Registration

Administration (B) Building • 973.300.2215/2219

Adding and Dropping Courses

Courses may be added only through the first five days of the fall and spring semesters and dropped through the first ten days of the fall and spring semesters, or equivalent time for a summer, short term, and winter term (see the Academic Calendar for the exact dates each semester).

Add/Drop days are pro-rated for sessions less than a full fall or spring semester. Students can add and drop courses through the student portal through the first five days of the fall and spring semesters. Students may complete an official Add/Drop form and submit this form to the Registrar’s Office, email from their Sussex email account or withdraw by mail or fax with a request bearing an original signature. The postmark on such written notification will be used to determine the percentage of the refund, if any. Dropped courses are removed from the transcript and thus do not count towards enrollment, financial aid, deferrals, health insurance, and athletic eligibility.

Students who fail to follow official procedures and stop attending classes will be assigned the grade of “FN” at the end of the semester or term. To avoid unnecessary costs and penalties, students are advised to discuss all Add/Drop procedures with their advisor. Students may withdraw from a class during the published withdrawal period, but withdrawal procedures must be strictly followed. No refunds are available past the posted refund policy deadline.

Students receiving financial aid must stop in the Financial Aid Office to determine if the drop/withdrawal will affect aid.

Withdrawal from Classes

A student planning to withdraw/drop from Sussex classes must do so in writing. Any student who does not withdraw/drop in writing before the posted refund calendar dates (see Academic Calendar for the exact date each semester) will be liable for payment of full tuition and fees. Failure to attend class does not constitute an official withdrawal. Students may email registrar@sussex.edu from their Sussex email account or withdraw by mail or fax with a request bearing an original signature. The postmark on such written notification will be used to determine the percentage of the refund, if any. Full payment of tuition and fees and an “FN” grade may result if written notification is not provided to the Registrar’s Office.

Withdrawal Forms are available in the Student Success Center and must be filed in the Registrar’s Office.

No Shows (Administrative Withdrawal)

Students who are “No Shows” (defined as not attending class throughout the first ten days of a semester, or equivalent for a shorter term, as indicated by the faculty on the tenth-day roster or equivalent roster) will be dropped from the class. This drop will be the same as a student-initiated drop and will not appear on the student’s transcript. The student will be notified via email.

A dropped class may affect the enrollment status of a student (i.e., dropping from full-time to part-time). A student who fails to notify the College of non-attendance will be charged a $50 per course Administrative Withdrawal fee.

Reinstatement to a class from which a student has been dropped as a “No Show” will require the student to contact the faculty member for approval to be reinstated. The faculty member must email registrar@sussex.edu to acknowledge the student is attending the course.

Reinstatement requests must be emailed to the Registrar’s Office at registrar@sussex.edu by the date indicated on the “No Show” notification letter from the Registrar.

Medical Appeal

Students who withdraw from all classes due to documented medical circumstances after consecutively missing 20% of the semester prior to withdrawal may qualify for a 50% tuition-only credit (fees not included) or a 50% cancellation of tuition-only debt (fees not included). A partial reduction in classes may also be considered if accompanied by appropriate documentation from a licensed healthcare or mental healthcare professional, citing a specific need to reduce the overall course load.

A Medical Appeal may be requested during the semester the illness occurs, but no later than 30 days from the end of the semester.  The decision to award a 50% tuition-only credit or 50% tuition-only debt cancellation shall be at the sole discretion of Sussex County Community College.

Financial aid students should contact the Financial Aid Office to review the impact on their aid. Please go to the Registrar’s Office in the Administration (B) Building, Room B217 for the most updated policy and procedures.

Course Delivery Methods

• In-person Courses: Taught with an instructor and students in a classroom setting at a specified campus location.
• Hybrid Course: A course with both in-person instruction AND online instruction (students must log in to CANVAS on a computer for part of the course).
• Online Courses: Provides students with maximum flexibility with their weekly schedule. Proctored exams may be required, either in-person or remotely on camera using Honor Lock services. (Asynchronous).
• Remote Delivery Courses: A course offered at a specific day and time using technology and live instruction via CANVAS LMS using a computer. May require exams proctored on camera through Honor Lock services. Similar feel to an in-person class experience than online courses. (Synchronous).
• Remote Hybrid Courses: A course with live instruction (students must log in to CANVAS on a computer for part of the course, and then EITHER an entirely online instruction OR in-person instruction at a specified campus location.

