Policies

Students mustparticipate in the classroom by the 7th day of the session (the first day of class is Tuesday).

• Students who do not participate in the classroom by 11:59 pm PT on the seventh day of class, may be dropped from the course and/or administratively withdrawn from the University.
• If at any time after the first week's participation in class, a student is absent from the university for 14 consecutive calendar days, they will be withdrawn from the course and/or administratively withdrawn from the university.

What qualifies as online participation?

• Submission of a gradable assignment, such as a paper
• Participation in a gradable online discussion

Please note, logging into the classroom or engaging in lectures and meetings does not count as participation.

Students who need to withdraw from a current course(s) can do so through the student portal. The Course Withdrawal form is located on the student portal home page under the Forms tab in the left-hand column.

Please refer to the Registration page for additional information regarding prerequisite and corequisite requirements. Before making any changes to their schedules, students should consult with their academic advisor and student financial planner to understand any academic and financial implications. For more information, please refer to the Cancellation and Refund Policy  and Grading System.

Student Finance Department
Main: 855-313-0885, Option 4
studentfinance@usuniversity.edu

Students can submit an Academic Leave of Absence Request through your student portal. You will find the request form under the Forms tab in the left-hand column.

Your return date must be the start date of the class(es) when you will return. Please be sure that your start and end dates for your request correspond with the class start dates as listed in the Academic Calendar (click here) to view the Academic Calendar.

An approved LOA cannot exceed more than 180 calendar days in a twelve-month period. The 12-month period begins on the first day of the student’s LOA. Students are expected to attend by the end of the add drop period of the session of their approved return date. Students who are not in attendance by the end of the add period, will automatically be considered a withdrawal.

LOAs are approved when the student meets all the following criteria:

• Actively attending as defined by: last date of attendance/participation cannot exceed 14 calendar days, and
• Completed at least one semester (at least two consecutive 8-week sessions), and
• In good academic standing (not on disciplinary action, academic probation or academically dismissed from the University), and
• Scheduled return date must align with a start date (return date cannot be in the middle of a session).

LOAs are not available for:

• Non-degree seeking students.
• International students with an F1 student visa. Refer to the International Student Handbook regarding academic breaks/vacations.

If a student is absent from the University for 14 consecutive calendar days (excluding scheduled breaks of five days or more), at any time after the first week of class and no contact has been made by the student indicating intent to return (see Intent to Return below), the student will be dropped from the course and/or administratively withdrawn from the University. Students should consult with their academic advisor and student financial planner before making changes to their schedules as there may be academic and financial implications due to schedule changes. Please refer to the Cancellation and Refund Policy (https://usuniversity.smartcatalogiq.com/current/policy-and-procedure-manual/500-finance-and-accounting/503-student-accounts-and-finance/503-7-cancellation-and-refund-policy/) and Grading System (https://usuniversity.smartcatalogiq.com/current/policy-and-procedure-manual/300-academic-operations/307-academic-policies/307-6-grading-system/) for more information.

Students who stop attending courses may submit written confirmation of their Intent to Return in a future session to avoid being withdrawn from the university if they meet the following criteria:

• The student was withdrawn or administratively withdrawn from the course(s) in the first session of that semester, and
• Provide written consent of their Intent to Return within 14 calendar days following their last date of attendance, and
• The student's return date must be no later than the start date of the second session of that semester, and
• Are not an international student with an F1 Student VISA. International students with an F1 Student VISA should speak to their designated school official for possible options and refer to the International Student Handbook regarding academic breaks/vacations.

Students who are ineligible to file an Intent to Return should refer to the Leave of Absence (https://usuniversity.smartcatalogiq.com/current/policy-and-procedure-manual/300-academic-operations/307-academic-policies/307-4-academic-leave-of-absence/) (LOA) policy for alternative options to remain enrolled at the university.

Students who do not return by the end of the add/drop period of their scheduled return date will be administratively withdrawn from the University. The withdrawal date will be recorded as the student's last date of attendance. This status will be reported to external agencies as required by federal, state, or other regulatory bodies.

International students with an F1 Student VISAInternational students are required tomaintain continuous participation in an online environment and must attend all in-person weekend lectures. Failing to attend in-person lectures will result in course(s) being dropped and/or administratively withdrawn from the University which may be processed the next business day. Make-up hours are not allowed.

