecutive or nonconsecutive semesters); (2) they fail to achieve a cumulative GPA of at least 0.75 at the conclusion of any semester; (3) they have not earned by the conclusion of the second and subsequent semesters of full-time enrollment a total of at least 6 credit hours of coursework for each semester completed. Students suspended will not be permitted to return for at least the full subsequent semester (fall or spring). To request reinstatement, students must submit a written petition to the associate dean of the faculty. A suspended student who returns to the College and who is suspended again for academic reasons will be regarded as permanently separated from the College.
Upon reinstatement to the college, a student will have two semesters to bring up his or her cumulative GPA to the minimum required for good academic standing at the College.
Veterans’ Services-Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges:
Lebanon Valley College has been designated as an institutional member of Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC), a group of over 400 colleges providing post-secondary education to members throughout the world. As an SOC member, Lebanon Valley College recognizes the unique nature of the military life-style and has committed itself to easing the transfer of relevant course credits, providing flexible residency requirements, and crediting learning from appropriate military training and experiences.
Veterans Benefits
Veterans who are eligible to receive educational benefits must report their enrollment to the Financial Aid Office once they register for each semester or summer session. The Financial Aid Office will then submit certification of their enrollment to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Veterans receiving EAP and/or FTA benefits are responsible for applying for these benefits through their unit of assignment prior to the start of each semester or summer session and for submitting all necessary forms to the Financial Aid Office.
Veterans must notify the office immediately if they change the number of credits for which they are enrolled, withdraw, or request a leave of absence. Failure to do so may result in a charge to the student from the VA for overpayment of benefits. Veterans receiving education benefits must verify their attendance each month, no earlier than the last day of each month, to the VA on-line via WAVE. Students can access this site by going to www.gibill.va.gov. (Veterans receiving vocational rehabilitation benefits do not need to verify their attendance).
Veterans who are attending Lebanon Valley College and have never used VA education benefits before should go on-line to www.gibill.va.gov and fill out Form 22-1990. Dependents should fill out form 22-5490 (dependents will need the veteran’s file number). This form should be submitted on-line through the GI Bill website and then printed out and either mailed or faxed to the Financial Aid Office at Lebanon Valley College.
Veterans who have used education benefits before and will either be changing their attendance to Lebanon Valley College and/or changing their program of study should submit a signed statement to the Financial Aid Office stating this change. Alternatively, a copy of form 22-1995 or 22-5495 (for dependents) can be filled out and returned to the Financial Aid Office.
Students eligible for veterans benefits who remain on academic probation for two consecutive semesters must be reported to the Department of Veterans Affairs. Veterans with questions about the College, or their status with the College, should contact the Financial Aid Office.
Teacher Certification for Nonmatriculated Students
Lebanon Valley College offers teacher certification to a variety of special students: students with degrees from other colleges, teachers seeking certification in other fields, or Lebanon Valley College alumni seeking certification for the first time. All students must present official transcripts of college work or their previous teacher certification to the registrar. The education department, the registrar and the appropriate academic department shall evaluate the record and recommend the appropriate course of action. A fee shall be charged for this service.
All candidates must meet the criteria for Admission to Teacher Certification Candidacy as detailed under the Department of Education.