Policies
President’s List
A full-time student will be named to the President’s List by achieving a term GPA of 3.5 or higher. The President’s List is published each fall and spring semester. Students receiving an incomplete grade (“I”) in any class are not eligible for the President’s List.
Degree Honors Designation
To earn an Honors Designation at graduation, the student must be an AAS candidate and earn a minimum cumulative GPA calculated from all coursework at Mitchell Tech. High Honors are awarded to those with a cumulative GPA of 3.75 or higher. Honors are awarded to those students with a cumulative GPA of 3.50 – 3.74. Honors are not calculated per individual program. For the purpose of the commencement ceremony, honors will be based on the student’s cumulative GPA after the fall semester that immediately precedes the ceremony. Final honors designation will be determined by the cumulative GPA after all required coursework is complete.
Class Schedule Change (Drop/Add)
Any changes in a student’s registration (including adding or dropping a course) must be completed on a Course Drop – Add Form. (Courses are not dropped by discontinuing attendance.) Semester courses may be added through the 5th day of a semester or with the approval of the course instructor, or dropped through the 10th day of classes each semester. Courses scheduled in shorter modules may be added or dropped through the 3rd day of such classes.
Adding and/or dropping a course after the 10th day requires approval signatures of the student and the course instructor. If the proper drop/add procedure is not followed, the student may fail the course.
Courses dropped during the first 10 days of the semester will not be recorded on transcripts. From days 11-48, the student who withdraws will be issued a grade of “W” to indicate official withdrawal. (A “W” grade is not computed in the student’s grade point average.) Students will not be allowed to withdraw from courses after the 48th day except under unusual circumstances and with the approval of the Vice-President for Academic Affairs.
Adding or dropping a course is not considered official until it has been processed through the Registrar’s Office. The official date of the add/drop is the date the form is filed in the Registrar’s office. Students discontinue a course without completing the proper paperwork after the drop/add period will still be considered enrolled in the course and will receive a failing “F” grade for the course. Courses dropped after the add/drop period has expired are not eligible for a refund, unless the student is withdrawing from school entirely. (See Withdrawing from School)
Summer Session
Courses dropped during the first 3 days of the summer session will not appear on the student’s transcript. Students may withdraw from a summer class and receive a grade of “W” through the 10th day of the class. No withdrawal from a summer class is permitted after the 10th day of the class.
WITHDRAWAL FROM SCHOOL
Official Withdrawal
Students planning to withdraw from school entirely are required to complete a “Withdrawal Form” available in the Registrar’s Office. On rare occasions, completing the form is not possible for the student, then a formal notification to the Registrar’s Office or Retention Coordinator should be made either by email or phone. A student is not officially withdrawn from the institute until the proper withdrawal form is filed with the Registrar’s Office. Academic Activity is NOT:
The process for officially withdrawing from school is:
- Complete a withdraw form available in the Registrar’s Office.
- Complete an exit interview with the Retention Coordinator, Learning Services Coordinator, or the Registrar.
- Complete an exit interview with the Financial Aid Office.
Students withdrawing entirely from school, wishing to re-enroll at a later date, are required to complete a new Application for Admission.
Refunds for Official Withdrawals are based on the Tuition Refund Process. The date of the completed withdraw form that is submitted to the Registrar’s Office will determine the amount, if any, of a tuition refund after Title IV funds have been returned to to the federal government. Students receiving an earned grade for any course during the semester are not eligible for a refund. (See the Business Office for a refund schedule)
Unofficial Withdrawal (non-active students)
Students who have not demonstrated academic activity in all courses for a minimum of 10 consecutive school days are considered “Administrative Withdrawals.” Students who are considered Administrative Withdrawals will receive all failing grades marked as a “FN” on the transcript for any classes in which they are registered and their withdrawal date will be considered the last date of attendance.
