These policies are reviewed regularly and are in place to ensure a fair and successful academic experience for all students. If you need to petition any of these policies due to unanticipated circumstances, you can complete the online form referenced below.
Students are assigned to the catalog that is active for the academic year at the time of their first entry into Northland College. A catalog will be active for a full academic year, which spans June to May.
Students wishing to declare a major or minor in a catalog newer than the one to which they are assigned must indicate on the online Major/Minor Declaration Form that a catalog change is needed to declare the chosen major/minor. Once a change is approved by a student’s advisor and the new catalog is assigned, all rules and policies in the newer catalog go into effect for that student. Students are not allowed to move backward into a catalog older than the one to which they were originally assigned.
All majors and minors must be declared in the same catalog. Students are not allowed to declare one major in one catalog and another major in another catalog.
Students who leave Northland are allowed to return to Northland under their original catalog provided they return to Northland within four semesters or two years. Students who are away for more than four semesters must reenter Northland under the catalog in place at the time of reentry. For this policy, “semesters” are defined as the 15-week time frame associated with fall or winter semesters at Northland College (May and summer terms are not counted).
Following are guidelines for days and times for scheduling classes and for defining how credit hours are counted for a variety of educational experiences over a 15-week or 4-week term.
When a course combines different types of credits hours, the guidelines above should be used to determine the total number of hours the class meets or that students are expected to be engaged in specific activities. For instance, a 4-credit course that combines 3 credit hours of lecture and 1 credit hour of lab would have three 50-minute lecture sessions and one 1 hour and 50 minutes to 2-hour lab session. A 3-credit course that combines 2 credit hours of lecture/discussion and 1 credit of service learning would have two 50-minute lecture/discussion sessions a week, and students would be expected to engage in 3–4 hours of service learning activities each week.
For May term or other courses not delivered in a 15-week format, the guidelines above should be adjusted to achieve the same total number of meetings per credit hour. For instance, a 4-week, 3-credit lecture or seminar course would be expected to meet for 11–12 hours per week. A 4-week, 4-credit experiential travel course would be expected to have 45 to 60 hours of course-related experiences each week.
Major programs generally range from 40–60 credits and minor programs generally range from 20–28 credits.
Course and program assignment of credit hours is stated on new course or program proposals that must be reviewed and approved by Academic Council. Verification of class meeting time and course credit hours occurs by both the program coordinator and the scheduling personnel when courses are scheduled each semester. The guidelines in #5 above are used in this verification process.
Students are classified at Northland as either full-time or part-time students. A full-time student is a student whose course load totals 12 or more credits during the fall and winter semesters. A part-time student is a student whose course load totals fewer than 12 credits during the fall and winter semesters.
Class standing is based on earned credits as follows:
Earned credits or those that have been successfully completed and graded.
Students are expected to declare a major field, or fields, of study by the end of their sophomore year. To assist students who arrive at Northland College undecided about their major field of study, the College offers academic advising and career counseling to help those students identify an appropriate major to support their interests and goals.
Students wishing to declare more than two majors, minors, or emphases must secure approval from the associate dean of academic affairs.
Graduation automatically occurs once a student earns 124 credits, completes all requirements for one major, and fulfills all liberal education requirements. Students should plan accordingly if double-majoring, as degree completion will have an effect on eligibility for federal financial aid.
Minors are optional; however, depending on current Department of Public Instruction Licensure Requirements, a minor may be required with some education majors. Northland students may complete a minor, or minors, in regular or directed studies programs.
To earn a second baccalaureate degree, the following provisions apply: a 30-credit minimum is earned at Northland beyond all of the credits and degree requirements for the first baccalaureate degree, and any repeated courses do not count toward the 30 credits (for students who earned their first degree at Northland, this means that a minimum of 154 credits must be earned to qualify for a second degree); a student may not earn two of the same degrees (e.g., two BAs or more than one BS) from Northland College, and double majors within the same degree category lead to one degree with two majors listed, regardless of how many credits are earned.
After a student has been conferred, a student can complete the requirements of a second major within the same degree, but this will not earn a second degree. A transcript note indicating that the major requirements for “X” have been met is added to the student record, along with the date of completion.
Courses used to fulfill General Education curricula requirements may also be used to fulfill requirements for major or minor fields of study, but no course may be used more than once to fulfill requirements within a major or minor.
