Student Records and Policies

• Student Records
  • Transcripts
  • Enrollment Verification
  • Semester Hours
  • Continuing Education Units
• Registration Status
  • Student Status
  • Registering for Courses/Registration
    • Eligibility to Use Online Registration
    • Drop/Add/Change
    • Course Substitution
    • Repeating Courses
    • Administrative Drops
  • Request for LATE Withdrawal from Class
  • Withdrawal from College
  • Veterans and Service Members Readmissions Policy
• Final Exams
• Privacy Rights under FERPA

Student Records

The Registrar maintains all official student academic records at Chesapeake College. 

Transcripts

Official transcripts of a student’s academic record at Chesapeake College will be sent to other institutions through a student initiated online ordering process. Transcripts will usually be processed within two working days from the receipt of the request. Allow extra time during holidays, examination periods, commencement and at the beginning and end of the semester. Transcripts for currently enrolled students will not be processed at the end of the semester until final examinations are over and all grades for all students are posted. 

Transcripts are processed through a third-party servicer https://www.chesapeake.edu/students/registration/transcripts.  The charge for an electronically processed transcript is $8.40, (additional costs will apply for transcripts sent via U.S. mail).

Enrollment Verifications

To request an official enrollment verification, please submit a completed Verification Request form or a company-issued form to the Registration and Records Office located at the Wye Mills campus. Enrollment verification forms are completed after the end of the third week of a semester and within two working days from receipt of request.

Semester Hours

A semester hour is equal to 50 minutes of classroom instruction per week for 15 weeks. Two or three hours of supervised laboratory are considered equal to one lecture hour since the average student must spend two to three hours in preparation for a lecture class.

Continuing Education Unit (CEU)

The Continuing Education Unit, or CEU, is designed as a uniform unit of measurement to facilitate the accumulation and exchange of standardized information about individual participation in non-credit continuing education courses. One CEU is defined as 10 clock-hours of participation in an organized continuing education experience under responsible sponsorship, capable direction, and qualified instruction.

Registration Status

Student Status

A full-time student is one enrolled for the equivalent of 12 credit/load hours during the fall or spring semester and six credit/load hours for the summer. Students enrolled for less than 12 credit/ load hours during the fall or spring semester are classified as part-time. Exceptions to this classification occur when an external agency defines the status differently. For example, Nursing and some other health professions program students registered in a clinical sequence course are considered full-time with fewer than 12 credits.

Permission to take more than the recommended number of credits per semester (overload) will be approved by the Registrar or Associate Dean for Enrollment and Advising. 

Registering for Courses/Registration

Registration and semester dates are listed in the academic calendar. New students must meet with an advisor before registering. Priority registration is available to currently enrolled students and Veterans. Pre-registration is the period during which students may register without payment. Students registering after the pre-registration period is over must make payment at the time of registration. Students for whom payment has not been received, financial aid finalized, or other authorization of payment received by the payment due date, will be deleted from their classes. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that payments are received on time.

In accordance with the Veterans Benefits and Transition Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-407), veteran students and dependents using Chapter 33 or Chapter 31 education benefits are allowed to attend classes and will not receive penalty for non-payment of tuition and fees covered by the VA for a period of up to 90 days from the date the veteran provides a certificate of eligibility or valid VAF-28-1905. Students will be responsible for paying the difference between the amount of the student’s financial obligation and the amount of the VA education benefit disbursement in accordance with the payment due dates for each semester.   Veteran students and dependents using VA educational benefits are required to request to use their benefits in writing by submitting a VA Enrollment Certification Request form and submit a Certificate of Eligibility at the time of enrollment.

Eligibility to Use Online Registration

Most current students are eligible to register online using Student Planning which is accessed through the campus portal, MyCampus, and then using Self Service.  Please refer to http://www.chesapeake.edu/students/online-registration for online information and help.

Students with 45 or more credits are prevented from registering online as a reminder to meet an assigned advisor to complete a Program Progress Review to ensure that students are completing the courses in their chosen academic program and are making satisfactory progress toward graduation.

Dual Enrollment students and non-degree seeking students are not eligible to register online.

