.01 Nondegree Students
A
nondegree student is one who takes regular
university courses for academic credit (or audit) but has not formally
been accepted into a degree program at American
University. All nondegree
registrations must be approved by an academic advisor. In addition,
nondegree students studying at the graduate level must have
the approval of the department, college, or school concerned for enrollment
in 600‑ or 700‑level courses. Once enrolled, nondegree
students are held to the same academic standards as degree students.
Enrollment as a nondegree student does not
guarantee acceptance into a degree program.
.02
Eligibility
Enrollment
in nondegree status is open to persons:
A.
Who have a high school diploma, or an equivalent diploma based on the
results of the General Education Development (GED) tests;
B.
Who, if currently enrolled in another collegiate institution, can provide
a letter of good standing from their school;
C.
Who are high school students with at least a B average and are recommended
by a school counselor or principal;
D.
Who meet the prerequisite of the course or courses and who are approved
by an academic advisor; or
E.
Who are international students or United
States citizens whose previous educational
attainments in foreign or U.S.
schools are deemed to be of an acceptable level by American
University.
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.03
Nondegree Status (Undergraduate)
An
undergraduate nondegree student is one who
has not received a baccalaureate degree or its equivalent.
A.
An undergraduate nondegree student who establishes
eligibility for admission to undergraduate degree status may apply a
limited amount of course work taken in nondegree
status towards meeting the requirements of the degree. The course work
must be appropriate to the degree program. Such a student must formally
apply for admission to degree status. If application is approved by
the Admissions Office, the following regulation is in effect:
Up
to 30 credit hours earned in undergraduate nondegree status may be applied to the extent appropriate
towards meeting major requirements, minor requirements, distributive
or general education requirements, and electives, and will apply towards
the university residency requirements.
Senate
action and Provost approval, October 1987.
B.
Upon enrollment, an undergraduate nondegree
student is held to the same academic standards as a degree student.
The dean’s office in which the student receives academic advising
will monitor the student's academic progress following each term of
the student's enrollment in nondegree status. The student is required to maintain at least
a 2.0 (C) grade point average.
1.
An undergraduate nondegree student who has
failed to achieve and maintain a 2.0 (C) grade point average upon completion
of 12 credit hours or who has evidenced a pattern of receiving academic
or administrative failures in English Language Institute courses during
this period will be placed on academic probation by the dean.
2.
An undergraduate nondegree student failing
to maintain a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 (C) upon completion
of twenty‑four (24) credit hours or who has evidenced a pattern
of receiving academic or administrative failures in English Language
Institute courses during this period is subject to termination of enrollment
as a nondegree student by the dean of the
academic unit in which the student receives academic advising at the
end of the current term.
3.
Students evidencing a pattern of receiving failure (ZF) on the pass/fail
method of grading and students evidencing a pattern of receiving incomplete
(I) grades without showing progress towards completing the courses will
be subject to termination of their enrollment as nondegree students, based on a lack of satisfactory academic
achievement and in the best interests of the university and the student.
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.04
Nondegree Status (Graduate)
A
graduate nondegree student is a student who
has received a baccalaureate degree or the equivalent and enrolls in
graduate‑level courses. A graduate nondegree
student may be required to enroll in an undergraduate course or courses
as a prerequisite to enrollment in graduate‑level courses.
A.
Normally, not more than 12 credit hours of course work completed while
in nondegree status may be applied towards
meeting the requirements of a graduate degree (provided the courses
taken in nondegree status were completed within
seven years of the beginning of the semester in which the student is
admitted to degree status; credit for courses completed prior to the
seven‑year limitation must be approved by the dean of the major
teaching unit in addition to the department chair).
Senate
action and Provost approval, February 1989.
Effective fall 1989.
B.
Subject to the foregoing proviso, a maximum of 21 credit hours of nondegree
course work may be applied to a graduate degree if the credit hours
were earned as part of a completed graduate certificate program.
Senate
action and Provost approval, November 1998.
Effective fall 1998.
C.
Those courses completed while in nondegree
status that are not to be applied to the degree program must be designated
in writing by the admitting department at the time of admission to graduate‑degree
standing or by the end of the first semester of study in the degree
program. Credit earned in graduate nondegree
status that is applied to the degree program will apply towards the
university residency requirement. (For calculation of graduate cumulative
grade point average, see 55.00.02, Evaluation of Graduate Students:
Grade Point Average)
Senate
action and Provost approval, February 1989.
Effective fall 1989.
D.
