An officially registered student is one who has submitted course selections with the necessary approvals and who has settled all charges with Student Accounting Services.

Candidates for admission to degree programs may not register until they receive a formal statement of acceptance. Students accepted to the University receive registration forms and a schedule of classes being offered. Students should select their courses from the schedule and register according to instructions provided by their School or College. If the registration occurs before the billing deadline, Student Accounting Services will mail an invoice (statement of charges). If the registration is not processed by the billing deadline, the student will not receive an invoice in the mail and will have to complete the payment process in person.

Continuing students register for courses in October or November for the spring semester and March or April for the fall semester. Students receive or pick up registration materials from their School or College. Instructions regarding advising requirements, payment, and registration dates are included. Continuing students from selected Schools and Colleges may access TelReg, on the Telephone Information System, to register for courses for the semester. An invoice is prepared on the basis of the student's status and class selections. Official registration is complete when Student Accounting Services receives full payment. A late settlement fee may be assessed to those students who do not complete official registration by August 15, 2000, for September 2000, and December 19, 2000, for January 2001.

No student will be allowed to register after the first week of classes. Students in special programs that commence later in a semester will not be allowed to register later than the end of the first week of the program. Students may petition for a waiver of this policy. Petition forms may be obtained in the student's School or College. Students whose petitions are approved and who are allowed to complete late registration will be subject to a late fee.

Within the University

To add or drop a course, the student must complete a Drop/Add form, available in the administrative office. Some Schools and Colleges allow students to drop courses using the TelReg option on the Telephone Information System. Students should consult with their advisors before adding or dropping courses. Freshmen may drop a core course (except for Rhetoric, which cannot be dropped) only with the permission of team faculty. Sophomores may not drop a core course.

No course may be added after the first two weeks of classes.

A course dropped during the first five weeks of class will not appear on the student's permanent record. After the first five weeks, a dropped course will appear on the student's record as W, and the student will be charged for the course. Freshmen may not drop a course until the fifth week of the first semester.

Courses may be dropped up to three weeks before the start of final examinations. After that point, no course may be dropped. (See "Registration Calendar" in the Class Schedule for specific dates.)

Students must declare a concentration before registering for their junior year. To declare or to change an already declared concentration, students must complete a Program Change form, obtainable from their School or College.

ID Cards are issued by the Terrier Card Office and the Office of the University Registrar. Students are assigned an ID number by the University.

A student is entitled to a new card only when there are changes to the information on the card. A fee is charged for replacing a lost card. Replacement cards are issued at the Terrier Card Office and the Office of the University Registrar.

The University uses a system of letter grades and grade honor point equivalents for evaluating coursework, as shown in the chart below. Individual Schools and Colleges, however, may place restrictions on the use of certain grades, such as Pass/Fail. Grades can not be changed after a student has been made an official graduate.

If for reasons acceptable to the instructor a student fails to take the final examination or to complete any other required work within a course, he or she receives the I grade. Within the time limit set by the individual School or College, the student must complete the course requirements. If the student does complete the course requirements, the I grade is replaced with the appropriate letter grade.

An auditor is a student who attends a class to acquire knowledge without earning credits or a grade. Audited courses do not count toward completing degree requirements. An auditor may not change his or her status after the fifth week of classes. Auditors must at-tend classes regularly, complete assigned reading, and participate in discussions, but they are excused from examinations.

Auditors are admitted to a course on a space-available basis and in accordance with the rules of the School or College offering the course. Auditors are subject to the full tuition and fees of the course.

Students are expected to attend each class session unless they have a valid reason for being absent. Students may be required at any time to account for undue irregularity in attendance, either by personal explanation to their faculty advisor or dean or by written statement from a parent or another authority. If faculty, either individually or as a team, feel that excessive absences are affecting a student's progress or subverting other students' attempts to master course material, they may recommend appropriate action to the Dean. Appropriate action may include probation, suspension, or dismisssal. Students who expect to be absent from class for more than five days should notify their counselor promptly.

