Academic Standards

Academic Integrity

York College’s mission statement stipulates that strict adherence to principles of academic honesty is expected of all students. Therefore, academic dishonesty will not be tolerated at York College. Academic dishonesty refers to actions such as, but not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, fabricating research, falsifying academic documents, etc., and includes all situations where students make use of the work of others and claim such work as their own.

When a faculty member believes a student has committed an act of academic dishonesty, the faculty member must inform the student in writing and then has 10 business days from that written notification to the student to report the incident to the Dean of Academic Affairs and the Department Chair. Documentation related to instances of academic dishonesty will be kept on file in the student’s permanent record. If the academic dishonesty is the student’s first offense, the faculty member will have the discretion to decide on a suitable sanction up to a grade of “0” for the course. Students are not permitted to withdraw from a course in which they have been accused of academic dishonesty.

Students who believe they have been unjustly charged or sanctioned (in cases involving a first offense) must discuss the situation with the faculty member and have 10 business days thereafter to submit an appeal to Student Welfare Committee through the Dean of Academic Affairs. If an appeal is filed, the Student Welfare Committee will then conduct a hearing to review the charge and/or sanction. In cases of a first offense, the faculty member may request that the Student Welfare Committee conduct a hearing and decide on the sanction, which can involve academic suspension or dismissal from the College, if the faculty member believes the offense to be of an extremely egregious nature.

If the Dean of Academic Affairs determines that the academic dishonesty is the student’s second offense, the Dean will provide written notification to the student, the faculty member, and the Department Chair. The Student Welfare Committee will automatically conduct a hearing to review the charge and decide on an appropriate sanction, which will involve academic suspension or dismissal from the College. Students who believe the Student Welfare Committee has unjustly sanctioned them may submit a written appeal to the Dean of Academic Affairs within 72 hours of receiving notification of the Student Welfare Committee’s sanction.

Good Academic Standing

To be in good academic standing and eligible for continued enrollment, a student must maintain a minimum of a 2.0 cumulative GPA. Students whose cumulative GPA is less than 2.0 are subject to academic probation, academic suspension, or dismissal from the College.

Communication Standards

York College recognizes the importance of effective communication in all disciplines and careers. Therefore students are expected to competently analyze, synthesize, organize, and articulate course material in papers, examinations, and presentations. In addition, students should know and use communication skills current to their field of study, recognize the need for revision as part of their writing process, and employ standard conventions of English usage in both writing and speaking. Students may be asked to further revise assignments that do not demonstrate effective use of these communication skills.

Attendance Policy

Students are expected to attend all scheduled classes. Class attendance policy, and the impact of class absences on the course grade, will be determined by each course instructor. The class will be informed in writing within the syllabus whether attendance is used as a criterion in evaluating student performance. The student is responsible for all work of the course unless specifically exempted by the instructor. It is recognized that some absences may be necessary or unavoidable. The student should inform the instructor of the reason for the absence and make up any work that is missed. The responsibility for initiating action to make up work missed in the classroom rests with the student.

Examinations

The course instructor determines how students will be evaluated in individual courses and informs the students at the beginning of the semester in the course syllabus. Final examinations, held during the final examination week, are generally designed to cover the materials discussed during the semester’s coursework. Final exams are generally two hours in length for each course and are administered through a special final exam schedule published each semester. If a student has three or more final exams scheduled on a given day, he or she should contact one of the course instructors to schedule another time during final examination week to take the exam.

Dean’s List Honors

At the end of each semester, the Dean of Academic Affairs will publish a list of students for Dean’s List recognition. To be eligible for this honor, a student must be registered for at least 12 academic credit hours and earn a semester GPA of 3.50 or higher. Pass/fail courses will not be counted as part of the 12-credit course load required for this recognition.

Grading Policy

Grade Point Average

The grade point average (GPA) is computed by multiplying the credit hours of each course by the respective grade earned; this equals “quality points.” The total number of “quality points” is then divided by the total number of “GPA hours” as shown on the transcript.

Example: A student carrying 16 credit hours and receiving for his/her first term’s work the following grades would have a GPA of 2.69.

Incomplete Work

A student may request an incomplete grade for a course when illness, family tragedy, or similar extenuating circumstances make it impossible for the student to complete the remaining requirements of the course by the end of the semester. The student should contact the course instructor with this request. At the instructor’s discretion, a grade of “INC” may be granted if the student has completed a substantial portion of all course requirements, is in good academic standing in the course when the incomplete is granted, and if the instructor believes the remaining coursework can be completed during the defined period. All incomplete work must be completed within 60 days from the last day of finals in the semester in which the coursework is taken or the student will automatically receive a grade of “0.” It is the student’s responsibility to contact the instructor and make all the arrangements to complete the coursework within the given time frame.

