FAQs for Advisors
- How does AP credit affect a student's enrollment date?
- What is the difference between the official and unofficial transcript?
- How are incomplete grades handled?
- How do students get enrollment verification for insurance and other purposes?
- What are the credit hour enrollment restrictions and what is the process for exceptions?
- When would undergraduates enroll in graduate courses?
- What is the matriculation date and why does it matter?
- How do students apply for graduation?
- How do students declare or change majors, minors, degree programs, etc.?
- What are the drop/add deadlines?
- What are registration holds and how do students handle them?
- Where is the final exam schedule?
- Where are FERPA resources?
- What is continuous enrollment and why does it matter?
- How do students enroll in courses that require special permission?
- What degree programs are offered at OSU?
- What minors are offered at OSU?
- What certificate programs are offered at OSU?
- How are repeated courses handled?
- What are the policies/procedures for academic reprieve and renewal?
- In what ways may OSU students graduate with distinction?
- What are the different GPAs and how are they calculated?
- How is in-state/out-of-state status determined for tuition purposes?
- How are grade appeals handled?
- How does a student request to take a course with pass/no pass grading?
- Where do students go for veteran benefit services?
- How do courses transferred from other institutions meet OSU general education requirements if the credit hours don't match?
- How do students estimate how their current enrollment will affect their GPA?
- Related Links
How does AP credit affect a student's enrollment date?
Credit hours earned by examination are taken into account when a student’s enrollment date is determined, provided the credits have been received and processed by Undergraduate Admissions. Such exam credit includes AP, CLEP, IB, and a few other less popular exams.
Advisors may view registration time ticket details for individual students on the Student Profile in Self-Service by clicking on the Registration Notices in the upper right corner. Students may verify their registration time ticket details in the Prepare for Registration section of Self-Service Registration.
What is the difference between the official and unofficial transcript?
An official transcript has the Registrar’s signature, the University Seal, and is printed on special, security paper. It contains a complete listing of the student’s OSU and transfer courses with final grades (after the term has been put into history status) and grade point average details. Official transcripts are issued only by the Registrar’s Office and the OSU-Tulsa Enrollment Services Office.
An unofficial transcript lists all of the student’s courses and grades, plus coursework in progress. Unofficial transcripts are available to advisors for advisement purposes. Current students may access and print their unofficial transcripts by logging into Self-Service.
How are incomplete grades handled?
According to Academic Regulation 6.2, an instructor may assign an incomplete grade to a student who satisfactorily completes the majority of coursework (i.e., material amounting to more than 50% of the course grade as outlined in the course syllabus) and whose work averaged "D" or better, but who has been unavoidably prevented from completing the remaining work of the course. This grade is considered temporary. The instructor should convey to the student the conditions the student must fulfill in order to complete the course. The instructor will submit a final grade of "I" along with an incomplete final/default grade. The default grade is the projected grade the student would earn if he or she received a zero for the remaining coursework. Grades of "A", and "SR" are not permitted for the default grade, and an instructor may not require the student to repeat the course to remove the incomplete. The academic transcript will reflect an "I" grade for the course until the final grade is assigned.
The maximum time allowed for a student to complete the course is one calendar year after the end of the semester for which the incomplete grade was awarded. The dean of the student's college (for graduate students, this is the Graduate Dean) may recommend to the Office of the Registrar an adjustment of this period in exceptional circumstances, which must be clearly documented with supporting evidence when deemed appropriate. Instructors have the prerogative to require a shorter period of time to complete the remaining requirements.
It is the responsibility of the student to satisfy the requirements stipulated by the instructor at the time the incomplete grade is assigned; it is the responsibility of the instructor to initiate action to have any new permanent grade entered as soon as possible after the student completes the course or, after one year, partially fulfills the remaining requirements.
Upon completion of any or all of the remaining requirements, or at the end of the one-year period (whichever occurs first), the temporary grade on the transcript is changed to reflect the final grade for the course. Any course in which none of the remaining requirements are fulfilled will, after one year, have the incomplete grade changed to the default grade.
If the student opts to graduate prior to the end of the one-year period and if the course is required for graduation, the remaining course requirements must be completed and the final grade assigned by the deadline for coursework completion for his or her final graduating semester. If the course is not required for graduation, the standard completion time limits apply. When the temporary incomplete grade is replaced with the incomplete final permanent grade, this action is not considered a violation of the policy that states a grade will not be lowered after graduation.
An incomplete grade that was assigned prior to the Fall 2008 semester and is not changed within the designated time limit remains a permanent "I" grade on the transcript.
How do students get enrollment verification for insurance and other purposes?
