Academic Policies

Undergraduate students that faced extenuating circumstances that compromised their ability to fulfill academic responsibilities, such as attending classes or completing coursework, for an extended period within a PREVIOUS semester, may seek academic relief. Broadly, a student may be eligible for academic relief with a recommendation from an appropriate campus student support entity, such as the Dean of Students Office, Cook Counseling Center, Schiffert Health Center, Services for Students with Disabilities, and the Office for Equity and Accessibility, to support the student’s need for relief. 

Academic relief typically entails a complete withdrawal from all courses in a previously completed semester, with these courses being indicated on the transcript as "WP" (Withdrawal, exception).  

The review procedure for academic relief consists of several steps. Initially, the student's academic college and, where relevant, University Scholarships and Financial Aid, and the Cranwell International Center, offer comments and review. Subsequently, the request undergoes assessment by the appropriate campus student support entity. The Academic Relief Committee evaluates the request, considering the campus entity's recommendations, and arrives at a decision.  

What is the process?

1. As part of the process, students whose PRIMARY major in the College of Science seeking academic relief need to attend a meeting with one of the following College of Science Dean's  Advising Office staff.
   Susan Haymore | COS Director of Undergraduate Advising
   Sarah Bechtel | COS Associate Director of Undergraduate Advising & Academic Initiatives
   
   
2. Initiate Request (A request for academic relief must first be initiated by the student seeking academic relief. Current enrollment is necessary to enable access to the portal. Applications for academic relief cannot be submitted if you are not a current Virginia Tech student.)
   
   
3. Academic Dean Review (An academic dean will review your request and consider other available options, such as an "I" grade, late drop, etc.)
   • Additional Review as Applicable (University Scholarships & Financial Aid and the Cranwell International Center will provide comments and review if applicable)
      
4. Student Support Entity Review (Your request will be reviewed by the most appropriate support entity, Dean of Students Office, Cook Counseling Center, Schiffert Health Center, Services for Students with Disabilities, or the Office for Equity and Accessibility, and any required supporting documentation will be collected.)
   
   
5. Academic Relief Committee Review (Your request will be evaluated by the committee with consideration of the campus entity recommendations.)
   
   
6. Processing by University Registrar (Any applicable record changes will be processed by the Office of the University Registrar.)

Important Information

• This process only applies to undergraduate students. Graduate students will be directed to the Graduate School.
• Academic relief may be approved with conditions and/or require a meeting with your academic dean. Any conditions must be met for your relief to be processed.

How do I apply?

Students who believe they may qualify for academic relief can access the online portal to initiate the process.

Has my Request Been Processed?

You will be notified of a successful submission and of the final outcome. You may also check the status of your request by accessing the online portal.

What if I met with an outside mental health provider that is not Cook Counseling Center?

You will need to send the Outside Mental Health Provider Form to your external provider. Once you receive it back from your provider, then email the form to cosadvising@vt.edu.

Students earning less than a 2.00 term GPA, but with an cumulative (overall) GPA of 2.00 or higher, will be placed on academic warning without notation on the academic transcript. While the overall GPA is still in good academic standing (2.00 or higher), we're concerned about your most recent performance and want to help students address the challenged faced to help them succeed.

College of Science students on academic warning will be required to complete the Academic Comeback: Student Reflection Form from the COS Student Forms website and consult with their academic advisor.

The assignment of a grade is the sole prerogative of the instructor of the class. It is incumbent on the instructor to establish the criteria for grading in the syllabus that is distributed at the beginning of the term. All grades are to be based on established grading criteria and not on personal conduct or opinions unrelated to academic standards. An individual student may not do extra work to raise their grade.

If a student feels that a grade has been calculated incorrectly or has been assigned in a prejudiced or capricious manner, the student should discuss the matter with the instructor.

A grade appeal must be made by the student, and as soon as possible but not later than the end of the student's subsequent term of enrollment after the grade in question has been assigned.

Steps to Take to Appeal a Grade

1. First, the student attempts to resolve the matter with the instructor. If a student feels that a grade has been calculated incorrectly or has been assigned in a prejudiced or capricious manner, the student should discuss the matter with the instructor.
2. Second, the student should appeal to the department/division head. If the discussion between the instructor and student does not resolve the issue, the student should appeal to the department/division head of the course.
3. In the unusual circumstance, that a resolution does not occur at the department/divisional level, the student may appeal to the college academic dean (not the dean of the college) of the course who will attempt to reconcile the matter by whatever mechanism seems most appropriate for that college, and for that case.
   