A Return of Title IV funds will be calculated and federal funds will be returned to the Department of Education. Please note: When an Administrative Withdrawal is applied, Mitchell Tech has the right and will bill the student for any federal funds that are returned to the Department of Education. Mitchell Tech will not issue a refund for tuition and fees charged by Mitchell Tech.
Academic Activity Defined:
For students to receive federal financial aid, student must have academic activity. If academic activity isn’t confirmed in each class, federal financial aid will be cancelled or reduced based on the classes where academic activity is confirmed.
The United States Department of Education defines Academic Activity as:
- Physical attendance where there is direct interaction between the instructor and student;
- Completion and submission of an academic assignment, quiz or exam;
- Participation in a study group as assigned by the instructor;
- Participation in an online discussion;
- Initiated contact with the instructor pertaining to an academic course.
Academic Activity is NOT:
- Logging into an online class or MyTech
- Meeting with an academic advisor
Re-entry of Withdrawn Students
Student who have withdrawn from enrollment and would lie to re-enroll are required to submit an Application for Admission. The student’s academic record and financial standing with Mitchell Tech will be reviewed prior to acceptance. Students who were previously suspended from a program, did not show satisfactory progress in a program, violated Mitchell Tech policies or state or federal laws, or have an outstanding financial obligation to the Mitchell Tech may be denied acceptance. Re-entry students are subject to being placed on a waiting list if their chosen program is full.
Withdrawal for Military Activation
Students who are members of the National Guard or reserves who are activated and have attended classes for 75% of the semester during which they are called to active duty, will be allowed to receive the grade they have earned and given full credit for the class/course, providing it is a C or better. Students who are activated prior to 75% of a complete semester will receive a “W”.
Repeating a Course
Students who have failed a course may need to repeat it to meet graduation requirements. Students may choose to repeat a course in an attempt to raise an undesirable grade. Financial aid restrictions may apply. In the event a student repeats a course, both grades are recorded on the student’s Mitchell Technical College academic records. Only the grade from the second attempt will be calculated into a GPA.
Attendance
Enrollment in Mitchell Tech assumes maturity, seriousness of purpose and self-discipline. Every student is expected to attend each meeting of all classes for which he/she is registered, to arrive on time and to stay for the full class period. Mitchell Tech recognizes that absences occur as a result of circumstances beyond a student’s control, as well as from a student’s failure to accept responsibility for attending class regularly. It is with the intent of providing for orderly management that Mitchell Tech has established the following rules:
- Instructors shall establish attendance policies for each class. Students are expected to become familiar with these policies and follow them.
- Attendance shall be taken and recorded at each regularly scheduled class meeting.
- Tardiness and leaving class early may be treated in the same manner as absences.
- Instructors may excuse absences when the absence results from illness, accident, death in family, religious observance, holidays and other circumstances beyond the student’s control, or for participation in authorized professional or Institute activities.
- Instructors shall determine what work should be made up.
- Final grades may be affected by attendance to the extent that the instructor has included attendance in the “method by which the final grade is determined” and has provided this information to the students in the course syllabus.
- All rosters shall be cleared of inactive enrollment as of the 10th day of the semester. Inactive enrollment results when students do not attend the first 10 days of class.
- All drops and withdrawals shall be recorded on the student’s record in the same manner.
Student Academic Load
The maximum load to be carried during any semester by a student (including both face-to-face and online courses) is 21 credit hours or the number of hours specified in the curriculum for the particular semester, whichever is larger. A student who has attained a grade-point average of 2.5 on a load of at least 15 credit hours for the preceding semester may be permitted by the Vice-President for Academic Affairs to carry extra credit hours.
Mid-Term Grades/Student Progress
Each semester instructors will record mid-term grades. This information is available to students through MyTech and will be shared with Student Services Staff to better inform the academic advisors on the progress of their students. Non-active students will be withdrawn from Mitchell Tech at the point of Mid-Term. Refer to the Unofficial Withdrawal (non-active students) policy.
