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Student Services

Scholastic Progress Standard, Academic Status, Warning and Suspension

Callins College requires enrolled students to consistently work towards completing their degree requirements. At the end of every enrollment term—fall, spring, and summer—the institution reviews each student's academic record to assess their academic standing. All students must adhere to these academic standards throughout their studies in order to remain enrolled and advance toward graduation at Callins College.

Scholastic Progress Standard

To ensure effective monitoring of students' progression toward a baccalaureate or undergraduate degree and to accurately assess academic standing, Callins College utilizes the Scholastic Progress Standard (SPS). The SPS establishes the minimum cumulative Callins College (institutional) grade point average (GPA) required for all students, with the GPA calculated exclusively from credit hours earned at Callins College.

​For instance, in accordance with the SPS formula outlined below, a student who has completed 24 total credit hours (comprising 12 Callins College credit hours and 12 transfer credit hours) must maintain a cumulative Callins College GPA—calculated solely on the 12 credit hours taken at Callins College—of 2.5 or higher to meet the SPS standard. It is important to note that these are the minimum GPA requirements necessary for continued enrollment at the Institution; admission to certain four-year colleges and universities may require higher GPAs.

​Callins College GPAs are determined based on the following grades: "A," "B," "C," "D," "F," or "I," as well as any pluses or minuses reflected on the academic record. In GPA calculation, an "I" is treated as an "F" until it is replaced by the final grade. Grades of "NC," "P," or "W" are not included in the computation.

Footnotes

* 2.5 Includes transferred credit hours

** Does not include transferred credit hours

Academic Status

Academic standing at Callins College is evaluated at the conclusion of each academic term (fall, spring, and summer) based on a student’s cumulative GPA and total credit hours earned, as per the Scholastic Progress Standard. Academic standing determines enrollment status and outlines any requirements or conditions for re-enrollment or continued eligibility. There are four categories of academic standing: Good Standing, Academic Warning, One-Term Suspension, and Indefinite Suspension.

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​Good Standing – Students maintain Good Standing when their cumulative Callins College GPA is 2.5 or higher.

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Academic Warning – Students whose cumulative Callins College GPA falls below 2.5 but remains within the parameters of the Scholastic Progress Standard (e.g., a student with 15 credits and a 2.0 GPA) will be placed on Academic Warning. The intent of Academic Warning is to encourage students to improve their performance and utilize available academic resources. Students on Academic Warning are required to meet with an academic advisor according to institutional policy. While Academic Warning does not limit registration, it does stipulate mandatory advising.

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​One-Term Academic Suspension – Students previously on Academic Warning who do not achieve the required minimum GPA will enter One-Term Academic Suspension. A prerequisite for academic suspension is that the student must have been on Academic Warning in the preceding term. Those placed on One-Term Academic Suspension are ineligible to register during the subsequent major term (fall or spring) but may have the option to enroll in summer or winter courses, as detailed below. This status is recorded on the student’s permanent transcript. After sitting out one major semester, students become eligible for re-enrollment and must consult with their academic advisor as specified by their college or school. Additional program-specific continuation requirements may also apply.

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Indefinite Academic Suspension – Students reinstated from One-Term Academic Suspension who subsequently fail to meet the required GPA shall be placed on Indefinite Academic Suspension. Only students who have previously served a One-Term Academic Suspension are eligible for this status. Indefinite Academic Suspension entails academic leave for a period of at least one year. Readmission after this period requires review and approval by the appropriate school or college official.

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Summer Enrollment Option

Students on One-Term Suspension following the spring semester are permitted to enroll in summer courses during the immediate mini-term. If, through summer coursework, students attain the requisite cumulative GPA, they may be reinstated for the fall term.

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Appeal of Suspension Status

Petitions to waive suspension-related academic policies are typically only considered after the student has fulfilled the required absence—one major term for One-Term Suspension and one academic year for Indefinite Suspension. Reinstatement requires approval from the Board of Directors and administrative faculty. Exceptions are rare and generally require demonstration of academic leave.

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Returning After Indefinite Suspension

Upon completion of a minimum one-year academic leave, students may seek re-entry to Callins College by appealing to the relevant school or college at least 30 days prior to the intended term of re-enrollment. Meeting with an academic advisor to develop a reintegration plan is strongly recommended before submitting an appeal.

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Readmission

Students absent from Callins College for one year or longer must apply for readmission in addition to seeking reinstatement. Readmission is not guaranteed; all applicants are subject to current eligibility standards, regulations, and policies.

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Transfer Credit

Callins College accepts transfer credits from postsecondary institutions accredited by one of six designated accrediting agencies. Transfer course equivalencies are determined based on currently active catalogue offerings. Credits may fulfill General Education requirements if the corresponding Callins College course meets General Education approval at the time of evaluation. Some requirements must be completed in residence, consistent with institutional policy.

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General Transfer Credit Policy Accreditation

  1. Academic work may be considered for transfer from U.S. institutions offering baccalaureate or associate degrees leading to the baccalaureate, provided full accreditation from one of the six accepted agencies. Institutions with candidacy status from these agencies will receive conditional acceptance for coursework until full accreditation is awarded.

  2. Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)

  3. Higher Learning Commission (HLC)

  4. New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE)

  5. Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)

  6. Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)

  7. Western Association of Schools and Colleges; Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC), Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC)

    • International courses completed abroad may be considered if the institution is recognized by the appropriate governing body. Such requests require a course-by-course evaluation by an organization accredited by the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES). Accepted coursework will appear on the Callins College transcript as pass/fail.

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Transferability, Equivalency, and Applicability

  1. Transferability denotes conditions for accepting external credits for inclusion in the student’s record, as adjudicated by the Office of the Registrar.

  2. Equivalency involves mapping external credits to Callins College course content and credit hours, with lower-level decisions made by transfer credit evaluators and upper-level determinations by the respective academic unit.

  3. Applicability is determined by the student’s college with respect to degree requirements.

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Governing Policies

  1. Credit is typically awarded only for coursework from fully accredited or candidacy-status institutions.

  2. Evaluation and transfer depend on receipt of official transcripts; international records must include a NACES-accredited course-by-course evaluation.

  3. Credit is posted in semester hours. Credits from non-semester systems are converted accordingly.

  4. Non-traditional credit (e.g., CLEP, AP, IB, GCE, military training) is accepted only with documentation from the original awarding body.

  5. The following credit types are not transferable:

    1. Placement credit from other institutions

    2. Remedial, developmental, technical, occupational, vocational, or workforce courses from two-year schools

    3. Courses below freshman level

    4. Sectarian religious courses

    5. Courses applied to previously earned baccalaureate degrees

  6. Two-year institution credits transfer as lower division; courses from four-year institutions retain their original level.

  7. Class standing is calculated based on total cumulative credits.

  8. All eligible transferred courses, including repeats, are recorded on the Callins College transcript; GPA calculations adhere to Callins College’s repeat policy.

  9. Failures appear on the transcript and factor into GPA, but do not count toward degree requirements.

  10. Coursework forgiven by another institution is not posted to the Callins College transcript.

  11. Official transcripts from all attended post-secondary institutions are required; selective transfer of individual courses is not permitted.

Student Using Laptop
Evaluation and Application of Transfer Credit

Core Curriculum/General Education

Courses without a direct Callins College equivalent but suitable for core credit will be labeled with the TRGS prefix and assigned to the relevant core area.

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These will be noted on the student’s transcript as follows:

• TRGS FC - Transfer Gen Stdy Fresh Comp

• TRGS FL - Transfer Gen Stdy Foreign Lang

• TRGS HU - Transfer Gen Stdy Humanities

• TRGS L - Transfer Gen Stdy Literature

• TRGS HI - Transfer Gen Stdy History

• TRGS SB - Transfer Gen Stdy Soc Behv Sci

• TRGS FA - Transfer Gen Stdy Fine Arts

• TRGS N - Transfer Gen Stdy Nat Sci

• TRGS MA - Transfer Gen Stdy Math

• TRGS C - Transfer Gen Stdy Comp Sci

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Administrative faculty must approve an exception or substitution for the course to count toward the major or minor.

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Elective Credit

Courses without direct Callins College equivalents may receive elective credit as 197 (lower-level) or 397 (upper-level), using either the appropriate discipline prefix or a general elective credit (GEC) prefix if the discipline is not offered. Note that some colleges or programs may not accept these credits toward degree requirements; students should check with their college for details.