Students may request a course substitution to fulfill a major or minor requirement identified in the College catalog when one or more of the following conditions apply:
To request a course substitution, students must complete and submit a substitution form online. Once submitted and approvals are received, the student’s record will be updated. In rare circumstances, an appropriate substitution may not be available. When this occurs, students would use the same form online to request a waiver.
Building relationships with faculty and staff are among the most important experiences in a student’s college education. In recognition of this, all full-time faculty and selected staff members serve as academic advisors to Northland College students.
Prior to a new student’s arrival on campus, an academic advisor works with each incoming student to secure an initial schedule. This process begins after a student has been accepted to the College and has paid the enrollment deposit.
During the first year, students are assigned to an academic advisor based on their anticipated major, their schedule of courses, or their interests. Northland College takes great care in choosing the student’s first academic advisor. New students meet with their academic advisor during Orientation. After the first year, students may change advisors as their interests and needs evolve.
Advising is an ongoing process of helping the student clarify and evaluate academic plans and goals. Advisors assist students with course selection each semester, creating and updating their four-year academic plan. Advisors also share information about potential pre-professional experiences such as internships, special training, certifications, and research opportunities.
Questions about academic advising may be directed to the Office of Student Life at studentlife@northland.edu.
Students are notified via their Northland email account prior to the opening of online registration. This allows students to meet with their advisors to prepare a schedule for the upcoming term and to be granted registration clearance.
Students wishing to add one or more courses after a term begins must complete and submit an add/drop form online. Once submitted and approved, the student will be notified that their schedule has been updated.
Students may drop courses online until the end of the add/drop period each term. Drops submitted during this time will be removed from a student’s schedule and transcript.
A student who is looking to drop a course after the add/drop period must instead withdraw from the course. This can be done by completing a course withdraw form online during the course withdraw period. Once submitted and approved a student will receive a “W” (Withdrawn) for the course.
Course withdraw forms submitted after the withdraw deadline has passed will not be processed. Exceptions to this policy will only be allowed in unusual circumstances by petitioning the Academic Standings Committee.
Approved petitions for a late adds, drops, or withdrawals by the Academic Standings Committee will be charged a late fee.
Administrative Drop Policy
Students who register prior to the first day of class but who miss the first two meetings of a 50-minute class or the first meeting of a class that meets for 75 minutes or longer may have their registration cancelled. This policy does not apply to the May session.
If extenuating circumstances prevent a student from attending the first meetings of a class, the student must contact the instructor or the Office of the Registrar prior to the first class meeting to make alternative arrangements and to confirm registration in the course.
Students with academic or financial holds on their accounts will not be allowed to register. To clear a hold from their account, students should contact the registrar to resolve academic holds and student accounts to resolve financial holds.
Prior to registration each semester, students must also be cleared for registration by their academic advisor. Students should contact and arrange to meet with their advisor prior to the beginning of registration each semester.
Normal course loads at Northland College are 12 to 17 credits for the fall and winter semesters and 3 to 5 credits in May term.
Overload charges apply for students taking more than 17 credits in the fall and winter semesters or more than 5 credits in the spring term. Students taking 20 credits or more in a single term (6 or more credits in May term) must obtain approval from the associate dean of academic affairs prior to the beginning of the term.
Special (non-matriculating) students are individuals who are taking classes but not pursuing a degree at Northland College. These students may be fulfilling degree requirements for another institution, attending for personal enrichment or career advancement, or having already completed a degree at Northland College, be returning to complete an additional major, minor, concentration, or emphasis. Students who are non-degree seeking are not eligible for federal or state aid.
A non-matriculating student wishing to register for five or fewer credits must complete the Special Student Registration Form. That form is then submitted to the Registrar’s Office with payment. A non-matriculating student wishing to register for six or more credits must go through the Admissions Office prior to registration.
Students who wish to enroll in a program and work toward a degree must go through the admissions process and will become matriculating students prior to registration.
With instructor approval, students may choose to audit courses, with the exception of art and music studio courses, which may not be audited. When students audit a course, they are not required to complete regular assignments for the course. Audited courses appear on a student’s transcript with a grade of AU.
If students wish to change their status in a course to auditing, this change may be made during the add/drop period of each session by using the online course audit form.
Students who wish to enroll in courses requiring instructor consent must meet with the instructor prior to registration and complete and submit an add/drop form online.
