Office of the Registrar
Registration Information
After students have been accepted to a graduate program at Concordia College, they will receive registration instructions from the Program Director. Graduate students will register for classes during the spring semester for summer and fall courses and register during the fall semester for the following spring’s courses. Students will be contacted by their academic advisor, who will assist them in completing the registration process.
Drop-Add Policies: For programs that allow students to drop a course, graduate students must follow college-designated policies for dropping and adding courses. Individual programs may allow students to register for some designated courses on a pass-fail basis. Students should consult the handbook for their particular program to determine if this option is available to them.
For information about tuition refunds for a reduced course load, see Refunds for Reduced Load.
Repeating Courses: Students enrolled in some graduate programs at Concordia College are allowed to repeat one graduate course. See the individual program for additional information. A course may be repeated if the student has earned a grade of C or below, or a U, and if space permits. All courses attempted remain on the student’s transcript; only the last grade is computed into the GPA and credit is only earned once. In the case of extenuating circumstances, a student may file a petition to retake one additional course. The Graduate Programs Committee will receive the petition and rule on it. Federal regulations prohibit Concordia College from awarding federal financial aid to a student for repeating a course unless the student failed the course.
Pass-Fail Registration Option: Students may elect to take a maximum of 4 credits on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory (S/U) basis, in addition to any transfer credits allowed by the graduate level program as well as courses set up to be graded on a pass-fail basis (capstone projects, internships, research thesis). The grade of S is awarded for C and higher level work. The grade of U is awarded for C-, D, and F level work. A course taken as pass-fail will be counted in the attempted hours but will not affect the Concordia GPA. Individual graduate level programs may appeal to the Graduate Programs Committee for an exception to allow more than 4 credits on an S/U basis. Individual graduate level programs may also elect to exclude certain courses from pass-fail options or not allow any pass-fail options.
Student Enrollment Status
- Full time: Students enrolled in 8 or more credits
- Three-quarter time: Students enrolled in 6-7.99 credits
- Half time: Students enrolled in 4-5.99 credits
Departure/Exit Procedures
Withdrawal from Current Term: If it is necessary to withdraw from the term, the student must obtain the application for withdrawal from the Center for Student Success. The Center for Student Success will route the application to the Business Office, Office of Financial Aid, and the Office of the Registrar. If endorsed, the withdrawal becomes effective on the date it is approved and is reflected on the academic record. A “W” is noted on the transcript for each dropped course. Failure to file an application for withdrawal or filing an application late will result in additional charges being assessed. Withdrawal from the term may affect a student’s financial aid.
Students who stop attending classes and who do not withdraw in the prescribed manner will be charged as if they had continued in the classes and may earn failing grades. Students who have completed all coursework and are in the process of completing the research thesis or capstone project will not be allowed to withdraw.
The college reserves the right to withdraw students who discontinue class attendance.
The college also reserves the right to withdraw students on academic probation who are not attending classes and who obviously are not going to meet their probation status requirements.
If students engage in behavior that suggests a danger to self or others, or if students’ behavior demonstrates they are emotionally or psychologically incapable of functioning properly in the college setting, the college reserves the right to withdraw students involuntarily.
Military Withdrawal: The college will make every effort to accommodate the needs of students called to active military duty during an academic term. Students who receive orders to report for active U.S. military duty are instructed to contact the Office of the Registrar. Students in this situation must present their Military Orders to initiate accommodations regarding coursework in progress. An approved plan regarding coursework must be established prior to students’ departure. Generally, there are three approaches that may be taken:
- If orders are received late in the term, students may be able to complete coursework prior to leaving.
- In some situations, it will be feasible for students to receive an Incomplete in a course or courses. If it is not feasible to receive an Incomplete, the students will be allowed to drop a course or courses with a full refund of tuition and fees associated with the dropped course(s). If students receive an Incomplete but are unable to complete the work due to a change in circumstances, the students may appeal to the Graduate Programs Committee for a retroactive course drop under the same terms outlined above.
- In many situations, it will be necessary for students to withdraw from the college to fulfill military obligations. In this circumstance, students will be withdrawn from all courses with a 100-percent refund of tuition and fees and unused portion of room and board.
Concordia College is approved by the Minnesota State Approving Agency for Veteran’s Educational Benefits. To obtain benefits, the veteran must apply for a Certificate of Eligibility. Application forms may be obtained from the Veteran’s Administration Regional Office. This should be done as soon as possible after acceptance so that the Certificate of Eligibility may be obtained before veterans come to campus.
In granting credit to veterans who have pursued specialized training programs in the armed forces, the college follows the Guide to the Evaluation of Education Experiences in the Armed Services, prepared by the American Council of Education.
Non-Returning: Any student who does not plan to return to Concordia for the next semester must meet with the Center for Student Success.
Academic Leave: Academic Leave is an option in some, but not all, graduate programs. Students who are interested in an academic leave, should meet with the Center for Student Success. When allowed, students in good standing may apply for an academic leave, allowing them to take leave from the college for up to two terms without having to apply for readmission. Leaves will only be considered in extreme cases where circumstances prohibit all meaningful progress toward the degree. During an academic leave, students will not have access to institutional resources such as the library, nor will their thesis advisors/project advisors or instructors be available for consultation. Should the student return at the scheduled time, the requirements for graduation will follow the catalog at the time of original admission and must be completed within the seven-year time limitation for degree completion.
Readmission: If the student has not been granted academic leave and stops attending Concordia for one or more complete academic terms and wants to return, the student must contact Graduate Admissions. Before an application for readmission will be considered, the student will be asked to address and resolve any pending issues (such as those related to academic, disciplinary, or financial status) with the college at the time the student stopped attending. Once these issues are resolved, the Graduate Admissions will process the application for readmission and inform the student of the resulting decision. Readmission of all graduate students requires approval by the program director.