Pass/Fail Option

York College students may take designated courses on a pass/fail basis. Those courses offered with the pass/fail option will be indicated online through the YCPWeb. Students may register for a maximum of two pass/fail courses per academic year with a maximum of eight such courses in a student’s undergraduate program. Students may not take courses required in their major or minor field on a pass/fail basis and may not use pass/fail courses to complete General Education requirements (that is, Common Core and Area Distribution Requirements) even if courses are offered in that manner. In addition, a student registered for a 12-credit course load with three credits of pass/fail coursework will not be eligible for Dean’s List recognition.

Auditing a Course

Students or members of the community who wish to audit a course will be accommodated after full-time students have registered for courses. Regulations affecting auditors are: no attendance record is maintained; no assignments are made or papers corrected; no examinations are taken; no course credits are received; and a nominal tuition charge will be made (See Financial Information  section). Students cannot audit lab courses, studio courses, language courses, non-credit courses, Independent Study, or internships.

Repeating a Course

Any student who has taken a course at York College will be permitted to repeat this course. While both grades will appear on the student’s permanent record, the quality points earned on the basis of the higher grade will be used in the  computation of the cumulative grade point average. Since grades and quality points are not transferred from other institutions, a course may only be repeated at York College.

Grade Appeal

A student contemplating filing a grade appeal understands that consistent with the practice of academic freedom, professors bear responsibility for assigning course grades in accordance with professionally acceptable standards that have been communicated to students verbally or in writing. Students who believe that their final grade in a course does not accurately reflect their performance should appeal their grade directly to the course instructor. A student can appeal a grade until the end of the following semester. Following discussion with the instructor, the student may request a review of his or her grade by the Department Chair if the student believes his or her concern has not been adequately addressed.

Grade Report

York College issues final grade reports at the end of each semester (December and May) and at the end of each summer semester. These grades are sent to the student’s designated permanent address on file in the Records Office and are entered on the official college transcript. Students may also access their transcript online through MyYCP.

Warning Grades

Between the seventh and eighth week of the semester, a student whose work in any course is unsatisfactory may receive a warning notice or warning grade from the course instructor. Unsatisfactory work is defined as that which warrants a grade of less than 2.0. Whether the student receives the warning notice or not, the instructor will submit an official report of the unsatisfactory work and a notice is sent to the person(s) responsible for the student’s financial account, typically parents. Any student who is at least 21 years of age, married, self-supporting, or a veteran may request that warning grades not be sent to parents. Warning grades may be confirmed through the Records Office or the Academic Advising Center. Students who receive such warning grades should meet with their instructor and academic advisor for guidance in improving their grades.

Unsatisfactory Academic Work

Students’ academic work will be considered unsatisfactory whenever their cumulative GPA is less than 2.0; as a result, they will be placed on academic probation. The academic performance of all students, full- and part-time, will be reviewed against this standard at the conclusion of each semester to determine whether students in academic difficulty should be allowed to continue on probation, be suspended for one year, or be dismissed from the College.

For students whose cumulative GPA is less than 2.0, the following academic actions will occur:

1. A student who has attempted a total of at least 12 credit hours at York College and whose cumulative GPA is less than 2.0 will be placed on academic probation.
2. A student placed on academic probation will have two semesters to raise the cumulative GPA to meet the academic standard.
3. A student placed on academic probation who earns a cumulative 2.0 GPA will be placed on good academic standing.
4. Any student who does not achieve a 2.0 cumulative GPA following two semesters on probation will be placed on academic suspension for one year.

Academic Probation

Students placed on academic probation may continue their enrollment at the College, but will be limited to a maximum of 13 credit hours while on probation and will be required to participate in an academic support program. If the student attains a cumulative GPA of 2.0, the student will be returned to good academic standing. Students who fail to meet the standard within two semesters will be placed on academic suspension.

Academic Suspension

Students placed on academic suspension are prohibited from enrolling in any course at York College for one full year. In order to resume enrollment at York College, academically suspended students must apply for readmission to the College. Students who are readmitted will be on academic probation with a maximum limit of 13 credits and will be required to participate in an academic support program. Readmitted students will have two semesters to attain a 2.0 GPA. Students who do not attain a cumulative 2.0 GPA within two semesters will be dismissed from the College.

Academic Dismissal

A student who is academically suspended for a second time is considered academically dismissed. Students dismissed from the College are eligible to transfer their credits to another college or university to complete a degree, but they are no longer permitted to enroll in courses at York College.

Appeals of Academic Action

The Student Welfare Committee of the Academic Senate is responsible for making recommendations regarding matters of an academic nature, including criteria for admission, probation and suspension of students, and a review of cases that cannot be properly handled by fixed rules. The Committee may also make recommendations concerning disciplinary action when academic matters are involved, if requested to do so by the Dean of Academic Affairs. The Student Welfare Committee will review probation and suspension appeals following the fall and spring semesters. Students must submit their appeal to the Committee in writing following the schedule described in the notice of probation or suspension. Students submitting written appeals may also schedule an appointment to appear at their hearing and present their petition to the Student Welfare Committee in person. The Student Welfare Committee will also consider written student petitions regarding other academic matters at their regular meetings during the academic year. Students should address their petitions to: Chair, Student Welfare Committee; c/o Office of Academic Affairs.