Academic and official records

Augustana has a legal obligation to record and track the coursework, credits, enrollment, and attempted credits, as well as final grades for the student on the academic record. The academic record reflects the unabridged academic history of each student at the institution, as well as those reported transfer and testing credits officially reported to the college. The Augustana record represents a chronological listing of the total quantitative and qualitative learning experiences and achievements of the student. Within the American higher education system the commonly held practice for producing the information contained in the academic record is the official academic transcript. Amending an academic record or transcript for a reason other than a well-documented administrative/clerical error or through a faculty-approved wavier of published policy not only compromises the integrity of the record and the college, it may break state and/or federal law. In addition, changing the record must meet regulatory compliance standards related to required, external reporting requirements. Altering the record or transcript for any other reason runs contrary to the ethical standards of our profession and best practices established by AACRAO, the Department of Education and our accreditors. See more about requesting transcripts or sending transcripts/scores to the college. 

In accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) the release of an educational record to any third party requires an original written signature included in the request or a secure login authentication through a college-provided Arches account. Privacy waiver forms are available online and must be completed by the student. Completed waivers do not grant access to request a transcript, each transcript request must be made individually by the student. No direct access is granted to any third parties to student records in online systems, including Arches, Moodle and Starfish. The college does not accept electronic or proxy signatures. Students are strongly discouraged from sharing their login information with anyone at any time. 

All degree-seeking students are required to provide the college a final, official copy of their high school (8th semester transcripts) noting their high school diploma and graduation date and/or college transcripts from all other institutions attended as a condition of continued enrollment. Final, official transcripts are due to the college by July 31 prior to the start of the first term of enrollment. In some rare circumstances, a waiver will be granted and a student may be permitted to continue enrollment in fall semester. Students in this situation who do not meet the July deadline for this requirement will be restricted from registering for future terms starting with their second term of enrollment. Reminders of the requirement are sent from the admissions office in the spring and summer prior to fall enrollment. Further reminders are sent from the Office of the Registrar once the fall semester has started. For details about how to submit an official transcript to the college visit our transcript page.

The Office of the Registrar maintains each student’s official academic record. The official record of the student's academic work is stored in the student information system (Colleague) and includes all courses registered, enrolled, dropped, withdrawn and completed. The external document recording the academic record is known as the official transcript which contains:

• a record of all completed Augustana classes (including those withdrawn and failed) 
• a record of officially evaluated transfer coursework
• course titles
• section numbers
• final grades
• credits attempted and earned
• grade point average for each term
• an overall grade point average
• academic standing
• Dean's List
• academic Latin honors applied at graduation
• once conferred the degree earned is posted along with majors/minors completed

Official records (including transcripts and diplomas) may be withheld if the student has any outstanding financial obligation to the college. By sending official scores and official transcripts to Augustana College, individuals consent to post all eligible coursework to the academic record. In accordance with legal regulations and best practice standards, coursework posted to the record may not be removed.

When students transfer coursework to Augustana, that work is evaluated and recorded on the academic permanent record. Copies of the academic record are made available via Arches after the transfer courses are posted. The applicability of transfer credit to a major or minor is determined by the appropriate department or program chair in consultation with the student and the Registrar.

In accordance with national record release standards, we do not release documents that have become the property of Augustana College through a legal release to a third party (Augustana). In addition, the college does not release or verify other pieces of personal information such as visa numbers, social security numbers, passport numbers, health conditions, etc. We are not the official, legal custodian of record for any data that was not assigned by the institution or for documents that did not originate at Augustana College and therefore do not have the legal authority to release them. This includes documents such as high school records and transcripts, ACT/SAT scores, AP/IB/A-Level scores or degree information and college transcripts from other institutions.  These records are the property of the college and are for our internal college purposes only. In alignment with the policy information above, we do not make copies of these records for students. Please contact the originating agency, organization or institution that produced the original records to obtain a legal copy.

NOTE! Augustana cannot certify, verify or validate documents as "original" - "authentic" - "verified" - "certified" (etc.) with the college seal and official signatures unless they originate at the college. This includes copies of diplomas, transcripts or other documents previously released to the student or a third party. Students who require an additional certified or notarized diploma, transcript or other official Augustana document, should contact us to order one. 

The college uses several internal methods to determine placement in some of our courses that require it. Some of these scores are based on Index Scores calculated from high school grades and/or ACT/SAT information. Other scores are based on placement testing administered internally or contracted externally based on the subject area. In most cases, these scores are not retained beyond the time period of their original use. The college does not provide placement exam scores or index scores used for internal purposes to external agencies, institutions or organizations. While the college will not share or release this data, students may see some of these scores in Arches and may self-report that data as they feel appropriate. 