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Applicability of Credit

Transfer credits will be counted toward a student’s degree program where appropriate, with the college of enrollment deciding how these credits fit into degree requirements. While courses graded "D-" or higher are considered transferable, only those with at least a "C-" can actually satisfy degree requirements. Students must earn a minimum grade of "C-" in each course for it to count toward their degree. Details on GPA calculation and transfer credit policies are found in each college’s section of the Callins College Undergraduate Catalogue.

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Evaluation of Credit from Non-Traditional Sources

Credit by Examination

Callins College recognizes credit by examination and out-of-class experiences, including AP, IB, GCE Advanced/AS, and CLEP exams. However, these credits do not count as Callins College coursework and may not be used to meet requirements that:

  • Credits for enrollment completion must come from a baccalaureate degree-granting institution (college or university), and

  • At least 25% of required program coursework must be completed at Callins College.

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Appeal Process

To appeal a transfer credit evaluation, students should submit additional materials such as a course outline, syllabus, or textbook to the Office of the Registrar. The Registrar will review these with the academic department and update the evaluation if necessary.

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Withdrawal

Students can withdraw from or drop a course up through the end of the tenth week in fall or spring semesters, the second week of Interim session, the third week of five-week summer sessions, or the fourth week of ten-week summer sessions. After these deadlines, students are expected to keep their current course load.

If you’re thinking about dropping a course, it’s highly recommended that you consult your academic advisor first, as changing your schedule may delay your graduation. Dropping below full-time status (defined as 12 credits for undergraduates, 9 credits for graduates, and 10 credits for law students) could affect your insurance, financial aid, and scholarships.

Courses in which penalty grades were given due to academic misconduct cannot be dropped or withdrawn from. Courses dropped during the change-of-schedule period don’t appear on your academic record. If you drop a course after this window but before the specified deadline, your transcript will show a "W" grade for the dropped course.

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Important Note #1: If you drop an Interim session course but remain enrolled in another session during the same term, you won’t be withdrawn from Callins College.

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Important Note #2: After the last day to drop with a "W", students must petition their college office for approval to withdraw or drop for reasons out of their control, with documentation required. Withdrawal is not permitted simply because a student isn’t performing well; there was enough time earlier in the term to make that decision. This policy also applies to any retroactive withdrawals or drops.

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Withdrawal from a Semester

Students can withdraw from a semester until the last day of classes (excluding finals) in fall, spring, or summer. Summer withdrawal applies only if all term parts are dropped. Withdrawal isn't possible if enrolled in a completed part of term or if final grades have been assigned. No courses appear on records for withdrawals during the change of schedule period; after this period, a "W" grade is given for each course. The process starts online via Callins College portal. Refer to the catalogue’s “Tuition and Other Expenses” section for details about how withdrawal affects tuition, fees, and financial aid.

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Withdrawal When Called to Active Military Duty

Active military duty refers to any service in the Armed Forces, including National Guard or Reserve members, on active duty for more than 30 consecutive days. Students admitted or enrolled at Callins College may request a withdrawal for U.S. military service by notifying the Office of the Registrar and providing documentation. Students should also indicate whether they plan to return, though withdrawal does not depend on this intent; it is only used for future communication.

A student returning from active military service may be readmitted according to the provisions outlined in the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (Section 484C of the HEA) and the implementing regulations in 34 CFR Section 668.18. Provided the student withdrew to fulfil a United States military obligation, has not received a dishonourable discharge from the uniformed services, and the total length of absence, including previous absences from undergraduate study due to military service, does not exceed five years, prompt readmission is permitted.

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If a student is called to active military duty during an academic term, the following options are available:

  1. The student may request retroactive withdrawal effective from the beginning of the semester, receiving a full refund of tuition and fees.

  2. If at least 75 percent of the term has been completed, the student may ask the faculty member to assign a grade for the course based on completed work; final grading authority resides with the faculty member.

  3. Should the faculty member award a grade of "I" (Incomplete), the student will have a minimum of two weeks upon returning to campus to fulfil course requirements. Additional time may be granted if alternative arrangements are established with the faculty member, consistent with Alabama Code S3 31-12-3. This code ensures students are reinstated to their educational status prior to military duty, without forfeiture of academic credits earned, scholarships or grants awarded, or tuition and other fees paid before commencing military service.

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Spouses of service members called to active duty

A student who is a service member’s spouse called to active duty has the same withdrawal options as service members. The student should inform the Office of the Registrar, provide documentation, and state whether they plan to return to Callins College. Withdrawal does not depend on the intent to return; this information is used only for future communication.

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