Graduation

All students MUST apply for Graduation

Students anticipating graduation MUST file a graduation application (whether or not you are planning on participating in the commencement ceremony) available at the Registrar’s Office or on sussex.edu/graduation. There is no fee to apply.

There are three graduation dates per year, January, May, and August. Only one commencement ceremony is conducted, and that is held in May. Students wishing to participate in the May ceremony must apply by March 1st.

APPLICATION DEADLINES

• January graduates: Apply by December 1st
• May graduates: Apply by March 1st
• August graduates: Apply by July 1^st or March 1^st if wishing to participate in the May commencement ceremony

Students are encouraged to file their applications early in the preceding semester. Students filing early will have a documented review of their credentials and any outstanding coursework to guide them through the registration process.

Graduation Requirements:

• Students are subject to the academic requirements set forth in the catalog/check sheet in use during the year they entered the College. When a student declares or changes their program/ major the requirements of the program/major that are in effect at that time will apply, as set forth in the College Catalog.
• Students will be invited to the May commencement ceremony of the year they apply. Students who apply late may miss the opportunity to participate in the May commencement ceremony. Students participating in the May ceremony will become graduates upon successful completion of all program requirements.
• Degree candidates are required to satisfy all prerequisites courses.
• Students must complete all required course work with no less than a cumulative 2.0 average.
• Students must fulfill all graduation requirements, including the Foundations for Success and the Capstone Course for their program.
• Students should check with their advisors or the Student Success Center to determine specific responsibilities.

Students with outstanding obligations to the College will not receive transcripts or a diploma until such obligations have been satisfied. Outstanding obligations may also prevent a student from registering for classes.

Academic Distinction at Graduation

Honors are conferred upon a degree completion to students who have demonstrated outstanding work throughout their Sussex career.

The awards are based on the following scale:

To be eligible upon degree completion, a student’s academic record must show no repeated college credit courses, at least 50% of the degree requirements must be earned at Sussex and no grades below “C.” This is notated on the transcript.

Certificate and Certificate of Achievement candidates do not qualify for honors at graduation.

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

Annually, Sussex County Community College informs students of the FERPA Act of 1974, as amended. This Act was designed to protect the privacy of educational records. 

FERPA affords students certain rights with respect to their education records.

These rights include:

1. The right to inspect and review the student’s education records within 45 days of the day the College receives a request for access.
   
   Students should submit to the Registrar written requests that identify the records they wish to inspect. The College official will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected. If the records are not maintained by the Registrar, that official shall advise the student of the correct official to whom the request should be addressed.
    
2. The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the student believes are inaccurate or misleading.
   
   A student should submit a written request to the College official responsible for the record, clearly identify the part of the record they want to be changed, and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading. If the College decides not to amend the record as requested by the student, the College will notify the student of the decision and advise the student of his or her right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the student when notified of the right to a hearing.
3. The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student’s education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.
   
   One exception, which permits disclosure without consent, is disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a person employed by the College in an administrative, supervisory, academic or research, or support staff position (including law enforcement unit personnel and health staff); a person or company with whom the College has contracted (such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent); a person serving on the Board of Trustees; or a student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks.
   
   A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility. Upon request, the College may disclose education records without consent to officials of another school in which a student seeks or intends to enroll.
   
   Sussex has designated certain information in the education records of its students as directory information for the purposes of FERPA. Directory information will be released at the discretion of the College and without the consent of the student unless the student informs the Office of the Registrar in writing within the first ten class days that any or all such information about him or her is not to be made public without his or her written consent.
   
   The following is considered directory information at Sussex: name, address, major, sports participation, height and weight of the sports team members, dates of attendance, full or part-time enrollment status and degrees, honors, and awards received. Information will be made available to the parents of a student only when written permission is received from the student.
    
4. The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by Sussex County Community College to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the Office that administers FERPA is:

Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, S.W. • Washington, DC 20202-4605

Copies of a more detailed policy statement may be obtained at the Registrar’s Office.

