This section provides important information regarding academic policies at John Cabot University. It also highlights special academic opportunities available to qualified students, including Honors Courses, for-credit research assistantships, and EXP one-credit courses designed to enrich the undergraduate experience.
Undergraduate students are assigned an academic advisor, who is a faculty member teaching within their major or a related discipline. Students confer with their advisors on a regular basis to plan their course schedules and discuss their academic and career plans. Students are still always expected to know their graduation requirements, and make appropriate course selections to best attain their educational goals.
Students should first try to resolve academic disputes directly with their instructor by asking for an explanation of the motivation for the disputed grade. Students who are not able to resolve academic disputes directly with their instructor may appeal, in turn, to the relevant Department Chair, the Dean of Academics, and the Academic Council, to examine the issue and make a final disposition of the matter.
Academic disputes are reviewed to assess whether the instructor’s grade determination conflicted with law, University or department policy, or the instructor’s own policies, as stated in the syllabus. The University privileges the instructor’s academic freedom, which includes the freedom to assign grades. Academic disputes may be resolved in the student’s favor if the instructor's determination was manifestly unreasonable, and the underlying discrepancy resulted in the student getting a lower grade than they effectively deserved. Such review may also reveal that the student’s initial grade determination was too high, and students pursuing an academic complaint do run the risk that their grade may be lowered.
Procedure for disputing a grade determination:
Academic disputes will be processed as expeditiously as possible.
The academic community is founded on a belief in the free exchange of ideas. An integral part of this free exchange is recognition of the intellectual work of others, and respect for the instructor and fellow students. All members of the John Cabot community are expected to maintain the highest standards of academic integrity in all aspects of the University’s academic programs.
A student who commits an act of academic dishonesty is subject to disciplinary action. Two reported acts of academic dishonestly could result in dismissal from the University.
Academic dishonesty is taking credit for academic work (including papers, reports, quizzes, examinations, etc.) that is not one's own or has not been originally produced for the course in which it has been submitted.
Academic dishonesty can take many forms:
A student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will generally receive a reduced, if not failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. Severe acts of academic dishonesty may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course.
Instructors must report material instances of academic dishonesty to the Dean of Academic Affairs.
A student who is reported twice for material acts of plagiarism, cheating or double-submissions is subject to dismissal from the University. Students found to have paid third-parties for their work may be subject to immediate dismissal on the basis of that act alone. In these cases, the Dean will ask the Academic Council to make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision.
A student may appeal an instructor’s determination of academic dishonesty by submitting a written statement to the Dean, setting forth the relevant facts and interpretations. The statement must be received by the Dean within seven working days of when the student is informed of the instructor’s determination of academic dishonesty. The instructor will be given a copy of the student’s statement, and the chance to respond to it.
The Dean will review the various submissions and may grant the appeal if the instructor’s determination appears unreasonable. If an appeal to the Dean is not resolved to the student’s satisfaction, s/he may ask the Dean to refer the matter to the Academic Council. When an appeal is resolved in the student’s favor, the Dean will delete the report of academic dishonesty, and direct the instructor to grade the disputed material on its merits.
A student whose cumulative grade point average at the University falls below 2.00 will be placed on academic probation. Students placed on academic probation then have two regular semesters to remove themselves from probation (or just one semester, in the case of conditional admits). If they fail to do so, they will be dismissed from the University. Students who are dismissed can appeal the dismissal. Their appeal will be evaluated by the Academic Council and Admissions Committee. Students on academic probation are not eligible to hold office in student organizations, nor to represent the University in any official capacity.
John Cabot provides faculty-staffed tutoring centers free-of-charge for all John Cabot students.
The Writing Center offers free, one-hour consultations to all JCU students on: brainstorming, choosing a topic, developing research questions; formulating a thesis, building an argument, drafting, and revising; grammar, organization, clarity and style; evaluating and integrating source information; MLA/APA documentation and formatting; and writing statements of purpose/personal statements, cover letters and resumes/CVs.
The Writing Center does not proofread or correct papers. Instead, it promotes a collaborative effort between tutor and tutee that results in effective writing. The focus is on both the form and mechanics of writing, i.e., spelling, punctuation, and grammar, as well as on the more subtle, yet equally important issues of usage, tone, and register. The parameters of academic honesty are also dealt with when appropriate, in order to recognize and clarify differences in cultural expectations.
