Handbook

Student Rights and Responsibilities

Student Drop or Withdrawal

To ensure that they do not incur unnecessary penalties, students dropping courses or withdrawing from the university should complete the requisite procedures (see “Student Drop or Withdrawal” below). Students who stop attending a course without completing the proper procedures should expect to receive an F.

The effective date recorded for termination of enrollment for all matters relating to university records shall be the date the drop or withdrawal is completed through the Student Self Service system, or the date the drop/withdrawal form or written request is received via eForms, regardless of the date of last class attendance. Refunds for dropped courses are made according to the refund regulation schedule on the Student Billing Website.

During periods of availability, a student may drop any or all courses using the myUHV Student Self-Service system. Students unable to drop themselves can complete a drop form online via eForms for processing their academic advisor. For students who drop a course using Student Self-Service option in myUHV, the "drop date" is the date the drop is completed online. For students who are unable to drop themselves, the "drop date" is the date the drop form is submitted via eForms.

1. Drop with No Penalty: If enrollment is terminated on or before the last day to drop without receiving a grade (a date listed in the Academic Calendar), no grade will be assigned, and the course will not appear on the student’s permanent record.

2. Drop with Penalty: If enrollment is terminated after the above date but before the last day to drop or withdraw (a date also listed in the Academic Calendar), a grade of W will be assigned, and the course and grade will appear on the student’s permanent record. Undergraduate students, please see important information regarding drop course limits.

3. Withdrawal from the university: In addition to completing the procedures explained above, students who are dropping all courses must return all library books and laboratory equipment and have the university record clear in every respect.

Students who cannot withdraw from their courses through their myUHV account can submit a drop form via eForms. If the drop form is received after the last date to withdraw without receiving a grade but before the Drop with Penalty period ends, the grade of "W" will be assigned.

4. If a “W” is received prior to a guilty finding of academic dishonesty, the student will become liable for the Academic Honesty penalty, including “F” grades.

5. A student will not be allowed to drop a course after the Drop with Penalty period. The student can only be awarded a grade of A,B,C,D,I, or F on the grade roster by the instructor. Students wanting to be dropped after the Drop with Penalty period should contact their instructor. An instructor who wishes to drop a student with a grade of "W" should make the request by sending an email to the Registrar/Student Records email at studentrecords@uhv.edu. The instructor must make the request.

6. A student-athlete will not be allowed to change his/her schedule after initial eligibility is certified unless approved by the Faculty Athletic Representative. Contact the Athletics Department for more information or questions.

Instructor Withdrawal

For justifiable reasons, an instructor may drop a student from a course by submitting an email request to the Office of the Registrar and Student Records. Reasons for dropping a student may include excessive absences, lack of prerequisites or co-requisites for the course, disruption of the academic process, academic dishonesty, or inability of the student to complete the withdrawal procedures. This can occur at any time prior to the last day to drop a course or withdraw from the university as listed in the Academic Calendar. A student who is dropped may make timely appeal through the dean of the college in which the course is taught.

Medical Withdrawal

For Withdrawals Within Drop Deadlines:

Students experiencing an emergency or medical condition affecting the current semester and who are certain about withdrawing should do so by the drop deadlines posted in the Academic Calendar.

For Withdrawals After Drop Deadlines:

Students experiencing a qualified medical circumstance after the drop deadline should request a withdrawal from their instructor.  In addition, students wishing to request a refund should submit a tuition appeal.

1. Qualified medical circumstances include:
   1. Personal medical emergencies
   2. Death of an immediate family member (mother, father, child, spouse)
   3. Serving as the primary caregiver to an immediate family member who is severely ill.
2. Documentation Requirements:
   1. Requests should be submitted within the deadline and include documentation of the qualified event and personal circumstances.
3. Deadline for Submitting Appeal:
   1. 140 days from the close of the affected semester.

Course load reduction for medical reasons:

This option is for students experiencing medical issues and wish to drop specific courses after the drop deadline but remain enrolled for the semester.

Students experiencing a qualified medical circumstance after the drop deadline should request a withdrawal from their instructor.  In addition, students wishing to request a refund should submit a tuition appeal.

1. Qualified medical circumstances include:
   1. Personal medical emergencies
   2. Death of an immediate family member (mother, father, child, spouse)
   3. Serving as the primary caregiver to an immediate family member who is severely ill.
2. Documentation Requirements:
   1. Requests should be submitted within the deadline and include documentation of the qualified event and personal circumstances.
   2. Students should also specify how the medical emergency prevented them from completing only the identified impacted course(s) and prevented them from dropping the course(s) by the drop deadline.
3. Deadline for Submitting Appeal:
   1. 140 days from the close of the affected semester.

