Academic Policies
Advising
Students are encouraged to meet regularly (at least once a semester) with an academic advisor in their college. Students should always consult with their academic advisors before registering for classes, which happens twice per year: in the fall for spring and summer semesters and in the spring for the following fall semester. Students can schedule an appointment with their academic advisor in their student.msu.edu portal.
Academic Standing and Undergraduate Students
A student is in Good Standing if they are a new student or the student's cumulative grade point average is at least 2.0. When a student’s cumulative GPA falls below a 2.0, their academic status is moved from Good Standing to Probation. When placed on probation, a student needs to assess their academic performance and identify what they need to do to return to Good Standing.
For more information about Academic Standing of Undergraduate Students, visit reg.msu.edu/academicprograms/print.aspx?section=270.
Withdrawal
Students considering a withdrawal should consult with their academic advisors before leaving the University. For more information regarding the University’s withdrawal policies, please click here.Attendance
One way parents can help support their student is by encouraging him/her to attend class regularly. Attending classes regularly is a vital component of a student's education and can help lead a student to be academically successful. Additionally, attending class regularly will expose students to new perspectives and enhance their understanding of course content. The University has various policies regarding students' attendance. Below you will find excerpts of the University's policies, which are hyperlinked to ombud.msu.edu/university-policies-guidelines, where you can find more information.
General University Attendance Policy - This policy states in part: "No person is allowed to attend a class unless officially enrolled on a credit or non-credit basis with the appropriate fees paid. Students who attend, participate and strive to complete course requirements without formal enrollment will not receive credit for their work. . . . It is the responsibility of the instructor to define the policy for attendance at the beginning of the course."
Administrative Drop for Non-Attendance - In compliance with federal regulations governing financial aid and veterans' education benefits, instructors are required to report students who stop attending or who have never attended class. After the first week of classes, through the middle of the term of instruction, instructors who identify a non-attending student should notify their departmental office. Upon receiving a report of non-attendance, departmental representatives are encouraged to initiate an administrative drop.
Attendance is defined as physical attendance or participation in an academically related activity such as submission of an assignment, an examination, participation in a study group or an online discussion, etc. Instructors who do not take attendance may utilize key assessment points (e.g. projects, papers, mid-term exams, and discussions) as benchmarks for participation.
Students may be dropped from a course for non-attendance by a departmental administrative drop after the fourth class period, or the fifth class day of the term of instruction, whichever occurs first.
Final Exam Policy
The University final exam policy allows instructors to impose severe consequences on students who miss a final exam without a "satisfactory explanation"; namely, a failing grade in the course. To avoid such dire action, the policy instructs students "unable to take a final examination because of illness or other reasons over which they have no control" to notify the associate dean of their college immediately. Students should be prepared to document their illness or the extenuating circumstances that caused them to miss the final exam. Oversleeping usually won't do it.
Observance of Religious Holidays
Each fall, the Provost issues a memorandum that explains the University Policy on Religious Observance. The policy calls on faculty and staff "to be sensitive to the observance of [religious] holidays so that students who absent themselves from classes on these days are not seriously disadvantaged. . . It is the responsibility of those students who wish to be absent to make arrangements in advance with their instructors. (Read policy.)
Instructors are asked to inform their students at the beginning of the semester if their attendance policy, including the dropping of a student's lowest grade, extends to students who miss class to observe a religious holiday.