Policies & Procedures

For more information on a policy or procedure, click on desired topic:

• Academic Appeals
• Academic Fresh Start
• Change of Address
• Change of Program
• Correspondence Credit From Other Schools
• Change of Name
• Class Attendance
• Directory Information
• Drop/Add Policy
• Enrollment Verification
• Grades
• Probation/Suspension
• Repeat Processing
• Transcript Request
• Withdrawals

ACADEMIC APPEALS

Undergraduate students should obtain an appeal form:

• on the web for spring, or or
• from the Records Office, Cope Administration Building 106, or
• by calling Connie Moffett at (615) 898-2164.

Detailed instructions are included in the appeal form.
Appeals for graduate level students are handled by the Graduate Office (615) 898-5897.

**The final decision of the Academic Appeals Committee will be sent to the email address listed on the form as soon as all paperwork is processed. Registration restrictions for students who were enrolled for Fall 2008 and were readmitted will be removed during the latter part of the day on Thursday, January 8.

ACADEMIC FRESH START

Any person who has not been enrolled in a college or university for a period of four years and who, upon re-enrolling, satisfactorily completes 40 hours of class work, may petition to have grades on all prior course work disregarded in calculating his/her cumulative grade point average. A written request and transcript should be sent to the dean of the college in which the student is pursuing a major. If the request is granted, the earlier courses will not count toward requirements for graduation or professional licensure but will appear on the student's transcript.  For additional information, please call the MTSU Records Office at (615) 898-5690.

CHANGES OF ADDRESS

It is the student's responsibility to ensure that mailing addresses are up-to-date. Full-time students are assigned campus post office boxes and many offices send correspondence to the campus box. If you have questions concerning your campus post office box, contact the Post Office in the basement of the KUC. Other mailings are regularly directed to permanent and/or local mailing addresses.

NOTE: Students participating in the Academic Common Market program must maintain the permanent address of the state which granted academic common market status.

To change your address, you may:

• access RaiderNet via PipelineMT and update your address
• complete a Change of Address form on-line and e-mail to cmoffett@mtsu.edu
• stop by the Records Office, Cope 106, Window 12, and complete a Change of Address form
• call Connie Moffett at (615) 898-2164
• send other written notification to the Records Office

CHANGE OF PROGRAM

Undergraduate students contact the department of your new major.

Graduate students contact the graduate office.

CORRESPONDENCE CREDIT FROM OTHER SCHOOLS

Correspondence courses taken at other schools are accepted under the regulations governing acceptance of transfer credit except ENGL 1010 and 1020 and courses with a laboratory component. These must not be taken by correspondence except by the permission of the chair of the department and the dean of the college in which the course is offered. Students wishing to seek credit by correspondence from universities other than MTSU should talk with an advisor to determine if MTSU already has the course equated to the course they are needing. If it is not in the MTSU transfer database or equated to the course needed, then students should obtain a fully approved Course Substitution form before registering and completing the course by correspondence. It is the responsibility of the student to request the transcript of the correspondence credit be forwarded to the MTSU Admissions Office.

CHANGES OF NAME

Changes of name should be submitted in writing to the Records Office and will be processed pending receipt of appropriate documentation. You can access a Change of Name form on-line and return the form to Cope Administration Building 106 or mail or fax to the Records Office. For additional information, please call the MTSU Records Office at (615) 898-2164.

CLASS ATTENDANCE

A student is expected to attend each class for which he/she is registered except in cases of unavoidable circumstances. Class attendance will be monitored during the term. Students who are reported for non-attendance will be assigned a grade of F which will appear on their transcripts. If you have been reported in all your classes as never attending or stopped attending, you will be reported to the National Student Clearinghouse as withdrawn. Being reported in some of your classes as never attending or stopped attending could result in a change in status (i.e., full-time, half-time, etc.). If you have certain types of financial aid, you could be put in a pay back status. Distribution of future financial aid will be suspended if applicable. If you have questions regarding your Financial Aid, please call (615)898-2830.

Students can view "Reported Attendance" on RaiderNet by selecting the Student Records link under the Student tab.

DIRECTORY INFORMATION

Middle Tennessee State University regards a student's academic record as confidential. The release of information contained in the record is governed by Federal Law, known as the "Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act." Directory information such as the student's name, address (including e-mail), telephone listing, date and place of birth, enrolled hours, major fields of study, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, classification such as freshman or junior, dates of attendance, degrees and awards received, and the most recent previous educational agency or institution attended by the student will be released unless the student has asked MTSU to withhold such information. If you do not wish directory information released, you must notify the Records Office in writing. Print and complete the "Request for Non-Release of Directory Information" and return it to the Records Office for processing.

The law does provide for the release of information to authorized university personnel, other institutions engaged in research (provided information is not revealed to other parties), and certain federal and state government officials.

More detailed information can be found on-line. If you have any questions concerning the provisions of this act, please feel free to contact the director of records.

DROP/ADD POLICY

During designated days (see calendar in Registration Guide) of a term, students may add courses. Students who wish to add a class after the deadline to add must process a drop/add form in the Scheduling Center, JUB 123. Both the instructor and chairperson's signatures are required on the drop/add form if an exception to the policy is being approved.

Students who cease attendance but do not officially drop or withdraw will receive a grade of "F." Students will be allowed to drop or add courses provided they do so within the course drop/add period.

Students with registration holds on their records may not drop or add until the holds are cleared.

1. During the first two weeks (14 calendar days) of a term, no grade is assigned.
2. During the third week (15th calendar day) through the seventh week (49th calendar day) of a term, a grade of "W" will be assigned.
3. After the seventh week (49th calendar day) of a term, courses cannot be dropped via RaiderNet.

If attempting to drop a class after the deadline, the departmental chair AND instructor signatures are required if an exception to the policy is being approved.

The drop dates for courses that meet for a shorter time period than the normal term beginning and ending dates will be prorated based upon the course drop dates for the full term upon notification to the Scheduling Center.

Tennessee Board of Regents policy prohibits students from dropping ACT/COMPASS prescribed courses except under extenuating circumstances and with the approval of the director of Academic Enrichment. A student desiring to drop a course must contact the Academic Support Center at (615) 898-2339 (McFarland Building) to begin the process. Failure to comply will result in an automatic grade of "F."

Student athletes must obtain permission from the Student-Athlete Enhancement Center before processing drop/add forms in the Scheduling Center. International students should obtain permission from the International Programs and Services Office.

ENROLLMENT VERIFICATION

MTSU participates in the National Student Clearinghouse. Enrollment information is securely transmitted to the Clearinghouse once a month. It takes the Clearinghouse up to three business days to process our enrollment data.

Students may now request free Student Self-Service enrollment verifications online as well as much more. The new Enrollment Verification link in PipelineMT will save you a trip to the Record’s Office by providing you with the ability to perform the following services securely via the Clearinghouse's web site, 24/7:

• Print enrollment verification certificates to send to health insurers, housing providers or other organizations requiring proof of your enrollment
• Check the deferment forms and electronic notifications sent to your lenders
• Obtain a list of your student loan lenders and link to real-time loan information
• View your enrollment history
• View enrollment verifications provided to student service providers at your request

Student Self-Service is free, easy to use, and secure. You can access it now by logging onto PipelineMT. From the RaiderNet tab, select Student tab, the Registration link, and then Enrollment Verification.

If you have questions regarding the status of your certification or deferment, you may contact the Clearinghouse the following ways:

Mail:
National Student Clearinghouse
13454 Sunrise Valley Drive, Suite 300
Herndon, VA 20717

Phone:
(703) 742-4200
Customer Service Hours: Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m. & Friday 9 a.m.-5 p.m., ET

FAX:
(703) 742-4239

Email:
service@studentclearinghouse.org

If you need to request an enrollment verification, and do not have access or cannot access the new Enrollment Verification link in PipelineMT, personnel and a computer are available in the Records Office, Cope 106, to assist you Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. excluding holidays.

GRADES

Grades are not mailed out each semester. If you need a copy of your grades, you must submit a written request for a transcript to the Records Office.

To view grades on RaiderNet, access PipelineMT then select the RaiderNet tab and Student tab, and then select "Grades" under the Student Records menu.

If you owe a student account balance which prevents release of grades, you will not be able to access your grades. RaiderNet will provide an option which allows you to pay your student account balance by credit card or check card (VISA or MasterCard) after which you may view your grades.

PROBATION/SUSPENSION

The minimum grade point average (GPA) required to achieve the baccalaureate is 2.00. An undergraduate student failing to meet one of the following standards during any term will be placed on academic probation for the subsequent term:

• attain a 2.00 GPA for current term, or
• meet one of the following retention standards:
  • 00 - 29.99 quality hours 1.50 cum GPA
  • 30 - 49.99 quality hours 1.80 cum GPA
  • 50 or more quality hours 2.00 cum GPA

REPEAT PROCESSING

Students may repeat courses for the purpose of raising their grade point average. No course should be attempted more than twice except upon the advice of the faculty advisor. The last grade earned will stand even if the last grade received is an "F" and the student has previously received a grade higher than an "F". All repeated courses remain on the student's transcript with a repeat notation. Veterans receiving educational assistance benefits may not repeat courses previously passed and receive financial assistance for such. Students may not repeat a course in which they have previously earned the grade of "A" or "B" without written approval from the dean of the college which houses their major. Refer to the current catalog for further details.

TRANSCRIPT REQUEST

Official transcripts can be requested and picked up immediately at MTSU at the Cope Administration Building, Room 106, between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. A picture ID is required.

Unofficial transcripts can be accessed on-line using PipelineMT. Once you log into PipelineMT, select the RaiderNet tab, the Student tab and then select the Student Records link followed by the "Transcript" link. If you have not attended MTSU since Fall 1990, your transcript will not be accessible on the web.

Transcripts may also be requested via fax (615-898-5538) or mail by submitting the request in writing including the following information:

• complete name (including any previous names)
• MTSU ID or social security number
• term last enrolled
• number of transcripts requested
• complete address of where to mail the transcript(s)
• written signature of student requesting the transcript(s)
• current telephone number, including area code
• special instructions (if the transcript needs to be held until degrees are posted, etc.)

Mail requests to:

Middle Tennessee State University
Records Office, 106 Cope Administration Building
1301 East Main Street
Murfreesboro, TN 37132

There is no charge for transcripts. Transcripts will not be issued until all debts or obligations owed to the institution have been satisfied.

You may also print and complete the Transcript Request Form and return it to the Records Office for processing.

If you have any questions about this information, please call the MTSU Records Office at 615-898-2163.

WITHDRAWALS

Students finding it necessary to withdraw from the University after having selected classes for a future term should use RaiderNet via PipelineMT to drop all classes; or initiate the withdrawal process in Cope Administration Building 205D (615-898-2808). Dates may vary from term to term concerning whether the withdrawal should be accomplished by RaiderNet via PipelineMT or through the University Withdrawal Office.