Military Withdrawal

In accordance with the Texas Education Code 54.006 (f):
If a student withdraws from the University of Houston-Victoria because the student is called to active military service, the following options apply:

1. Upon the student’s request, the university will refund the tuition and fees paid by the student for the semester in which the student withdraws;
2. Upon the student’s request and as determined by the instructor, the university will grant a student who, at the time of military deployment, is passing a course or courses and has completed all but a relatively small part of the course requirements:
1. an incomplete grade in any or all courses;
2. an appropriate final grade or credit in any or all courses.

Students or their representatives may request withdrawal and refund by presenting evidence of the call to active military duty to the Registrar’s Office. Students receiving Title IV federal funds should contact the Financial Aid Office.

University Withdrawal

In addition to suspension for academic and/or disciplinary causes, a student may be withdrawn by the university for financial and/or medical reasons.

1. Cashier Withdrawal

A student who is delinquent in financial obligations of any nature to the university may be withdrawn from the university. The student may not be reinstated at the university until all financial obligations are met.

Grading System / Explanation of Grades

Passing grades awarded are A,B,C,D and S. No semester hours of credit are awarded for failing grades F and U.

S and U – The grades of S and U may be awarded in certain specified courses.

I – The grade of I is a conditional and temporary grade given when a student is passing a course but, for reasons beyond the student’s control, has completed all but a relatively small part of the course requirements.

Students should not re-register for the course to remove the Incomplete. Instead, the student should make arrangements with the instructor of record for all requirements needed in order to complete the course. For example, some instructors recommend or require students to attend either in person or online another term of the course (or a portion thereof) in order to remove the incomplete.  A student who is required to attend the course in a subsequent term should understand that sitting in on the course or otherwise making up the Incomplete does not count as part of the student’s full-time or part-time course load.

It is the responsibility of the student to initiate the change to a permanent grade. After successful completion of the course, the instructor of record will submit a grade change to the registrar’s office. The instructor of record is the only person who can make such a change except in extraordinary cases. Effective Fall 2006, the grade of “I” must be changed by fulfillment of course requirements within one year of the date awarded or it will be changed automatically to an “F” (or “U” for courses with “S/U” options), unless the instructor authorizes an extension of one term in writing to the registrar’s office. Any grade of I not made up by the date of graduation will be treated as an F for determination of graduation requirements.

W -- The grade of W is assigned when a course is dropped after the date indicated in the Academic Calendar as the last day to drop a course without receiving a grade, but before the last day to drop a course or withdraw from the university. If a “W” is received prior to a guilty finding of academic dishonesty, the student will become liable for the Academic Honesty penalty, including “F” grades.

Change of Final Grade

Final grades are not subject to change, except under the following conditions:

The instructor’s written notification to the registrar of an error in calculating or recording a final grade. Notification is submitted through the college dean.

A successful student grade appeal, in accordance with procedures described in the Student Handbook.

All grade changes must be submitted within two years of the end of the semester in which the grade was originally assigned.

Note that faculty members may, at their discretion, assign an incomplete, given circumstances described above under that grade.

Grade Point Average

The grade point average is based only on coursework taken for credit at UH-Victoria. Four grade points are awarded for each semester hour in which the student receives an A, three grade points for each semester hour of B, two grade points for each semester hour of C, one grade point for each semester hour of D and no grade point for an F. The grade point average is the quotient (calculated to four decimal places and truncated to two places) obtained by dividing the total number of grade points earned by the number of semester hours in which a student is enrolled. Grades of A, B, C, D, S, and U are completion grades; grades of I and W are not completion grades. Grades of S, U, I and W are not assigned grade point values and are not used in the computation of the grade point average.

For graduation requirements and undergraduate academic probation/suspension, only the last completion grade recorded for repeated courses is used in computing the cumulative grade point average for courses at UH-Victoria. However, all courses attempted and grades earned at UHV, including repeated courses, will be included in the GPA calculation for determining undergraduate graduation with honors (see “Graduation with Honors”).

With prior approval of the college’s dean, students may repeat courses at another college or university to raise a grade, including an “F” earned at UHV. However, the original grade earned at UHV will remain a part of the academic record. Courses repeated at other institutions are treated as transfer credit. They will not be considered resident credit and will not be included in the UHV grade point average. Any grade of I not made up by the date of graduation will be treated as an F for determination of graduation requirements.