Augustana does not validate proficiency in any areas of study other than what is reflected on the official college transcript. Students who seek to validate their proficiency for other agencies, institutions or organizations may request an official transcript, seek letters of recommendations from individual faculty members, or take assessments offered from external resources.

Records submitted by the student for the purposes of admission to the college (personal essays, resumes, letters of recommendation, portfolios, presentations, writing samples, etc.) are generally not retained by the college. These would either be returned to the student, if requested, prior to enrollment or destroyed.  

Because the official college seal represents the validity and authenticity of the information contained in an official document and, in order to meet industry best-practice standards, the official college seal is securely housed in the Office of the Registrar. The seal will be affixed only to an official college document and/or used for official college business (see forms originating from external sources above), therefore it may be performed only by an employee from the Office of the Registrar (or under the direct supervision of a student employee in that office). The following parameters also apply:

• Verifying information: The Office of the Registrar will only verify official college information, and affix the college seal, if the data is securely housed within the official records retained by the college. Exceptions to this policy appear below.  
• All documents: If the signature of a college employee outside of the Office of the Registrar is required on a college form or document, an employee of that campus office must either a) complete the form in the presence of the an employee in the Office of the Registrar or b) hand deliver the completed form to the Office of the Registrar in Founders Hall.
• Delivery method: Forms which seek to certify the accuracy of the information contained on any document will only be accepted if delivered by the office or employee who signs the form. Forms will not be accepted/completed if they are delivered by students or non-employees.

Students or employees who seek to validate official college information or data should seek out the appropriate office to verify and certify that information on behalf of the college. See policies about forms and documents requiring the college seal above. Offices that may release information are as follows: 

• Office of the Registrar: student enrollment, student dates of attendance, grade point averages, transcripts, academic standing, graduation information;
• Business Office: student billing and payments, student debt and collection;  
• Financial Aid Office: student aid and eligibility for aid, scholarship information;  
• Dean of Students Office: student disciplinary and conduct records, health records, parent information;
• Institutional Research: Historical data, external reporting data, survey data. 

Keep in mind most requests will require a legal privacy release to share information with third parties. This is not an exhaustive list. For more information please see the data reporting and request policies, the Office of Institutional Research, or the Office of the Registrar. 

Same day service may not always be available, so please make your requests in advance. You may contact registraroffice@augustana.edu with your questions and requests. 

The Office of the Registrar provides support and assistance in the degree audit. However, it is ultimately the responsibility of each student to meet degree requirements. Students and advisors may monitor their progress on an unofficial transcript or through the Program Evaluation on Arches. Advisors are available to assist the student in this responsibility.

Upon declaring a major or minor, a student should track their own progress in Arches on their program evaluation. During a student's final semester at Augustana, the Registrar may provide a complimentary audit to students who have applied to graduate as a courtesy. However, it is the student’s responsibility to check to see that the program of study and any additional majors and/or minors are listed correctly on their record, and report any concerns to the Office of the Registrar at least one semester prior to graduation.

Students must apply for graduation at least one semester in advance and will be restricted from graduation starting in the fall of their senior year if they have not done so. It is strongly recommended that rising senior students complete an Application to Graduate in the summer prior to their senior year. The graduation application should be completed online in Arches. Only students who apply to graduate on this timeline will receive a courtesy audit of outstanding degree requirements and information about commencement prior to the semester of graduation.

Augustana College awards the Bachelor of Arts degree, Bachelor of Science in Engineering or Master of Science degree upon completion of the degree requirements. Augustana confers degrees three times per year following fall semester, spring semester and summer term. Degrees are not conferred following J-term.  Individuals may not earn more than one Bachelor of Arts or Masters of Science degree. See below for students wishing to return to take courses for additional majors and/or minors. 

Individuals who require proof of a degree should use the National Student Clearinghouse for these services or request an official transcript through Arches be sent following the awarding of a degree. 

The college confers degrees at the conclusion of Fall semester, Spring semester and Summer term only (see above). All final grades and official transcripts for transfer work must be received by the degree conferral date. According to college auditor policy and federal reporting requirements, a very brief grace period is allowed to receive the final work. This grace period deadline will not be extended under any circumstances. If you have questions about the grace period, contact the Office of the Registrar. Students who do not meet this deadline will be removed from the graduation candidate list for that semester and must apply for a future term of graduation in Arches. 