The admission to graduate degree status of a nondegree student will ordinarily become effective at the
beginning of the next academic session following the date on which the
action is taken by the Admissions office. However, enrollment as a graduate
nondegree student does not guarantee acceptance into a degree
program.
E.
The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
is a required admissions test for international students and U.S.
citizens whose native language is not English. Students required to submit TOEFL scores are also subject to testing in English
proficiency upon arrival at American
University and placement,
if necessary, in appropriate English Language Institute classes. Graduate
students, however, who score a minimum of 600 on the TOEFL
are not required to take American
University's English placement
test.
Senate
action and Provost approval, March 1981. Effective
March 1981.
F.
A graduate nondegree student is held to the
same academic standards as a graduate degree student. Prior to receiving
permission to enroll in 600‑ or 700‑level courses, the student
must receive the approval of the academic department.
G.
The student is required to maintain at least a 3.0 (B) grade point average
while enrolled in graduate nondegree status.
Following each term for which the student is enrolled in nondegree status, the dean of the academic unit in which the
student is advised will monitor the student's progress.
1.
If at the end of 6 credit hours of graduate nondegree enrollment the student has failed to achieve and
maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 (B), the student will
receive an academic warning.
2.
A graduate nondegree student failing to maintain
a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 (B) upon completion of 12 credit
hours of graduate nondegree enrollment will
be subject to termination as a nondegree student
at the end of the current term.
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.05
Date of Termination
The
monitoring of nondegree academic progress
must necessarily take place during the term following the student's
enrollment. In several cases, the student may be enrolled and participating
in course work during the term the monitoring process is taking place.
If it is necessary to terminate the student's enrollment, the student
will be allowed to complete course work in progress. The termination
will be effective at the end of the current term. The student's grades
earned during the current term will not ordinarily be
considered in the termination decision.
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.06
Re‑enrollment of Terminated Students
A.
An undergraduate nondegree student failing
to achieve a 2.0 (C) grade point average upon completion of 24 credit
hours of academic credit and whose enrollment has been terminated may
seek permission to re‑enroll in nondegree
status after a waiting period equivalent to one full calendar year following
the effective date of termination.
B.
A graduate nondegree student failing to achieve
a 3.0 (B) grade point average upon completion of 12 credit hours and
whose enrollment has been terminated may seek permission to re‑enroll
in nondegree status after a waiting period
equivalent to one full calendar year following the effective date of
termination.
C.
The re‑enrolled nondegree student whose
enrollment has previously been terminated must achieve the minimum grade
point average for each subsequent course for which the student enrolls.
In the case of the undergraduate nondegree
student, the student must achieve a 2.0 (C) grade for each course. In
the case of the graduate nondegree student,
the student must achieve a 3.0 (B) for each course. Failure to achieve
these grades will cause the student to be subject to immediate termination.
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.07
Degree to Nondegree Status
Students
admitted to degree status ordinarily may not thereafter register as
nondegree until they have successfully completed
their degree requirements.
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.08
Enrollment of Nondegree International
Students
A.
All students whose native language is not English are required to take
an English proficiency test at American
University prior to their
first registration as a nondegree student.
Students whose command of English is not sufficient to follow the program
in which they wish to enroll may be required to take special courses
in English as a Second Language.
B.
Enrollment as an international nondegree student
requires the evaluation of previous foreign educational experience by
the Director of International Admissions to determine the appropriate
academic level for which the student will be permitted to enroll. Before
registering, the student must present photostats
or attested copies of documents delineating previous educational experience.
C.
Nondegree students enrolled only in English
Language Institute courses or special English Language Institute workshops
who fail to make satisfactory progress, as determined by the Director
of the English Language Institute, will be placed on academic
probation by the Dean of the College
of Arts and Sciences.
D.
Students enrolled in English Language Institute courses or special workshops
who are on academic probation and who fail
to make satisfactory progress, as determined by the Director of the
English Language Institute, will be subject to termination of enrollment
by the Dean of the College
of Arts and Sciences.
E.
Nondegree students who register to study English
only and who subsequently apply for undergraduate degree admission may
be considered for admission as degree students if they are high‑school
graduates and have satisfactory secondary‑school academic records
and are recommended by the English Language Institute.
F.
All international nondegree students requiring
U.S.
immigration documents to obtain or maintain nonimmigrant foreign‑student
visas (F‑1, J‑1) must comply with full‑time course‑load
requirements as established by International Student Services in order to enroll in
the university.
Senate
action and Provost approval, April 1981. Effective
fall 1982.
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