Academic Policies and Procedures

Here, you’ll find information on the Advanced Placement test (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), class attendance, credits and grades, course repeats, grade reports, grade appeal policy, academic eligibility and class standing, examinations, registration, withdrawal, conduct and readmission.

Advanced Placement and Exemption

Exemption from one or more of the degree requirements and/or admission to advanced courses may be granted on the basis of the Advanced Placement tests of the College Board, the International Baccalaureate (IB) program, A-level scores, transfer credit or, in some cases, placement tests taken at Sweet Briar. Neither academic credit nor placement is awarded for the College Level Examination Program (CLEP), experiential learning or armed services experience. Requests for information about the Advanced Placement tests should be made to the College Board or the student’s high school counselor.

Since the College wishes to enable every student to advance at a rate commensurate with her ability and previous preparation, any student who has not participated in the Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate programs, but believes that she is capable of doing the work of an advanced course or should be exempted from a degree requirement, may so indicate to the dean. Placement tests and conferences with program faculty will be arranged to meet the needs of such students.

Sweet Briar accepts 60-credit hours at most of any combination of AP, IB, A-level and transfer credit.  

Advanced Placement Test (AP) and A-Level

A student who receives a score of 4 or 5 on an Advanced Placement test will be granted credit for a year’s course or for a term’s course, as well as exemption from both the program’s introductory course, if there is one, and any appropriate Leadership Core requirement. For a few tests, a score of 3 will also be granted credit. Students must request that Educational Testing Service (ETS) send official score reports to the Office of the Registrar. A-level scores are also accepted and are awarded based on Cambridge Assessments.

International Baccalaureate (IB)

Sweet Briar College recognizes the challenging nature of the International Baccalaureate program of study. Credit will be granted to a student presenting a score of five or higher on any of the International Baccalaureate higher-level examinations. On the recommendation of the individual program, advanced placement or credit, or both, may be awarded to a student presenting a score of 4 on any of the International Baccalaureate higher-level examinations.

Class Attendance

The College maintains that regular class attendance is essential to its educational plan. It is the responsibility of the student to attend all classes and to keep up her work. Faculty may take class participation into account in grading.

Credits, Grades and Quality Points

The College requires 120 semester credit hours to be presented for graduation. Grades are assigned as follows:

* Incomplete indicates that a substantial piece of required work in a course has not been completed because of exceptional circumstances which merit an extension of time.

A minimum grade point average of 2.00 in the major and overall is required for graduation. Grade point averages are calculated to the second decimal point and are not rounded up or down. With specified exceptions, only graded work pursued at Sweet Briar is used in determining the grade point average. A minimum of two years of residence and 60 credit hours earned at Sweet Briar are required for the degree.

Pass/Credit/No Credit Grading Option

A student with a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.00 may, with the approval of her advisor and the instructor, choose to take a total of two courses on a “Pass/Credit/No Credit” basis. A student in her first term at Sweet Briar is not eligible for this option. Under this grading option, students who earn grades of “C-” or higher will receive a final grade of “P”; those who earn grades of “D+,” “D,” or “D-” will receive a final grade of “CR”; and those who earn a grade of “F” will receive a final grade of “NC.” Courses offered on a P/CR/NC grading option only are excluded from the two-courses limit.

Some academic programs have policies which further limit or prohibit the use of this grading option on courses that could count toward a major or minor. Consult the major and minor requirements listed under each program for such restrictions.

Course Repeats

A student may repeat a completed course, regardless of grade, for a better understanding of the subject. Course repeats are subject to the following conditions:

1. A student may choose to repeat a Core class an unlimited number of times.
2. For other non-core courses, a student may choose to repeat a course only twice during their four years at Sweet Briar. A student may repeat one course twice, or two separate courses one time each.
3. Seats are open first to those who have not taken the course. If a waiting list forms, a student repeating the course must vacate the seat.
4. The repeated course must be the same course or its equivalent as determined by the major, and it must be taken at Sweet Briar College. Topical seminars repeated under this policy must have the same course content. When course content differs, the topical seminar may be repeated and is not subject to the conditions of this policy.
5. Grades for all course attempts will appear on the student’s transcript but only the highest grade and associated credits will be included in all GPA calculations and count toward fulfilling all degree requirements and honors.
6. Majors may designate a course as non-repeatable. This exclusion must be included in the course description in the Catalog.
7. A student must designate at the time of registration her intent to repeat a course under the conditions of this policy. Forms for this purpose are available from the Office of the Registrar.

