ACADEMIC POLICIES

The satisfactory academic progress (SAP) is the process used to determine if a student is making acceptable progress toward a degree or certificate. All students must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP).   SAP is defined both qualitatively and quantitatively. A student’s failure to meet any of the SAP standards may result in loss of BAU scholarships.   SAP is measured after the final grades are recorded at the end of Fall, Spring, and Summer sessions. Both standards must be met. 

Standard 1: A Qualitative Component which determines if students have a satisfactory cumulative grade point average (CGPA) in the program of study; and 

Standard 2: A Quantitative component which determines if students are completing the courses they attempt (pace) at a rate that will ensure completion of the program within a maximum time frame of 150% of the program length in credit hours. 

Transfer credits are included in the calculation as completed and attempted credits. In-progress grades (IP), Withdrawals (W), and course repetitions (R) are considered attempted, but not satisfactorily completed in the Pace of Completion calculation.  In the case of retakes (R), only the highest grade is included in the CGPA calculation. Leave of Absences are not included in GPA or CGPA calculations.  

If a student changes a program of study, the coursework can also be applied to the new program of study, it will be counted as pre- matriculation credits and will reduce the maximum credit and semester allowances for the new program of study.  Any previous coursework students completed at BAU as part of an unfinished program of study will reduce the maximum unit and semester allowances for the new program of study. Students who would like to earn an additional credential, will be granted an increase in the credit and semester allowances commensurate with the additional program requirements. 

At the end of every semester, BAU will evaluate the CGPA of each enrolled student.  Satisfactory Academic Progress for undergraduate students requires that 

          i. At the end of the semester in which students complete 15 credits, including transfer credits, the minimum BAU CGPA is 1. 00 
          ii. At the end of the semester in which students complete 30 credits, including transfer credits, the minimum BAU CGPA is 1.50 
          iii. At the end of the semester in which students complete 45 credits, including transfer credits, the minimum BAU CGPA is 1.75 
          iv. At the end of the semester in which students complete 60 credits, including transfer credits, the minimum BAU CGPA is 2.00  

Satisfactory Academic Progress policy for graduate students requires that they maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.00 and a completion rate of 67% at the end of each semester. At the end of any semester in which students do not meet the CGPA requirements, they are placed on Academic Warning for the next semester. Students on Academic Warning remain eligible, if relevant, for any BAU scholarship they received for one semester.  

If, at the end of the Academic Warning semester, students have achieved the required CGPA they are removed from Academic Warning. If they have not achieved the required CGPA at the end of the Academic Warning semester, they are placed on Academic Probation, if relevant, are no longer eligible for any BAU scholarship, and they agree to an academic plan prepared individually for them with the Academic Advisor and/or Department Chair. According to the academic plan, during the Academic Probation, students are suspended from enrolling in new classes for the following semester to include fall, spring, and summer. These students may only repeat the low-grade courses taken previously with the guidance of the Academic Advisor and/or any other course that could replace the low-grade courses as approved by the Academic Advisor in the probation semester.

If, at the end of the Academic Probation semester:  (a) They have achieved the required CGPA, they are removed from Academic Probation and, if relevant, are eligible for a BAU scholarship, (b) They have not achieved the required CGPA, but are meeting the requirements of the academic plan, they remain on Academic Probation for the next semester. They are still not eligible for the BAU scholarship, (c)They are not meeting the requirements of the academic plan, the student is dismissed from the University.  

For undergraduate students, at the end of the semester in which students complete 60 credits, including transfer credits, the progress is reviewed and a CGPA of at least 2.00 is required. For graduate students, at the end of the semester in which students complete 24 credits, including transfer credits, progress is reviewed and a CGPA of at least 3.00 is required.  

Students must complete the educational program in a period no longer than one and a half times the standard program length based on number of credits in a program.   A student must complete at least two-thirds (67%) of all cumulative attempted credit hours. New freshmen are required to successfully complete at least half (50%) of the credits they attempt during the first two semesters. Starting with the third semester, they are then required to successfully complete two-thirds of the credits.   The minimum grade acceptable in BAU’s course completion policy is a D for undergraduate programs. Transfer credits are included in the calculation as completed and attempted credits. In-Progress grades (IP), Withdrawals (W), and course repetitions (R), are considered as attempted, but not satisfactorily completed in the Pace of Completion calculation.    Maximum Time Frame for Program Completion (MTF) is the time (in academic credits attempted, not chronological time) allowed for a student to complete a course of study. All students at Bay Atlantic University must complete the program of study within 1.5 times the program length as measured in semester credit hours attempted. All transfer credit hours accepted from other institutions will be counted in the Maximum Time Frame. 