Students who are readmitted two years or more after their last enrollment must satisfy requirements published in the catalog in effect at the time of readmission. All requirements for the program must be completed seven years after taking the first graduate course included in the Plan of Study.
Continuing Registration: In those programs requiring continuing registration credits to maintain active student status while working on the capstone/research thesis/professional project, students are responsible for enrolling in the Continuing Registration course each term. If a student has not been granted academic leave and stops attending Concordia for one or more academic terms and wants to return, the student must retroactively enroll in and pay for the missing terms of Continuing Registration credits.
Further information and registration assistance is available from the Office of the Registrar.
Glossary of Terms
The following definitions will help you interpret college regulations and understand academic requirements:
Credit Hour: A credit hour is a unit of measure that gives value to the level of instruction, academic rigor and time requirement for a course taken at an educational institution. See the Federal Credit Hour Policy for more information, including the federal definition of a credit hour.
Grades: Grades are indicated by letters, using the traditional method of describing the quality of work in a course. See the following chart for how letter grades are interpreted in terms of quality and grade points. Policy for assigning grades is at the discretion of the individual instructor.
Grade Points: Grade points are the numerical measure of the quality of work. Each grade received is assigned the value indicated on the chart below. The grade points earned in a single course are determined by multiplying the numerical equivalent of the letter grade by the number of credit hours for the course.
Grades and Grade Points
| Grades | Interpretation | Grade Points |
|---|---|---|
| A | excellent | 4.0 |
| A- | 3.7 | |
| B+ | 3.3 | |
| B | good | 3.0 |
| B- | 2.7 | |
| C+ | 2.3 | |
| C | satisfactory | 2.0 |
| C- | 1.7 | |
| D+ | 1.3 | |
| D | 1.0 | |
| D- | minimum passing | 0.7 |
| AU | audit | 01 |
| IP | in progress | 01 |
| NG | no grade | 01 |
| NR | no report | 01 |
| F | failure | 0 |
| S | passing grade (S-U course) | 01 |
| U | failing grade (S-U course) | 01 |
| I | incomplete | 01 |
| W | withdrawn | 01 |
| DR | dropped course | 01 |
| X | unfinished thesis/professional project | 01 |
- 1
Grades that do not affect the grade point average
Grade Point Average: Concordia cumulative GPA is the GPA calculated from just the courses attempted at Concordia (not transfer grades). GPA is determined by dividing total number of grade points by the number of credit hours attempted. A GPA of 2.0 is the same as a C average, 3.0 as a B average, etc.
Incomplete Credits: A grade of “I” is a temporary indicator that credit may be earned upon satisfactory completion of all course requirements. The grade of “I” is justified only when the student is unable to complete course requirements because of circumstances beyond their control and when arrangements have been made with the professor before the end of the semester. It is the responsibility of the student to consult with the professor and request the grade of “I” and develop a plan to meet the instructor’s requirements. The instructor will indicate course requirements to be completed, date by which requirements will be completed and received by the instructor (no later than the eighth week of the following semester), and the course grade which will be recorded should the student fail to meet all conditions of the agreement.
If an “I” has been automatically converted to an F or another assigned default grade, the student may request to complete the necessary coursework. This may only be permitted at the instructor’s discretion and must be completed within one year, which is in accordance with the grade change policy. The student may not complete coursework after that time.
If one or more incompletes have accumulated, permission to enroll in any new courses the following semester will be withheld until you have met with the program director to discuss and establish a plan for removing the incompletes and until substantial progress has been made in finishing the incompletes. The final dates for removal of incompletes and conditions are given in the college calendar; they are the dates after which the registrar cannot accept revisions of I grades given the preceding semester.
In Progress: A grade of “IP” is a temporary indicator that credit may be earned upon satisfactory completion of the coursework. Individual programs may have different reasons for using IP grades.
No Grade: A grade of “NG” can only be applied to courses where continuing registration is required.
Change of Grade: Once a grade is recorded on a student transcript, it becomes part of the institutional record and can be changed only to correct an error in the original grade computation or in cases where there has been a violation of academic integrity. A grade change cannot be made because required (or additional) coursework has been turned in after the end of the term. A grade change can be made by the instructor of record for a course or be made with approval of the chief academic officer, if the instructor of record is not available. A change of grade may not be made more than one year after the grade was officially recorded in the Registrar’s Office.
Students are encouraged to talk to their instructors and ask questions about their grades. A student who chooses to appeal a grade may appeal to the director of the graduate program. In cases where the instructor of record is the program director, the student may appeal to the school dean. The program director should make the instructor of record aware of the grade appeal, may consult with the instructor of record regarding the grade appeal, and, additionally may consult with the school dean on grade appeals. The following circumstances do not warrant an appeal: disappointment with a grade, GPA concerns, impact on co-curricular eligibility, failure to properly register for a class, or stopped attending class without cause. Appeals, which should be in the form of a written statement including a justification for the request, must be summitted no later than midsemester following the semester in which the grade was assigned. If a grade change is approved, the program director/school dean will notify the Registrar's Office with the instructor copied on the message noting that the change is due to an approved grade change appeal.
Students seeking an appeal of the program decision may bring a written petition to the dean of the college or designee. If a grade change is approved, the dean of the college/designee will notify the Registrar's Office with the department chair copied on the message noting that the grade is due to a approved grade change appeal. The only exception is the grade of “X” for an unfinished thesis/professional project. See Time Limitation for additional details.
Withdrawn: Students who officially withdraw from the term will receive a grade of “W” for the course(s).
Unfinished Thesis/Professional Project: In some programs, but not all, students who register but do not complete the thesis or professional project will receive a grade of “X” for the course.