Students may make appointments twice per week. Beyond that, students can attend appointments on a walk-in basis. Appointments can be made online through the “Schedule an appointment” button on the website.
Please arrive on time for your appointment. Students who arrive late may lose their appointment if another student arrives. Please come to your appointment well-prepared. Bring assignment guidelines, drafts, and/or graded papers with professors' comments, and come with specific questions in mind.
The Math Center provides academic support in quantitative subjects (such as mathematics, statistics, economics, and accounting) to all students enrolled at John Cabot University. It is supervised by a faculty tutor, Prof. Margaret Kneller, and supported JCU peer tutors. Students may schedule appointments on-line on the Math Tutoring Center page.
The FLRC provides academic support in Italian, French and Spanish to all students enrolled in JCU Foreign Language courses at any level, in order to create an open atmosphere of learning for students who would like to improve their language skills — speaking, writing, reading, and listening comprehension.
FLRC tutors are all mother tongue or near-native speakers and are selected, trained, and supervised by the FLRC Coordinator. Students may make appointments online (up to 24 hours in advance).
FLTC also offers Language Conversation Tables to enable students to practice and improve their oral proficiency. The Conversation Tables take place in the Tiber Cafè and are led by FLRC tutors. Check the bulletin board outside.
Specific requirements for attendance in any given course, except as described below, are the prerogative of the instructor and will be stated in the course syllabus provided by the instructor at the beginning of the term. Students are responsible for being informed of their instructors’ attendance policies. A student’s absence from a given class may be excused by the instructor in accordance with the policy indicated in the syllabus for the class and otherwise at the instructor’s discretion.
Students who experience a serious difficulty preventing their attendance at a particular class meeting may ask the Academic Dean’s Office for an exemption to their instructor’s attendance policy, if they have exhausted the number of allowed absences. Such an exemption may be granted for documented reasons, such as the following:
The Academic Dean’s Office will not override instructors’ policies for absences incurred for such things as job interviews, work commitments, family celebrations, travel difficulties, student misunderstandings of instructor or university policies, or other matters involving the personal convenience of a student. Students participating in JCU activities that cause them to be absent (such as sports or MUN) should plan on spending their allowed absences on those days, and not incur additional absences beyond those allowed by their instructor.
In order to request an exemption from their instructor’s attendance policies, the student must submit the Excused Absence Request Form along with the appropriate documentation supporting the request. Apart from the substantive merits of the request, the Academic Dean’s Office also requires appropriate documentation, and requires that the request be made within five academic days after a student returns to campus following an absence.
When the Academic Dean’s Office grants an exemption to an instructor’s attendance policy, it will notify the faculty member. Students whose absences have been excused in this way are in no way exempted from meeting the learning objectives of the course as set by the instructor. Students are always advised to communicate with their instructors regarding the impact of their absences on their academic circumstances. An instructor may advise a student to withdraw from a class if absences seem likely to prevent the student from successfully completing the course. If the deadline to withdraw has already passed, students should contact the Dean’s Office for advising.
An instructor will provide a student whose absence from a class has been excused by the Academic Dean’s Office with
An instructor will provide a student whose absence from a class is excused with:
Absences from major examinations require an Academic Dean’s Office excuse. Students requesting such an excuse must submit the Excused Absence Request Form as soon as possible, and no later than the beginning of the exam. Once a request is accepted, it will be the instructor’s prerogative to have the student take a make-up exam, submit a make-up assignment, or have the weight of the missed exam shifted to another assessment. Note that as with absences from classes, absences or rescheduling requests due to other meaningful conflicts, such as job interviews, work commitments, family celebrations, travel difficulties, student misunderstandings, or personal convenience, will not be excused.
It is possible for students to audit courses if space is available. For undergraduate students, if the tuition costs of taking the course(s) for credit would be covered by the undergraduate general tuition payment for 12-17 credits, the course(s) may be audited for no additional fee. In all other cases, there is an auditing fee of € 900 or $ 1,150 or per course. Students must notify the Registrar's Office by email that they wish to audit a course by the end of the drop/add period.
Audited classes do not receive academic credit.