If a student cannot complete the program within the MTF, the student will be dismissed from the university, and the student will not be eligible to receive the original credential (e.g., bachelor’s degree or master’s degree). Any scholarship that the student receives will be terminated when the Registrar determines it is not mathematically possible for a student to complete the student’s degree program within the maximum timeframe. 

1. Evaluation of progress is conducted at the end of every semester.
2. Students must successfully complete at least 67% of all credits attempted. Successful completion of a course means earning a grade of “A” through “D” at the undergraduate level and “A” through “B-” at the graduate level.
3. Students who are below the successful completion rate are placed on Academic Warning for the next semester.
4. Students on Academic Warning remain eligible, if relevant, for BAU scholarship for one semester. Student is placed in Scholarship warning during this time. 
5. If, at the end of the Academic Warning semester, students have achieved the required completion rate they are removed from Academic Warning.
6. If they have not achieved the required completion rate at the end of the Academic Warning semester, they are placed on Academic Probation and, if relevant, are no longer eligible for scholarship and agree to an academic plan for success.
7. According to the academic plan, that will be prepared individually for each student with the Academic Advisor and/or Chief Academic Officer during the Academic Probation, students are suspended from enrolling in new classes for the following semester to include fall, spring, and summer. These students may only repeat the low-grade courses taken previously with the guidance of the Academic Advisor and/or any other course that could replace the low-grade courses as approved by the Academic Advisor in the Probation Semester.
8. If, at the end of an Academic Probation semester: (a) They have achieved the required completion rate, they are removed from Academic Probation and, if relevant, are eligible for BAU scholarship, (b) They have not achieved the required completion rate, but are meeting the  requirements of the academic plan, they remain on probation for the next  semester. They are still not eligible for BAU scholarship, (c) They are not meeting the requirements of the academic plan, they are dismissed from the University.
9. If, at any time during enrollment, students can no longer graduate within the defined maximum time frame, the student is dismissed from the University. 
10. Satisfactory academic progress is initially determined at the end of the first semester and each semester thereafter. Students are notified in writing of SAP and Scholarship status on OIS: warning, probation, dismissal, or having been removed from warning or probation.   

An appeal for Maximum Time Frame will only be completed one time. Graduate students must contact the graduate counselor to determine eligibility for appeal.   Students who fail to maintain SAP due to a mitigating circumstance (e.g. medical reasons, death in the family, etc.) may submit a written appeal with supportive documentation after they have received official notification of denial. Appeals will be evaluated as soon as possible. Any student submitting an appeal will receive a written response within ten (10) working days of the documentation arrival.  

Examples of Mitigating Circumstances: 

• Immediate family member (parent, spouse, sibling, child) that required extended recovery time 
• Death of an immediate family member 
• Significant trauma in student’s life that impaired the student’s emotional and/or physical health 
• Withdrawal due to military service 
• Other unexpected circumstances beyond the control of the student. 

Note: Circumstances related to the typical adjustment to college life such as working while attending school, financial issues related to paying bills and car maintenance/travel to campus is not considered as extenuating for purposes of appealing suspension of financial aid. 

Students who do not meet one of the above categories are not eligible for an appeal. The following documents and information must be completed and submitted to the Registrar:  

1. Appeal Form
2. Personal statement from the student, either typed or legibly written, providing the following information:  

• What was the cause for not meeting SAP requirements?  
• What has changed that will allow for satisfactory academic progress in the term of appeal?  
• For a maximum credit hour appeal, provide details on changes in major, including dates.  
• To update a previous grade of X, submit the appeal with a brief statement

3. Provide supporting documentation of the cause and of any changes that will solve the issues for the term of appeal. Documents can be death certificates, birth certificates, statements from doctor or counselors, police reports and any other pertinent documents. The documents provided must support the timeframe being reviewed.  

If an appeal is successful, an academic plan may be formulated and agreed upon. The plan will be designed for meeting minimum SAP requirements within a specified timeframe. Students who do not meet the requirements of the academic plan will not be eligible for the scholarship. 

A student who has been dismissed from the University may fill out the Reenrollment Form to be readmitted. In order to be considered for readmission, the student must submit a written petition which describes the changes in behavior or circumstance that will result in improved academic performance.   The readmission petition must be forwarded to the Chief Academic Officer at least two weeks before the beginning of the semester for which the student requests readmission. The Chief Academic Officer and the Registrar will determine if the student has demonstrated likelihood for future success in the program of study. If not, the student will not be readmitted.   If the University determines that there is a likelihood of future success, the student will be placed on academic probation for a period of one semester. The student may then be permitted to retake previously failed, in progress, or withdrawn courses to improve his or her CGPA and course completion percentage.   At the completion of this academic probationary semester, a student who increases the cumulative GPA to 3.0 at the end of the probation semester will return to satisfactory academic standing.  

Bay Atlantic University’s faculty members strive to conduct fair and just performance evaluations of student academic work and scholarly success.  The following are examples of appropriate reasons for grade changes: 

• Arithmetical errors or typos; 
• Coursework submitted was excluded in grade calculation; 
• Grading appears to be based on impermissible factors such as discrimination, bias, or retaliation.

A student who believes that the student’s efforts and achievement have not been reflected by the final grade obtained may file a grade appeal by filling the Grade Change Appeal Form within two weeks of receiving the grade. Similarly, a faculty can also claim an error and want to complete the same form and submit it to the Registrar’s office with supporting documentation.  The student’s appeal is first received by the faculty member who has offered the course. If the issue remains unresolved after the faculty member’s review of the appeal, then the student may appeal in writing to the Chief Academic Officer within seven (7) days of the faculty member’s decision.  The Chief Academic Officer will convene an academic committee meeting with faculty and staff members, and both the student and faculty member involved in the dispute will be invited to present each side of the issue. The academic committee will then vote for a resolution, and both the student and the faculty member will be notified of its decision within seven (7) days. The decision made by the academic committee is final and cannot be appealed further.  The faculty’s grade change request is received by the Chief Academic Officer and then submitted to the Registrar for records. 

Good academic standing requires the presence of students at all class and lab meetings. Therefore, course attendance at Bay Atlantic University is mandatory.   There are only three acceptable reasons for absence from class or lab: (1) serious illness of the student, (2) a family emergency, or, (3) any legal obligation that occurs at the same time as class. Non-emergency appointments and non-emergency travel do not count as excused absences. In cases of illness, the student must submit a doctor’s or clinic note explaining the reason for the absence to the Registrar.   Once proper documentation is provided, instructors will mark the student’s absence(s) as excused. Explanations for excused absences must be received no later than one week after the last missed class. However, exceptions can be made by the instructor for prolonged emergencies when a student does not have means or opportunity to inform the University of his or her situation.   Students are requested to e-mail instructors regarding absences prior to the class session to be missed. If prior contact is not possible, the student must contact each instructor and arrange to make up work immediately upon returning to the University. All make-up work is assigned by the instructor(s). Instructors are not obligated to provide make-up work for unexcused absences.  Unexcused absences may negatively affect the student’s final course grade. Unexcused absences in excess of 20% of total class and/or lab time may result in failure of the course (three classes or more during a fifteen-week semester).  

Faculty is required to record attendance records in OIS (the Student Information System). After a student misses three classes of a given course, the student will receive a warning. If the behavior continues, the student will fail the course and, if the student is on a F-1 visa, will be considered out of status and may be removed from the University.   At BAU, the attendance and tardiness requirements are the same for online courses. 

All students are expected to arrive at class on time. Tardiness is disruptive to both the instructor and other students. Any student who is more than 15 minutes late for class will be marked tardy. Any student who misses 30 minutes or more of a class session will be marked absent for that class session. Should the instructor deem a student’s tardiness unreasonable, such that the student is unable to complete the course, the instructor will report the issue to the Chief Academic Officer and the Registrar.  Students who fail to attend 20% of class will receive an ‘F’ for the course. 

Students who, for whatever reason, plan to be absent from the University for a semester, must fill out a Leave of Absence Form on OIS and have it approved by the Academic Advisor, in advance of the start of the semester. Leaves of Absence are permitted for the following reasons:  

1. severe medical condition of the student or a close relative, for whom the student may be a caregiver; 
financial hardship (for domestic students only); or 
2 .the death of an immediate family member. 
3. The maximum permitted duration of an approved leave of absence is one academic year; however, students must file a leave of absence each semester. The leave of absence is not counted as part of the student’s period of residence or for any other requirement of the student’s program.   After the leave of absence is completed, students are expected to return to school on the first day of class of the semester immediately following the leave of absence. If a student does not return within the first two weeks of class, the student will be subject to administrative withdrawal from the University.   F-1 visa students must consult with the Designated School Official (DSO) if the student wishes to take a leave of absence. Students must follow the guidelines provided by the DSO.  

Day Classes: If inclement weather forces the cancellation of daytime classes or requires a delay in the opening of the University, announcements will be made by email to all concerned students and faculty, on the University’s website, and through BAU’s LMS. A makeup class will be scheduled by the instructor.

Midday Closing: A decision to close the University during the day will be made when conditions include a forecast that would make travel to and from campus unreasonably dangerous. Classes underway at the time a closing announcement is made will be dismissed. If students are engaged in important test-taking or other time-sensitive activities, a class may continue until its scheduled end, if doing so will be fairer to the students. In all cases, the instructor’s good sense should prevail. A makeup class will be scheduled by the instructor.

Bay Atlantic University, its students, faculty, and employees must comply with the provisions of the United States Copyright Act. Copyright is the right of the creator of a work of authorship to control the use of that work by others.