Once the degree is conferred at the date of graduation, the academic record is considered complete and final. In accordance with our auditor requirements, no further changes will be made unless there is a documented clerical error. It is the responsibility of the student to notify the Office of the Registrar of a clerical error within 30 days of the recorded graduation date. See additional policies on enrollment and grade change requests.

Students may only earn one undergraduate degree from Augustana College. The college only awards one degree, the Bachelor of Arts, with a major or majors, in a variety of fields of study.  A student may return to campus and take additional Augustana coursework towards completion of additional majors or minors, or towards teacher certification as a non-degree student after the degree in conferred. These limitations apply to students returning to add programs or take additional coursework:

• Students must apply to return as a non-degree student in order to continue enrollment. If at any point enrollment stops, application to return will be required.  
• If the student is not continuously enrolled immediately following completion of the degree, the student will be required to follow the program requirements listed in the catalog for the semester in which they return as a non-degree student, not under their original catalog for their initial enrollment term. 
• Students who have previously completed a minor with the degree and seek to finish coursework to turn the minor into a major, may do so with the understanding the minor will be removed and replaced with the major when requirements are completed and reported. Students may not earn a major and a minor in the same discipline. 
• Students are not permitted to participate in Acadeum consortial courses, third party or exchange programs, or consortial study agreements with other institutions after a degree is posted.  
• Repeating and/or replacing coursework is not permitted after a degree is awarded.
• No transfer work will be accepted after the degree is conferred. 
• Internships are not permitted for non-degree students.
• Arches Progress Tracking is not available for non-degree students. The student is entirely responsible for working with their academic department to develop a plan and for tracking additional coursework for additional programs.
• The student is responsible for notifying the academic department and the Office of the Registrar prior to the conclusion of the semester that work toward additional majors/minors is complete.
• The department must verify the coursework completes the additional major/minor. If notification is not made in writing (via official Augustana email from the chair) within 30 days of the coursework completion, no further major/minors will be added to the student record.
• Students may receive one complimentary paper copy of their transcript noting the new program completion upon request to the Office of the Registrar. Additional copies and electronic copies are subject to our policies and fees, and may be requested using our online request processes. 
• Generally, financial aid and scholarships are not available for non-degree students, so students should plan ahead regarding the cost for taking coursework after the degree is completed. Questions should be addressed to the business office or financial aid.  
• All other policies regarding part-time non-degree students apply.

Senior students who are participating in all study away experiences should be aware of the completion date of their study away coursework relative to their planned Augustana graduation date. In order to meet institutional regulatory reporting obligations, all transcripts for study away must be received before the degree completion date for the transcript. This date may be found on the Academic Calendar for each semester. A very brief grace period of less than a week is permitted to receive official transcripts and post the work to the student record. However, after the college submits the degree list to the government, no additional students may be reported for degree completion for that semester. This applies to all transfer courses, all Augustana-sponsored study away, all official coordinated study away exchange programs with Augustana partners and any third-party study away experiences. Transcripts received after the reporting deadline will be posted to the student record and the students may apply to graduate for a future semester in Arches.

Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) a student has the right to request to view the educational record.

Individuals who wish to view their record must:

• Make a request in writing to the Office of the Registrar with the printed name as it appears in the Augustana records and a written signature.
• The request must contain the student identification number (or social security number), the date of birth and dates of attendance.
• The request must include current email address, phone number and mailing address.
• An appointment to view the record will be scheduled no sooner than seven days from the date of the request.
• Appointments will be no more than two-hours in length and will take place within business hours.
• Students are not permitted to bring a phone or camera with them to the appointment. 
• Requests expire within 60 days.
• Those who do not respond to a request to make an appointment or fail to report to their appointment must make a new request.

Individuals who are unable to view the record may request a copy of their educational record. In these cases the individual must:

• Make a request in writing to the Dean of Students Office with the printed name as it appears in the Augustana records and a written signature.
• The request must include proof of why the individual is unable to appear in-person to inspect their records. 
• The request must contain the student identification number (or social security number), the date of birth and dates of attendance.
• The request must include current email address, phone number and mailing address.
• Pay a copy fee of $1 per page (payable in advance of mailing).
• The individual must pay a flat fee of $10.00 for postage (payable in advance of mailing).
• Requests will be fulfilled within ten business days of the payment.
• Unpaid requests expire within 60 days. Those who do not pay fees within this timeline must make a new request.