If a student fails a required course, she must repeat the course either at Sweet Briar or at another institution, subject to the approval of the Dean and the head of the major concerned. If a student fails a required course twice, she may be declared ineligible to remain in the college.

Credit Hours

Sweet Briar defines a credit hour and awards credit in accordance with the federal definition of a credit hour.

Generally, all courses, with the exception of some senior capstone seminars, meet a minimum of 50 minutes of scheduled class time per week for each credit hour over the course of a 15-week semester. Senior seminars, which are 300- or 400-level courses requiring more independent work and participation by the student, may meet for a minimum of 40 minutes of scheduled class time per week for each credit hour over a 15-week semester. Generally, one semester hour of credit represents three hours per week of in-class and out-of-class work.

Course Information

Course numbers indicate in a general way the level of instruction. Numbers below 200 indicate introductory courses; 200-299 intermediate; 300-399 advanced; 400-499 courses normally open to seniors, majors, and others of unusual ability; 500-599 graduate level courses that, with appropriate qualifications and permission, may be taken for undergraduate credit; 600-799 graduate level courses.

Courses with no stated prerequisites are open to first-year students. The courses are usually, but not always, numbered below 200. Courses with a prerequisite of permission of the instructor may be open to first-year students. Consult the instructor for more information.

Directed, special, and independent studies (numbered 261, 361, and 461 respectively) are offered in many departments. These courses require permission of the instructor in addition to any other published prerequisites. Special forms, available from the Registrar’s Office, are required to register for these courses.

Internships (numbered 377) are offered in many departments. The prerequisite for an internship is the permission of the instructor. Special forms, available from the Career Services Office, are required to register for internships.

Grade Reports

The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 as Amended (FERPA) provides that academic transcripts may be furnished to parents (or legal guardians) of a student without the student’s written consent only when the parents establish the student’s status as a dependent according to the Internal Revenue Service code.

It is Sweet Briar’s expectation that each student should take the responsibility to inform her parents of her academic progress. However, if parents wish to receive copies of final grade reports, they should contact the registrar’s office for information on how to receive them.

Grade Appeal Policy

A student who feels that a grade reported to the registrar’s office is incorrect and is prepared to present evidence to support this grievance must use the following procedure:

1. Initiate the procedure by voicing the complaint to the instructor before the end of the subsequent semester.
2. If the complaint is not resolved at the first level, the student may then take the matter to the chair of the division for mediation. If the instructor is the chair of the division, proceed to the next level.
3. If the matter is still not resolved at the division level, the student may then refer the matter to the dean of the faculty for further mediation.

The dean will investigate the matter and take appropriate action. A grade may be changed only if such change is necessitated by a clerical error or other oversight. Grade changes are limited to the semester subsequent to that in which the work was done.

Academic Eligibility and Class Standing

Any student who fails to achieve a cumulative credit ratio of 2.00 at the end of any term will be reported by the dean to the Eligibility Committee, which may place the student on academic warning, academic probation, academic suspension, or declare her ineligible to continue her college course. Normally, a student with a GPA below 1.80 shall be placed on academic probation.

The status of a student who has been placed on academic warning or academic probation for two consecutive semesters shall be reviewed by the Eligibility Committee, who may suspend the student or declare her ineligible to continue.

Students not making satisfactory progress toward the degree or who experience extreme academic difficulty in a given term may be placed on academic warning or academic probation even if their cumulative GPA is greater than 2.00.

No student on academic warning or academic probation may hold any extracurricular office or compete on club or varsity teams.

Class standing is determined by completion of credit hours as follows:

Satisfactory Progress Requirement

Federal regulations require that students make satisfactory academic progress according to institutional policy in order to receive Federal Title IV funds. Sweet Briar College also requires that students meet these standards in order to maintain eligibility for institutional funds. Financial Aid conducts a review of student progress every May.  