Undergraduate students are classified at the end of each semester according to the number of credit hours they have completed, including advanced standing credits and transfer credits, as follows:
0-29: Freshman
30-59: Sophomore
60-89: Junior
90 or more: Senior
Effective teaching and learning require a classroom ethos of mutual respect. Instructors have a duty to maintain basic decorum in the classroom, and to discipline disruptive students who interfere with teaching and with other students’ learning.
The following rules of basic etiquette are expected of students in the classroom:
Instructors may generally restrict the use of laptops and cellphones in class. When allowed, students are expected to avoid inappropriate use of them for non-class purposes.
The normal course load at the University is 15 credits per semester, and 30 credits per year. The minimum full-time course load is 12 credits per regular semester. Students with strong academic credentials may petition the Dean for permission to take more than 15 credits in one semester. A maximum of six credits may be taken during each summer session.
Credits are expressed in semester hours. Most courses at John Cabot carry three semester-hours of credit and meet twice a week for 75-minute sessions.
Undergraduate students who achieve a 3.50-grade point average in a semester earned in residence in a program of not fewer than 13 completed semester hours are placed at the end of the semester on the Dean's List, an academic honor indicated on their transcript.
For information regarding the Dean’s List Scholarship please refer to the Undergraduate Financial Aid and Scholarships page.
Undergraduate students must declare their major by the time that they have completed 45 credit hours. Transfer students who bring 45 or more hours of transfer credit must declare their major upon entry. Once declared, majors can be changed by notifying the Registrar’s Office. Students considering a change of major should meet with their advisor to discuss the implications of such change.
Minors may be declared as late as the penultimate semester, in which the student petitions for graduation to the Registrar’s Office, which then completes a degree audit to determine the outstanding graduation requirements.
Majors and/or minors can be declared and changed, if necessary, by using the dedicated form.
Students seeking disability accommodations should identify themselves at the time they pay their tuition deposit or housing placement fee, and must submit an online form, including recent (no older than four years) and detailed medical or psychological documentation of the disability for which they are seeking accommodation. To ensure adequate time for processing, requests for academic accommodations in a given must be submitted no later than the dates below.
Fall: July 1st
Spring: November 15th
Summer I: May 15th
Summer II: May 30th
After a subsequent meeting with the Coordinator for Disability-Related Academic Accommodations, students will be notified by the Academic Dean's Office of any accommodations granted through an official JCU letter. Students are responsible for forwarding this letter to their instructors, signifying their acceptance of the accommodations.
In cases where reasonable accommodations cannot be made for a student with a learning or other disability, the University will refund the application fee, the tuition deposit, and the housing placement fee.
John Cabot University cannot provide individual learning or other disability accommodations to students who do not follow these policies.
For more information, contact the Coordinator for Disability Accommodations, Dr. Carmen Franzese, at [email protected].
Undergraduate students who want to receive two degrees from John Cabot University, must complete the requirements for both degrees and complete a total of 150 credits.
Undergraduate students may complete the requirements for more than one major at the same time, as long as the requirements of the individual majors are satisfied. Students may, therefore, simultaneously use a course to satisfy requirements in multiple majors. Students who complete multiple majors receive only one degree.
During the Fall and Spring semesters, the Drop/Add period lasts until the Friday of the first week of classes. During summer sessions, Drop/Add takes place during the first three days of classes. The specific deadline for Drop/Add period is posted on the Academic Calendar.
Courses may be added or dropped freely, subject to availability, during this period. Degree-seeking and Study Abroad students follow the online procedures. After the Drop/Add period, no courses may be added and withdrawal penalties will apply (see Withdrawal from a Course). No refunds will be issued for courses dropped after the Drop/Add period. A student who for any reason does not wish to attend a course for which he/she has registered must follow the usual Drop/Add or withdrawal procedures.
Instructors may, at their discretion, allow students to make-up missed quizzes or other, less important, graded work to students absent without an official excuse. Major examinations (midterms, finals) may only be re-administered or otherwise excused or accommodated, with the permission of the Dean’s Office.
The standard for justifying an absence from a major examination is evidence of a serious difficulty preventing attendance. A serious difficulty includes a student’s own illness, hospitalization or death in the immediate family (when the student attends the funeral) or other situations of similar gravity. Missed exams owing to other meaningful conflicts, such as job interviews, family celebrations, travel plans or difficulties, student misunderstandings, alarm clock failure, or personal convenience, will not normally be excused.
