Student Handbook: Simmons Schools

In this section

Registration Procedures

Change of Name or Address

Changes in a student's or her parents' name, home address, local address, or telephone number must be reported to the Office of the Registrar.

Heavy Academic Programs

Heavy academic programs are considered to be those in which the student carries more than 20 semester hours of credit per semester. Undergraduate students wishing to take such a program are required to have the Administrative Board's approval before registering. Students must submit a petition with the recommendation or comments of their advisor or chairperson of their major department to make this request. Completed petitions must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar.

First-semester freshmen, students with one or more failing evaluations during the previous semester, and students on probation or removed from degree candidacy may not carry more than 16 hours per semester.

Changing Courses

Dropping Courses:
An undergraduate student may drop one or more courses after registration and until the Friday of the eighth week of classes by completing the add/drop form available in the Office of the Registrar and having the form signed by her advisor. October 27, 2006 is the final date for withdrawing from a course for the fall semester; March 16, 2007 is the final date for spring semester. In the event that a student drops a course after the fourth week of classes, she must also have the form signed by her instructor. A "W" will appear on the student's transcript for all courses dropped after the fourth week. All add/drop forms must be returned to the Office of the Registrar to make the change official. Any student wishing to withdraw from a course after the eighth week of classes must petition the Administrative Board. Only petitions that contain medical verification from the Simmons College Health Center or those that outline unusual circumstances beyond the student's control will be approved. Students who wish to drop a course should read carefully the College's refund policy prior to making a final decision. Please see page 52 of the 2006-2008 Course Catalog.

Dropping a course may affect a student's financial aid (loans) and merit funds (scholarships and assistantships) status. U.S. students must be enrolled at least half time to receive federal loans and usually full time for scholarships and assistantships. International students (non U.S. citizens) must maintain full-time enrollment to remain in status for immigration purposes. Before dropping any course, international students must consult with the international student advisor in the Office of Student Life.

Once enrolled in a course, a student is considered to be in that course until such time as she changes her registration in the Office of the Registrar. A student who fails to attend a course from which she has not officially withdrawn receives a grade of "F."

Adding Courses:
An undergraduate student may add courses after registration until the end of the fourth week of classes. No student will be permitted to add a course after the fourth week of classes except under exceptional circumstances as granted by the Administrative Board. During the first two weeks, a student may add a course, provided she completes an add/drop form and obtains the approval of her faculty advisor. If a student wishes to add a course during the third and fourth weeks of classes, she must complete the proper form and obtain the approval signatures of both the instructor and her faculty advisor.

Leave of Absence

An undergraduate degree candidate may apply for a leave of absence at any time after she enrolls at the College. The leave of absence may extend for a period of up to two calendar years from the start of the leave. The student may return to the College at the beginning of any term within that period by notifying the Office of the Registrar at least one month prior to the first day of class if she was in good standing at the start of the leave. If a registered student applies for a leave after the eighth week of a semester the Administrative Board will review academic progress. If the Board determines that the student was progressing unsatisfactorily in her courses at the time her leave began, the Board may impose an appropriate academic sanction (e.g., letter of warning, probation, removal from degree candidacy, or exclusion from the College). In such cases the student may apply for re-admission to the College when she wishes to return. Non-degree candidates are not eligible to apply for a leave of absence.

If, during the leave, the student wishes to take courses at another institution and transfer the credit to Simmons, she must obtain prior approval from the Office of the Registrar.

The following information must be submitted to the registrar on the leave of absence application, which is available in the Office of the Registrar:

Reason(s) for the leave
Plans (if known) during the leave
Duration of the leave
Permanent address

Students must meet with their faculty advisor and the Dean for Student Life or her designee to confirm leave plans and must obtain their signatures on the application. Students who are financial aid recipients must meet with a financial aid counselor before taking a leave.

The transcript of a student who begins a leave after the fourth week of classes will show a "W" for each of her courses. The statement "Leave of Absence" and the effective date will be recorded on the transcript. Refund policies for leave of absence students are the same as those for students who withdraw from the College. Please see page 52 of the 2006-2008 Course Catalog.

Withdrawal from the College

If a student withdraws from all of her/his courses, fails to return from leave of absence after the date approved by the registrar, or fails to register for any courses by the end of the fourth week of classes, she/he is considered to have withdrawn from the College. No student will be permitted to register after the fourth week of the semester. All College expenses incurred by the student before her withdrawal must be paid in full prior to the release of her official records.

If an undergraduate student withdraws from the College after the eighth week of a semester, the Administrative Board will review her record. If the board determines that the student was progressing unsatisfactorily in her course work at the time of her withdrawal, the board may impose an appropriate academic sanction (e.g., letter of warning, probation, removal from degree candidacy, or exclusion from the College). An undergraduate wishing to leave the College should notify the registrar in writing in advance of her departure. She should also have an exit interview with administrative staff in the Office of the Dean for Student Life, and if she is a financial aid recipient, with a financial aid counselor. Students are urged to consult their parents or guardians and review the College's refund policy before deciding to withdraw from the College.

MySimmons

Simmons College Intranet for Current Students, Faculty and Staff

Navigation: