Registration, Enrollment & Attendance

Students are expected to attend classes for which they have registered, and any exceptions to this rule will be made explicit by the instructor at the first class meeting. Any individual who is attending a course section must be properly registered and attending the course by 4:30 pm day five of the semester (day two for 7-week courses and day two for J-term). No student will be permitted to register or attend the term after this deadline (see exceptions for international students first term of enrollment under Late Arrival Policy below). Individuals not properly registered for a course should not be permitted to further attend the course and their name should be reported immediately to the Office of the Registrar. Exceptions to the section attendance policy include college-approved guests, such as prospective students who are officially scheduled through the Office of Admissions, college employees approved in advance by the instructor, other non-student guests not in regular class attendance as approved in advance by the Registrar, instructor, department chair and when necessary, the Office of Campus Security and Public Safety. These guests should be limited to attending one or two class meetings. Visits exceeding this amount require registration and tuition payment.

Student Attendance Expectations and Responsibilities:

• register for no more than 5 credits of non-standard length classes (less than 14 weeks) in any semester (see policy below);
• attend classes regularly and participate fully in class activities. 
• familiarize themselves with the instructor’s attendance policy and abide by it.   
• if necessary, request an excused absence during the first week that course meets (or as soon as possible if the activity is rescheduled) in order to participate in a pre-scheduled, college-sponsored activity. 
• recognize that there are courses that place significant weight on in-class participation and in-class projects, for which missing class for any reason could have an impact on the grade.
• in the case of illness or family emergency, notify instructors as soon as they are able about the length of time they will be absent from a course.
• provide written verification to the instructor for extended or irregular absences (e.g., from the Coordinator of Medical Support, the Dean of Students office, etc.)
• assume responsibility for work missed during absences.
• understand that faculty members are not obligated to accept late assignments or to permit late examinations resulting from unexcused absences.  
• recognize that they must occasionally make choices between competing priorities, and take responsibility for those choices. 

Faculty Attendance Practices

While not every faculty member will take attendance in the same way, faculty are expected to know who is "in attendance" on any given day, particularly if there is a pattern of absences. Attendance policies will be listed in the syllabus for every course. Starfish flags may be raised for students who are not in regular attendance. Actions below are indicators that student has been in attendance and may be used by faculty for virtual courses (summer only) or in-person modality. 

• Submitting an academic assignment
• Initiating contact with a faculty member to ask a question about the academic subject studied in the course
• Participating in an online discussion about academic matters (e.g., online forum, video chat, email string, teleconference, etc.)
• Taking an exam, an interactive tutorial, or computer-assisted instruction (such as watching a video-recorded lecture)
• Virtually (via Skype, teleconference, etc.) attending a class where there is an opportunity for direct interaction between instructor and students
• Attending a study group that is assigned by the institution

The following policies should guide students and faculty in navigating issues related to excessive absences. College policy, along with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act,  mandate that no otherwise qualified individual with a disability be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or otherwise subjected to discrimination in, any program, service or activity of the College by reason of that disability. To fulfill this mandate, students with disabilities may request modifications to College policies, including attendance policies, to enable their participation in the education program. These requests are assessed individually and will be granted to the extent they do not fundamentally alter the nature of the program, service or activity. In compliance with Title IX, students who are pregnant or experiencing pregnancy related conditions may request and receive academic modifications. Reasonable modifications are provided according to an interactive process between the student and the Chief Title IX Coordinator.

The following policies apply to excessive absences. 