Transcript and Transfer Information

Transcripts

A transcript is the official record of a student’s academic performance. Students may request official transcripts to be sent to other institutions, for scholarships, and to employers. Students may also request an unofficial transcript for their personal use. Students enrolled may also access their records and print out an unofficial transcript through the password-protected student portal at my.sussex.edu.

Transcripts can be sent electronically from the website at sussex.edu/transcript and click on Request Your Transcript. Visit the National Student Clearinghouse site to complete the request for a transcript. There is a $5.50 fee for all transcript requests. If a student does not want to request a transcript electronically, they can request a paper transcript to be mailed. The transcript request form is located on the Sussex website at sussex.edu/transcript. Transcripts cannot be faxed or emailed.

Students should plan on three to five (3 - 5) working days for processing since transcripts are not available on demand. However, no transcripts will be sent for any student with an outstanding obligation to the College.

Transfer Credit Procedure (Transferring to Sussex)

Students seeking transfer credit to Sussex should follow the procedure outlined below:

1. A student wishing to transfer credits to Sussex must submit an Application for Admission, have official transcripts from previous colleges sent directly to the Registrar’s Office, and be registered for classes. Upon registration, an official evaluation will be done and a report will be sent to their Sussex student email.
2. Sussex will accept a maximum of 50% of the credits required for a degree (A.A., A.S. or A.F.A.) or certificate or up to 39 credits for an A.A.S. degree earned at other institutions, by experiences and/or by examination (CLEP, A.P., or Challenge) in order to complete requirements for a degree from SCCC. If science and computer courses are older than eight (8) years, students will be required to repeat them. (For the PCCC Nursing Program there is a five-year limit on science courses, from the date of the course completion.)
3. These credits will be entered in the Credits Earned column of the transcript and will not affect a student’s quality point average.
4. Transfer credits earned at other institutions are entered on the transcripts only after a student has been accepted and matriculated in a curriculum.
5. A minimum grade of “C” or its equivalent is required for transfer credit to be applicable to a student’s certificate or associate degree curriculum.
6. Special accredited courses and other training will be evaluated (i.e., Ponsi, banking, A.C.E., military) on an individual basis.
7. International students must have their foreign transcripts translated and evaluated into U.S. equivalents by a National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) member.

Transferring from Sussex

At Sussex, we prepare students to transfer to the top colleges and universities in New Jersey and across the nation. As a result, more than 70% of Sussex graduates continue their education. Students who plan to transfer should work closely with the Transfer Counselor.

Statewide Transfer Agreement

Students can seamlessly transfer their academic credits from a completed community college Associate of Arts (A.A.) or Associate of Science (A.S.) degree to a baccalaureate degree program at New Jersey’s public four-year colleges and universities. The NJ Chapter 175 establishes a statewide transfer agreement that provides the seamless transfer of these academic credits. The law guarantees that the transfer-designed associate degrees (A.A. and A.S.) earned at any of the state’s 18 community colleges “shall be fully transferable and credited as the first two years of a baccalaureate degree program at the four-year public institution of higher education in the State to which a student is admitted.” The full statewide transfer agreement approved by the transfer legislation can be found on the N.J. Transfer website.

While the law does not cover New Jersey’s private colleges and universities, many of those institutions have established policies that allow community college graduates to transfer with full junior standing for A.A. and A.S. degree holders from N.J. community colleges. The law does not provide any guarantees of admission and students must select an appropriate associate degree for their particular major. Students must also fulfill any prerequisite courses required for admission.

N.J. Transfer allows students to see how their community college credits will transfer to many public and private New Jersey four-year colleges and universities. Under the Student tab, choose Transcript Evaluation.

Students who plan to transfer to another institution should work closely with the Transfer Counselor to ensure that their courses and majors meet the standards of the Agreement.

Transfer Articulation Agreements

Sussex has established Transfer Articulation Agreements with many private four-year colleges and some of the public colleges for specific programs of study. Those colleges include Cedar Crest College, Centenary College, Drew University, College of Saint Elizabeth, Fairleigh Dickinson University, East Stroudsburg University, Felician University, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Montclair State University, Marywood University, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Ramapo College, Rutgers University-Newark, Suny Canton, Suny Cobleskill, and William Paterson University. For the academic programs that Sussex offers, see Transfer Agreements.