Field Experience Preparation ParticipationFor students in field experience/practicum/student teaching requirements, participation includes students being proactive and partnering with the Office of Field Experience or designee to fulfill the required field experience requirements which include and are not limited to: reviewing and understanding the program requirements, communicating with your coordinators, submitting the required documentation/information prior to the established deadlines to ensure sufficient time to review and process your requests, and to be respectful of the time of others involved in the process - including preceptors, cooperating teachers and placement location personnel.

Students wishing to withdraw from their current program can submit their request through the student portal. The Program Withdrawal form can be found on the student portal home page under the Forms tab in the left-hand column.

It is recommended that students reach out to their academic advisor and student finance planner before withdrawing from a program to fully understand any potential financial impacts.

United States University
Student Finance Department
Main: 855-313-0885, Option 4
studentfinance@usuniversity.edu (mailto:studentfinance@usuniversity.edu)

An Incomplete (I) grade is assigned when a student is unable to complete the requirements of a course due to extenuating circumstances beyond the student’s control, such as illness, hospitalization, death, or care of a family member. A student may request an Incomplete grade if at a minimum 60% of a course is completed and the student is in good standing.

NOTE: To request an incomplete grade in a clinical class requires that at least 60% (e.g. 81 clinical hours of a required 135) have already been completed prior before the request being submitted or the request will be denied.

The student must initiate the request for an incomplete to the faculty before the last day of the course (see attached request letter). Faculty may require students to provide documentation of the extenuating circumstance. If the faculty approves the request for the incomplete, a student may be given up to a maximum of four (4) weeks from the end of the course to meet the criteria outlined by the faculty for an incomplete. It is at the discretion of the faculty to give a shorter deadline.

Faculty will send the approval to the Office of the Registrar for processing. The student is responsible for following up with the faculty to remove an incomplete. Failure to resolve the incomplete by the deadline will result in the grade defaulting to an “F” or “NC” based on the grading criteria of the course.

A grade of incomplete is not considered a grade and may not satisfy the prerequisite requirement of any subsequent courses.

Please also be aware that our registrar will send you a DocuSign for you to complete and return within 24 hours. If you do not complete and submit the DocuSign form to the registrar within the 24-hour timeframe, the agreement between you and the professor regarding the incomplete grade may be voided and the registrar will assign a grade based on work already completed.

Students with complaints should first strive to resolve the issue informally. Informal resolution should begin no more than 20 business days after the incident or service. For example, students with complaints relating to classroom issues should follow these steps:

1. Discuss the issue with their instructor. Both the student and the faculty member work to resolve the issue at this level.
2. If resolution does not occur at the instructor level, unresolved complaints should be submitted in writing to the Dean or Program Director/Lead for the program of enrollment.
3. If the complaint is not resolved at the Director/Dean level, the unresolved complaint becomes a grievance, and the Grievance Procedure (see below) will be followed.

Likewise, students with complaints regarding the unequal application of a university policy should strive to resolve the issue informally as described above, first bringing the matter to the attention of their Enrollment Advisor in the case of Admissions policies, and their Academic Advisor once enrolled. Unresolved complaints should then be submitted to the Advising Director.

Library Resources are available online in the D2L Classroom Platform. The databases and self-learning library instructional resources support a comprehensive information literacy strategy designed to facilitate student success. The online library is available 24 hours/7 days a week.

Brainfuse Tutoring is an online tutoring service in the D2L Classroom platform that provides academic support. Services include: live online tutoring, online writing lab, and study guides and tools. The services are user-friendly and help support USU students achieve their educational goals.

Office 365 is available online for free to all USU students. This includes online access to Word, Excel, Powerpoint, One Note, and now Microsoft Teams. This is a online service and student will create an account to login for use. are not downloaded to a computer or devices

Please note grade appeals are adjudicated during the course session. For any grading issues or concerns, students should communicate directly with their professor. Once the final grade the course is posted, and students believe there has been an error in grade calculation or an inconsistent application of grading criteria, students may submit a Grade Appeal Form (https://forms.gle/YYs7XLra7zSr5wSaA) following the Grade Appeal Policy (https://usuniversity.smartcatalogiq.com/2020-2021/General-Catalog/General-Policies/Complaints-Grievances-and-Appeals-Policy).

(Following successful completion of the form, you will receive a confirmation email with information on processing times)

The grievance procedure intends to resolve a dispute over significant issues, not minor disagreements. Examples include but are not limited to alleged violations of academic freedom; a repeated pattern of harassment or other inappropriate behavior; and legally prohibited unequal treatment including but not limited to discrimination or harassment based on age, sex, race, religion, creed, color, ethnic/national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, pregnancy, genetic background, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, or other personal characteristic protected by applicable local, state or federal law.