1. The importance of attendance for formal coursework: Face-to-face interaction with faculty, other students, and guest speakers is a critical component of engaged learning in the classroom at Augustana and is a key feature that distinguishes us from many other universities and colleges. Students should strive to attend every session of every class in which they are enrolled. In rare instances it might be necessary for students to miss one or more class sessions.  Students are responsible for minimizing such conflicts and for notifying their faculty and advisers when missing class is unavoidable. All absences “count” toward the limits discussed below. That is, “excused” absences do not increase the total number of allowed absences discussed in this policy.
2. The rule of faculty autonomy. Each subject area and pedagogy comes with their own special challenges and rewards. Each faculty member is responsible for setting and explaining the policies unique to their classes. This policy expresses the rules followed by most faculty in most courses. Individual faculty members may determine that their policies will differ from these, so long as they conform to the minimum and maximum allowable absence parameters explained below. Faculty members will share their attendance expectations by the first week of each term.
3. Alternative arrangements for missed coursework: students may seek and faculty are expected to provide alternative arrangements for missed coursework  if
   1. The number of missed days is reasonable. The faculty broadly agrees that students shall be allowed to miss up to a total of 5 MWF classes in a 14-week semester, 3 TuTh classes in a 14-week semester, and 2 classes in a 17-day J-term (hereafter referred to as the “specified minimum”) without penalty (i.e. students should expect make-up opportunities for missed work for up to the specified minimum of class meetings OR be allowed to drop missed work for up to the specified minimum of missed class meetings, as determined by the individual instructor). Classes with other meeting schedules should use a specified minimum that is equal to 10% of all meeting days, rounded up to the nearest whole number. Absences beyond a combined total of the specified minimum for any and all reasons will not be considered “reasonable,” but rather will be considered excessive (see below). Please also see language regarding College-recognized accommodations above.
   2. The student has notified their instructors, in advance whenever possible, and has otherwise maintained regular attendance. Students will not be expected to provide documentation concerning health-related absences, unless the absences occur on mandatory days* (see note below).
   3. The alternative arrangement does not significantly disrupt the course or other students’ learning, which occurs when a student’s absence affects an entire group’s performance.
   4. On mandatory* days, proper documentation has been provided.
4. Missing more than the specified minimum of class meetings: 
   1. Faculty may consider missing more than the specified minimum in any course to be excessive, and thus academic penalties may result. Students missing this much class time are at enhanced risk for reduced comprehension and retention of course content. Alternative arrangements for absences greater than the specified minimum are at the discretion of each instructor.
   2. Faculty will consider missing more than 8 MWF classes in a 14-week semester, 5 TuTh classes in a 14-week semester, or 3 classes in a 17-day J-term (classes with other meeting schedules should use a cutoff that is equal to 20% of all meeting days, rounded up to the nearest whole number) to be excessive. As a result, this will almost certainly result in a significant academic penalty, including but not limited to failing a course, being asked to drop the course or counseled to withdraw from the term.
   3. Students will ordinarily be administratively withdrawn from a course when total absences exceed 11 MWF classes in a 14-week semester, 8 TuTh classes in a 14-week semester, or 5 classes in a 17-day J-term (classes with other meeting schedules should use a cutoff that is equal to 30% of all meeting days, rounded up to the nearest whole number).  
5. Timely notification of missed work and missed work policies.
   1. In the case of college-sponsored or college-sanctioned events, the employee responsible for student participation in the event will ordinarily notify faculty affected of impending absences no less than one week before the absences.
   2. Students bear primary responsibility for notifying their instructors in advance of any absence due to scheduled events and for seeking alternative arrangements. They cannot rely solely on notifications from coaches or other college employees.
   3. Faculty should include a clear statement about their attendance policy on each syllabus.

           *Note regarding mandatory days: in most courses there will be certain assignments, activities, and experiences (e.g. exams, presentations, performances, field trips) that cannot reasonably be made up at another point in time. Faculty are under no obligation to provide make-up opportunities for these types of experiences; if faculty do consider granting requests for make-up work related to mandatory days, they may require documentation or assess a grade penalty for the missed assignment. Faculty should clearly indicate which types of activities would qualify as mandatory days in their course syllabi.

Additional faculty guidance on administering and upholding the excessive policy can be found HERE. 

adopted by the faculty on May 15, 2024

Students are expected to be on campus and attending on the first day of each term. Students not in attendance at the first class meeting are responsible for finding out on their own the instructor’s policy regarding attendance. Instructors may elect to drop a registered student from their course roster for non-attendance on the first day of the semester. However, in most cases where a student has attended a section, dropping coursework from the student schedule is the responsibility of the student. 