The Northland College faculty value academic integrity as a guiding principle for the fair and respectful intellectual inquiry and communication that are central to the academic program of the college. When faculty and students participate in these scholarly activities, they are expected to act with honesty and integrity by acknowledging when they have incorporated the work of others. The faculty serve as mentors and coaches to guide students in understanding these scholarly conventions. Students are expected to learn and follow these conventions and to remain accountable for their work.
Academic misconduct includes but is not limited to:
Northland College will view acts of academic misconduct that result from poor scholarship as opportunities for learning and professional development, particularly with first-year students or when students write sequential drafts of papers. Instructors are generally the first to instruct students on academic integrity, as well as to detect an incident of misconduct and to suggest an appropriate penalty suited to the scope and context of misconduct.
General procedure for addressing a suspected case of misconduct
Consequences of academic misconduct
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*Not included in GPA |
Students classified as sophomores, juniors, or seniors who have a grade point average of 2.5 or higher may take up to four courses on a Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) basis under the following conditions:
Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory grades do not affect a student’s grade point average. In addition, if a course is offered only S/U for all students, it will not be counted as one of the four courses allowed.
A grade of “I” (Incomplete) may be given to students who were making satisfactory progress toward completion of a course and then, because of an illness or an unusual and substantiated cause beyond the student’s control, are not able to complete the final examination or some limited amount of work. In these cases, it is the prerogative of the instructor to assign an Incomplete grade or another grade consistent with the student’s achievements in the course. An Incomplete may not be given for unsatisfactory work, for student convenience, when a final examination is missed without sufficient cause, or because a student simply got behind in their work.
When an “I” is assigned, an Incomplete Grade Agreement must be completed. A student’s incomplete work must be graded and the grade change submitted to the registrar no later than six months after the last day of classes of the term the incomplete was granted. An instructor has the authority to establish an earlier due date with a student, but the date may not extend beyond six months. If a student chooses not to complete their work, the grade will revert to the grade indicated on the contract. If no Incomplete Grade Agreement is received and no grade change is submitted, the grade will convert to an “F.”
An “I” grade is calculated as an “F” on your academic record until updated by the instructor. An “I” grade also disqualifies a student from the Dean’s List.
The option to give an Incomplete grade should be carefully considered for students reaching the end of their academic careers. Degrees will not be conferred with an incomplete grade for a degree requirement; therefore, graduation may be delayed for students with outstanding incomplete work. These students will be conferred at the next available conferral date (May, August/September, or December).
Approved by Academic Council 5.18.2022
Any course may be repeated unless otherwise noted. The credit and grade earned in the course most recently taken will be used to calculate a student’s accumulated credits and the cumulative grade point average. The previously earned grade will still appear on the transcript even though it no longer is calculated in the GPA or accumulated credit totals. Some courses may be repeated for duplicate (or more) credit and are noted as such.
Grading is the prerogative of instructors, and only they can change a grade. It is incumbent on instructors to establish the criteria for grading in the syllabus that is distributed at the beginning of the session. All grades are to be based on established grading criteria.
After grades have been reported, a grade change is permitted only for reassessment of work previously evaluated or for correction of a calculating or reporting error. Grade changes are not permitted for work submitted late. In addition, students may not do extra work to raise their grades after a final grade has been reported.
If a student feels that a grade has been calculated incorrectly or has been assigned in a prejudiced or capricious manner, the student must attempt to discuss the matter with the instructor. If the instructor concludes that a grade change is appropriate, the instructor must complete a Grade Change Form and state whether the grade change is justified by reassessment of work previously evaluated or by a calculating or reporting error. These grade changes must subsequently be approved by the Registrar or the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs within in 60 days from the start of the following session.
If discussion between the instructor and student cannot resolve a student’s concern about a grade, the student may appeal to the appropriate Department Chair. In the unusual circumstance that resolution does not occur at the instructor or department level, the student may appeal to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, who will attempt to reconcile the matter.
Northland College expects students to maintain satisfactory academic standing. At the end of the fall and winter terms, grade point averages are calculated and academic standings are determined. Students are notified in the event their academic standing falls below the level of Good Standing as defined below. Academic standing considers the career grade point average (GPA) as well as the term GPA. Incomplete grades may prevent the Registrar’s Office from determining an accurate academic standing.
Good Standing: Career and term GPA is 2.0 or higher.
A student at the level of Good Standing is considered to be in satisfactory academic standing.