Procedure:

1. A student must submit the detailed grievance in writing via the Complaint/Grievance Form to the Office of the Provost and include all pertinent information. Such information must include the informal steps taken to resolve the issue, with all steps fully documented as to the person(s) with whom the student met, date, results of the meeting(s) and materials presented during the informal resolution stage. The student must be specific as to the issue being grieved, citing the example(s) of treatment leading to the grievance.The Office of the
2. Provost will review the grievance within five (5) working days, requesting additional information from the grievant if necessary. The Provost will appoint a Grievance Committee that shall include at a minimum two faculty members not from the student’s program of enrollment and one administrator not to include the Program Director/Dean of the student’s program of enrollment, the Provost, or the President.
3. The Grievance Committee will have 10 working days from receipt of the grievance from the Provost to review the grievance, obtain further information from members of the University who may know the situation and the grievant, and decide as to the grievance resolution, providing its recommendation to the Provost.
4. The Provost will have three (3) working days to provide the University’s response to the grievant.

The University has established a reasonable policy to measure satisfactory academic progress (SAP) to become a United States University graduate and to be eligible for federal student aid (FSA), if applicable.

USU measures SAP by using qualitative (cumulative grade point average) and quantitative (pace of completion) standards.

• SAP= Satisfactory Academic Progress
• Ensures students make academic progress toward the completion of their degree within a reasonable time while maintaining a minimum GPA requirement
• Applies to all students

SAP Requirements:

To maintain satisfactory progress both qualitative and quantitative standards must be met:

1. Qualitative Standards:

Undergraduate students must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of at least 2.0 (on a standard 4.0 scale) at the end of each semester. At the end of the second academic year students must have a GPA of at least 2.0.

Graduate students must maintain a minimum CGPA of at least 3.0 (on a standard 4.0 scale) at the end of each semester.

How to calculate CGPA: CGPA is calculated by dividing the total grade points earned, per the grading scale in this catalog, by the total semester credits for courses completed at the University.

• You must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA at the end of each semester (every 16 weeks)
  • Undergraduate students: minimum of 2.0
  • Graduate students: minimum of 3.0

2. Quantitative Standards:

a. Students must maintain a pace of completion rate of at least 66.67% at the end of each semester measured by dividing the total number of credit hours successfully completed by the total number of credit hours attempted.
Example: A student who has successfully completed only 12 of 24 attempted credit hours would have a rate of 50%. Dividing 12 by 24 is equal to 50%.

b. Undergraduate and graduate students must complete their program of study within a maximum time frame (MTF) of 150% of the published length measured in credits hours to graduate.
Example: A student enrolled in a 120-semester credit program would have to complete the program in a maximum time frame of 180 credits attempted (150% of 120).

• At the end of the evaluation period (every 16 weeks), you must have successfully passed at least 66.7% of the coursework attempted
• This means for every 3 courses that are attempted, you must pass 2 courses on your first try
• Complete the program with a maximum time frame of 150% of the published program credit requirements.

Why is this important?

• If you fail to meet SAP guidelines, you will be placed on a warning period for 16 weeks. Failure to meet SAP in that time will result in academic dismissal from the university.

Students who wish to appeal a SAP dismissal must complete the SAP Appeal Form available from their academic advisor by contacting them directly or at studentservices@usuniversity.edu.

1. The completed appeal form, with supporting documentation, should be submitted within 30 calendar days from the date notification of dismissal was sent to the student. The appeal must include:
   1. an explanation of why the student is submitting an appeal,
   2. explanation of the mitigating circumstances as to why the student failed to meet SAP standards during the warning/probationary period,
   3. documentation supporting the appeal,
   4. a detailed action plan addressing how these circumstances no longer pose an issue to the student's success and what the student will do to meet SAP standards moving forward.

Once appeal form and supporting documents are received, the Office of the Registrar will review the appeal and will appoint a committee, including but not limited to the student's college faculty, program dean/director, advisors, and members from financial aid and student accounts office who will review the appeal and make a final decision. Students will be notified via email within 15 business days (excluding holidays).

e. If the appeal is approved, the student will be informed of the timeframe (approved for 1 or 2 semesters) they are to be placed on probation, and any recommendations to ensure successful academic progression. This will be provided via email through an Academic Success Plan created by the committee or student's advisor. Failure to adhere to the conditions outlined in the success plan may result in being dismissed from the University. Students will need to follow the readmission policy.

f. If the appeal is denied, the student will not be allowed to be readmitted to continue their studies.