Students who have exceptional circumstances that require late arrival on day two or day three of a semester must communicate their circumstances and provide documentation of the emergency to the Office Academic Affairs prior to the start of the term (academicaffairs@augustana.edu). Students who do not report to their courses by day five of the semester (day three for J-term) will not be permitted to attend for the term regardless of circumstances. Late start for J-term beyond day three is not allowed under any circumstances. Failure to report to campus and attend registered courses will result in:

• automatic deregistration of current coursework
• dining hall and library card deactivation
• the student being required to vacate campus housing
• potential additional late processing fees

Students who fail to attend individual courses during a term will not be dropped from courses by the college. Students are responsible for keeping a current and accurate enrollment each term. Changes to enrollment requested after published deadlines will involve a petition process and, if approved, late fees. See the sections below on Change of Registration and Student Schedule. 

Students who have been deregistered for the semester must reapply to the College to return to student status in subsequent terms.

For their first term of enrollment, international students must report to the Office of International Student Scholars and Services (OISSS) by the program start date, which is the first day of the term and is printed on the I-20/DS -2019.   All new international students (including all first-year, transfer and non-degree seeking students) are expected to participate in orientation activities prior to the start of the term to help ensure their success at Augustana College, and should arrive on campus with sufficient time to fully participate in these activities, but must arrive prior to the program start date.  International students who are unable to arrive by the program start date should contact the Office of International Admissions immediately to understand their options prior to departing for the U.S.  While a late arrival will generally require a student to defer their entrance to the following term, a student with extenuating circumstances who is able to arrive within three (3) academic days of the program start date may request that the College provide a late arrival permission letter.  It is important that an international student understand that such a letter does not guarantee entrance in the U.S, and that late arrivals can create other challenges to student success.  The decision to grant such a letter will be determined by the College and will involve the Office of Admissions, OISSS, and Academic Affairs after consideration of the extenuating circumstances resulting in the late arrival and the College’s ability to accommodate the student’s late arrival.    

In the event a late arrival permission letter is issued, it shall include the following information:  

• Date letter is issued
• Student’s name as printed on passport
• Student’s ID number
• Student’s Date of birth
• A statement that indicates the institution is aware of the student’s late arrival and that the student should arrive to campus no later than mm/dd/year (enter date that is within the first 3 academic days of the term) and that the student will be enrolled in a full course load upon arrival. Please note: If a student is going to be more than 3 days late, they must defer to the following semester.
• DSO contact information in case the Port of Entry officer has any follow-up questions regarding the student’s academic program.
• Letter will be issued on the institution's letterhead and signed by Academic Affairs  

A late arrival permission letter does not guarantee admission in the United States. Students are expected to enter the U.S. prior to the program start date listed on their Form I-20/DS-2019; failure to do so represents the student’s failure to maintain status. Entry to the U.S. after the program start date is not guaranteed and is at the discretion of the Port of Entry Officer at the border. Upon entry to the U.S. and arrival on campus, international students must immediately complete a check-in with the OISSS office so they can properly activate their SEVIS record.  After this check-in, students must also immediately check-in with residential life, public safety, and advising. For purposes of this policy, ‘academic days’ are days in which the college is in session and classes are offered.

This policy is in effect only for the first term of enrollment. International students must meet the attendance and enrollment policies outlined in the section above for all subsequent enrollment terms. 

adopted Feb. 27. 2024 

Augustana College celebrates the importance of religious expression in the lives of our students and “offers every student the opportunity to develop a life-shaping spirituality." (See also The Five Faith Commitments of Augustana College). Consistent with our commitment to creating an academic community that welcomes and respects religious diversity, we commit ourselves to making every reasonable effort to support students in observing major religious holidays without academic or co-curricular penalty.

Students are required to notify their instructor in advance that they must miss class in order to observe a religious holiday and must make prior arrangements with the instructor to complete work missed during their absence. Faculty and/or students who seek college support in this process should contact the Registrar well in advance of the anticipated holiday. Final exams or other exam week requirements that may overlap with a religious holiday must be petitioned using the Exam Week Policies standards adopted by the faculty.

The Office of Campus Ministries will maintain on its website a calendar of the most important holidays in major religious traditions. While the college encourages students to celebrate any cultural customs and traditions that hold personal significance, we are not able to excuse students from class attendance or participation in course requirements for cultural observations.  

Questions that arise in carrying out this policy should be addressed to the College Registrar or the Office of Academic Affairs.

