Registrar Office Procedures

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Academic Petitions

  • What: Students occasionally experience extenuating circumstances that interfere with their intent to follow rules and procedures regarding various facets of University life. Students may also find an interpretation of a rule or procedure confusing or unacceptable as applied to their individual situation.' The academic petitions committee reviews petitions by students to consider exceptions to University policy regarding scheduling changes, course grade options, distribution requirements, and graduation requirements. Petitioning students must provide appropriate documentation and academic advisor and/or course instructor substantiation of claims to extenuating circumstances. An explanation for tardiness for all missed deadline petitions is required.
  • When: The academic petitions committee meets weekly during the Fall and Spring semesters.
  • How: Students must properly complete an Academic Petition form and obtain the necessary signatures. The form may be printed from the Registrar's web site or obtained in the Registrar's office. The form requires the signature of the student's advisor. In accordance with the type or petition, the student must provide supporting statements by faculty/staff members and/or other documentation as the individual case warrants (e.g. completed add/drop forms, withdrawal forms, pass/fail forms etc.).

Student Attendance

Rosters

  • What: The Registrar's Office will ask each course instructor to confirm and correct an attendance roster for each course s/he is teaching once each term. We use these rosters to review student attendance and to aid us in working with students to correct their registrations where necessary.
  • When: Immediately following the Add/Drop period each term.
  • How: One roster for each course is sent directly to the instructor via campus mail. Instructions for completion are on the form. Rosters must be completed, signed, dated, and returned to the Registrar's Office in Vilas Hall via campus mail, fax, or in person. It is important that registered students (those listed on the roster) are confirmed as attending or not attending and non-registered students (those attending but not listed on the roster) are identified by adding their names and id number to the roster.
    • NOTE: We will contact instructors who do not return their rosters and will continue the follow-up until corrected rosters are returned to us.

Grades

  • Grade Scale: SLU uses a numeric grading scale on a quarter-point system. Acceptable Numeric grades are 4.0, 3.75, 3.5, 3.25, 3.0, 2.75, 2.5, 2.25, 2.0, 1.75, 1.5, 1.25, 1.0 0.0. 
  • Pass/Fail: A 'p' grade is awarded to students taking a course on a pass/fail basis who receive at least a 1.00. Failing grades are recorded as 0.0. See the section on Pass/Fail for details on how a student elects this option.
  • Incomplete Grades: Assigned only when, as a result of unusual or extenuating circumstances (e.g., illness), some part of the required work for a course is left unfinished. In such a case, the instructor informs the department chair and agrees with the student on conditions, preferably in writing, for removal of the E. The student is expected to fulfill these conditions in good time, in the ensuing semester, for the instructor to evaluate their work and report a permanent grade to the registrar, generally by the end of the second full week. If no grade is reported, the E is replaced by 0.0 (Failure). The instructor may set an alternate deadline if they wish. The department chair may request further delay from the registrar, but this delay may not be longer than the term. If the student is not in residence during that term, the delay may be extended for one additional semester. Further extension must be requested of the dean of academic affairs and is unusual since the passage of time often brings changes in instructor and course content. It is the responsibility of the student to see that conditions for the removal of a grade of E are established and met.
  • X Grades: Assigned at the end of a semester for work in a designated course that will be completed in the following semester. Only those students specified by the mid-term of the initial semester are eligible to receive an X grade. This grade is not to be confused with the incomplete (E), which is given to a student who fails for a valid reason to complete the work of a course within the period prescribed for that course.

Grade Submission

Midterms

  • What: Midterm grades are a warning system at SLU. Only grades below 2.0 are recorded. If you are unable to provide an actual midterm grade or would find it appropriate to remark on a student's general work, attitude, attendance or motivation, you may submit a Midterm Progress Report to the Associate Dean of Advising who will contact the advisors of students whose performance and/or work habits you find especially troubling.
  • When: Just after the midpoint of the semester. Check the Faculty Administrative Calendar or the date reminders on the Registrar's website for the deadline each semester. There is a one-week "window" to submit the grades.
  • How: Grades are submitted in the APR system. 