Academic Suspension may be appealed using the Academic Appeal Petition Form from the College of Science Student Forms website and by submitting the necessary documentation. Appeals for academic suspension are for addressing unusual and extenuating circumstances that prevented students from raising their GPA to the required level.

*As noted on page one of the Academic Appeal Petition Form, if your appeal is based upon physical, psychiatric or disability/learning disability reasons, you will need to first contact the appropriate office (Schiffert Health Center, Cook Counseling Center, Services for Students with Disabilities, or Dean of Students) for an academic relief recommendation.

College of Science students receive an email within 1 week of the final grades deadline for the fall and spring terms identifying if they are on first or second academic suspension. The email will provide instructions on how College of Science students may appeal.

While not required, ideally, the student should speak with their academic advisor prior to filling out the academic appeals petition. The academic advisor would be able to discuss the policy as outlined on the petition, assist the student with knowing realistic classes that could be taken during the next term of enrollment, and what grades would be necessary in order to change the student's academic status.

View the deadlines to appeal academic suspension and appeal meeting dates.

A student may enroll as an auditor in any class other than laboratory classes and studio courses, with the permission of both their academic advisor and the class instructor. The lecture portion of laboratory-linked courses and courses with computation periods may be designated as eligible for audit at the request of the academic department head (of the course in question) and on the approval of the student's academic dean of their primary major.

Auditors may not add or drop an audit option after the last day to enter classes. Students will not be allowed to register for credit in any course previously audited. Audit is a mechanism for a student to reserve a seat in a course, with no performance evaluation of the student.

Students may not unofficially attend class(es). If the student or faculty expect evaluation of coursework, then the student must either enroll as a Pass/Fail (P/F) option or for a letter grade. If a faculty member wishes to restrict the participation of auditing students in selected activities, then that should be stated in the syllabus.

Beginning Fall 2016, students may only attempt a course three (3) times. An attempt is when a student is enrolled in a course on the last day to add courses during each semester. Courses designated as repeatable credit (to the limit allowed) are excluded from this policy (i.e., independent studies, internship, etc.)

All course repeats should be done in consultation with a student's academic advisor. Any student who enrolls for a fourth (4) attempt will be dropped from the course. If a student's extenuating circumstances prevent successful completion of the course on a third attempt, the student may appeal (petition) to repeat the course again. College of Science students can appeal to cosadvising@vt.edu.

All courses repeated count in the calculation of the grade point average unless changed to Pass/Fail per policy.

Students may not repeat courses in order to improve their grade average where a grade of C or higher has been earned. An assigned grade of A-D for the second occurrence will be changed to a grade of Pass (P) whenever a graduation analysis (DARS report) detects a repeated course with a C or better grade. Repeating a course where the course is C- or below will result in both instances of the graded course being computed in the grade point average.

Repeating a course subsequent times may affect financial aid and eligibility for certain programs. Students receiving financial aid should check with the Office of University Scholarships and Financial Aid to determine what, if any, financial aid implications there are for repeating courses.

Veterans, athletes, and international students may have additional rules associated with course repeats. These students should check with their appropriate departments for additional information.

A course substitution allows one course to count for another course and is reflected in the DARS report.

Students must have an acceptable reason for not completing the required course and must go through an approval process to request a substitution. Students should contact their academic advisor to discuss a course substitution.

Due to Virginia Tech's residency requirements, students are able to transfer back a maximum amount of credits.

• No more than 50% of a student's graduation requirements can be transferred from a two-year institution
• Of the last 45 credits before graduation, a maximum of 18 credits may be transferred (27 of the last 45 credits must be taken at Virginia Tech)
• A maximum of 38 credits of Advanced Placement credit can be awarded
• A maximum of 38 credits may be awarded with the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma
• A maximum of 30 credits may be awarded with the International Baccalaureate (IB) Certificate
• A maximum of 12 credits may be awarded for CLEP
• A maximum of 38 credits may be awarded via the University of Cambridge International Examinations

Credit may be allowed by special examination where command of a subject can be demonstrated in place of formal course work. Credit by Exam is not available to students who have previously audited or enrolled in the course or have previously attempted credit by examination for the course. Only currently enrolled undergraduate students are eligible for special examinations.

If credit by examination is approved, the offering department shall have full responsibility for determining the type of examination to be given and what constitutes a passing grade.