Approved by Faculty Senate 12.4.08

New students entering in the Fall semester register on designated days in during the summer or just prior to the start of classes. Students entering of Spring semester register during Spring Welcome event prior to the start of Spring semester. The Admissions Office communicate the exact dates to students. 

See the Academic Calendar for the current registration dates and times.

Courses numbered at the 300 and 400 level are intended primarily for students who have earned junior or senior classifica­tion, though sophomores may enroll in upper-division courses with the approval of the academic advisor. First-year students may enroll in any sequential course(s) for which they have already established qualifications.

In general all students will follow the registration priority assignment policies and procedures outlined by the Office of the Registrar. However, there are a few exceptions to those protocols as well as a few specific guidelines regarding limitations on registration noted here. 

Enrollment for Sports: The same registration expectations and policies exist for HEPE courses as published for all coursework. Students are exclusively responsible for registration.

• Priority Registration: NCAA rostered student-athletes will not be provided priority registration and shall register with their cohort as assigned, with one exception. When practice facility space is at a premium, the college will institute priority registration for one rotating NCAA varsity athletic program for Spring semester. Implementation will be coordinated annually between the Office of the Registrar, Advising, and the Athletic Department. Registration procedures will be communicated to the designed student-athletes from the Office of Advising and the Office of the Registrar.  Rostered student-athletes on the designated team must adhere to all other registration policies and procedures, including required advising meetings and clearing all registration restrictions in advance of their priority registration. This will be extended only to rostered, eligible student-athletes in the designated program.
• Credit for Varsity Sport or Club Sport: Student athletes may register for their varsity sport for credit one time to fulfill one of the required HEPE (PEA) requirements for graduation. Other students participating in club sports may check to see if their club sport is eligible for HEPE (PEA) credit. Each student must take the responsibility to register themselves for their course during the semester it is taken and it may not be added for a previous term or academic year. Students who do not make a varsity team, leave a team or club sport, become injured or cannot successfully complete the season or stop attending are required to drop the course. While the instructor should report attendance or enrollment irregularities to the Registrar immediately, student are responsible for accurate enrollment. The enrollment and drop process will not be handled by the Registrar, the advisor or the athletic department. As is the case with all credit-bearing coursework, it is the responsibility for the student to assure proper registration. Club sports that do not have a paid employee coach are not eligible for late add under any circumstances.

Enrollment for First-Year Plus Students:  Registration times after the first term of enrollment for FY+ students are determined by the number of pre-enrollment credits earned prior to first enrollment with the college and as outlined in the Registration Priority Assignment Policy. Students who wish to be identified as First-Year Plus Students must complete an application prior to the end of the first semester of enrollment at the college. First-Year Plus students are determined by meeting the following requirements: 

• Are first-year, degree-seeking students, whose most recent educational experience prior to first enrollment at Augustana was in high school
• Have completed 45 or more transferable credits of dual enrollment coursework (does not including testing credit) 
• Have supplied official transcript(s) including 45 or more transferable credits on file in the Registrar’s Office prior to the first day of classes of their first term of Augustana enrollment.

While the Augustana degree is designed by faculty as a 4-year (8 semester) degree path culminating in the 8th semester, the college does not prohibit students from graduating early if they make best use of their credits to do so. However, the college does not guarantee early graduation for FY+ students and will not waive faculty policy to enable early graduation. 

Enrollment for Students with Approved Accommodations: Students who have an approved priority registration accommodation will be provided priority registration one day prior to the students in their cohort for the first registration window of each enrollment cycle. Only the Office of Disability Services will approve a priority registration accommodation. Students with accommodations who wish to make changes to their enrollment after their first assigned time, will not be provided priority registration in successive enrollment windows, and will need to use the standard enrollment times published on the Academic Calendar. 

Enrollment in Non-Standard Length Courses: Most Augustana courses are 14-weeks in length and considered "standard length."  Full-time students may not enroll in more than 5 credits of "non-standard length" coursework in a given semester. 

Enrollment in Overlapping Coursework: Department of Education regulations stipulate that students may not enroll in courses with overlapping meeting times. Regardless of the type of educational experience (lab, lecture, lesson, ensemble, internship, field experience, etc.), instructional modality (online, face-to-face, synchronous or asynchronous) number of credits (credit or no-credit) or grading type (graded, audit, pass/no-credit), students cannot be in two places at one time, which would truncate their required seat time, and therefore this is prohibited. 

