Academic Regulations

National and community college studies indicate that students are more successful if they complete a student success course. Therefore, in the fall of 1997, Wilkes Community College implemented a policy that requires all degree/diploma-seeking students to successfully complete a student success course.

Students in Associate in Applied Science (AAS) programs are required to complete ACA 115 within their first 13 semester hours of enrollment at WCC.

All Associate in Arts (AA), Associate in Science (AS), and Associate in Engineering (AE) students are encouraged to take ACA 122 during their first semester of enrollment at WCC.

ACA 115: Success and Study Skills

ACA 115 is organized according to three major concepts: extended orientation, academic success strategies, and applied critical thinking. The extended orientation concept involves connecting students to WCC technology, services, and expectations. Students practice reading, note taking, and test taking strategies to enhance their college academic success skills. Finally, information literacy, financial literacy, and career awareness make up the applied critical thinking approach in ACA 115.

ACA 122: College Transfer Success

Students enrolling in the Associate in Arts (AA), Associate in Engineering (AE) and Associate in Science (AS) programs are required to take ACA 122 as their student success course. Students are involved in activities that support six outcomes: developing a plan to complete community college goals, creating a transfer plan, understanding North Carolina transfer guidelines, enhancing learning strategies, connecting to college resources, and working with college policies and procedures. Students are expected to compare resources, policies, and procedures between the community college and university levels.

An “AU” grade will be recorded when students audit a course, unless the student is a senior (65+ on or before the first day of class being audited), then a grade of “SR” will be recorded. Students who wish to audit a course must register by completing the audit course form. Regular student audits will be charged full tuition and fees for the course. Senior audit students must provide proof of age and will have tuition waived, but will incur all applicable fees. Senior audit students may only have tuition waived for up to six hours of undergraduate level classes per semester. Auditing students must meet all course prerequisites and corequisites. Students must declare audit status in the Registrar’s Office by the end of the drop/add period for the semester of enrollment.

Students desiring to change their program of study should contact the Admissions Office or their advisor. Students will be reassigned to a new advisor, if appropriate, and course credits will be reevaluated. Students certified for VA benefits must notify a VA representative when changing their program of study.

Courses may be repeated as deemed necessary by students. When a course is repeated, an “R” notation is made on the transcript. The highest grade earned will be used to calculate the cumulative grade point average to meet graduation requirements. A student who receives a passing grade of A, B, or C in a course and re-enrolls for a third time must submit a written statement of the reason for re-enrolling. This written statement will be maintained in the Student Services Office. Career & College Promise students may only repeat courses where they earned a grade of D, F, or W. Auditing students may repeat courses without written permission.

Only under exceptional circumstances will students be permitted to substitute or deviate from the established requirements of a program of study. The division Dean and Vice President of Instruction must approve substitutions prior to registration. Documentation will be submitted to the registrar prior to taking the course and will become part of the student’s official record.

Student Voluntary Withdrawal

Students may add or drop courses during the official registration period as published in the college calendar. These changes will not be reflected on grade reports and transcripts. Students should contact the Registrar’s Office at 336-838-6489 or their academic advisor for assistance.

Students should be aware of the 25% penalty for courses dropped after the semester or term begins. For each course dropped after registration ends and through the published withdrawal date (75% point) for the term, students are responsible for completing a drop form. To access the drop form, click on the E-Forms icon on the Prowler page. After the published withdrawal date (75% point) of the term, students cannot be withdrawn from a course, but will receive the grade they have earned. However, an administrative withdrawal (student receives a “W” grade) may be granted after the seventy-five percent (75%) point for extenuating circumstances (military, court orders, natural disasters, or other extreme circumstances) and must be approved by the division dean and Vice President of Instruction.

