Academic Regulations
Final Examination Policy
Examinations are conducted in courses at the end of each term. Final papers, projects, or presentations assigned in lieu of a final examination should be due or scheduled for the final examination period assigned to the class. The final examination policy covers the failure to submit or attend any final examination or final project, paper, or other culminating experience. This policy appears at the top of each semester’s final examination schedule.
Repeated Courses policy
No student may take the same course twice for credit. A student may repeat a course in which they have received a grade of D+, D, D-, or F. When a course is repeated at Randolph-Macon College, both the initial grade and subsequent grade(s) appear on the transcript. Credit is awarded once, and only the most recent grade is computed into the grade point average. A course repeated via transfer credit will not result in a change in GPA.
Academic Probation & Separation
The academic year is divided into two periods for the purpose of handing most questions of academic deficiency that may result in either probation or separation from the college. The first consists of the fall and January terms. The second consists of the spring and summer terms. Students are placed on probation or are separated for academic deficiency at the end of either period if their work falls below the standards set by the college.
Incomplete grade
The symbol “I” is to be reported only if a grade is called for, but (1) the student has not completed some required work but not final examinations (see Final Examinations Policy), and (2) the instructor is willing to accept that work after the final grades are due.
Probation
Randolph-Macon College considers education as the primary purpose of its students. Those students who are not making satisfactory progress towards finishing their degree should devote their energies and time to their academic work. The primary obligation of students on probation is to remove themselves from probation.
Separation for academic deficiency
Students will automatically be separated for an academic deficiency when one or more of the following conditions are present: (1) They earn a GPA of 0.00 for either the fall term or spring term; (2) They do not remove themselves from academic probation at the end of an academic period; (3) Their Randolph-Macon College GPA is lower than the allowed values at the end of an academic period.
The Code of Academic Integrity
Randolph-Macon College is a community of scholars in which students and faculty work and study together for the intellectual enrichment of all. For such a community to thrive, it is essential that all of its members honor the principles of intellectual and academic integrity, for without these principles, scholarship is without merit and education is of questionable value. Academic integrity is a matter of exerting the most scrupulous care in acknowledging one’s scholarly debts, giving credit for every source of information, and being fully responsible for the independence and integrity of one’s own work. Academic integrity is an ethical commitment. Such a commitment is made in the knowledge that the existence of a community of scholars depends upon it and in the belief that scholarship is worthwhile in its own right. It is the hope of the college that the commitment will be lifelong.
The faculty and students of Randolph-Macon have agreed on a set of procedures designed to ensure the vitality of the code and to handle violations of it in a fair, effective, and timely manner. It is the responsibility of every student to read, understand, and obey the code. The complete provisions of the code can be found on the college’s website.
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
Randolph-Macon College adheres to a policy of compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 as amended (Buckley Amendment) which became law on June 17, 1976, and has as its objective to ensure the privacy of student records. As such, it is the policy of the College to (1) permit students to inspect their education records, (2) limit disclosure to others of personally identifiable information from education records without students’ prior written consent, and (3) provide students the opportunity to seek correction of their education records where appropriate. Anyone interested in reading the legislation may come to the Office of the Provost or the Dean of Students.