Department website: https://www.vanguard.edu/academics/registrar/academic-registration

COURSE REGISTRATION

Registration dates are specified in the Academic Calendar. Details regarding registration are sent to students via their Vanguard University email prior to the registration period. Registration takes place through the student online portal (https://selfservice.vanguard.edu) and may be completed through that portal until the end of the add/drop period noted on the Academic Calendar. A student may register for a course or courses after the end of the add/drop period, but will need to complete a form and can register for no more than the number of credits equal to the number of full weeks remaining in the semester (including the week of final examinations). Registration after the add/drop period  required the permission of the instructor(s) involved, academic program advisor, and the relevant department chair or program director. 

Students will receive credit only for those courses in which they are formally registered. No registration is complete until tuition and fees have been paid or a satisfactory arrangement has been made with the Office of Accounting Operations. Late fees may be charged to students who do not complete the registration process by the published deadlines.

Students may not receive credit for concurrent enrollment at any other institution without prior approval by the Office of the Registrar. Further, the University reserves the right to cancel any scheduled course in which the enrollment is less than ten.

CHANGE OF CLASS SCHEDULE

Students are responsible for the course enrollment for their academic program upon academic registration. Modifications to the course schedule are initiated by the student and may be made online during the designated online registration time periods.  Thereafter, schedule modifications must be made by the filing of an add/drop form in the Office of the Registrar after appropriate signatures have been received.

16-WEEK TERM COURSES

All classes added after the second full week of classes must be approved by the instructor and the appropriate Associate Dean.

A class dropped during the first two full weeks of the term is not entered on the transcript.  However, any course(s) dropped subsequently up to the end of the eighth full week of a 16-week term will appear on the transcript with a grade of “W.” Classes dropped after the eighth week will receive a grade of “WF” unless the professor, aware of extenuating circumstances beyond the control of the student, is willing to grant a “WP”.  The student must be earning a minimum grade of “C” in the course to warrant a “WP.”

EIGHT-WEEK AND FIVE-WEEK COURSES

For those courses that are offered in an eight-week or five-week format, withdrawals received in the Office of the Registrar during regular business hours prior to the end of the first eighth of the total number of class hour sessions offered in the course will have no entry made on the transcript. A grade of “W” will be issued for withdrawals received between one eighth and one half of the total number of class hour sessions.  Withdrawals received in the Office of the Registrar during regular business hours in the final half of the class will receive a grade of “WF” unless the professor, aware of extenuating circumstances beyond the control of the student, is willing to grant a “WP.” Dates aligning with these expectations can be found on the Registrar's Office website. 

GRADUATE PROGRAMS

Students are responsible for the classes selected at registration. Changes may be made online during designated Online Registration time periods, and thereafter only by contacting the department and/or filing of an add/drop form in the Office of the Registrar. There is no automatic dropping of courses resulting from a student’s failure to attend class sessions. Students who fail to withdraw officially will automatically be given a grade of “F” (failure) by the professor.

A class dropped during the first two full weeks of a semester is not entered on the transcript; however, one dropped subsequently up to the end of the eighth full week will appear on the transcript with a grade of "W." Classes dropped after the eighth week will receive a grade of "WF" unless the professor, aware of extenuating circumstances beyond the control of the student, is willing to grant a "WP"; however the student must be earning a minimum grade of "C+" in the course to warrant a "WP."

All classes added after the second full week of classes must be approved by the instructor and the Director.

For those courses that are offered on an unusual calendar, withdrawals received in the Office of the Registrar during regular business hours prior to the end of the first eighth of the total number of class hour sessions offered in the course will have no entry made on the transcript; a grade of “W” will be issued for withdrawals received between one eighth and one half of the total number of class hour sessions; withdrawals received in the Office of the Registrar during regular business hours in the final half of the class will receive a grade of “WF” unless the professor, aware of extenuating circumstances beyond the control of the student, is willing to grant a “WP.”

SPECIAL COURSE ENROLLMENT OPTIONS

CONFERENCE COURSES

Students with Junior or Senior class level standing, who for good reason cannot enroll in a listed catalog course when it is regularly scheduled, may request to take a conference course. To have a conference course approved, a student must

1. Receive permission from the instructor offering the course, the appropriate Department Chair, and the Associate Dean; 
2. Submit signed paperwork to the Office of the Registrar for course registration; and 
3. Pay a fee in addition to the regular tuition. No more than four (4) conference courses may be credited toward graduation.

GRADUATE PROGRAMS

Students, who for good reason cannot enroll in a listed catalog course when it is regularly scheduled, can request to take a conference course. To have a conference course approved, a student must

1. receive permission from the instructor offering the course, the appropriate Program Coordinator, the appropriate Department Chair, and the Registrar’s office; and
2. pay a fee in addition to the regular tuition.

INDIVIDUAL STUDIES COURSES

Students with Junior or Senior class level standing with at least a 3.00 grade point average may pursue specifically designed courses of individualized study within their major for up to three (3) credits per term and for a total of twelve (12) credits applicable to graduation. Such courses are initiated by the student, who must secure an appropriate sponsoring faculty member to supervise and evaluate the project. A written prospectus of the nature of the proposed study, its objectives, resources, procedures, requirements, and basis for evaluation—as devised by the instructor or by the student in consultation with the instructor—must be submitted to the appropriate Department Chair and Associate Dean for approval. Student must submit the signed paperwork to the Office of the Registrar for course registration; and is responsible for the additional fee beyond regular tuition for Individual Studies courses. 

GRADUATE PROGRAMS

Students may pursue specifically designed courses of individualized study within their disciplines. Such courses are initiated by the student, who must secure an appropriate sponsoring faculty member to supervise and evaluate the student’s work. All individual studies courses must have prior approval from the appropriate Program Coordinator, the appropriate Department Chair, and the Registrar’s office. All individual studies courses carry an additional fee beyond the regular tuition.

PASS/FAIL COURSES

Outstanding Seniors and Juniors may enroll for one course each term on a Pass/Fail basis. A maximum of two (2) courses taken on a Pass/Fail basis may be credited toward graduation. The request for such a grade must be made at the time of registration. These courses may not be used to meet core, major, or professional requirements with one exception: with the permission of the Associate Dean and Associate Provost, seniors maintaining a GPA of at least 3.25 may use an upper division course to meet a core curriculum requirement. A grade of “C ” must be earned in order to be granted a “Pass” grade for the course. A grade of “C-” or below will result in an “F” grade recorded on the transcript. A grade of “P” does not affect the grade point average, but a grade of “F” does. If an “A” grade is earned, it will be recorded on the transcript.

GRADUATE PROGRAMS

Students may not elect to take courses on a “pass/fail” or “credit/no credit” basis. “Pass” or “Credit” courses will be granted for specific courses designed by each graduate department. Students must have a minimum evaluation of a “B-“ to earn the units.

RESIDENCE COURSES

Residence, or seated, courses are those taken during regularly scheduled sessions on the Vanguard University campus as distinct from extension, online, or other special courses.

AUDITING COURSES

Students may attend class with no obligation to participate actively in the work. For such students, no examinations are given, no assignments are requested or marked; however, no credit may be obtained for such attendance. Students who are full-time traditional undergraduates pay no additional fee. Students must attend at least fifty-percent (50%) of the class sessions in order to have the audited course recorded on the transcript.