Students wishing to withdraw from the college must submit a properly completed drop form. Students are advised to meet with their advisor before dropping a course. The instructor will indicate the last date of attendance on the drop form. The form is then sent to the Registrar’s Office for processing. A drop grade will be given up to the 10% point of the class. A withdrawal grade will be recorded on the grade reports and transcripts after the 10% point and up to the published last date to withdraw (75% point) of the term. Failure to properly file a drop form may result in a failing grade.

Student Involuntary Withdrawal

• Students who register for a course and do not attend class prior to the ten percent (10%) point will be dropped by the instructor as a “No Show.”
• Students may be involuntary withdrawn due to excessive absences prior to the published withdrawal date (75% point of the term).
• Students may be administratively withdrawn from courses for disciplinary reasons subject to the student discipline policies.
• If a student withdraws from a course that has a required co-requisite, the student will be withdrawn from the co-requisite course unless a waiver has been granted for the student to take the course without being enrolled in the co-requisite course.
• If a student is required to take a Reinforced Instruction for Student Excellence (RISE) co-requisite course and withdraws from the required RISE co-requisite course, the student will be withdrawn from the gateway course. Example: Student withdraws from ENG-011 Writing and Inquiry Support, then the student will be withdrawn from ENG-111 Writing and Inquiry.

At the end of each semester, students will receive final grades based upon the following ten-point system unless noted otherwise in the course syllabus:

Note: Developmental courses (any course that has 0 as the first number in the 3 digit course number) do not earn credit hours or quality points but may be used for financial aid and athletic eligibility.

Curriculum course grades with no grade points awarded include:

• TR: Transfer Credit
• CE: Credit by Exam
• I: Incomplete
• P: Pass (Developmental or Credit by Exam)
• R: Repeat (Developmental Course Not Passed or Repeated Course, GPA Recalculated)
• AR: High School Credit
• W: Withdrawal
• AU: Audit
• SR: Senior Audit

These special grades are defined as follows:

• TR: A “TR” grade represents transfer credit awarded for courses taken at other schools, colleges, or universities.
• CE: A “CE” grade is awardded if a grade of 80% or better is earned on a credit by examination.
• I: An “I” grade is given only under extenuating circumstances as determined by the instructor. Such a grade must be removed by the end of the following semester. If not removed within this time, the incomplete becomes a failure.
• P: A grade of “P” is awarded if a student completes and passes a developmental course or if a “C” or better is earned on a credit by examination.
• R: A grade of “R” is awarded if a student does not complete or pass a developmental course or if a course has been repeated. A course may be repeated as deemed necessary by students. When a course is repeated, an “R” notation is made on the transcript.
• AR: An “AR” grade represents credit given for courses completed while in high school as outlined in the North Carolina High School to Community College Articulation Agreement.
• W: Following the ten percent (10%) period, a withdrawal grade of “W” is given when a student officially withdraws from a course. A withdrawal grade is awarded through the seventy-fifth percent (75%) point of the semester/term. An administrative withdrawal (student receives a “W” grade) may be granted for extenuating circumstances (military, court orders, natural disasters, or other extreme circumstances) and must be approved by the division dean and Vice President of Instruction. Medical Withdrawals (includes death of family member, becoming a caretaker) will still be allowed, per the current Withdrawal Policy.
• AU: An “AU” grade is given when students are auditing courses.
• SR: An “SR” grade is given when senior (age 65+) students are auditing courses.

The measure of students’ overall academic achievement will be based upon a cumulative grade point average using a 4.00 scale. To compute the GPA: multiply the credit hours attempted for each course (excluding withdrawal and developmental course grades) by the number of grade points assigned for the grade received; then divide the total grade points earned by the total credit hours attempted.

A grade once reported shall not be changed except when the instructor states that an error has been made using the official change of grade form. The grade change must be submitted to the Registrar’s Office within one year of the initial grade posting or, in exceptional cases, at the discretion of the Vice President of Instruction.