Concurrent Registration: Registration with another institution is also prohibited for full time degree-seeking students. See policies on Advanced Standing.

Cabinet adopted February 2019

Students will register for online summer school courses through Arches. Faculty teaching an online summer course will use Moodle as the learning platform. Students are required to authenticate their identity by logging in to Moodle by using their college-assigned username and password. Students are reminded they should never share their username and password. As a condition of continued enrollment, students have signed the Communication and Technology Acknowledgement form and have read the Honor Code and signed the Honor Pledge.

Degree-seeking students should not enroll for coursework as an auditor as it will not count toward full-time status and is not eligible for financial aid or scholarships. See Course Repeat and Replacement Policy for details on repeating coursework. An audited course does not factor in the grade-point average. Non-Augustana students who wish to audit a course must apply using the Special Student Application available on the website and will pay the full tuition fees associated with the coursework. (See Schedule of Student Charges for tuition and fees.) These additional parameters apply to audited courses:

• Once enrolled in a course for audit, a student is not permitted to change that enrollment status to a credit bearing status.
• Students enrolled in a course for credit are not permitted to change to audit status once the term has started.
• Students enrolled for an audit need not complete course assignments or tests unless their home department needs that assessment information for their prerequisite purposes.
• Audited courses do not serve as prerequisites for other Augustana courses.
• Audited courses do not count toward full-time status or financial aid calculations, but do count toward calculating tuition credits.
• A final assessment of the assignments, tests and overall performance will not be available for the student for any courses taken as an auditor. 

An enrolled students is defined as an individual who has credits on their official schedule with the college for the defined term.  During the academic year, students must carry a credit load above zero credits in order to be considered and counted as an enrolled student. If a student enrolls in a zero credit experience, they must also enroll in additional coursework that carries credits during that term. During the summer term, student may carry a zero credit load. Students are not permitted to register for courses that meet during the same time block/period. 

The college may restrict students from enrollment in any coursework for future terms for a variety of reasons:

• Failure to adhere to academic or administrative policies or incomplete paperwork
• Behavioral/disciplinary reasons
• Medical/health reasons
• Outstanding financial obligations

Students will be notified in writing (hard copy and/or by email) of the above restrictions in time for students to make arrangements to clear the hold in the appropriate administrative office prior to registration. While this is not an exhaustive list, some of the most common requirements for continued enrollment include:

• Final high school and/or college transcript on file
• Updated emergency contact information
• Declaring a major at the point of 60 credits earned
• Current immunization records on file
• Signed honor pledge on file
• Signed communication agreement on file
• Completed "Alcohol Edu" online program
• Completed sexual assault awareness training
• Completed the "Diversity" on-line program
• Meeting with an academic advisor
• Financial Aid documents complete
• Tuition and fees paid
• Required service hours complete (as assigned by Dean of Students)
• Application to graduate complete (for those with senior standing or near-senior status, see email reminders)
• Student is in good academic and social standing with the college
• Student is deemed to be in good physical and mental health (as determined by the Dean of Students Office)

                                                                                                                      Approved by EPC 10.14.15

Students may register for up to 18 credits per semester and one 4-credit J-term experience through Arches. Students seeking to register for a surplus (more than 18 credits in a single term) are required to make a Registration Surplus Request to the Committee on Advanced Standing and Degrees (AS&D) with support of their academic advisor.

Students who have music coursework (MULS, MUEN, MUCH) courses that will take them above 18 credits for the semester do not need to seek a registration surplus approval. The student should contact their advisor and the Office of the Registrar at the time the online add form is submitted at registraroffice@augustana.edu in order to enroll in these additional sections. Forms will be deleted after 10 days if no support is provided.

Students enrolling in Summer Session are limited to one 4-credit course. In rare instances, students may request to take a summer internship that begins after the Augustana summer session ends for a total maximum of 12 maximum credits across the summer. Summer surplus beyond those limits are not approved. Only petitions from students with a strong academic record will be considered. First-year students require the approval of the Director of Advising. Students will be notified by email of the results within five business days. If approved, students are responsible for understanding and monitoring their annual credit limits and, if term surplus approvals take them over the caps noted below, they will be responsible for any overload fees incurred. Completed forms are due prior to day two of the term of anticipated enrollment surplus. Forms are available online. 

