Academic Policies

Academic Fresh Start

The Academic Fresh Start program is designed for students who attended SCCC, compiled an unsuccessful academic record, and subsequently left the College for an extended period of time. As a result of their work experience, maturity, or new interests, these students may now wish to return to college to pursue a student program toward a degree.

Academic Fresh Start allows students to restore their academic standing at Sussex by eliminating the previous academic credit from their Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA). Contact the Registrar’s Office for additional information and the forms necessary to apply for the Academic Fresh Start program.

Academic Integrity

Students are required to perform all of the work specified by faculty and are responsible for the content and integrity of all academic work submitted, including term papers, reports, and examinations. A student will be guilty of violating the Rule of Academic Integrity if he or she knowingly represents the work of others as his or her own or if he or she uses or obtains unauthorized assistance in any academic work.

Cheating on examinations through the use of unauthorized aids or inappropriate resources is forbidden. In addition, plagiarism, or the unattributed use of another’s words or ideas, through either direct appropriation or paraphrase, is a serious breach of academic standards. Students have an obligation to exhibit honesty when carrying out their academic assignments. They may be penalized by the following: written warnings and/or assignment of an “F” grade for the assignment/test or the course. If the student is found guilty in multiple cases, he or she may be dismissed from the College.

Any type of academic dishonesty, including using AI or ChatGPT technology to complete assignments of any kind, is viewed as a form of plagiarism, which violates our Student Conduct Code and can carry serious consequences. These tools undermine the educational purpose of your assignments. If you are at all unclear about using any type of technological assistance on your assignments, please speak with your faculty first.

Academic Probation

Students who after 6 credits have a grade point average (GPA) that falls below 2.0 are placed on academic probation and are informed in writing of their probation status. Students pre-registered for a succeeding semester will be notified to make an appointment with a Counselor in the Student Success Center. Failure to comply may result in cancellation of a student’s existing course registration(s). Students may be required to take a reduced course load based on their level of probation.

It is the prerogative of the Academic Probation Committee to place special requirements and restrictions on the student in the succeeding semester. Such conditions may include but are not limited to, not holding office in a student organization or participating in intercollegiate athletic functions. Students will be monitored and offered guidance and support in making satisfactory academic progress. The student has the right to appeal the decision of the Academic Probation Committee.

Attendance

At Sussex, class attendance and academic achievement are recognized as interrelated. Class attendance is not used solely as a basis for grade determination; however, lectures, assignments, tests, and class participation missed or inadequately made up as a result of class absences will jeopardize a student’s grade.

• Students are expected to attend all classes and to adhere to the written requirements and consequences of nonattendance outlined in the syllabi of each instructor. Faculty are required to keep attendance records.
• Faculty are required to state their attendance requirements on their course outlines.
• While it is the student’s responsibility to notify the instructor after the student’s first absence, the instructor may personally contact the student to discuss the effect of the absence and possible subsequent absences on the successful completion of the course.
• If subsequent absences do occur, it is the student’s responsibility to contact the instructor for guidance in completing missed work.
• The instructor determines if an absence is valid and if a student may complete missed assignments. If the absence is invalid or work is made up without prior discussion with the instructor, said work may not be accepted.

Life/Work Experience Credit

Students who wish to receive college credit for life/work experience can complete an official Application for Life/Work Experience Credit. The student must then meet with a Division Dean to receive approval to prepare a portfolio for evaluation. The portfolio will be evaluated by either the Division Dean or their designee, with final approval for credit from the Senior Vice President of Academic & Student Affairs.

The student will be responsible for paying half the tuition for the course credits when they submit their portfolio. The initial application is found in the Student Success Center. Following the transfer credit policy, a student may only earn a maximum of half the credits towards a degree or certificate through life/work experience. The student is also responsible for recording fees.

Dean’s List

Sussex County Community College acknowledges the outstanding academic achievement of full-time students on a semester basis and the cumulative achievement of part-time students through the Dean’s List designation (fall and spring semesters only).

Eligibility

1. Full-time students earning 12 or more college credits during the fall or spring semesters.
2. Part-time students having cumulatively earned 12 or more college credits in a fall or spring semester and thereafter upon completion of each additional cluster of 12 or more credits.

Academic Requirements

1. A semester grade point average of 3.5 for full-time students (based upon earned credit hours).
2. A cumulative grade point average of 3.5 for part-time students (based upon earned clusters of 12 or more credits)

Grading

Letter grades are given to students and posted to each student’s transcript at the end of each semester. A grade represents an instructor’s evaluation of a student’s academic performance in a course and is determined by examinations and other criteria established by the College and the individual instructor. All grades are recorded on the individual transcript and remain as such unless revised and/or removed by action following the College’s Student Appeal of Grades Policy. (See Appeal of Grades.)