Academic Caution: A student with a career GPA of 2.0 or higher but with a term GPA less than 2.0 but equal to or higher than 1.0.
Students receive a caution email that suggests interventions to improve academic performance and notifies students that they will be placed on academic supervision if they have term GPA’s below 2.0 for two consecutive terms.
Academic Supervision: Students in the following categories:
Students receive notification via email and a letter sent to their home address. Students on academic supervision have conditions or restrictions placed on their continued enrollment. While there may be additional conditions, every student on supervision will be required to:
To be eligible for continued enrollment, students must earn a 2.0 or higher GPA during the subsequent fall or winter term and meet any other conditions identified by the Academic Standings Committee.
Suspension: Students who fail to meet the conditions required while on Academic Supervision or have a career GPA less than 2.0 and a term GPA less than 1.0.
Students receive notification via email, a letter sent to their home address, and a copy of the letter placed in their Northland mailbox. A student who is suspended may appeal that suspension if there were mitigating circumstances that affected their academic performance. This appeal must be filed with the Registrar for consideration by the Academic Standings Committee. If the appeal is granted, the student is placed on Academic Supervision and allowed to continue their enrollment.
All other suspended students may not enroll for at least one fall or one winter/May term. Academic Suspension is noted on the student’s official transcript. Suspended students who wish to enroll at Northland must petition for reinstatement. In their petition, students must document their ability to achieve satisfactory academic performance in order to be reinstated. Students may take approved courses at another regionally accredited institution and earn a minimum GPA of 2.0.* Alternatively, students can provide other evidence to demonstrate their ability to be successful if reinstated. A student who successfully petitions for reinstatement is placed on Academic Supervision. If the petition for reinstatement is denied, the student cannot enroll at Northland College.
Students should contact the Registrar’s office for more information on how completing coursework elsewhere will transfer to Northland and/or will impact their Northland GPA.
Northland College permits students to interrupt their studies when appropriate. If granted, a leave of absence allows a student to continue under the catalog requirements in effect when initially admitted. A leave of absence can be granted for a maximum of one Northland College academic year in any twelve-month period; however, if the student receives federal financial aid the leave may not extend beyond 180 days without financial aid implications. A student can be considered for a leave of absence for medical reasons (non-academic) or for study (academic) demonstrated to be relevant to the student’s academic goals. The academic leave will only be granted when the coursework is not available from Northland or other institutions with which Northland College has a formal cooperative program.
A student must meet the following requirements to be eligible for a leave of absence:
To be considered for a leave of absence a student must complete a Leave of Absence Application form, available from the Registrar’s office, prior to the start of the term for which the leave is requested. Leaves are granted for future terms only and are not granted retroactively or in the middle of a term. In cases where unforeseen circumstances occur after the start of a term, students are permitted to withdraw from the College. In all such cases where a leave is not granted, the College is required to perform a return of federal funds calculation for students receiving Title IV federal financial aid.
If the student is seeking a leave for academic reasons, the student must arrange this experience with their academic advisor and receive approval from the Registrar’s office. If the student is seeking the leave for non-academic reasons, approval is required from the dean of students. Documentation will be required to support medical leave requests.
Students who are granted a leave of absence will have access to their Northland College email during the approved leave and will receive information regarding registration. They will have the opportunity to pre-register for the following semester by contacting their advisor for guidance and clearance. Any student considering a leave of absence should consult with the Office of Financial Aid to determine how their financial aid will be affected. Students are not eligible to reside on campus, attend classes, or participate in regular campus activities during their absence.
Incomplete (I) grades earned during the semester prior to leaving College are subject to the same college grading policies. Hence, even though students may not be enrolled for the full semester, previous semester incompletes must be made up by the specified due dates.
A student is expected to return from an approved leave of absence within the timeframe that was granted at the start of the approved leave. If a student fails to return from a leave of absence, they must complete an Exit Form online. The student’s exit date will be reported to National Student Clearinghouse and the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) as the date the student was last enrolled. Students who do not return or complete an Exit Form will be administratively exited.
Northland students called to active military duty with an activation date during a semester have the following options:
Refunds or repayments of Veterans’ benefits received by the student will be determined solely by Veterans’ regulations.
Students wanting to leave or exit Northland at the end of a term will need to initiate the exit process by completing an Exit/Withdraw Form online.
