Academic Information & Regulations
The following academic information and regulations are intended to help you understand CCC policies and processes. If you have questions, call 503-594-6100.
Absence/Attendance
- You must be officially registered to attend class.
- Notify your instructor if you can’t make it to your first day of class. If you don’t, you may lose your seat to a student on the wait list, or be dropped due to the administrative withdraw process.
- If you stop going to class and you don’t officially drop the class from your schedule, you will be held academically and financially responsible.
- If the college is open on a religious holiday, you may be excused through prior arrangements with your instructors.
- If you attend a college-sponsored field trip, intercollegiate function or other event, you may be excused through prior arrangement with your instructors.
- Financial aid programs have specific attendance requirements.
Contact the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships at finaid@clackamas.edu or www.clackamas.edu for more information.
Academic Standing
All non-high school students (anyone with a program code not equal to NA.HIGHSCHOOL) enrolling in four credits or more each term will be required to maintain a minimum term GPA of 2.0 and complete at least 50% of their attempted credits. (Credits attempted do not include credits dropped prior to the second week of the term or credits changed to audit.)
Students will be evaluated for academic standing by the Registrar’s Office at the end of each term if one or more of the academic standing criteria have not been met.
- If the first-term students do not meet one or more of the academic standing criteria, they will be placed into an “Academic Alert” status. Students in this status will be encouraged to take advantage of academic support services to assist them with areas of concern.
- If there is a second consecutive term of attendance that students do not meet one or more of the academic standing criteria, they will be placed in an “Academic Warning” status. Students in this status will receive a registration hold and be required to meet with an academic advisor during the Academic Probation term to determine a course of action and the resources needed to support the student's success. Students who do not meet with an academic advisor will be restricted from enrolling in a subsequent term.
- If there is a third consecutive term of attendance that students do not meet one or more of the academic standing criteria, they will be placed in an “Academic Suspension” status. Students in this status will be required to petition to the Director of Student and Academic Support Services for reinstatement to CCC. If your petition is approved, you will be required to meet with an academic advisor and will be restricted from enrolling at CCC until intervention strategies have been accomplished. Student appeals will be considered quarterly by the Director of Student and Academic Support Services, for academic suspension status only.
Students receiving Financial Aid or who are enrolled in programs with additional academic performance requirements (e.g., Nursing, Allied Health, International/PIE) will be subject to higher academic standing criteria.
Active Military Duty
If you are called for active military duty and wish to withdraw from classes, you will be held harmless with regard to financial and academic responsibility as much as possible.
- You will be asked to officially withdraw from classes through Self Service, fax, mail, or in person.
- Students who have already shipped out or are unable to drop classes should contact Enrollment and Graduation Services directly: 503-594-6074 or registrar@clackamas.edu.
- You will be asked to submit a copy of your orders along with a request for a refund/credit to Enrollment and Graduation Services.
- Requests to be held harmless financially and academically for a prior term enrollment must be submitted directly to the Registrar at 503-594-3370 or registrar@clackamas.edu.
Credit by Examination (Challenge Exam)
Clackamas Community College’s Credit by Examination (CPL) program can award college credit for knowledge and skills acquired outside the classroom.
You can challenge a course for credit by taking an oral, written, performance examination portfolio or a combination of these for course eligibility. Challenge exams are subject to
the following limitations:
- Certain courses have been approved for challenge (visit Student Services for more information).
- You must be enrolled at CCC and complete a minimum of three non-CPL credits during the term in which you challenge a course, or have received a minimum of 12 non-CPL credits from CCC in previous terms.
- Challenge exams need to be completed by the 10th week of the term. Credit from challenge exams completed after the 10th week will be recorded on your transcript the following term.
- The per credit challenge fee must be paid prior to testing.
You may challenge a course by obtaining an application from Enrollment and Graduation Services or Student Services and contacting the college department responsible for instruction of the course. The exam is comprehensive, covering all the basic information and skills required of a student completing the course in the regular manner. For more information, call Student Services at 503-594-3475.
Hours and Credit Loads
The standard unit of measurement for college work is called a credit.
A full-time student is defined as someone enrolled in 12 or more credits in any one term. No student may enroll in more than 18 credits per term without approval from an advisor.
| Courses Numbered | Explanation |
|---|---|
| 100 and above | College level courses resulting in transcripted academic credit, which may be applied toward a degree and/or certificate. May also transfer to four-year colleges. |
| 010 through 099 | Courses that result in transcripted academic credit, which may or may not be applied toward a degree and/or certificate. May be transferable to other community colleges.1 |
| Any prefix beginning with “X” | Continuing education courses, workshops or seminars that carry no credit or application toward a degree and/or certificate. Not transcripted. |
| Any prefix beginning with “X” | Classes, seminars, workshops and training resulting in Continuing Education Units (CEUs). These courses are not transcripted as academic credit nor are they applicable toward a degree and/or certificate. |
- 1
Students should consult with a faculty advisor or an academic advisor to verify course eligibility toward degree/certificate requirements.
Final Exams
Final examinations take place the last week of each term (see the Class Schedule for exact dates and times). You must take finals at the scheduled time; exceptions will be made only for illness or other circumstances beyond your control and must be approved by your instructor prior to scheduled exam time.