Students seeking an excuse for an absence from a major exam must notify their Instructor or the Dean’s Office prior to the exam, and submit the Excused Absence Request Form, also available on the Registrar’s Office webpage.
In the spirit of JCU's motto, Explorando Excello, a Latin phrase that means "I excel by exploring," the University offers EXP 1-credit courses.
EXP 1-credit courses are designed to provide students with opportunities to acquire useful technical or professional skills or to engage in academic topics they may wish to investigate further. This particular set of courses aims to encourage students to think outside the box and push intellectual boundaries.
EXP 1-credit courses will normally be offered on four Fridays designated for each semester. These courses cannot be used to fulfill general distribution requirements, or as Major Electives, or towards the fulfillment of Minor requirements; they can only be taken as general electives. Students can take a maximum of three 1-credit courses within the 120-credit graduation requirement.
Examples of EXP courses taught in the past are:
Introduction to Teaching Italian as a Second Language
Professional Skills for Career Development
The Exhibition Review
Community Inclusion through Art and Movement
Understanding and Managing Personal Finance
Diplomacy in Practice
Emotionally Intelligent Leadership in Humanitarian Crises
Foundations of R Programming
Storytelling for Social Change
Students with more than two final exams scheduled on the same day during the final exam period may submit the Request for a Make-Up Final Exam form to Assistant Dean Andrea Lanzone by the course withdrawal deadline. Requests received after the deadline may not be honored.
Until the final exam schedule is posted, students should assume that they may have exams as late as the last exam period and not make other plans.
The University will not reschedule final exams to accommodate anything less than a serious difficulty preventing attendance.
The JCU Financial Aid Office is committed to helping finance students’ education. Financial aid at JCU exists in various forms, such as University-funded scholarships, U.S. government loans, and other resources.
John Cabot University offers a limited number of university-funded merit-based scholarships and need-based grants to incoming freshman and transfer students admitted to JCU.
External Scholarship Opportunity: Secchia Scholars Program. The Secchia Family Foundation’s “Secchia Scholars” program grants partial tuition scholarships each year to qualifying students. Secchia scholarships are available for degree-seeking and study abroad.
Study Abroad Scholarships: To recognize the important role visiting students have in promoting JCU’s mission, scholarships are available for visiting students who qualify.
Citizens and permanent residents of the United States who are enrolled as degree-seeking students at John Cabot University may be eligible to participate in the Direct Loan Program. Parents may borrow through the Direct Plus for Undergraduate Students loan program.
Note: Current United States government legislation prohibits U.S. citizens enrolled in colleges or universities outside the United States from receiving Pell Grants, SEOG, Perkins Loans, or Federal Work Study funds, even though they may be eligible for such assistance.
Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy: To remain enrolled and receive Federal Direct Loans, a student must make satisfactory academic progress, as measured by cumulative grade point average and the ratio of credits earned vs. attempted (completion rate). Please see the complete policy in the Financial Aid and Scholarships section of the JCU website, under U.S. Federal Aid/Loans.
Private loans are an additional way for students to finance their education at JCU. Private loans are not administered or backed by the federal government (unlike Direct Loans), so there may be no deferment or forbearance options for postponing payment. Typically, these loans are credit based, which means borrowers are required to pass a credit check. In some cases, a co-signer may be required.
Department of Veteran Affairs Benefits: All degree programs at John Cabot University have been approved by the United States Veterans Administration for educational training under the G.I. Bill. Qualifying veterans may contact the Financial Aid Office for further information.
Cost of Attendance: Please consult the JCU website under the Financial Aid/Scholarships section to review an anticipated budget for cost of attendance.
For further details on Scholarships and Financial Aid, please visit the JCU website www.johncabot.edu or contact the Office of Financial Aid at [email protected].
Students undertaking a for-credit research assistantship have an opportunity to deepen their research skills while sustaining a more advanced research project in a specific disciplinary area. Research assistants may earn one unit of academic credit (on a P/NP basis) for the completion of at least 45 hours of work. They must complete at least 90% of their work before the end of the semester in which they are registered in order to receive a passing grade.
