rasmussen.edu | 888-5-RASMUSSEN ACADEMIC INFORMATION AND UNIVERSITY POLICIES Online Courses Students may be required to take online courses in order to complete a degree. All new students will complete an orientation program prior to beginning classes. Online course activities and assignments at Rasmussen University are conducted via chat, email, message boards, and interactive websites. Tuition and fees for online courses are assessed at the same rate as for residential courses unless otherwise indicated. Online instructors receive training and support while operating in the online environment. A list of computer hardware and software requirements for online courses is provided to students upon enrollment. Course technology and resources, including e-books and other resources required for online courses, are generally available within the online course. Additional resources required will be shipped directly to the student. Graduation Requirements Policy Degrees, diplomas, and certificates are awarded solely on the merit and completion of requirements listed, and not on the basis of clock hours in attendance. Students enrolled in undergraduate programs must complete 33 percent of their program requirements at Rasmussen University, and no more than 67 percent may be completed via transfer credits, course waivers, credit by examination, or other means. Exceptions to this rule exist; see Transfer of Credit Policies. Clock hours listed in the synopsis of subjects are estimated hours of class work necessary to complete the subject. Students enrolled in an undergraduate degree program, diploma, or certificate must have a cumulative grade point average of a 2.00 and above with a passing grade in each required course. Students enrolled in a graduate degree program must have earned a cumulative grade point average of 3.00 or higher and have completed each required course with a passing grade in order to earn the degree. Complete Status Policy A Complete status is applied to, and becomes the status for, students who were enrolled in a degree/ credential-seeking program and have either completed the time allowed or attempted the maximum allowable number of credits for the program of study without meeting one or more of the following graduation requirements: • Achieve the cumulative GPA required by the program of enrollment. • Complete all program requirements. • Achieve a passing grade in each required course. All courses in the program must have been attempted. A withdrawal grade is not considered an attempt. • Complete all Developmental Education courses as determined by the entrance placement exam. • Submit official transcripts for all transferred courses. • Exceeded the threshold of time allotted to complete the program, known as the cumulative completion rate. Students who are completing coursework in non-degree/credential-seeking opportunities will have their final status awarded as Complete. Students in non- degree/credential seeking opportunities with a status of Complete are not eligible for graduate benefits. Where applicable, coursework completed in non-degree/ credential seeking opportunities may have credits applied to eligible programs. Returning Completer Policy Individuals who were enrolled in a degree/credential-seeking program and are in a Complete status may be eligible to return as a “Returning Completer” to achieve graduate status through the successful completion of failed courses, or through transfer of credit upon submission of an official transcript proving course equivalency from another institution. The ability of Returning Completers to return to their prior program and attempt coursework required for graduation is determined by the University at the time of return, on a case-by-case basis. Returning Completers must be deemed academically and financially eligible to return to active status. The coursework and program curriculum relevant to Returning Completers may no longer be available, and eligibility for financial aid is not guaranteed. Current enrollment and programmatic requirements of the University may apply. The current tuition structure will be followed for all Returning Completers. Academic Honors Each quarter, Rasmussen University recognizes outstanding academic achievement by awarding certificates of achievement. Enrolled, degree-seeking students who earn a quarterly grade point average of 3.25–3.749 will receive an Honor Roll certificate. Enrolled, degree-seeking students who earn a quarterly grade point average of 3.75– 4.00 will receive a Dean’s List certificate. Graduation Honors Rasmussen University recognizes outstanding academic achievement by awarding honors to graduates who meet minimum qualifications. Graduation honors will be noted on the diploma and transcripts of students, and they will receive gold cords for the graduation ceremony as a symbol of this achievement. Certificate, Diploma and Associate’s degree students who complete all graduation requirements and earn a cumulative grade point average of 3.50 or higher will graduate with honors. Bachelor’s degree students who complete all graduation requirements and earn a cumulative grade point average of 3.50 or higher will graduate with one of the following honors: • Cum Laude: Bachelor’s students who earn a cumulative grade point average of 3.50–3.669 • Magna Cum Laude: Bachelor’s students who earn a cumulative grade point average of 3.67–3.749 • Summa Cum Laude: Bachelor’s students who earn a cumulative grade point average of 3.75–4.00 Graduate Program Students who complete all graduation requirements and meet the following requirements will graduate “with Distinction”: • GPA requirement 3.85 or higher for courses completed at the graduate level (500 and above) • No course grade may be lower than a “B” while enrolled in the graduate degree program • No courses may be repeated Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) (This revised policy is effective beginning Fall Quarter 2019.) Satisfactory Academic Progress, or SAP, is defined as the successful progression through an academic program within a prescribed time frame. Cumulative grade point averages and successful completion of credits attempted are monitored at the end of each quarter/term, which is equivalent to the payment period. Students in 11-week quarter-based programs have SAP assessed up to four times annually. Students who are not meeting the standards are notified of their status in writing. Each such review includes the Qualitative (GPA), Quantitative (Pace of Completion), and Maximum Time Frame (150%) standards that are defined below. All attempted course credits that apply to a student’s program are considered when calculating SAP. This includes incomplete, withdrawn, repeated, failed, pass/fail, transferred, and developmental course credits. It also includes credits taken while attending the institution part-time and credits for which a student did not receive financial aid unless noted otherwise below. SAP Standards: All students must meet all three of the standards that are used to measure a student’s Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) towards the completion of an academic program. These standards are the same for both financial aid recipients as well as non-recipients and align to the academic standards of Rasmussen University. The three standards are as follows: 1. GPA. GPA is a qualitative measurement. Rasmussen University students are required to achieve and maintain a minimum Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 2.00. Graduate students are required to maintain a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 3.00. 2. Pace/Cumulative Completion Rate (CCR). CCR is a quantitative measurement. This is the pace at which a student progresses through a program. CCR is calculated by dividing cumulative credits earned by cumulative credits attempted within a program (e.g., 6 credits earned ÷ 12 credits attempted = 50%). Minimum standards are listed in the chart below. Percentage of Credits Attempted Toward Maximum Time Frame Up to 25% Greater than 25%, up to 50% Greater than 50% Minimum Successful Completion of Cumulative Credits Attempted 25% 50% 67% 148 ALL CONTENT IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE BY ADDENDUM