Final Grades

  • When: At the end of each term. Check the Faculty Administrative Calendar or the date reminders on the Registrar's website for the deadline each semester.
  • How: Grades are submitted in the APR system. Detailed instructions are available online within APR and from our website. A grade must be submitted for all students on the grade roster. If a student's name is on the grade roster but they did not attend the class you should submit a failing grade.
    • Note: Please pay close attention to the final grade submission deadline. Late grades can have far-reaching ramifications for a student as well as the Registrar's Office. Academic Progress, inclusion in the graduation ceremony program, degree conferral, verifications for jobs, admission to other schools, and honor recognition are just a few of the processes delayed or negatively affected by a late grade.

Grade Changes

  • What: Grade changes must be done through the Registrar's Office after the grade submission period in APR has ended. All grades entered or changed through the Registrar's Office require the signature of the instructor (giving us permission to enter "your" grade on a student's record). Grade changes other than the conversion of "e" or "x" grades must be approved by the Academic Dean and the Chair of the department in which the grade is earned.
  • When: Conversion of "e" grades must be done by the end of the 6th week of the subsequent semester. There is no deadline for other grades changes.
  • How: Complete a Grade Change Form. Forms can be printed from the Registrar's Web site on the Faculty Information page. The form must be signed and dated. Please do not email grade changes to our office. We must have proper documentation to change a student's grade.

Pass/Fail

  • What: A student is permitted to elect up to four-semester course units to be graded Pass/Fail, No more than one optional Pass/Fail course can be taken in a semester. Courses in the student's major and minor fields cannot be taken on a Pass/Fail basis after the major and minor are declared. The Pass/Fail option requires the written consent of the instructor. Passing grades "p" are not computed into the student's GPA. Failing grades (0.0) are computed into the student's GPA.
  • When: By the end of the 9th full week of classes during Fall and Spring semesters and the first eight days of a summer session. See the Faculty Administrative Calendar or date reminders on the Registrar's website for the deadline each semester.
  • How: Students must submit a properly completed Pass/Fail form to our office. Students may submit petitions to the Academic Petitions Committee for late Pass/Fail options after the deadline. A completed Pass/Fail form must accompany the petition.

Registration

Registration Schedule

Registration for undergraduate semester courses takes place in the preceding semester: April for Fall courses and November for Spring courses. The Academic Planning and Registration (APR) system is used for online registration for a one-week period. Following that week, students may continue registration through the Registrar's Office until the end of the semester. Registration changes during this time do not require the signature of advisors or of instructors (unless the course is full, the course is a permission-require course, or in cases where the student does not meet the course pre-requisites). Once the semester ends, the next opportunity for students to make registration changes is the day before classes begin in the Fall and Spring semesters. The first day of classes is the start of the Add/Drop Period as detailed below. 

Add/Drop Period

  • What: For a short period after classes begin students may make changes to their schedule to add or drop courses.
  • When: During the first 7 days of the Fall and Spring semesters and the first three days of a summer session.
  • How: Students must complete an Add/Drop slip. Instructor signatures are required for each course added or dropped. The student's advisor must also sign the slip. Registration changes after the Add/Drop period require students to submit a petition to the Academic Petitions Committee for a late schedule change. A properly completed Add/Drop slip must accompany the petition.

Withdrawing from a Course

  • What: Students are permitted only two course withdrawals before graduation. A withdrawn course remains on the student's transcript and a "w" grade is entered by our office. Withdrawal from FYP or FYS is not permitted. A grade of "w" does not affect a student's GPA.
  • When: The course withdrawal period begins immediately after the Add/Drop period and ends after the tenth week of classes. See the Faculty Administrative Calendar or our website for the deadline each semester.
  • How: Students must submit a completed Course Withdrawal form to our office. If a properly completed form is not submitted before the deadline, the student remains enrolled in the course and is graded accordingly. Students may submit a petition to the Academic Petitions Committee for a late course withdrawal after the deadline. A completed Course Withdrawal form must accompany the petition.