Course Policies
Maximum Attempts for a Course
Students may attempt any college credit course or developmental education course twice with regular fee assessment. Per Florida Administrative Code Rule 6A-14.0301, students enrolling in a third attempt of any course will not be permitted to withdraw from the class. A final grade of W, I, or N will not be permitted, and a letter grade will be assigned. Per Florida Statute 1009.285, a third or greater attempt of a course will result in the assessment of the full cost of instruction unless an exception has been granted for extenuating circumstances. The full cost of instruction is approximately three times the cost of the in-state tuition rate. A student may appeal the assessment of the full cost of instruction to the Vice President, Academic and Student Affairs, or a designee, by submitting a request in the Student Records System.
A request for enrollment in a course for a fourth or greater attempt requires the approval of the Vice President, Academic and Student Affairs, or a designee.
Florida Law mandates the maximum number of times a student can attempt any course.
Maximum Hours Per Term
A student is limited to enrollment in no more than eighteen (18) credit hours per term, regardless of the session(s) in which the student is enrolled. A student may not enroll in more than nine (9) credit hours during a B or D session.
A request for a waiver to the limit may be discussed with an advisor or student services director on any campus or center.
Repeating Courses
Courses in which a grade of D, D+, or F was earned may be repeated for credit and only the most recent grade earned will be used to calculate the cumulative grade point average. For any student who repeats a course in which a grade of D or D+ was earned and earns a grade of F in the repeated course, the F grade will replace the D or D+ for calculation of the cumulative grade point average.
Courses that are not indicated in the course description as repeatable courses should not be retaken if the initial grade was a C or better. If repeated, credit will not be given for the repeat and the grade earned in the repeat will not count for GPA calculation.
Students receiving financial aid should consult with a financial aid representative before repeating any course.
Other institutions to which the student transfers may include all course attempts in the computation of the transfer grade point average.
Attendance Policies
Regular class attendance and consistent class participation are significant factors that promote student success. Each student is expected to attend all class meetings of all courses for which he or she is registered.
Attendance Verification for the First Week of Classes
Attendance during the first week of classes is mandatory. Each instructor is required to verify attendance for each registered student, and any student who has yet to attend at least one class meeting during the first week of classes may be dropped from the class. A student registered for a distance learning course must log in to the course via the College’s Learning Management System, Canvas, access course content, and complete assignments during the first week of class in accordance with the instructor’s course syllabus.
Failure to attend class during the first week of class or throughout the term may result in revocation or reduction of financial aid. A student is responsible for adhering to the deadlines for schedule adjustment and should drop any class section he or she does not intend to complete. The student should not assume that any class section will be dropped for him or her.
A student who is dropped for not attending the first week of class may discuss reinstatement with the faculty member. If the faculty member does not support the reinstatement, the student may discuss options with the appropriate department head. A student who has registered for a distance learning course is required to access the website for the course and participate as directed by the Instructor during the first week. Failure to do so may result in being dropped from the course.
Attendance policies differ between credit hour programs and clock hour certificate programs. Consult the appropriate attendance policy for more information.
Credit Hour Attendance Policies
Regular and punctual attendance in class is required. Each student is responsible for knowing and adhering to the faculty member’s attendance policy for each course taken. Specific attendance requirements for each course will be included in the course syllabus provided by the faculty member.
Distance Learning Attendance Policy
For any student enrolled in an asynchronous distance learning course, participation in the course according to the schedule of events described by the faculty member is considered attendance. A student who does not access the class through the learning management system, Canvas, during the first week of class, does not take examinations by established due dates, or does not otherwise participate in the distance learning process as outlined by the faculty member is subject to withdrawal according to the attendance policies outlined below.
Excessive Absences
Although instructors are not required to withdraw students for excessive absences, they may do so using the following guidelines. A student may miss one class meeting beyond the number of times the class meets per week before being considered excessively absent. For example, if a student is enrolled in a class that meets three times per week, the student may miss four class meetings. If the student fails to attend a fifth class meeting, the student may be considered excessively absent and could be withdrawn by the faculty member. This policy may be followed for 16-week classes in the fall or spring term and 12-week classes in the summer. These allowable absences should provide for student illness as well as permit the student to take care of emergencies and personal business.
Absences during an eight-week session or a six-week summer session may be considered excessive if the student misses more than three day classes or more than two evening classes.
A student registering late in any course will be counted absent for those class meetings missed before the registration.
Students who do not attend during the first week of class may be dropped from the course. See the Attendance Verification for the First Week of Classes section.
In certain specialized programs, such as health-related programs, licensure, certification, or accreditation requirements may mandate fewer absences than the College normally permits. A student enrolled in a program with more stringent attendance requirements is informed of those requirements. If the specific program requirements are not met by the student, the student will not be withdrawn from non-program specific courses but may be withdrawn from the program and program-specific courses.
Tardy Policy
A student not present at the beginning of any class meeting is considered tardy. When so specified in departmental policies, program policies, or the faculty member’s syllabus, habitual or excessive tardiness may be converted to absences. Some faculty members will not permit late entrance into a class as this can disturb the educational experience for other students. The faculty member’s section syllabus will indicate the faculty member’s policy on late entry.
Clock Hour Attendance Policies
Attendance is required in all course meetings for clock hour certificate programs. Pensacola State College recognizes the following as excused absences:
1. Jury Duty or required court appearance.
2. Documented illness of self, spouse, minor dependent child, parent, or household member. Any clinical site refusal to allow a student to attend for health reasons is considered an illness of self.
3. Established, recognized religious holidays.
4. College-sponsored activities such as SkillsUSA, Health Occupation Student Association, or Student Government Association events.
5. Death of an immediate family member or household member.
6. College closures.
All documents supporting an excused absence request must be presented to the faculty member prior to the absence, except in the case of illness, death, or College closure. Documentation of illness, as defined above, must be presented to the faculty member immediately upon return to class. Documentation of a required absence for religious reasons must be supported by a signed letter from the student’s clergy member or religious leader affirming their association with the organization.
Each program will specify the number of hours that may be excused. While excused absences do not have to be made up for financial aid purposes and will not impact the disbursement of financial aid funds, some programs may require the time to be made up for academic purposes, including grades or required clinical hours.
Certification of Attendance
The Admissions Office will provide official statements certifying attendance status to outside agencies. Certification of the attendance of veterans is processed by the Veteran Services Office.