Grades and GPA
Letter grades are used to indicate the quality of work completed. To find your grade point average (GPA), divide the total number of grade points earned by the total number of credits attempted in classes graded A-F. Courses graded Pass/No Pass are excluded in calculating GPA. If you believe a grading error has occurred, you must notify your instructor immediately. D grades may not satisfy requisite requirements for certain courses. See Course Descriptions for specific course requirements.
| Grade | Explanation | GPA Points per Credit |
|---|---|---|
| A | Excellent | 4 |
| B | Good | 3 |
| C | Average | 2 |
| D | Below average | 1 |
| F | Fail | 0 |
| I | Incomplete, no credit, no grade points | N/A |
| N | No pass, no credit, no grade points given | N/A |
| P | Pass, credit given, no grade points | N/A |
| UG | Unreported grade, no credit, no grade points | N/A |
| W | Withdrawn, no credit given, no grade points awarded | N/A |
| X | Audit, no credit, no grade points | N/A |
| Y | Never attended, no credit, no grade points | N/A |
Audit
An audit allows you to attend class without responsibility for a grade. Audit carries no credit, doesn’t contribute toward full-time status and does not meet full-time status required for veterans, Social Security, financial aid or athletic eligibility. All other college policies apply including registration, tuition payment, refunds and attendance. If you decide to change your status from audit to credit or credit to audit, notify your instructor prior to the end of the sixth week of the term.
If you are a financial aid student, notify the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships if you change from a credit to an audit or receive an audit grade. You will be required to pay back funds. Audit classes do not qualify for financial aid.
Incomplete
A grade of incomplete indicates that a student’s work has been satisfactory but an essential amount of work has to be made up. This could include one exam, a paper or other assignment. An incomplete can only be initiated with instructor approval and in consultation with the student. The instructor will determine the timeline within which the student must complete the outstanding work, with a maximum of one calendar year. After that calendar year, if no additional work has been completed, the grade awarded will be the grade at the time the incomplete was initiated.
Never Attended and Withdraw
If you never attend a course and don’t drop it from your schedule, you remain financially responsible for the course and an instructor will assign a grade of “Y.” Financial Aid students will be required to pay back any funds for any course and a grade of “Y” is received.
If you start attending a course but don’t drop it and stop attending, you remain financially responsible for the course and an instructor may assign a grade of “W.”
Grades are at the discretion of your instructor. If you stop attending a course and don’t drop it by the stated deadlines, talk with your instructor about the grade you will receive.
Pass/No Pass
A Pass grade indicates satisfactory completion of the course (equivalent to a C or better). A No Pass grade means the course was not satisfactorily completed and no credit was granted. Some courses are offered only on a Pass/No Pass basis. Some courses offer the option to choose between Pass/No Pass and an A-F grade option and some courses may be taken as A-F letter grades only. You will select your grade option at the time of registration. Changes to grade option must be made with Enrollment and Graduation Services by the end of the sixth week of the term. Please note that this grade option may mean the course is no longer transferable to a four-year institution and may not count toward a degree or certificate.
Recognition of Excellence
Students will be recognized for achieving a 3.5 GPA in a minimum of 6 credits of A, B, C, or D. There will be two levels of recognition: Honor Roll for a GPA of 3.5-3.749 and President’s List for a GPA of 3.75 or greater. These will be noted on students’ transcripts at the end of each term.
Prerequisites/Corequisites
A prerequisite is a course that must be satisfactorily completed before you can enroll in a particular course. A corequisite is a course that must be taken at the same time as another course. See Course Descriptions for detailed information.
Registration Restrictions
A registration restriction (referred to as a “hold”) will be placed on your record if you fail to meet an academic standing requirement, equipment return, financial obligation to the college, or due to conduct. You will be notified of the hold through Self Service account and the obligation must be resolved before the hold is removed. See Registration for additional policies related to registration.
Repeating Courses for Credit
Certain classes may be repeated for credit toward degree completion as specified in the catalog. If a catalog course description does not include information that specifies the course may be repeated, then credits from the course may not be applied toward degree completion. If you have any questions about whether a repeated course will count for credit, contact the Advising Office. Repeating Courses for GPA You may repeat a course as many times as you choose. A repeated course will reflect an “R” on your transcript. Beginning summer term 2013 the best grade (A, B, C, D, F) will be used in computing your cumulative GPA. Other attempts will be shown on your transcript, but will not be included in calculating your GPA. This will happen automatically. Repeated courses completed prior to summer term 2013 will reflect the most recent attempt in the GPA. A Repeated Course Notification form is required.
Variable Credit
Some courses are eligible for variable credit. These courses are noted in the Class Schedule with a “V” in the credit column. This option allows you to pursue an individualized learning program. You must register for the number of credits you expect to earn in that term as determined with your instructor. Changes to variable credit must be processed through registration by the end of the 10th week of the term.
Transcripts
Official transcripts of your coursework at CCC may be ordered online, in person, by written request or fax through Enrollment and Graduation Services. Unofficial transcripts are available in Self Service.
For more information, call 503-594-6074.