Once classes are in session, students may print enrollment verification letters directly from the National Student Clearinghouse by choosing the “Enrollment Verification” section under “Student Records” in Student Self-Service. Students may also request such verification letters in person at the Office of the Registrar with a photo ID or by submitting an Enrollment Certification Request form. The request form may be mailed, faxed, or scanned as an email attachment.
What are the credit hour enrollment restrictions and what is the process for exceptions?
When would undergraduates enroll in graduate courses?
Undergraduate students may enroll in graduate courses to satisfy undergraduate degree requirements or to apply the courses toward a future OSU graduate degree.
If the intention is to apply these courses toward a future OSU graduate degree, the student must file an Application for Graduate Credit for Graduating Seniors with the Graduate College within the first two weeks of the semester (or the first week of a summer session). Students who do not complete this required paperwork are disappointed to learn that the graduate credit may not be earned without it. Academic Regulation 4.7 describes the criteria that must be satisfied to allow an undergraduate to apply for graduate credit.
Several OSU bachelor’s degrees utilize graduate-level courses, such as the Bachelor of Architecture and the BS in Civil Engineering. In this case, the graduate courses must be “pointed” toward the undergraduate transcript so the credits will appear as earned hours toward the bachelor’s degree. Manual action in the Registrar’s Office may be required to point these courses toward the undergraduate transcript, depending upon whether the department offering the course set it up for graduate credit alone or for both graduate and undergraduate credit. Generally, the student’s advising area or graduation clearance office requests this action on behalf of the student.
What is the matriculation date and why does it matter?
An undergraduate student's matriculation date is associated with his or her first term after high school graduation as an admitted student in an accredited institution of higher education. The matriculation date matters because that date will be used in calculating the time limit for the use of a given plan of study (Academic Regulation 3.1). Students may follow a degree plan that is associated with their matriculation year or any subsequent year. The time limit for following a given undergraduate degree plan is six years (Academic Regulation 3.2).
Matriculation dates are really matriculation years. They are expressed in terms of the fall semester and year. For example, a student who graduated from high school in May 2011 and enrolled at OSU for the Fall 2011 semester has matriculation date of Fall 2011. If the same student enrolled at OSU after high school graduation but during the Summer 2011 term, that student’s matriculation date would be Fall 2010, because summer matriculation is considered part of the academic year of the previous fall/spring. College courses taken concurrently prior to high school graduation do not affect the matriculation date.
How do students apply for graduation?
A graduation application is the formal application for graduation, and degrees are not awarded unless all degree requirements are met and a graduation application has been submitted before or during the semester of graduation. A completed graduation application must be submitted by April 1 for spring and summer graduate names to appear in the Spring Commencement program and by November 1 for fall graduate names to appear in the Fall Commencement program. Graduation applications for a given term are accepted until the last day of the term.
Students apply to graduate in Self-Service by selecting "Apply to Graduate" from the Student Records menu. Students who plan to complete all degree requirements in Summer should select the Summer term option on the graduation application and are invited to participate in the Spring Commencement ceremony (no ceremony is held in the Summer).
Graduate students must have submitted an approved Graduation Clearance Form with the Graduate College before submitting a graduation application. Students should contact the Graduate College if they are unable to submit a graduation application online.
See the Graduation website for more details, such as deadlines for receipt of transfer transcripts and correspondence work completion.
How do students declare or change majors, minors, degree programs, etc.?
It is important that Self-Service reflects the complete and accurate academic program for each student. Students work with their advisors and/or Colleges to declare or change majors, minors, certificates and degree programs.
Undergraduate declarations are communicated to the Registrar’s Office using the Undergraduate Academic Program Declaration Form, which is available on the Office of the Registrar SharePoint site (Okey login required). Degree program codes are provided on the SharePoint site, and degree programs are listed in the OSU Catalog.
Graduate students wishing to change their current majors or degree programs must first submit a new application to the new program through the Graduate College’s online application and submit any departmentally required documents (e.g. resume, statement of purpose, etc.). The faculty in the new major or degree program reviews the materials and recommends an admission status to the Dean of the Graduate College. The final decision for admission to the Graduate College is determined by the Dean. The applicant will be notified in writing by the Graduate College of the outcome. Provided a positive admission decision is made, a graduate student can then move into the new major or degree.
Graduate students may declare a minor by entering it in the appropriate section of an original, or revised, Plan of Study submitted to the Graduate College prior to conferral of the degree. The pursuit of graduate minors is not denoted on the academic transcript while in progress. Graduate students can file for minor completion in the semester that the required courses for the minor will be finished. At that time, the graduate student should ask the coordinator for that minor area to submit a memorandum to the Graduate College certifying the completion of the minor requirements and listing the courses required for the minor. A notation of the minor will be added to the student's transcript after the conferral of a degree.
What are the drop/add deadlines?
Drop/add deadlines for each term are listed in the Enrollment Guide.