                                                                                                                                     edited for clarification 2.22.19

Please see the catalog section of Registration Course Load and Tuition Overload Policies for detailed information. See also the Schedule of Student Charges for overload fees.

Enrollment changes happen during published registration periods when Arches is open, or when add and drops may be performed by online form. Generally, if a late add/drop is approved, late fees starting at $80.00 are applied after the add/drop period is over, including $20.00 per week after the deadline has passed. A change of registration may be made with the approval of the student’s academic advisor and the instructor, and is valid only when completed and submitted by the student and approved by the Office of the Registrar. Students must consult the Academic Calendar for all add/drop/withdrawal deadlines. Students may request an exception to these policies only under rare and exceptional circumstances beyond the student's control, but within the requirements of the college auditor and accreditor regulations. To petition, see the Academic Policy section of the catalog.

Students who wish to petition a change in registration from a previous term due to clerical error must petition the change within the same academic year. Petitions received after this deadline will not be accepted in order to meet regulatory requirements. See also Credits and Registration & Attendance policies on this page. Late fees apply for missed deadlines (see Schedule of Student Charges .) Requests for changes in enrollment from a previous academic year are strictly prohibited. 

In accordance with state regulations, students who drop any coursework after the published deadlines will have a "W" (withdrawal) grade marked on the transcript.

Anyone terminating attendance in a course without approval and without following specified procedures will receive an “F” grade in the course.

Students accused of academic dishonesty in a class will not be permitted to drop the course involved until they have either been cleared of the allegation or have the permission of both the instructor and the Dean of Students.

In accordance with accreditor and regulatory guidelines, students must start and complete all coursework within the published start and end dates of the term of enrollment as defined on the college Academic Calendar. Students may not extend coursework beyond the term, except under the explicit guidelines outlined in the Incomplete Grade Policy. Students must enroll for coursework during the term the work is completed. This includes all credit-bearing and non-credit bearing, graded and ungraded, senior inquiry, internships, service learning and all modalities and instructional delivery methods. Credit will not be earned if they fall outside of these parameters. 

Students will have academic advising assistance available to them in the weeks prior to registration. The college requires all students seek out their academic advisor prior to registration. Arches is available 24 hours a day and displays the student schedule with a secure login. With the exception of a required remedial course required for some student enrollment or courses required for scholarship, the college will not automatically register students for coursework. Adding and dropping courses within published deadlines is the responsibility of the student. The responsibility for registering for appropriate classes for satisfactory progress toward the degree within all published enrollment deadlines and maintaining an accurate class schedule each term rests entirely with the student.

See the Academic Calendar for exact add and drop deadlines. Students submitting electronic add/drop will be routed to advisor and instructor for support. Incomplete enrollment forms will not be processed. 

For information about open courses please consult Arches, the official online catalog or the academic department.

After submitting enrollment permits, students should check Arches the same day to see that their schedules are correct. It is the responsibility of the student to check and maintain a current and accurate course schedule. If you see inconsistencies, please contact the Office of the Registrar immediately.

All drops must be processed in Arches or by a properly completed form and submitted by the published deadline. Instructors may drop you from the roster for failure to attend the first two class meetings and allow another student to add. However, it is the responsibility of the student to check and maintain a current and accurate course schedule.

A complete list of dates and deadlines appears on the Academic Calendar.

As always, consult your academic advisor and your financial aid package before dropping courses that may impact your billing, campus housing eligibility, financial assistance and NCAA eligibility. To maintain full-time status at Augustana, you must have a minimum load of 12 credits per semester.

January-term (J-term) is designed as a single, unique and intensive learning opportunity for our entire campus community. To meet that objective, students may only register for ONE J-term experience. In nearly all cases, that experience is a 4-credit course (some study away experiences have a different model in J-term). Students may not combine a J-term course registration with an internship, research or directed study experience.  

A comprehensive list of J-term all academic and administrative policies and procedures for J-term may be found HERE.