Registration marks the last stage students undergo before commencing classes. Prior to registering, students are advised to:
SBU students are encouraged to attend and participate in all classes as scheduled and to continue attending classes for the full duration of the course or module. Faculty members are responsible for determining if and how attendance may be factored into final grades. Faculty members may use various tools to assess students’ participation in class, including log-in dates, work submitted, discussion contributions, check-in posts, etc.
Instructors will individually work with students in these instances to determine if/how students can make up work and set timelines for assignment submissions. SBU expects all instructors to be reasonable in accommodating students whose absence from class meets the guidelines above, and if a student’s grade is impacted by a legitimate absence or absences, they may appeal through the normal grade appeal process.
SBU recognizes there are some circumstances that may force students to miss a class. In all instances, it is the student’s responsibility to inform their instructor(s) ahead of time and to discuss how the absence will affect their ability to meet course requirements. Students must understand that not every course can accommodate absences, and neither the absence nor the notification of the absence relieves them from meeting all course requirements.
Since missing classes may affect a student’s ability to meet course learning outcomes and develop required competencies, any absences may impact your grades in particular courses. Notwithstanding, unavoidable absences are always considered acceptable by the University.
Acceptable reasons for an excused absence include:
After the initial Add/Drop Period, students are permitted to withdraw from a course within the Withdrawal Period. The Withdrawal Period is defined below:
To do so, students must notify the course instructor and Department Chair by completing a Request for Withdrawal Petition, obtaining appropriate approval signatures, and filing it at SBU’s Admissions Office. This policy also applies to students who fail to attend class or leave college for any reason. Please refer to the Refund Policy section for additional information about refunding tuition fees during the Withdrawal Period.
SBU’s Admissions Office may permit a student to withdraw from a course after the Withdrawal Period with careful consideration of the student’s circumstances and reasons for requesting withdrawal. The Admissions Office may grant student authorization after the Withdrawal Period for only the most serious and compelling reasons. Students are expected to provide relevant and credible documentation to support their reasons for requesting the withdrawal, such as medical records, if applicable. Poor academic performance is not evidence of a serious and compelling reason for withdrawal. Although the Admissions Office may grant withdrawal permission for the most profound and compelling reasons after the Withdrawal Period, no refund will be issued for paid tuition fees.
Approved withdrawal from a class after the Add/Drop Period is signified on the student’s academic record by a grade of “W”. Such grades are not included in calculating the student’s grade point average.
For those residing on campus, it is essential to check out with the Housing and Residence Life Office after the add/drop period. Following these protocols ensures an official withdrawal status.
The purpose of assigning course grades is to provide a fair assessment of a student’s performance, communicate this assessment clearly, and aid professors in distinguishing between varying levels of student achievement.
The grade of “A” denotes exceptional, high-quality work.
The grade of “B” denotes satisfactory performance at the graduate level.
The grade of “C” indicates subpar graduate-level work. Students who have received more than two C’s while pursuing a Master’s degree are encouraged to consult and/or seek mentoring with SBU’s academic advisor to improve their overall coursework performance.
Grades of “D” or “F” indicate unsatisfactory graduate work and will not be eligible for credit. An “Incomplete” grade may be assigned in specific situations as per SBU policy.
Plus (+) or Minus (-) may be assigned to a letter grade according to the instructor’s syllabus grading scale.
The grades of “Pass/No Pass” (P/NP) do not factor into a student’s grade point average. However, successfully passing a course with a “P” will grant credit toward degree requirements, and the grade will appear as either “P” (Pass) or “NP” (No Pass) on official transcripts. To earn a “P” grade, students must achieve a minimum grade of C- or higher in the course.
SBU calculates a student’s grade point average using a grade point system. Grade points are allocated based on the letter grade earned in each credit-bearing course, as outlined below: A, 4 points; A-, 3.7 points; B+, 3.3 points; B, 3.0 points; B-, 2.7 points; C+, 2.3 points; C, 2 points; C-, 1.7 points; D+, 1.3 points; D, 1 point; D-, 0.7 points; F, 0 points.
When a student encounters a documented emergency in the final quarter of the term, preventing completion of required coursework despite attending class, a grade of IP, indicating incomplete work, may be assigned. This grade is permissible under specific conditions: (1) the student is passing the course at the time of the emergency; (2) there are no excessive unexcused absences; and (3) only the final exam or a final major project remains unfinished.
It’s important to note that an incomplete grade is not intended to provide students with poor grades additional time to improve their standing. To receive an incomplete grade, the student must initiate a request at the Academic Advising Center and, upon approval, complete a contract with the professor.
For incomplete grades assigned at the end of the fall semester, the student must complete the coursework by the date specified in the contract with the instructor but no later than the end of the subsequent spring semester, or the incomplete (IP) grade will default to an F. Similarly, for incomplete grades assigned at the end of the spring semester or summer term, the incomplete grade will default to an F at the end of the following fall semester.
Extensions for incomplete grades are subject to approval by the Admissions Office, and students must petition before the deadline. Students with financial assistance should be aware of how incomplete grades may impact their eligibility.
Additionally, a grade of IP is assigned only in courses designated by the catalog as requiring more than one semester for completion, such as student teaching, graduate readings, theses, and projects. It is essential for students who receive incomplete or in-progress grades not to re-enroll in the course for the subsequent semester. Different policies may apply for incomplete results from disciplinary action.
Students who previously attended regionally accredited colleges will be granted advanced standing based on the number of acceptable college units completed. Credits earned through means other than the semester unit system will be converted accordingly.
At SBU, credit is awarded for all transferable courses completed with a grade of C or higher at other regionally accredited colleges within seven (7) years of matriculation. The Admissions Office will assess additional courses on a case-by-case basis. These credits are transferable, excluding remedial-level and nonacademic courses as determined by the Admissions Office. Grades from transferred courses will not contribute to the student’s GPA. SBU will accept a maximum of twelve (12) semester credits, equivalent to up to four (4) courses, with each course comprising three (3) units, if appropriate.
Once accepted into SBU, transfer students will receive degree audit reports from the Admissions Office. Students must provide documentation from the school catalog or specific pages of course descriptions for review.