A maximum of 12 credits may be awarded. Approval must be obtained from the head of the academic department offering the course.

Credit established by examination may NOT be used to satisfy the in-residence requirements for graduation. No grades or quality credits will be assigned. Credit by exam is graded on a Pass/Fail (P/F) basis only. A Passing grade will be displayed on the unofficial transcript as Credit by Exam and equivalent to Transfer Credit. It will be displayed in DARS as "CB". A Failing grade will now show up on the unofficial transcript or DARS and not be calculated in the GPA.

There is a $10.00 per credit fee for the examination and fees are subject to change at the beginning of an academic year.

Examinations

The final examination enables a student to demonstrate their command of the subject and provides the faculty member an opportunity to review student performance and the character and quality of the course. Final examinations are held at the close of each term according to a schedule established by the university.

An instructor may not change the date or time of a final exam without the approval of the dean of the college. Students may request permission from their college academic dean (not the dean of the college) to reschedule a final exam if they have conflicting exams or if they have three (3) or more final exams in 24 hours. College of Science students can request this by completing the College of Science Request to Change Final Examination Time Form.

Otherwise, permission to reschedule a final exam is granted by the academic dean only in very unusual circumstances. Students who are unable to take an examination due to illness or circumstances beyond their control may reschedule the examination. Deferred final exams must be authorized only by the student's academic dean or by Schiffert Health Center.

Students are entitled to review their graded examination papers. Failure to take an examination yields a zero (0) grade for the examination, weighted as specified in the course statement on grading criteria. The faculty member administers and grades the examinations.

Re-Examinations

Re-examination of one (1) final exam is available only for students who are candidates for a degree in the same term as the final exam.

After a term is over, a re-examination in one course in which the final grade earned is C- or below may be authorized if the student was enrolled in the course during the final term of their senior year and if a satisfactory re-examination in the course will qualify the student for graduation. The student must make the re-examination request to the academic dean (not the dean of the college) of their college and must complete the exam as soon as possible after the first examination.

For the student to be granted a re-examination, approval is required by the instructor, the student's department head, and the student's academic dean in the college of their primary major. In determining the validity of the student's request, consideration is given to class performance and completion of assigned work. The University Registrar provides verification of compliance with the requirements of this policy.

The student must complete the Re-examination Approval Form which can be obtained through the student's primary majors dean's advising office.

Once the form is complete, it can be submitted to the Associate Registrar for Academic Programs & Compliances/Graduation Analysis.

Virginia Tech offers several types of courses that can be tailored to the needs of individual students or special groups. By allowing students to pursue topics in which formal courses are not available, these directed and independent courses provide greater flexibility in course offerings. They also provide students an opportunity to assume a greater share of the responsibility for their own education outside the traditional classroom situation.

Students must submit an official approval form prior to registration. In most cases, the student's first contact for an independent study, field study, or undergraduate research course is the department offering the course. Registration is through the student's academic dean's office of their primary major. Special Study courses are set up by the department and the student registers through their Hokie Spa registration portal. Some colleges and departments have restrictions on eligibility to register for these courses and limit the number of hours that can be used toward graduation.

Each time the student enrolls in independent study or undergraduate research, the instructor is required to identify a tangible output produced by the student at the end of the course that will be used to determine the student's grade.

The time that the student devotes to satisfying course requirements shall be reflected in the number of credit hours awarded based on the Carnegie Foundation definition.

Field Study (2964/4964): Courses are work experiences approved by some departments and are selected to augment traditional classroom activities. The student is evaluated on the knowledge and skills acquired as a result of the experience. Emphasis is placed on the academic and practical value of the work. Pass/Fail grade option ONLY (Note: you are only allowed to count 12 P/F credits toward your graduation requirements).

Independent Study (2974/4974): Courses generally involve extensive reading and tutorial sessions with the faculty supervisor and also may involve written papers and other assessments. The subject of Independent Study usually is a continuation in greater depth of a topic covered in a regular course, allowing students to study topics of particular individual interest.. Usually involves a written paper/review/synthesis relevant to the topic. Pass/Fail or A/F grade option.

Undergraduate Research (2994/4994): Individual/group research projects carried out by students under faculty supervision. The student and faculty supervisor decide on the project, how the student is to participate in the research, and the graded product. Usually involves active participation in a research domain including data collection, data analysis, literature review, conference presentations, and/or manuscript writing. Pass/Fail or A/F grade option.