Under The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), an eligible student has the right to request that "inaccurate or misleading information" in his or her education records be amended. Individuals who seek to amend their educational record must:

• Make an amendment request in writing to the Office of the Registrar with the printed name as it appears in the Augustana records and a written signature (or an email from the Augustana email account if the individual is a current student).
• The request must contain the student identification number (or social security number), the date of birth and dates of attendance.
• The request must include current email address, phone number and mailing address
• A complete statement that addresses which specific sections are "inaccurate or misleading" in the eyes of the student. Please read below about the guidelines for amendment procedures from FERPA. 

The individual will receive written response of the decision, by email, within 45 days of the date the request was received. If the college decides not to amend the record, the student may make a request for a hearing. These are the amendment hearing guidelines:

• Request for a hearing must be made in writing (or an email from the Augustana email account if the individual is a current student) within 10 days of the date of the notice of the decision not to amend.
• The hearing will take place within 45 days of the request for a hearing on the Augustana campus during business hours.
• The committee will consist of three college officials (as selected by the Registrar) and one currently enrolled student in good standing and appointed by the Student Government Association.
• The individual may appear in person to speak at the hearing or submit a statement to be read at the heading in lieu of appearing.
• The individual may present relevant materials or statements in advance or bring them to the hearing.
• The committee will make a decision and notify the individual within 45 days of the hearing.

"If, as a result of the hearing, the school still decides not to amend the record, the eligible student has the right to insert a statement in the record setting forth his or her views. That statement must remain with the contested part of the eligible student's record for as long as the record is maintained." (Taken directly from the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, General Guidance for Students Department of Education).

FERPA guidelines for amendment requests:  "FERPA amendment procedure may be used to challenge facts that are inaccurately recorded, it may not be used to challenge a grade, an opinion, or a substantive decision made by a school about an eligible student. FERPA was intended to require only that schools conform to fair record-keeping practices and not to override the accepted standards and procedures for making academic assessments, disciplinary rulings, or placement determinations. Thus, while FERPA affords eligible students the right to seek to amend education records which contain inaccurate information, this right cannot be used to challenge a grade or an individual's opinion, or a substantive decision made by a school about a student. Additionally, if FERPA's amendment procedures are not applicable to an eligible student's request for amendment of education records, the school is not required under FERPA to hold a hearing on the matter." (Taken directly from the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, General Guidance for Students Department of Education).

NOTE: Augustana does not provide copies of transcripts from high schools, colleges, Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate that are property of the college and part of the education record. Students needing those records must obtain copies from the originating institution or organization. See policy above. 

updated by L. Fowler 9-1-15

Please contact the Dean of Students Office. 

The achievements and contributions of Augustana students are formally recognized at graduation.  In case of the untimely death of a student who has made substantial progress toward a degree, it is important that the college acknowledge the work of this individual. Upon written request from a family member, the Committee on Advanced Standing and Degrees may recommend conferral of the posthumous degree under the following policy requirements:

• The student should have had senior status (91 earned credits or more) at the time of his/her death.
• The student should have been in good academic and social standing at the college at the time of his/her death.
• The student should have been enrolled for coursework at the college at the time of his/her death. Courses in-progress at the time of the student death may be awarded a grade of "P" at the discretion of the faculty member.  
• As with other candidates for graduation, the posthumous degree will be recommended to the Faculty by the Committee on Advanced Standing and Degrees.  The Faculty recommendation will then be passed to the Board of Trustees for approval.
• The student's name will appear in the graduation program. The student's family will decide if the name will be read and the degree is to be conferred during the graduation ceremony or in a private ceremony.
• The degree will be marked as awarded posthumously for the academic record and a diploma noting the Bachelor of Arts will be available to the family.

In instances where the student had not reached senior status at the time of his/her death, a certificate of achievement will be presented to the family.

Release of Record of Deceased Student

Following the death of a student, the College will release the educational records of the individual student under the following condition(s):

• The student has submitted a signed Authorization to Release Educational Records form which designated the person(s) eligible to request and/or receive educational records. Authorized person must submit a signed request for records which can be mailed, faxed, or hand-delivered to the Office of the Registrar.
• The student has officially designated the person(s) as an emergency contact. This information is held in the student's e-record on the EMER screen. Authorized person must submit a signed request for records which can be mailed, faxed, or hand-delivered to the Office of the Registrar.
•  In response to a legal subpoena.

                                                              Reaffirmed by AS&D 12-3-12

                                                              Passed by Faculty Senate 3-25-04