What are registration holds and how do students handle them?
Registration holds, prevent students from adding or dropping classes. For more information on Registration Holds, please visit our webpage for more information.
Where is the final exam schedule?
The schedule for final exams is posted on the Exams section of the Registrar website and on the Enrollment Guide.
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) webpage and faculty/staff tutorial are part of the Registrar website. OSU’s FERPA policy (2-0701) is available on the OSU Policies and Procedures webpage.
What is continuous enrollment and why does it matter?
An undergraduate student who is enrolled for every fall and spring semester is considered continuously enrolled. A fall or spring semester with no enrollment is considered a break in enrollment. A graduate student with no break in enrollment or with a break in enrollment of less than one year is considered continuously enrolled. Readmission to the university is required if a student does not maintain continuous enrollment. Continuous enrollment is required to maintain certain scholarships, the guaranteed tuition rate, certain professional education requirements, and in-state status for tuition purposes in some instances. Students with breaks in enrollment may not be able to follow precisely the same degree plan when they return to OSU.
How do students enroll in courses that require special permission?
See Common Enrollment Issues. A Registration Permission Memo that may be used by advisors, instructors, and department heads is available on the Office of the Registrar SharePoint site (Okey login required).
What degree programs are offered at OSU?
See Degree Requirements in the University Catalog.
What minors are offered at OSU?
See Minors in the University Catalog.
What certificate programs are offered at OSU?
See Certificates in the University Catalog.
How are repeated courses handled?
A student shall have the prerogative to repeat a course and have only the second grade, even if it is lower than the first grade, included in the calculation of the retention/graduation grade-point averages up to a maximum of four courses but not to exceed 18 credit hours in which the original grade was a "D" or "F." If a course is repeated more than once, all grades except the first attempt are included in the grade-point averages. The original course and grade remain on the transcript identified with a statement under the course "Repeated (excluded from GPA)." All other repeated courses, those in excess of the 18-hour, four-course maximum and those with a grade of "C" or better in the original course, are included in the grade-point averages and identified with a statement under the course "Repeated (included in GPA)." (Academic Regulation 6.13)
Credit earned by exam, such as AP credit, CLEP credit or credit earned through OSU Advanced Standing Exams, is considered the same as other course credit when applying the repeat policy. For example, if a student fails a course and subsequently passes a CLEP exam for the same course, the the "F" from the original course is excluded from the retention/graduation GPA, provided the student has not reached the 18-hour, four-course limit mentioned above. Similarly, if a student receives credit for a course by passing a CLEP exam and then subsequently takes the course on campus, the repeat policy regarding the exclusion of grades from the retention/graduation GPA does not apply for this course because the original grade for the course was not a "D" or "F."
What are the policies/procedures for academic reprieve and renewal?
Academic Reprieve. A currently enrolled student may request an academic reprieve for all courses in one semester or two consecutive semesters if the following conditions are met:
- (a) at least three years must have elapsed between the period in which the grades being requested reprieved were earned and the reprieve request;
- (b) the student must have earned a GPA of 2.00 or higher with no grade lower than a "C" in all regularly graded coursework (a minimum of 12 hours) excluding activity, performance and remedial courses since the semester requested to be reprieved;
- (c) the student has not previously been granted an academic reprieve for a semester;
- (d) there were extenuating circumstances which caused the student to perform poorly during the semester.
The request for an academic reprieve must be submitted on the appropriate form to the Associate Vice President for Undergraduate Education. A committee appointed by that office reviews each request and either approves or denies a request based on whether or not the student meets the conditions stated above and the committee's judgment concerning the extenuating circumstances reported by the student. The courses for a semester that is reprieved are excluded from the retention and graduation grade-point averages and identified with a statement under the course "Reprieved (excluded from GPA)". (Academic Regulation 6.13).
Academic Renewal. A student may request an academic renewal for all courses if the following conditions are met:
- (a) at least five years must have elapsed between the last semester being renewed and the renewal request;
- (b) prior to requesting academic renewal, the student must have earned a GPA of 2.00 or higher with no grade lower than a "C" in all regularly graded coursework (a minimum of 12 hours) excluding activity or performance courses;
- (c) the request will be for all courses completed before the date specified in the request for renewal;
- (d) the student has not been granted a reprieve after December 5, 2003;
- (e) neither the content nor credit hours of renewed course work may be used to fulfill any degree or graduation requirements.
The request for an academic renewal must be submitted on the appropriate form to the Associate Vice President for Undergraduate Education (Academic Regulation 6.13).
In what ways may OSU students graduate with distinction?