Learn more about for-credit research assistantships
The following interpretations and numerical equivalents are associated with each letter grade.
The grade F means failing work. A failed course must be repeated in order for the student to receive credit.
The grade of INC (Incomplete) may be assigned only in cases where illnesses, hospitalization, death in the family, or other situations of similar gravity temporarily prevent completion of the required course work (“non-academic conditions”). Grades of INC will normally be granted only to students who have completed the majority of the course work with a grade of C- or better (“academic conditions”). Students who have difficulty completing their work can withdraw from the class up until the deadline with withdrawal indicated on the academic calendar.
The Academic Dean's Office determines whether the non-academic conditions for an INC have been met. Students interested in requesting an INC must contact Assistant Dean Annette Bryson as soon as they can. The professor determines whether the academic conditions – completion of a majority of the work at a C- or better – have been met. The professor can then submit the Request for Incomplete Grade form. Once the work has been graded, the professors submits a Change of Incomplete form to assign the final grade.
Students are informed of the work that they have to complete at the time that the INC grade is assigned. They should expect that professors may not be available to further guide them on their assignments after the semester grades have been submitted.
For Incompletes given at the end of the Spring term, the work must be completed by the last day of class of the following Fall semester. After that time, the grade will be administratively converted to an F. For Incompletes granted at the end of the Fall term, the work must be completed by the last day of class of the following Spring semester. After that time, the grade will be administratively converted to an F. For Incompletes given at the end of a Summer session, the work must be completed by the last day of class of the following Fall semester. After that time, the grade will be administratively converted to an F.
Students who withdraw by the withdrawal deadline (and after the Add\Drop period) will have a W recorded on their transcript. This does not affect their GPA.
For purposes of computing the GPA on a student's transcript, the following metric is used:
| Designation | Interpretation | Numerical Value |
|---|---|---|
| A | Excellent | 4.00 |
| A- | 3.67 | |
| B+ | 3.33 | |
| B | Good | 3.00 |
| B- | 2.67 | |
| C+ | 2.33 | |
| C | Satisfactory | 2.00 |
| C- | 1.67 | |
| D+ | 1.33 | |
| D | Poor but Passing | 1.00 |
| D- | 0.67 | |
| F | Failing | 0.00 |
| INC | Incomplete | |
| P | Passing (C or above) | |
| NP | Not passing (C- or below) | |
| W | Official withdrawal |
The quality points for each course are calculated by multiplying the numerical value of the grade by the number of credit hours of the course. The total of the quality points earned is divided by the total number of credit hours taken. Thus, a student who has taken 30 hours of work and has earned B’s (3.0) in all courses would have 90 quality points and would have a grade point average of 3.00.
In the case of repeated courses, the number of quality points and hours includes only the grade from the most recent course taken. Courses in which grades of INC, P, NP or W are assigned are not included in the quality point computation.
These guidelines are presented to provide students with a general idea regarding how letter grades are assigned at JCU. While each individual course may have different assessment criteria for each grade depending upon the material being taught, the general sense of academic expectations remains. Many instructors assign grades in their class based upon a 100 point (100 percent) conversion. An example of these standard numerical equivalents is given below.
| Grade | Description of Academic Work |
|---|---|
| A (90-100) | Work of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course. |
| B (80-89) | This is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised. There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluate theory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student's own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture and reference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments. |
| C (70-79) | This is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings. This level of performance demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material. |
| D (60-69) | Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included. In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail. |
| F (59 and below) | This work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant. |
Graduation Honors are awarded to bachelor’s degree recipients whose cumulative grade point average at the University represents superior academic achievement. Students may graduate summa cum laude with a grade point average of 3.90 or above, magna cum laude with a grade point average of 3.70 to 3.89, or cum laude with a grade point average of 3.50 to 3.69.
Gold Academic Honor Cords are awarded to graduates who have demonstrated outstanding academic achievement by earning the distinctions of cum laude, magna cum laude or summa cum laude. All academic requirements must be completed at the time of Graduation in order to be eligible for an academic cord. In the case of May Commencement, students who have outstanding classes pending in Summer and/or have INC grade(s) will not receive the academic cord during the Commencement ceremony, but will receive it should they meet the CUM GPA requirements once all academic requirements are completed.