Students must meet a language study requirement either through middle and high school enrollment or prior to receipt of the undergraduate degree. The minimum requirement may be met in middle or high school by completing two (2) units of a single foreign or classical language or American Sign Language. Some majors in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences may require three (3) units of a single foreign or classical language or American Sign Language.

Students completing the requirement at Virginia Tech may NOT count the credits toward degree completion.

The requirement also may be met after admission by one of the following:

1. Earning six (6) semester hours of college-level foreign or classical language credit or American Sign Language. Such credits are in addition to the number normally required for graduation in a student's program of study.
2. Receiving credit by examination for a foreign language. The credit by examination option is available only to students who have gained knowledge of a foreign language without the benefit of formal training. This option is intended to recognize informal, non-academic learning experience. This option is restricted and does not carry credit towards graduation.  See College Board CLEP for available tests and procedures.

COVID 19 Credit/No-Credit Grade Option for Spring 2020

In order to support students due to the transition from in-person to online course delivery, a new Credit/No-Credit grade option was created for undergraduate students for the Spring 2020 term.

Instances of academic misconduct represent behavior that is of an especially serious nature. The University's normal sanction for academic misconduct is an F* as the student's final course grade. The F* sanction is intended to identify a student who has failed to uphold the values of academic integrity at Virginia Tech. A student who is assessed a sanction of F* as their final course grade shall have it documented on their transcript with the notation "FAILURE DUE TO ACADEMIC HONOR CODE VIOLATION."

The Virginia Tech Honor Code is the university policy that defines the expected standards of conduct in academic affairs. The Virginia Tech honor pledge is as follows: "As a Hokie, I will conduct myself with honor and integrity at all times. I will not lie, cheat, or steal, nor will I accept the actions of those who do." Further, students are prohibited from giving and/or receiving unauthorized assistance on their coursework.

Each student who enrolls at Virginia Tech is responsible for abiding by the Honor Code. A student who has doubts about how the Honor Code applies to any graded assignment is responsible for obtaining specific guidance from the instructor before submitting the assignment for evaluation. Students should assume that all projects and homework assignments are to be completed individually unless otherwise specified by the instructor.

Commission of any of the following acts shall constitute academic misconduct. This listing is not, however, exclusive of other acts that may reasonably be said to constitute academic misconduct.

The Honor Code fosters an environment that promotes fairness, personal responsibility, and integrity. More information about the Honor Code is available at www.honorsystem.vt.edu.

A grade of "I" (Incomplete) may be given when the requirements of a course other than the final examination have not been completed due to illness or extenuating circumstances beyond the student's control. The "I" grade is the prerogative of the instructor.

To remove an "I" grade, lecture course requirements must be satisfied during the student's first subsequent term of enrollment, and laboratory course requirements must be satisfied prior to the end of the first term during which the course is offered and the student is enrolled.

Incomplete grades are automatically converted to "F" if requirements are not fully satisfied during the period of time allowed.

The GPA is unaffected by the "I" grade, unless or until the "I" is converted to an "F" for failure to complete the course requirements within the allotted time.

Students do not re-register for a class in which a grade of “I” was earned in order to complete the incomplete.
All "I" (Incomplete) grades must be removed prior to graduation.

Students will need to complete the following form:

1. Request for Incomplete Grade

Midterm grades are produced for freshmen and transfer students whose first term of enrollment is the fall semester. Beginning Fall 1996, students whose first term of enrollment is summer will also receive a midterm grade report during the fall semester. "Satisfactory" is given for work earning a grade of C or better and "unsatisfactory" is given for work earning a grade of C- or below.

The midterm grade is not part of the student's permanent academic record and is only intended to be an early indication of the student's progress.

Students previously enrolled at Virginia Tech that have not completed their degree may wish to return to complete their degree with an expanded knowledge not reflected in their earlier records.

If a student returns to the university after an absence of at least five (5) consecutive years, they may request in writing to have their academic records evaluated by the college academic dean of their primary major.

Such transcripts will be evaluated in the same manner that transfer student transcripts are considered. This may allow the student to refresh their overall and in-major GPA to 0.00.

Criteria Regarding Requesting Obsolete Credit

• Students will need to complete a minimum of 25% of the required credits in-residence at Virginia Tech (30 credits for a 120 credit degree program) as new coursework.
• Courses with a grade of C or higher, including Pass (P), will be allowed for credit for a degree.
• Courses with a grade of C- or lower will not be allowed for credit for a degree.
• All courses will remain part of the student's permanent record.