Incomplete Grades
Students with incomplete grades (“I”) at the end of a semester should arrange for the completion of the course with the instructor. A student has 4 weeks from the end of the semester to complete an “I” grade. Failure to complete the course within the 4 weeks may result in a failing grade (“F”) for the class. Incomplete forms are available from the instructor.
Satisfactory Academic Progress
Federal regulations require Mitchell Technical College (Mitchell Tech) to define and evaluate Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) for federal student financial aid applicants. The purpose of the review process is to ensure that the federal aid given to a student is used in a constructive manner and that the student is maintaining satisfactory advancement toward achieving a degree.
Although the SAP standards are similar to the Academic standards for all students, the financial aid SAP standards are not exactly the same due to the specific federal requirements. In addition to meeting the academic standard for registration, a student must also meet the requirements of the financial aid SAP in order to be considered eligible to receive federal, state, and need-based institutional financial aid assistance.
Mitchell Tech evaluates Satisfactory Academic Progress at the end of each academic term. If there are late posted grades or grade changes, the SAP status will be recalculated once notification is received from the Registrar’s Office of grade changes.
In order for a student to maintain his or her federal financial aid, the student must meet the following standards of academic progress. Students who do not meet Satisfactory Academic Progress standards after one term will initially be issued a financial aid warning, allowing financial aid to continue for one academic term. If the standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress are not met in that following academic term the student will be suspended from receiving federal financial aid. Suspended students can appeal to have financial aid eligibility reinstated by submitting an appeal to the Director of Student Success. If the appeal is approved, that student will be placed on financial aid probation for the following academic term. The student then has one term in which to meet the standards and regain eligibility for financial aid.
SAP Standards:
• Minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) Qualitative Measure
All students receiving financial aid must maintain the following Mitchell Tech cumulative GPA. The cumulative GPA includes credits earned at Mitchell Technical College and transfer credits. Students must maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 or above.
• Minimum pace of progression (PACE) Quantitative Measure
All students must successfully complete a minimum 67% of cumulative credits attempted. Pace is calculated by dividing the total number of cumulative credits completed by the total number of cumulative credits attempted.
Credits completed = all coursework where credit is earned with a grade A, B, C, D, and P.
Credits attempted = all coursework where credits were completed PLUS all coursework with a grade of F, I, and N.
• Maximum timeframe credits attempted to complete degree program
All students must complete their degree program with credits attempted that are no greater than 150% of the number of credits required to earn the degree. The maximum attempted units is calculated by multiplying the minimum units required for the academic program by 150%. For example, if a degree required a minimum of 64 credits, so that student can attempt a maximum of 96 credit hours before being suspended from financial aid (64 x 150% = 96). Students can pursue additional academic objectives and receive financial aid as long as they do so within the units allowed for in their primary major.
If you are unable to fulfill the requirements for your degree before reaching this maximum timeframe your aid will be suspended from financial aid.
Academic Warning
All students accepted into a program of study and who have not maintained a cumulative 2.0 grade point average (GPA), will be placed on academic warning.
Students may attend Mitchell Tech for one semester on academic warning. While on academic warning, the student will be required to meet with a Student Success Coach on a regular basis. If the student fails to achieve a cumulative 2.0 GPA during the warning semester, the student will be placed on academic suspension. During a warning semester, students may continue to receive financial aid as long as all financial aid requirements have been met.
In order to assure satisfactory progress, students on academic warning should carefully monitor their GPAs. Any student whose GPA drops below 2.0 should meet with a Student Success Coach immediately to evaluate the probability of achieving the necessary GPA of 2.0 needed to graduate.
Suspension
There are two types of suspension: Academic and Non-Academic. Students who have been suspended must wait at least one semester of full time enrollment before applying for re-enrollment. Students who re-enroll after suspension will be automatically placed on academic probation. Students may be suspended from a program only twice. Registration will not be accepted a third time.