The Valedictorian is the bachelor’s degree recipient with the highest cumulative grade point average among those who have completed at least 60 semester hours at the University and who are attending the commencement exercises. The Valedictorian participates in the commencement ceremony by giving the valedictory address. Students earning multiple degrees may not be Valedictorian more than once.
Degrees are awarded to candidates who meet the following requirements:
NB: The Master’s Exam may be repeated once, in case of a NP (not passing) grade. A student who fails the MA exam twice will not be able to continue in the program.
Candidates for graduation must satisfy the general University and major requirements in effect at the time of their entry to the University. Students who are absent from the University for a period of one year or more may be required to resume under different graduation requirements upon their return. Students who require more than five years to complete their graduation requirements must meet the requirements in effect at the beginning of the fourth academic year prior to their graduation.
The commencement ceremony at the close of the spring semester in May is the University’s public celebration of the accomplishments of its students. Only students who have completed all graduation requirements, or who have completed all but six credits of their graduation requirements and will complete those six credits by the end of the following summer sessions, will be allowed to participate in the ceremony. Students who complete graduation requirements at a time other than the end of a spring semester or the following summer sessions are encouraged to return to the University the following May to participate in the commencement ceremony.
Students who achieve high levels of academic excellence (minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.5) have the option of taking specially designated “Honors Courses.”
Honor Courses may also include occasional interdisciplinary seminars open only to such students. More frequently, regular John Cabot University courses may be offered with an option of taking them for four academic credits as Honors Courses. Students who register for such courses as Honors Courses must complete additional assignments (e.g., research papers or portfolios) in which they delve more deeply into the subject matter in question. These additional assignments are graded on a "grant of Honors credit/no grant of Honors credit" basis and are not calculated into the final grade for the course. For the granting of Honors credit, students should produce work of a quality that would receive a B (3.00/4.00) or higher, and this will be noted on their transcripts. Students taking a course as an Honors Course also enjoy additional mentoring time with the instructor. Instructors for Honors Courses are chosen by the Dean of Academic Affairs in conjunction with the Department Chair, based on their expertise and teaching excellence.
With the approval of the sponsoring professor, the Department Chair, and the Dean of Academic Affairs, undergraduate students may register for independent study/research options (i.e., Independent Study 281 or 381 or Independent Research 481) that allow them to receive credit for academic work, supervised by a member of the faculty in a non-classroom setting. The Application for Independent Study or Independent Research Form must be submitted during the normal registration period. Students must have a minimum GPA of 2.5 and have earned a minimum of 60 credit hours (junior status) to apply for Independent Study or Independent Research credit.
Students may earn up to three credit hours when registered for Independent Study 281 or 381 or Independent Research 481. The number of credit hours depends on the nature and extent of the project(s). One-credit will be awarded for each 37.5 hours of projected work over the course of the semester, on the basis of documentation of the amount of work a typical student is expected to complete within a specified amount of academically engaged time. Factors considered in the calculation of academic credit can include the number of subjects covered, the depth of the examination, the scope of reading and writing assignments, and meetings with the faculty supervisor in furtherance of specific educational objectives.
Whether a project will be coded as Independent Study 281 or 381 or Independent Research 481 depends upon the level of the study to be undertaken, as determined by the sponsoring professor and the Dean of Academic Affairs.
Independent study/research may not be taken to satisfy core requirements in degree programs or other specifically- designated requirements. Courses offered regularly in the curriculum cannot normally be taken as independent study.
Independent study courses must be completed within one semester.
A leave of absence is a temporary leave from the university. Students may take a leave of absence for such reasons as independent study abroad, medical treatment, family crises, or financial issues. A leave of absence usually runs for one regular semester or academic year. Students may apply for a leave of absence. To extend a leave that has already been granted, contact the Registrar.
Students who have obtained an INC in a thesis course, and who are not enrolled in any other courses during the completion of the incomplete thesis course, must maintain their matriculation at the University. To do this, they must pay a matriculation maintenance fee during the semester of completion of the thesis. Students maintaining matriculation in this manner will not be charged student activity fees. A student who fails to complete the thesis in this period would receive an F for the thesis course, and have to re-register for it, paying the regular tuition costs for that course.