Students absent from classes more than two days for illness should be under a doctor's care. Students who are absent five days or more for illness should present to Student Health Services a certificate of fitness from their physician or be examined at the University Clinic.

According to Chapter 151C of the General Laws, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, any student in an educational or vocational training institution, other than a religious or denominational educational or voca-tional training institution, who is unable, because of his or her religious beliefs, to attend classes or to participate in any examination, study, or work requirements on a particular day, shall be excused from any such examination or study or work requirement, and shall be provided with an opportunity to make up such examination, study, or work requirement that may have been missed because of such absence on any particular day; provided, however, that such makeup examination or work shall not create an unreasonable burden upon such school. No fees of any kind shall be charged by the institution for making available to the said students such opportunity. No adverse or prejudicial effects shall result to students because of their availing themselves of the provisions of this section.

Students who wish to withdraw from the University or take a leave of absence must file an official Withdrawal/Leave of Absence form with the Office of the Vice President and Dean of Students. College of General Studies students must first complete a withdrawal form in the Administrative Office, room 211. Until this form is filed, students are considered registered and responsible for all charges. Mere absence does not reduce financial obligations or guarantee that final grades will not be recorded. Failure to file appropriate notice may jeopardize a student's privilege to return. The individual Schools and Colleges may have additional stipulations regarding withdrawal.

To obtain a bachelor's degree, most students must have completed a minimum of 128 credits and 32 courses. As a guide for completing the four-year undergraduate program, students should keep in mind that sophomore status usually is attained by satisfactorily completing 32 credits of coursework; junior status, 64 credits; senior status, 96 credits. The number may vary depending on the College of enrollment.

The individual Schools and Colleges of the University have specific academic requirements and standards for determin-ing satisfactory completion of a program of study (e.g., grades, concentrations, divisional studies).

To graduate, students must apply to their School or College by the deadline stipulated by the School or College.

CGS students who have a semester grade point index of 3.0 or above with a minimum of 16 credit hours and with no grade lower than a C are placed on the Dean's List of the College of General Studies.

A student in the College of General Studies whose grade point average is below 1.7 for one semester will be placed on academic probation. Students placed on academic probation will be notified by the associate dean of the College of General Studies. To remove themselves from probationary status, students must achieve a GPA of at least 2.0 in the following semester, with no fewer than 12 credit hours. Students seeking to clear academic probation in summer sessions may do so by taking no fewer than 12 credit hours in courses approved by the College and taken in residence at Boston University. No student who has been on probation for two consecutive semesters may register for courses without specific team and review board approval.

No student on probation may hold office in any School, College, or University organization; participate in any intercollegiate event or program, including athletics; or otherwise represent the University, School, or College. A student on probation is not excluded from membership in a student organization.

A student on probation is ineligible to receive any financial aid from the University, a College scholarship, or loan funds. Freshman students on probation are continued on scholarship through the freshman year.

Boston University, through its various faculties and appropriate committees, reserves the right to suspend or permanently suspend any student for failure to maintain a satisfactory academic record, acceptable personal behavior, or satisfactory standards of health.

Copies of Boston University's Code of Student Responsibilities are available from the Office of the Vice President and Dean of Students, East Tower, George Sherman Union, 775 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215.

Misspelled names on official University documents can be corrected by presenting a current driver's license or other form of identification to the Office of the University Registrar.

Currently enrolled students who wish to change their names must present sufficient reason and identification to the Office of the University Registrar. Upon approval, the student will be asked to complete a Name Change form.

For students who are no longer registered or who have graduated, legal documentation (e.g., a marriage license or court order) must be submitted to the Office of the University Registrar along with the request for the change.

Students must notify the University of any local or home address changes. To do this, a student should complete a Personal Data Change form, available from the student's School or College, the University Information Center, or the Office of the University Registrar. Changes in residence hall addresses are the responsibility of the Housing Office. If the student withdraws from University housing but remains enrolled at the University, he or she must complete a Local Address Change form. Students may change their addresses by using the Student Link.

Veterans Information

Any student who is eligible for veterans benefits or would like more information about VA rules and veterans programs should contact the Boston University Office of Veterans Affairs, 881 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215; 617/353-2390.

Students have the right to inspect their educational records, with certain exceptions. If they believe these records are inaccurate, they may request an amendment and, if denied, have the right to a hearing and to place a letter of disagreement in their file if the outcome of that hearing is negative. Students are eligible under the Act to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education Family Policy and Regulations Office, Federal Office Building Number 6, Room 3021, 400 Maryland Ave., S.W., Washington, DC 20202, if they believe Boston University failed to comply with the requirements of the Act.

The University's policies and procedures for implementation of this Act are enumerated in the Notification of Student Rights Regarding Educational Records, copies of which are available to students at the Office of the University Registrar, 881 Commonwealth Avenue, Second Floor, Boston, MA 02215.

The University does not release personally identifiable information contained in student educational records except as authorized by law. Boston University has designated certain types of personally identifiable information as "directory information." These include the student's name; local or residence hall address; e-mail address; and telephone number; College of registration; degree program and major and minor; dates of attendance; part- or full-time status; degrees, honors, and awards received; and hometown for press releases. Students may restrict release of this information if they wish, and this data will not be released by the University except as authorized by law.

The Student Activities Office (Assistant Director, GSU, 775 Commonwealth Avenue) and the Athletics Department (Director, 285 Babcock Street) may release or publish personally identifiable information on students who participate in officially recognized activities and sports. If students wish to restrict release and/or publication of this information, they should contact the Student Activities Office and the Athletics Department directly.

Students are informed of their rights under this law by the University Registrar. The parents of incoming freshmen and transfer students each year are informed of their rights under this law, and how to exercise them, by the President.

When a student has reason to believe that his or her rights have been denied by reason of discrimination on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, ethnic origin, age, sex, or disability, he or she may file in writing a formal grievance with the Provost. The grievance statement should be as specific as possible regarding the action(s) that precipitated the grievance: date, place, and people involved; efforts made to settle the matter informally; and the remedy sought.

The Provost shall forward a copy of the grievance statement to the appropriate individuals within one week of receipt of the statement. If a complaint raises an academic question, the grievance statement will be forwarded to the dean of the appropriate School or College, unless he is the subject of the grievance. In such cases, the Provost will investigate the complaint. If the complaint arises from a nonacademic unit, the grievance statement will be forwarded to the administrative head of the unit, unless he is the subject of the grievance. In such cases, the Provost will investigate the complaint. If a student's grievance alleges discrimination on the basis of disability, the Director of the Office of Disability Services, who is the University's Compliance Officer for Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, will also be provided with a copy of the grievance and will be involved in resolution of the grievance as appropriate.

The Provost, dean, or administrative head shall investigate the matters set forth in the written grievance. In conducting this investigation, the Provost, dean, or administrative head may forward a copy of the grievance statement to the persons whose actions (or inactions) are the subject of the grievance, and may request a written response to the grievance from appropriate individuals in the University. The Provost, dean, or administrative head may also choose to interview witnesses, to meet with concerned parties, to receive oral or written presentations and to make other appropriate independent inquiry. Within forty-five (45) days of the filing of the grievance, the Provost, dean, or administrative head will make a decision as to the merits of the student's grievance, and the appropriate resolution of the situation. If resolution is not possible within forty-five (45) days, the Provost, dean, or administrative head shall inform the student of the reasons for delay.

Copies of the decision by the Provost, dean, or administrative head will be sent to the student, the Provost (when not issued by him), the Director of Disability Services where appropriate, and the President. A copy may also be sent to the department and/or the persons whose actions (or inactions) are subject of the grievance, as appropriate. In the event that the student is not satisfied with the resolution of the grievance, an appeal may be made to the Provost (unless the Provost has already decided the case) and, from there, to the President.

A record of all formal grievances will be kept on file in the Office of the Vice President and Dean of Students. A record of all grievances alleging disability discrimination will also be kept on file in the Office of Disability Services.