Copyrighted work may not be reproduced, distributed, performed, or adapted by others without the copyright owner’s permission. Works protected by copyright include, but are not limited to literary, musical, and pictorial works; sound recordings, motion pictures, and other audiovisual works; and computer software.

Bay Atlantic University employees shall use computer software only in accordance with the terms of the Bay Atlantic University Computer Software Policy and the licensing agreement for the software. The University does not condone or support the use of any unauthorized copies of software. All software used by university employees to perform their responsibilities shall be purchased through appropriate procedures.

Violation of copyright law may subject the guilty party to severe civil and criminal penalties. There are some exceptions in United States copyright law such as the fair use doctrine. The fair use doctrine allows limited use of copyrighted material without the permission of the copyright owner for several purposes, including teaching and scholarship. It is the responsibility of all student, faculty, and staff to inform themselves about what is and what is not permissible use of copyrighted material. Copyright and fair use guidelines for students, faculty, and staff are posted on the BAU Library website and at all photocopy machines at BAU.

Transfer credit students follow the same process as regular students. Students submit the same documents by filling in the online application form on www.bau.edu.

In addition to this, transfer credit applicants submit an original, or a notarized copy of the original, signed transcript from the transferring university.

Accepting credits earned at another university is the prerogative of the receiving university. No college, school or accrediting agency can require another university to accept in transfer credit earned somewhere else. Even when the sending university is accredited by the same agency as the receiving school, there is no guarantee credits will transfer.

For undergraduate transfer students, up to 75% of credits may be brought from another university. Transferring credits must meet the academic requirements of the program of study. Courses with a C grade or higher may be transferred to BAU. Courses must be three semester credits fortransfer.

Transferable credit is considered at BAU upon the request of the student at the time of initial registration. An official copy of all transcripts from higher education institutions must be submitted to the Admissions Office to be forwarded to the Academic Department for evaluation. Additional documentation such as foreign credit evaluation or course descriptions may be required to assure that the transferred course is equivalent to one of the courses required for completion of the degree program at BAU.

The decision on whether or not to accept your academic credit could be made by the chairperson of the department, a faculty transcript review committee, or an individual faculty member. Factors that affect the willingness to accept academic credit in transfer may include:

• Appropriateness of course content: The course should align with BAU’s degree program and the content of the course should compare favorably with the materials and topics covered in BAU’s degree curriculum. Students seeking to transfer academic credit should be prepared to discuss how the completed coursework covers the topics required in BAU’s curriculum. Evidence would include copies of work completed, or a copy of a syllabus or study guide for the course.
• Appropriate academic level: Acceptance of credit also depends on the transferring student’s academic standing and the level of course material studied. Undergraduate credits cannot be transferred to graduate level of study. Remedial and developmental courses are not generally transferable. Satisfactory grades for the courses completed are also required.
• Credit recommended by the American Council on Education (ACE): A certificate, license, or official military transcripts evaluated by ACE may be eligible for credit.

For information about the application process, email [email protected].

Transfer credit students follow the same process as regular students. Students submit the same documents by filling in the online application form on www.bau.edu.

In addition to this, transfer credit applicants submit an original, or a notarized copy of the original, signed transcript from the transferring university.

Accepting credits earned at another university is the prerogative of the receiving university. No college, school or accrediting agency can require another university to accept in transfer credit earned somewhere else. Even when the sending university is accredited by the same agency as the receiving school, there is no guarantee credits will transfer.

Only graduate-level courses may be applied toward the degree. A student may transfer up to six credit hours of graduate credit earned from an accredited university. No credit is earned for any grade received in a graduate-level course below 2.7 (B-) out of 4.0.

Transferable credit is considered at BAU upon the request of the student at the time of initial registration. An official copy of all transcripts from higher education institutions must be submitted to the Admissions Office to be forwarded to the Academic Department for evaluation. Additional documentation such as foreign credit evaluation or course descriptions may be required to assure that the transferred course is equivalent to one of the courses required for completion of the degree program at BAU.

The decision on whether or not to accept your academic credit could be made by the chairperson of the department, a faculty transcript review committee, or an individual faculty member. Factors that affect the willingness to accept academic credit in transfer may include:

• Appropriateness of course content: The course should align with BAU’s degree program and the content of the course should compare favorably with the materials and topics covered in BAU’s degree curriculum. Students seeking to transfer academic credit should be prepared to discuss how the completed coursework covers the topics required in BAU’s curriculum. Evidence would include copies of work completed, or a copy of a syllabus or study guide for the course.
• Appropriate academic level: Acceptance of credit also depends on the transferring student’s academic standing and the level of course material studied. Undergraduate credits cannot be transferred to graduate level of study. Remedial and developmental courses are not generally transferable. Satisfactory grades for the courses completed are also required.

For information about the application process, email [email protected].