Drop/Add/Change

Students may change or add courses prior to the third lecture-meeting hour. “Third lecture-meeting hour” is defined by the length of the semester: 

A student who wishes to reduce their course load after they have officially registered may do so. Consult the 2024-25 Academic Calendar (http://www.chesapeake.edu/academics/calendar/2024FR) for the last day to drop.

NOTE: Students receiving financial aid and/or veteran’s benefits should remember that reducing or increasing academic load hours may affect financial aid awards and or veteran benefit amounts. Students must consult with the Financial Aid Office before dropping or adding courses.

Administrative Drops

Students will be administratively withdrawn from a course due to lack of attendance in seated classes or non-participation in online classes.   Students will be Administratively Dropped from the course(s) if they are reported as Never Attended or Stopped Attending.  This action is permanent and will not be changed. Administrative Drops after the census date will result in a grade of F.  All appeals must use the F to W appeal process.  In the event the student was reported in error, the faculty member must contact the Director of Financial Aid and the Registrar to inform them of the error. The information provided will be reviewed for appropriate resolution. . (Note: Due to Federal Requirements, this policy applies to any student receiving Federal Student Aid).

Course Substitution

What is a course substitution? 

Course substitution is the process of garnering formal approval to use one or more alternative course/assessments not included in a program to satisfy specific course requirements at CC. Course substitutions may be appropriate when circumstances prevent completing one or more requirements published in the catalog. A course substitution shall not compromise the academic integrity of the program to which it is applied. 

Course substitutions may be used to satisfy requirements for:

• Associate degree requirements
• Certificate requirements

A course substitution may be appropriate when:

• Evidence is provided showing mastery of course content through other forms of assessment (ex - industry credential).
• A course is needed for a specific award and has not been offered or has been inactivated.
• Extenuating circumstances prevented enrolling in a particuliar course at a particuliar time.
• Extenuationg circumstances dictate that completion of a degree/certificate program requirements be within a specific timeframe.

The following restrictions apply:

• A course substitution will only apply to one award, and only to the award indicated on the signed Course Substitution Form. (All signatures need to be completed for approval, with the VP retaining override/appeal authority.)
• Course substitutions cannot be used more than once. 

More information on course substitution can be found in the Admissions and Placement  section of this Catalog.

Repeating Courses

A student may attempt a course no more than three times. This includes any course for which the student has earned a letter grade, an “L” for auditing a course, or a “W” for a course from which the student has withdrawn. Repeating courses in which a grade of “C” or better has been earned is not recommended. If a student would like to enroll in a course more than three times, the student must first complete the “Course Repeat Appeal” form available on the College Website, and meet with the Associate Dean for Enrollment and Advising or the Registrar for course repeat approval.

The highest grade earned in a course will be used in computing the cumulative grade point average. However, all grades will be listed on the student’s permanent record. Grades are counted only once in computing the cumulative grade point average.

Request for LATE Withdrawal from Class

After the final withdrawal date and until the last week of classes begins, a student may make an appeal to withdraw from individual courses by submitting in writing a request with documentation attached to the appropriate Dean of Students. The dean will forward the request to the registrar who will validate the documentation is acceptable. Upon approval of the dean and registrar, a grade of “W” will be recorded on the student’s official academic transcript. 

Some examples of reasons for not completing a course that may be documented include but are not limited to the following reasons:

1.      Death in immediate family.

2.      Student incapacitated by illness.

3.      Change in hours or location of employment.

4.      Uncontrollable circumstances of a serious nature.

Withdrawal from College

If a student, for valid personal reasons, is forced to reduce their course load after the expiration of the withdrawal period, they may submit a written request to the VP for Workforce and Academic Programs or assigned designee for review.

To obtain a late Withdrawal from College, written notification of intention to withdraw from the College, together with reasons for this decision, must be furnished to the Vice President for Student Success & Enrollment Management. The College does not recognize requests for withdrawal during the exam period.

Students formally withdrawing from the College must complete an exit interview with a member of the Enrollment and advising staff.