Northland College recognizes that circumstances may require a student to leave or withdraw from college during a semester. Students requesting to withdraw should complete an Exit/Withdraw Form online. This form must be completed to be eligible for tuition adjustments. Students may be responsible for paying back any financial aid received from Northland College. If exiting in the middle of a term Students will be considered withdrawn on the date that Exit/Withdraw Form is submitted.
Withdrawing students may receive a tuition adjustment based on the tuition refunds schedule found in the TUITION AND FEES section and earn grades of “W” (Withdrawn) in their courses.
Students who leave college before the end of a session without officially withdrawing receive a grade of “F” for all courses during the session.
A student who wishes to return to Northland can initiate the re-enrollment process by completing a Re-enrollment Form online. Once submitted and approved by the Offices of the Registrar, Student Financial Services (Student Accounts), Financial Aid, and Student Affairs, the student will be allowed to return to Northland.
If a student has been away from Northland for 4 terms or less, (terms are defined as the 15-week time frame associated with fall or winter term—May term and summer term are not counted), they can return under their original academic catalog.
Students who are away for more than four semesters must reenter Northland under the catalog in place at the time of reentry. For this policy, “semesters” are defined as the 15-week time frame associated with fall or winter semesters at Northland College (May and summer terms are not counted).
If a student is returning after time off from an academic suspension, they must petition the Academic Standings Committee regardless of the length of time they have been away.
Northland College has one commencement ceremony per year, which is held in May on the weekend of Memorial Day. The Office of the Registrar confirms the eligibility of students to participate in the May commencement. The listing of eligible students is then presented to the faculty and Board of Trustees for final approval.
Students who qualify for eligibility are those who:
Students who do not fit into one of these categories and would like to walk in the upcoming May commencement ceremony for personal reasons, must submit a petition to the Academic Standings Committee by March 15.
Students who lose eligibility to participate in the ceremony are those who:
These students may petition the Academic Standings Committee to participate in the May commencement ceremony. Due to tight timelines surrounding commencement, students must contact the Registrar’s Office within 24 hours of the “final grades due date” for the deadline to submit a petition. If this timeline is not met, the student may be allowed to participate; however, the student’s name may not be included in the program.
Northland College has three conferral (graduation) dates per year, which coincide with the last day of the fall (December), spring (May), and summer (August/September) semesters. Students who were granted an incomplete in a class during their final semester will have six months to complete the work. Upon completion and submission of the grade by the instructor to the Registrar’s Office, the first conferral date after completion of the incomplete will be applied to the transcript. If a student does not complete the work or the grade is not submitted to the Registrar’s Office within the required six months, the student will be required to repeat the course. Upon completion of the course, the appropriate conferral date will be applied.
Students who are completing their final degree requirements elsewhere must submit official transcripts, sent directly from the originating institution, to Northland College. The first conferral date after receipt of the transcript will be applied to the Northland transcript.
Current students have access to unofficial transcripts online.
For official transcripts, Northland College partners with the National Student Clearinghouse to provide online ordering of transcripts. Costs vary depending on delivery options. Get details and ordering information.
The petition of academic policy allows a student to seek a variance of a College rule, regulation, or policy due to an extenuating or mitigating circumstance. When you complete the form, keep the following in mind:
Clearly state why you are requesting a deviation from policy, how you have overcome or your plan of action of how you will overcome any mitigating circumstances, and provide any additional reasoning you feel is necessary. Medical documentation, if applicable, can be directly uploaded with the form.
Statements supporting your petition from others can be helpful. This may include statements from instructors, advisors, parents, and friends. These statements should also be uploaded with your form.
Complete your petition in a timely manner. Action on this petition may take two to four weeks, as the Academic Standings Committee meets monthly.
Once received, your petition will be presented to the Academic Standings Committee, which is comprised of two faculty members, the dean of the faculty (or their designee), the dean of students, the student success coordinator, the director of financial aid, and the registrar. The two faculty members and the dean of the faculty are the only voting members on the committee. The dean of students and the student success coordinator serve as advisors to the group based on previous interactions with you. The director of financial aid provides relevant information regarding your financial aid standing. The registrar will facilitate the processing of the petition and will present the petition and documentation to the committee. It is important to provide the committee with as much written information as possible to enable them to render an appropriate decision.
You will be notified of the decision. You and your advisor will be notified by campus email within three days of the committee’s decision. It is important you check your campus email regularly to keep up with all important College announcements and communications.