Latin Distinctions. Students who earn an OSU undergraduate degree can also earn a level of distinction based upon the final retention/graduation grade-point average. (See also Academic Regulation 6.4 Grade-point Average Calculating) The level of distinction added to the diploma and transcript is:
|
Graduation/Retention Grade Point Average |
Distinction |
|
3.90 to 4.00 |
Summa cum laude |
|
3.80 to 3.89 |
Magna cum laude |
|
3.70 to 3.79 |
Cum laude |
This grade-point average calculation is two decimal places only, e.g., 3.69. In actuality, this GPA may be 3.69785 if additional digits were to be added. However, the value used to determine distinction is 3.69, which does not qualify for a level of distinction. (Academic Regulation 7.10)
Honors College Degree. This award is earned by completion of both the General Honors Award and the College or Departmental Honors Award with a minimum of 39 honors credit hours with grades of "A" or "B" and both an OSU and a cumulative grade point average of 3.50 or higher at the time of graduation. The honors degree is reflected on the transcript and the diploma. For more detailed information, see the Honors College website.
What are the different GPAs and how are they calculated?
See Academic Regulation 6.3 and Academic Regulation 6.4.
How is in-state/out-of-state status determined for tuition purposes?
In-state and out-of-state status for tuition purposes is determined by policy section 3.18 from the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. The Office of Undergraduate Admissions determines the initial residency status for undergraduate applicants and re-admitted undergraduates and handles residency questions/document collection/adjustments for these students prior to their initial enrollment at OSU. Undergraduate Admissions also determines the initial residency status for CVM applicants who have not been enrolled at OSU. The Graduate College determines initial residency status for graduate applicants and re-admitted graduate students and handles residency questions/document collection/adjustments for these students prior to their initial enrollment at OSU. The Office of the Registrar makes decisions regarding residency petitions for enrolled and previously enrolled students. The Registrar’s Office also determines initial residency status for CVM applicants who have been enrolled OSU students. The Center for Veterinary Health Sciences makes decisions regarding residency petitions for DVM matriculated students (after their first day of attendance). A university-wide Residency Appeals Committee exists to provide a second review for students whose petitions have been denied in-state status and wish to appeal the denial. The committee also provides assistance to the entities mentioned above as needed.
How are grade appeals handled?
A student may appeal a grade given by an instructor in cases in which he or she believes the grade awarded is inconsistent with announced grading policy. (See OSU Policy 2-0821.)
How does a student request to take a course with pass/no pass grading?
An undergraduate student may elect to take no more than four courses or 15 hours (whichever is greater) during his or her academic career with the pass-no pass grading option. The option is restricted to those students who meet all of the following criteria:
- have passed 28 or more semester credit hours;
- have at least a 2.50 grade-point average in all hours attempted;
- have met all of the prerequisites for enrollment in the course in question;
- do not need the course in question for meeting any requirements for graduation or certification other than as a general (unrestricted) elective;
- have approval of academic advisor.
A student who chooses the pass-no pass option must do so by the last date on which a course may be added (non-restrictive). Once the deadline has passed, a student may not change the choice of grading systems. The pass-no pass option is not identified on the official class roll and thus is not known to the instructor. The instructor assigns a normal grade based on the quality of the work performed. The grades of "A," "B" and "C" are recorded on the transcript as "P"; the grades of "D" and "F" are recorded as "NP." "W" and "I" grades are recorded without change. The pass-no pass grade will not affect the grade-point average.
Graduate students should refer to the "Graduate College" section of the Catalog. (Academic Regulation 6.6)
Where do students go for veteran benefit services?
The Office of the Registrar provides veteran benefit services. See Veteran Benefit Services for detailed information.
How do courses transferred from other institutions meet OSU general education requirements if the credit hours don’t match?
If courses from other institutions transfer as equivalent to our general education courses, but the credit hours are different, the following rule may be applied:
As long as the credit hours from the transferred course are at least two-thirds of the course requirement, the spirit of the specific OSU general education course requirement may be considered met. However, students still need to meet other degree requirements (such as the minimum number of total general education credit hours and the minimum number of credit hours required to complete the degree). General education substitution forms are not required for the two-thirds rule. If the course is not a general education course, the department or college housing the degree will need to determine if the transfer course is an acceptable substitute. This rule is not limited to transfer courses from other Oklahoma institutions.
For example, a student transfers to OSU a course that equates to ENGL 1113, but for 2.68 credit hours (or 2 credit hours). This course satisfies OSU’s requirement for ENGL 1113, but the student may need to take additional general education coursework to obtain the minimum number of general education credit hours and total credit hours required for the degree.
The two-thirds rule stems from the State Regents’ Academic Affairs Procedures Handbook (p. 102) and additional clarification from OSRHE staff received by Academic Affairs in 2008.
How do students estimate how their current enrollment will affect their GPA?
Go to the GPA Estimator and follow the instructions.