This Policy shall apply to grade appeals unrelated to issues pertaining to the Code of Student conduct. The grade appeal process applies only to final course grades. In the event a student appeals a grade that prevents progression in a program, the student will be allowed to enroll and attend the following semester pending the outcome of the appeal. For sequential classes that have a clinical component, the student will be allowed to take the academic coursework but will not be allowed to participate in the clinical component of the class until the appeal is over. If the grade is upheld, the student will be administratively dropped from the course and refunded the tuition.

1. If a student is dissatisfied with his or her grade, the student must first meet with the instructor who assigned the grade within five (5) business days after official receipt of that grade. The instructor will make a written determination and provide it to the student. In cases where the student is unable to meet in person with the instructor, the student may contact the instructor by email. If the instructor is no longer employed at the College, the student may proceed to step B.
2. If the student is still dissatisfied with the instructor’s determination, within five (5) business days thereafter, the student may meet with the Department Chair or Program Director (Health Sciences), if there is one and that person is not the instructor of the course, in which case the student should proceed to step C. The student must present the instructor’s written determination. In cases where the student is unable to meet in person with the Department Chair or Program Director, the student may contact the Chair or Director by email. The Department Chair of Program Director will make a written determination and provide it to the student.
3. If the student is dissatisfied with the Department Chair’s determination, within five (5) business days thereafter, the student may meet with the Division Dean. The student must present the instructor’s and Department Chair’s written determination. In cases where the student is unable to meet in person with the Dean, the student may contact the Dean by email. The Dean shall make a written determination and provide it to the student.
4. If the student is dissatisfied with the Dean’s determination, within five (5) business days thereafter, the student may file a written appeal with all documentary evidence to the Vice President of Instruction. The Dean shall also file a written response, attaching the instructor and Department Chair’s prior written decisions, to the Vice President. The Vice President shall perform an “on the record review” and will make a determination within ten (10) business days after receipt of the student’s appeal. If needed for clarification, the Vice President may meet with the student or ask the student or Dean to submit additional information. The Vice President shall make a written determination and provide a copy of the decision to the student and the instructor. The Vice President’s decision is final.

The academic forgiveness policy is designed to assist students who have failing grades from previous WCC enrollment. Students may request forgiveness for F’s earned five years or more ago by submitting a request to the registrar. Only failing (F) grades may be forgiven from a student’s grade point average. Prior to the reevaluation of credits, the student must be readmitted to the college, register for courses, and complete at least 12 credit hours of course work with a minimum quality point average of 2.0. The request can be submitted at the end of the semester in which the 12 credit hours of coursework is completed.

A student may request academic forgiveness for WCC course grades only one time, regardless of subsequent program changes, subsequent enrollment, or other unanticipated events.

Credits forgiven under the academic forgiveness policy will be exempt from calculation in the student’s cumulative grade point average. While the forgiven grades will continue to appear on the official transcript, the courses and the earned “F” grades will be marked as forgiven.

It is the student’s responsibility to contact the Financial Aid office to determine if the grades covered under the academic forgiveness policy will be included in the grade point average calculation for financial aid or VA educational benefits. Students who plan to transfer to another college or university are responsible for determining the impact forgiven grades may have on their transfer credit before they request forgiveness for those grades at WCC.

Degree-seeking students currently enrolled at Wilkes Community College, with prior proficiency in a course due to previous educational or work experience, may apply for credit by examination. Credit by examination can be requested for courses only listed in their active program of study in which they can demonstrate the required level of proficiency based upon course objectives. This option is available for selected courses as determined by the department chair, division dean and lead instructors. A proficiency demonstration may be a written exam, oral exam, shop exercise, or lab exercise. A maximum of 25% of the program requirements may be met through credit by examination. The following rules for the student apply:

• Obtain permission from the appropriate department chairperson or lead instructor.
• Instructor issuing the exam will request the credit by exam documentation from the Registrar’s Office.
• The student will be registered for the course in the Registrar’s Office and pay the tuition for the course, which is non-refundable.
• Take and submit the Credit by Exam documentation back to the Registrar’s Office prior to the 10% point of the term.
• Earn a grade of 80% or better.
• Proficiency demonstrations may be taken only one time for each course.
• Credit for proficiency demonstration may not be granted for a course being audited by the student.
• The instructor will complete the credit by exam documentation and a grade of “CE” (Credit by Examination) will be given to the student for exams that earn a grade of 80% or higher. The credit hours will contribute toward a degree, diploma, or certificate. However, this grade will have no effect on the student’s GPA.
• The results of the examination will be recorded on the request form and forwarded with the examination to the division dean. The dean will file the examination and return the completed form to the registrar.

Wilkes Community College awards academic credit for certain pre-approved non-credit (continuing education) courses. Wilkes Community College continuing education units will be evaluated for curriculum credit equivalency under the following conditions:

• Only courses pre-approved for articulation from continuing education to curriculum education will be considered for equivalency.
• Courses must be evaluated for curriculum credit equivalency within five years of completion.
• Only continuing education courses in which the student has earned a Satisfactory (S) grade will be considered for transfer to curriculum credit.
• The student must be enrolled in program of study for which the equivalent course is required or allowed as an elective.
• Continuing education credit may not be used once the respective curriculum course has been attempted at Wilkes Community College.

A continuing education course may only be applied to the approved curriculum course(s) for which it has been pre-approved and may not be used as a substitution for other required courses. Students will receive Non-Course (NC) credit on their curriculum transcript, and the course will not be used in the computation of the student’s GPA.

Students who complete continuing education courses that are not pre-approved for equivalency may be eligible to receive credit through Credit by Exam.

A student can use CE to CU credit for up to 25% of a credential at WCC.

Students must notify the Office of the Registrar if they wish to receive curriculum credit for a pre-approved continuing education course.

Wilkes Community College has an advanced standing program that allows previous academic study, examination, or military experience to
be evaluated for possible college credit.

Transfer credit or advanced standing is available to students from these educational experiences:

1. Transfer Credits from Other Colleges: Credits may be transferred from colleges and universities that are regionally accredited. Official transcripts from these institutions will be evaluated only after students have been admitted to the college and placed in a program of study. Credit will be awarded provided the course content parallels that taught at WCC or is in the Combined Course Library of the North Carolina Community College System. Credit is awarded only for courses with a grade of “C” or better. Developmental (Pass/Repeat) grades can be transferred to Wilkes Community College from other N.C. Community Colleges due to the use of a statewide grading system for these courses.
2. Transfer of Credits from Nationally Accredited Colleges and Programs: Official transcripts from programs that are accredited by national programmatic accrediting organizations and colleges that are recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and the United States Department of Education (USDE) will be evaluated only after students have been admitted to the college and placed in a related program of study. Credit will be awarded provided the course content parallels that taught at WCC or is in the Combined Course Library of the North Carolina Community College System. Credit is awarded only for courses with a grade of “C” or better. Credit cannot be awarded for courses intended to transfer under the Comprehensive Articulation Agreement between the University of North Carolina and the North Carolina Community College System.
3. College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) and Advanced Placement Program (AP): Advanced standing may be granted to students who have successfully completed examinations through the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) and/or through the Advanced Placement Program of the College Entrance Examination Board. Official test scores must be presented for evaluation.
4. Credits for Military Service: Credits will be granted, where applicable, for military experience in accordance with the recommendations of the American Council on Education’s Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Services.

The maximum credit transferable from all outside sources is 75%. At least 25% of the credit hours required for graduation must be earned through instruction by Wilkes Community College. This 25% cannot include credit by examination hours taken at Wilkes Community College.  To obtain transfer credit or advanced standing, students must submit official documentation to the Registrar’s Office. Students should request evaluations of all official transcripts and/or scores submitted after they have been admitted to the college and placed in a program of study.