All students must abide by the various academic and other policies of the University. Occasionally, however, an exemption from these policies may be justified. In such instances, a written petition seeking an exemption to one or more policies must be submitted by the student, with the recommendation of their Advisor, for consideration by the Dean of Academic Affairs and the Academic Council. Find forms for such petitions.
Entering undergraduate degree-seeking students may be asked to take one or more placement examinations before registering to determine their proficiency in certain subject areas. There are placement examinations for English Composition, Italian, French, Spanish, and Mathematics. These examinations are administered before the term begins or during the orientation session at the beginning of each semester. Students who miss the English Composition and Math placement examinations, and do not have relevant transfer credit, will be automatically placed into the introductory-level course, no matter what their outside experience or other qualifications.
Students who take foreign language classes at John Cabot and do not meet the minimum grade requirement for fulfilling the Foreign Language Proficiency cannot take the placement exam in the same language to place out of the requirement.
Students who have been withdrawn from the University and seek to continue their studies at the University must apply for readmission. Applications for readmission must be submitted to the Admissions Office before the start of the term. The University catalog in effect at the time of readmission will apply to students who are readmitted to the University.
The registration dates for each term are listed in the University calendar. During the registration period, degree-seeking students meet with their Academic Advisor in order to select their courses for the upcoming semester/summer session. After the registration period, continuing students may register, but will be charged a late registration fee. No student will be allowed to register after the drop/add period.
It is the responsibility of the students to ensure that their course schedule corresponds to the classes that they are attending, including the correct section number.
Courses in which a student received a final grade of C- or below may be repeated. No grade is removed from the transcript, but only the last grade received in a course is considered in computing a student’s grade point average and credits earned. This pertains only to classes taken and repeated at JCU. If a class is repeated outside JCU, both the initial grade and the subsequent grade will appear on the transcript and will be considered in calculating a student’s grade point average. This policy does not apply to certain skills based courses with course descriptions that explicitly state that the course can be repeated.
Transcripts, both official and unofficial, are available to students, through the Registrar’s Office.
Transcripts cannot be issued for anyone whose record has been blocked (for outstanding University obligations - tuition and fees, library hold, etc.). Transcript requests are processed within two business days. JCU is not financially responsible for transcripts lost in the mail.
Upon initial entry or readmission to the undergraduate program at JCU, academic credit from nationally-accredited institutions may normally be transferred for academic coursework where a grade of C or above (or national equivalent) was earned. The University generally requires an official course description or course syllabus before awarding transfer credit.
Undergraduate students who are currently matriculated may transfer credit for courses taken at other institutions by submitting a Course Away form to the Registrar before the courses are taken. Transfer credit will be granted for all passing grades earned, and all grades will be registered on JCU transcripts and factored into the JCU GPA. Students receiving U.S. government financial aid should check with the JCU Financial Aid Office before enrolling in courses at other institutions.
A course officially dropped after the Drop/Add period but before the last day to withdraw from a course (see Academic Calendar) will be recorded on the transcript with a grade of W. A student may withdraw from a course by submitting a Single Course Withdrawal form. Students are financially responsible for courses for which they are registered after the Drop/Add period, even if they ultimately withdraw from them.
Students who wish to withdraw from all of their classes in a particular semester for which they are registered should submit an Official Semester Withdrawal form. In order to withdraw from the semester, a student must clear all debts with the University.
A grade of W will be recorded for all courses in progress at the time of withdrawal. A student who fails to follow the above procedure and simply stops going to class will receive a failing grade for courses not completed.
The deadline to withdraw from a semester is the last day of classes (see Academic Calendar).
Students who wish to withdraw from the University should first discuss their plans with their advisor or an Academic Dean, and then submit an Official Withdrawal form. In order to withdraw from the University, a student must clear all debts with the University.
A student who fails to follow the above procedure and simply stops going to class will receive a failing grade for courses not completed.
Students who fail to register for courses for two consecutive semesters will be automatically withdrawn from the University.
Students who, at the end of their first semester, fail to demonstrate minimal academic progress (more than a 1.0 GPA) AND have not enrolled for the following semester or otherwise demonstrated an intention to continue their studies will be administratively withdrawn from the University. In the case of students who have been granted a one-year permit to stay, the University will notify the Italian authorities that they are no longer JCU students.