First-time, first-year students are expected to complete graduation requirements within a standard four-year time frame. The maximum time frame for satisfactory progress is 150% of the published program length of eight semesters. An entering first-time, first-year student is eligible to receive a maximum of eight semesters of institutional funding and a maximum of twelve semesters of Federal funding. If a student needs an additional semester to complete their program of study, they may submit an appeal to the Director of Financial Aid for extended aid consideration. 

Financial aid at Sweet Briar College is awarded to students for the entire academic year or summer session. If an aid recipient’s grade point average falls below the minimum standards during the award year, the recipient will be placed on financial aid warning for the subsequent semester. If a student on warning fails to meet the standards of satisfactory academic progress outlined below, the student will be ineligible for financial aid for the subsequent enrollment period and will not receive consideration for aid again until the standards have been met. A student may attend summer school to meet the standards of satisfactory academic progress to regain eligibility.

The standards for determining progress at Sweet Briar College are composed of three separate measurements: Grade point average (qualitative), incremental progress (quantitative), and accumulated hours (maximum timeframe). A student whose average drops below the minimum requirement will be placed on financial aid warning for the subsequent semester GPA requirements for financial aid recipients:

Earned          Minimum Required
Hours            Cumulative Hours GPA

1-18                        1.0
19-37                      1.7
38-56                      1.8
57-75                      1.9
76+                          2.0

In addition, students must achieve an overall cumulative GPA of 2.0 and a cumulative major GPA of 2.0 by the middle of the junior year and each semester thereafter. Students failing to maintain the standard will be placed on academic probation. Failure to achieve a cumulative and major 2.0 at the end of the probationary semester will result in the student’s ineligibility to continue at the College.

Incremental Progress
Sweet Briar College students must complete at least 67% of all hours attempted towards graduation.  Repeated courses and courses with a grade of W, F, and NC will count as attempted coursework and not as completed coursework. This should be kept in mind when planning a schedule to assure completion with enough credit hours to be considered making incremental progress. Students repeating a course previously passed may do so only once. A course repeated more than once will not be included when determining enrollment status.

Accumulated Hours
Students who receive financial aid at Sweet Briar College are allowed up to 150% of the published credit hours needed to graduate. Thus, as 120 credits are required to graduate, the student must complete their degree within 180 attempted hours.

Classification
The classification of a student during any academic year will be the responsibility of the Registrar. Students will be classified with their entering class when there is a reasonable expectation that they can meet the requirements to graduate with that class.

At the end of:    Completed Credit Hours       

First year                       24
Sophomore year           56
Junior Year                    88
Senior Year                 120

Registration

Students must complete their registration for courses on the dates specified by the Office of the Registrar each semester. Each student must be enrolled in a minimum of 12 credit hours per semester to maintain full-time enrollment status. To carry more than 18 credit hours per semester, a student must have permission from their advisor and the Dean of the College.

Major, Minor and Certificate Requirements

Students are expected to declare a major by their fourth semester prior to the start of advising for the subsequent term.  At that time, a student must plan with her advisor(s) a program for the junior and senior years.  A student must complete the major, minor, or certificate requirements specified by the program. A minimum 2.00 grade point average in the major, minor, or certificate program is required for graduation. The grade point average for each declared major, minor, or certificate is calculated using the minimum number of courses taken that meet requirements, together with any subset of additional courses in the major field of study, which results in the highest grade point average. Each senior must pass the senior culminating exercise in their major(s) as designated by the program. This culminating exercise must be completed at Sweet Briar College.

Withdrawal from the College

A student who wishes to withdraw from the college during the academic year must first meet with the Dean of the College and complete a withdrawal checklist. She must also be making progress toward satisfying unpaid debts to receive an academic transcript.

Conduct

The College reserves the right to exclude at any time any student whose conduct or academic standing it regards as unsatisfactory.

Readmission to the College

Readmission after withdrawal from Sweet Briar is not automatic. To request readmission, students should write to the Dean of the College.

Session Enrollment Requirement

A semester is made up of a 3-week and a 12-week session and students must be registered for both sessions of each semester. Students are required to enroll in one 3- or 4-credit course in each 3-week session. With the approval of the Registrar, students may enroll in a 3- or 4-credit semester-long course through the Tri-college Consortium to satisfy this enrollment requirement.