Veterans and Service Members Readmissions Policy

Readmission Eligibility Requirements

Chesapeake College students who interrupt their studies to perform service in the United States military are subject to separate readmissions procedures. Students who withdraw, take a leave of absence, or otherwise leave their studies at Chesapeake College, in order to serve in the U.S. Military, are subject to these readmission procedures if they meet the following conditions:

1. The student served in the U.S. military for a period of more than thirty (30) consecutive days and provides appropriate documentation to prove such service to the School Certifying Official at Chesapeake College.
2. The student gave advance written or oral notice to the School Certifying Official at his or her campus of enrollment. A student is not required to indicate whether he or she intends to return to the College upon completion of military service in the advance notice. Furthermore, the advance notice need not come directly from the student, but rather, can be provided by an appropriate officer of the United States Armed Forces or official of the United States Department of Defense. Advance notice is not required if it is precluded by military necessity. In such cases, the requirement for advance notice can be fulfilled by the student’s filing of an attestation that the student performed military service at the time the student seeks readmission.
3. The student’s cumulative length of absence from Chesapeake College to perform U.S. military service, including all previous absences to perform U.S. military service and only the time the student spent actually performing military service did not exceed five (5) years. The five-year length of absence period does not include any service:
   1. That was required, beyond five (5) years to complete an initial period of obligated service; or
   2. During which the student was unable to obtain orders releasing the student from a period of service in the U.S. military before the expiration of the five-year period through no fault of the student; or
   3. That the student was ordered to or retained on active duty.
4. The student must have notified the School Certifying Official at the College within three (3) years of the end of the U.S. military service of his or her intention to return to Chesapeake College. However, a student who is hospitalized or recovering from an illness or injury incurred in or aggravated during the U.S. military service must have notified the School Certifying Official within two (2) years after recovering from the illness or injury of his or her intent to return to Chesapeake College
5. The student did not receive a dishonorable or bad conduct discharge or have been sentenced in U.S. court-martial proceedings.

Students should contact the School Certifying Official at Chesapeake College of their enrollment to determine their eligibility for readmission under this Policy.

Readmission Procedures

Students who meet all of the above conditions (“eligible students”) shall be promptly readmitted to Chesapeake College at the same academic status as the student had prior to leaving for military service.

1. Promptly Readmitted

Promptly readmitted means that the College will readmit the eligible students into the next class or classes in the service member’s program beginning after the service member provides notice of his or her intent to reenroll, unless the service member requests a later date of readmission in writing to the School Certifying Official(not to exceed the time frame outlined in section I.3). A later date of admission may also be imposed on the service member for unusual circumstances, such as the time period required to prepare the service member to resume his or her course of study at the College.

1. Same Academic Status

Same academic status means that the College readmits the service member:

1. To the same program to which he or she was last admitted by the College unless the student requests or agrees to a different program. In the event that the program to which the student was last admitted is no longer offered, the College will readmit the veteran to a course of study that is most similar to the program that was discontinued.
2. At the same enrollment status that the student last held at the College, unless the student requests admission at a previous enrollment status.
3. With the same number of credit or clock hours completed by the student, unless the student is readmitted to a different program to which the credit or clock hours are not transferable.
4. With the same academic standing (e.g. with the same satisfactory academic progress status) the student had at the College immediately prior to leaving for military duty.

College placement test fees and placement test policies may be waived upon a review of the veteran’s previous test(s) and submittal of military service documentation submittal to the campus Veterans and Service Members Counselor.

1. Tuition and Fee Responsibilities

For the first academic year in which the eligible student veteran returns to Chesapeake College, that student who is readmitted to the same academic program must also be readmitted with the same tuition and fee charges the student was or would have been assessed for the academic year in which the student left for military duty unless any increase of the prior amount is covered by the student’s service member educational benefits. Should that veteran be readmitted to a different academic program in his/her first academic year upon return, the student may be charged the same tuition and fees as others in that academic program. Likewise, in all subsequent academic years and for any program in which the student was readmitted, the member of the armed forces may be charged the same tuition and fees as the others in the student’s program.

If the veteran has an outstanding balance from previous year(s), the veteran must pay the balance by the end of the first semester s/he returns. If the balance is not paid by the end of the returning semester, then the College’s business office will place a hold on his/her account (and s/he will therefore be blocked from class registration) until the debt is paid.