College of Science students will need to complete the following forms:

1.  COS Request for Obsolete Credit
   
2. Obsolete Credit Rule Evaluation Record
   

The Pass/Fail (P/F) grading system is available to encourage students to enrich their academic programs and explore more challenging courses outside their majors, without the pressures and demands of the regular grading system.

None of the restrictions below apply to a course if it is only offered on a Pass/Fail (P/F) basis.
Courses that are being utilized as Free Elective courses can be changed to Pass/Fail.

Requirements for Students to Change a Course to Pass/Fail

1. No required course(s) used for Pathways Concepts (General Education), major or minor may be taken on a Pass/Fail basis (unless the course is only offered Pass/Fail). Available to all undergraduate students who have COMPLETED a minimum of 30 credits at Virginia Tech.
2. Have an overall GPA of 2.00 or above: Students may take up to 12 credits hours of coursework as Pass/Fail, excluding courses that are only offered as Pass/Fail.
   
3. Only two (2) courses per semester may be taken as Pass/Fail, excluding courses offered only as Pass/Fail. Under the Pass/Fail grading option, a “P” is granted for earning a “D” or better in the course. Otherwise, an “F” is given for earning a grade of “D-“ or lower. Passing grades are not calculated in the GPA, whereas a failing grade is calculated in the GPA.
   
4. Courses can be changed to Pass/Fail no later than the last day to change grade option from A-F to P/F deadline (review the academic calendar). Once credit is received for a course taken under the Pass/Fail grading option, the course cannot be repeated under the “A-F” grading option.
   

If students meet the criteria, they can change the course to a Pass/Fail basis by completing the Request to Change Course to Pass/Fail or A-F Form from the COS Student Forms website.

University Policy 91 outlines university-wide minimum criteria to determine if students are making satisfactory progress towards the completion of their degrees. Every major has different criteria for progressing towards a degree. Students can determine what the criteria are by viewing the appropriate major(s) checksheet for the year they began at Virginia Tech and reviewing the Progress Toward Degree Policy.

Not meeting progress towards degree may have implications leading to the student being required to change their major.

• Students must meet all residency requirements to earn a degree at Virginia Tech.
• All students must earn 25% of credits required for their respective degree from Virginia Tech.
• No more than 50% of credit hours earned from a two-year institution may be used to satisfy graduation requirements.
• Students who must enroll in foreign language courses to complete admission requirements may not use the credits toward completion of the degree.
• Undergraduate students are permitted to complete a maximum of 18 of their last 45 hours in absentia and to transfer to complete their graduation requirements, so long as the request to transfer these credits meets all the current requirements in effect (transfer transcript is required and approval of the student's Academic Dean). Also, the credits to be transferred may consist of required as well as elective credits, as long as prior approval has been obtained from the student's Academic Dean to transfer any required credits. Undergraduate students studying away from campus during their last 45 hours may apply for an individual waiver of the requirement that a maximum of 18 of their last 45 hours may be earned in absentia. Approval of the request will be at the discretion of their academic dean. This does not preclude the requirement that at least 25% of all credits be earned in residence at Virginia Tech.

A student may resign without academic penalty by completing an official Virginia Tech resignation form on or before the published resignation deadline for each term. The student can request this resignation form from either the University Registrar's Office, the University Registrar's website, or their academic Dean's Office. The student's grade report and permanent record will show that they were enrolled for the term and that they resigned on the specific effective date.

A student who resigns after the stated deadline without written authorization for resignation without academic penalty by their respective academic dean of their primary major will receive automatic "F" grades in all courses in which the student is enrolled. The transcript will carry the notation, "Suspended by committee action for unauthorized resignation," and the hours for which "F" grades were received will be included in the cumulative GPA for both academic eligibility and graduation requirements.

In the case of authorized resignations after the deadline, grades will not be assigned, and the academic dean of the student's primary major will determine the student's academic status (whether or not they are eligible to return) based on the student's previous record.

Students are not able to drop their only class on their own through Hokie Spa and will need to complete the Student Withdrawal/Resignation Form from the COS Student Forms website.

Visit the Bursar's Resignations & Reduced Course Load Policy website > Policy Details by Year and Term for more information about how a resignation will affect tuition reimbursement.

Note: This will not stop their enrollment at Virginia Tech and will also not count as one of their three course withdrawals.