Academic Suspension
Students who fail to achieve a cumulative GPA of 1.0 during their first semester of enrollment will be suspended with no academic probation. This type of suspension MAY NOT be appealed.
Students may appeal academic suspension if their cumulative GPA is 1.50 or higher. The appeal process is initiated by the student with a written request of their reasons for the appeal sent to the Vice-President for Academic Affairs by the date specified on their notification of academic suspension.
Non-Academic Suspension
Students may attend Mitchell Tech for one semester on academic warning. If the student fails to achieve a cumulative 2.0 GPA during the warning semester, the student will be placed on academic suspension. During a warning semester, students may continue to receive financial aid as long as all financial aid requirements have been met.
All students accepted into a program of study who fail to achieve a cumulative GPA of 1.0 during their first semester of enrollment will be suspended with no academic warning. This type of suspension MAY NOT be appealed.
Students who have been suspended must wait at least one semester of full time enrollment before applying for re-enrollment. Students who re-enroll after suspension will be automatically placed on academic warning. Students may be suspended from a program twice. Registration will not be accepted a third time.
Students who have attended two consecutive semesters may appeal academic suspension. The appeal process is initiated by the student who must complete a Suspension Appeal Form available from the Director of Student Success by the date specified on their notification of academic suspension. If the suspended student’s appeal is successful, the student will be placed on academic warning and will remain enrolled at Mitchell Tech for the following semester. The student on appeal will be required to meet with Student Success staff on a regular basis.
Change of Program
Students may request a change of program within the institute by completing a Request for Change of Academic Program form. The request should be filed with the Admissions Office. After a review of the admissions requirements and determination of program capacity, a change in program may be granted. After a student has been granted the change of program, earned credits will be applied to the new program.
The student may apply for Grade Forgiveness for prior course work that is not a requirement of the new program. See Grade Forgiveness policy.
Grade Forgiveness
Students that have transferred to a new program may apply for Grade Forgiveness. Grade forgiveness applies to previous course work completed at Mitchell Tech that is not a requirement for the new program. It is the student’s responsibility to apply for grade forgiveness after successfully completing at least 12 credit hours in the new program with a minimum GPA of 2.0. The grades from the technical courses of the former program will remain on the student’s transcript, but will not be used in an GPA calculation (grade forgiveness).
Terms of Payment
The registration process is not complete until all costs are either paid or arrangements are made. The conferring of degrees and diplomas is contingent upon the full payment of all tuition, fees and educational costs due Mitchell Tech.
All registration costs must be paid by the end of the fourth week after the beginning of each semester or start date. Registration costs for summer courses must be paid by the end of the second week after the start date. Students who fail to make full payment within the time limit may be subject to immediate termination of their enrollment at Mitchell Tech. Re-admission will be contingent upon payment in full.
**A late fee may be assessed to delinquent accounts.
Administrative Withdrawals for Subsequent Semesters
Students registered for subsequent (future) semester may be administratively withdrawn from the future semesters if the student has an outstanding account balance from the current semester or if placed on suspension from Mitchell Tech. Student may register after account is paid in full or suspension has expired.
Internships
Internships are educational programs that allow students to receive practical work experience and academic credit while working in governmental, community or business settings. Internships are a requirement for graduation in several programs. Students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 and meet additional program-specific requirements. If requirements are not met, the student will not be able to enroll in an internship. Students denied internship registration may appeal.
Internships at Mitchell Tech are designed with intentional learning goals to assure that the experience will promote the academic, personal and career development of students. Mitchell Tech will work with the site sponsor to support the success of the internship experience. Students share the responsibility in locating potential internship opportunities. No commitments should be made, however, until the internship has been approved by the program internship coordinator. After approval of an internship site is granted by a program’s internship coordinator, the student must register for the internship course with the Registrar. All tuition and fees apply.
Additional information regarding internships at Mitchell Tech may be obtained in the Mitchell Tech Internship Guide or by speaking with a program’s internship coordinator.