1. Program Preparation

Should the eligible student’s academic department determine that the member of the armed forces is not prepared to resume the program with the “same academic status” at the point where the student left off, or will not be able to complete the program, the College will make reasonable efforts at no extra cost to the student to help the student become prepared or to enable the student to complete the program including, but not limited to, providing refresher courses or placement testing at no charge to the veteran. If a veteran requests reinstatement preparation, then student will be referred to his/her program advisor who will discuss available options and route the student to the appropriate academic department for possible program preparation actions. The determination of possible program preparation actions is decided by the academic department which offers the course. If program preparation is not deemed necessary by the academic department, but the veteran feels preparations are necessary, then the veteran bears any financial burden preparation necessitates.

The veteran will be awarded any program preparation at no extra cost for those eligible students who require such preparation as determined by the relevant academic department. This includes any additional fees (supplies and or books) that may be required for program. In the event that program preparation is completed through a course, the veteran should return to the School Certifying Official to coordinate costless course registration and book/supply purchasing with the business office and with the College Bookstore course is the only course the veteran registers for during that semester. If the program preparation is completed through a course and the veteran is receiving VA benefits, the course will be certified through the VA for reimbursement. If the veteran is receiving VA benefits but is not awarded VA benefits which cover 100% of the tuition and fees, the veteran will not be responsible for the remainder of the bill. The veteran may request that the course not be certified through the VA for reimbursement. In such cases, the student will not be charged for the course.

Once the veteran has met with his/her program advisor, the advisor will update the veteran’s Student Educational Plan (SEP). If program preparation is deemed necessary by an academic department, the academic department will note this in the veteran’s SEP. The notation should include how the preparation will take form, evaluation of preparation results, and any dates by which preparation must be complete.

If the student does not complete the program preparation adequately within the amount of time designated by the academic department, then the veteran is then responsible for completing such program preparation without financial assistance from the College. This may delay timely reentry into the student’s program.

1. Denial of Readmission

Veterans who do not meet the eligibility requirements set forth in the above are not entitled to be readmitted pursuant to this Policy. In addition, the College is not required to ultimately readmit the eligible student veteran on his or her return if:

• After reasonable efforts by Chesapeake College, the College determines that the student is not prepared to resume the program at the point where he or she left off.
• After reasonable efforts by Chesapeake College the College determines that the student is unable to complete the program; or
• The College determines that there are no reasonable efforts the College can take to prepare the student to resume the program at the point where he or she left off or to enable the student to complete the program.

Final Exams

The final week of the traditional term, the last 2 days of accelerated terms, and the last day of interim terms are reserved for final exams or equivalent final assessments of student learning. Students taking courses for credit are required to take final assessments on the dates scheduled by the instructor during this time. Permission for make-up examinations is left to the discretion of the instructor.

Privacy Rights of Students/Student Rights under FERPA

Chesapeake College is committed to protecting the privacy of each student’s education record. The College will release any or all of a student’s education record to third parties only under the following circumstances:

• If the College is required to do so by law;
• If the student provides the College with written permission as outlined in the Federal Education Records Privacy Act (FERPA);
• In the event of a health or safety emergency as outlined in FERPA and interpreted by the College administration.

Parental disclosure will take place in accordance with the policy outlined above. Students will be informed of their right to provide their parents (or any other third party of their choosing) access to their education record during the College’s academic advising process. The College will provide information to parents, in both electronic and hard-copy forms, regarding the process for gaining access to a student’s education records.

Disclosure of information contained in a student’s education record will take place through the Office of Registration, which will certify that the student has provided written permission for the College to release information from the education record to the third party requesting that information. The responsibility for disclosure of information from a student record and oversight of this process rests with the Registrar or his/her designee.

FERPA gives students the right to inspect and review all educational records with the following exceptions: financial records of student’s parents, confidential letters, or statements placed in the file prior to January 1, 1975, and psychiatric or medical records retained by a professional for treatment purposes.

For more information, consult the Privacy Policy page on the Chesapeake College website.