Grades are posted on the my.sussex.edu portal at the completion of each semester.

Letter grades AI through FI represents institutional credit. Institutional credits do not count in the grade point average, nor do they fulfill graduation requirements. Students who earn a grade of AI-CI in developmental courses are eligible to move to the next course in the sequence or to the next level.

Incomplete**

An Incomplete “I” may be given, at the initiation of a student and at the discretion of the faculty, only to students who have completed at least 80% of the required coursework with a grade of “C” or better. No “I” grade may be given without the submission of the signed form. The completion date is determined by the instructor, but in no case may the date exceed February 15th for grades issued in fall and winter semesters or terms or September 30th for grades issued in spring and summer semesters. After the deadline, if the “I” has not been changed by the instructor, the original “I” will be recorded as an “F.”

How to Calculate a Grade Point Average

Calculating a grade point average is a simple mathematical process. Quality points earned, QP, or “grade points,” are divided by the student’s quality credits.

Quality Points

Quality points (QP) earned are determined by multiplying the quality credits attempted in a course by the numerical value of the grade. For example, a “B” received in a three-credit course would yield nine quality points (3 x 3 = 9). When calculating quality points earned, some courses are excluded from the process. Transfer credits and grades received for exams (CLEP, AP, etc.) as well as grades for “IC” (institutional credit) courses are not counted.

Grade Point Average = Quality Points Earned (34) divided by Quality Credits Attempted (13) = 2.61

* “F” points are counted as credits attempted but produce “0” quality points

** “IC” courses (Institutional Credits) are counted neither in quality credits attempted nor as quality points.

Quality Credits Attempted

Quality Credits Attempted (Q Cr. Attempted) consists of all the college credits attempted by a student (including those failed, but not the exclusions above).

Example: (GPA = QP Earned/Q Credits Attempted); Grade Point Average = Quality Points Earned (34) divided by Quality Credits Attempted (13) = 2.62

Grade Appeal

Educational institutions are responsible for evaluating students by standards and a grading system which is publicized and known to instructors and students. The responsibility for determining the final grade of each student rests with the faculty member who has responsibility for teaching the course in which the student is responsible for demonstrating the learning which results in a final grade. A student who feels that the final grade he/she received in the class is unfair is entitled to an appeal.

Any student pursuing a grade appeal must follow the procedure outlined below. Students are responsible for taking action within the procedural timeline. Faculty secretaries are available to address student questions regarding the procedure. Grade appeals not following this procedure are not eligible for review.

Step One: The student must understand the policy and complete the appropriate form stating the exact nature of the appeal within two weeks from the end of the semester.

Step Two: The instructor must read the appeal, meet with the student, and grant or deny the student’s request.

Step Three: (a) If the professor is an adjunct or part-time instructor, the appropriate Program Coordinator or Department Chair must hear the appeal and attempt to resolve the problem. If no solution is reached, the appeal may be forwarded to the appropriate Division Dean, whose decision is final.

OR

Step Three: (b) If the professor is a full-time instructor, the Division Dean must hear the appeal and attempt to resolve the problem within five days of the start of the next semester. The decision of the Division Dean is considered final.

Auditing

Students may choose to enroll in a course, tuition free, on an audit basis, however, all course specific fees will apply.  If there are additional supplies students are typically responsible to provide when fully enrolled in a given course, then that same responsibility will exist for a student intending to audit the same course. No grade or credits shall be assigned to the course(s) selected for audit, and audited courses do not satisfy any degree requirements. A student may audit a class only if space is available to do so, providing that the appropriate area Dean deems the class appropriate for such circumstances. Students attempting to audit a course shall have satisfied all prerequisite requirements for that course on a credit basis unless they obtain a prerequisite waiver from the appropriate division dean or department chair. For courses with no prerequisites, SCCC has embraced a practice of direct self-choice whereby students are encouraged, through guided conversations, to best determine their readiness for courses.

Audit status must be declared in the Registrar’s Office by the tenth day of the semester (reference the Academic Calendar for the exact date each semester/term). Students may not change from credit to audit status or from audit to credit status after the tenth day of the semester. Forms requesting a change from credit to audit and vice versa are available in the Registrar’s Office.

Audited courses appear on the student’s transcript with a grade of “AU” and do not satisfy prerequisite requirements or indicate mastery of the subject material. Additionally, courses taken on an audit basis are not approved for veterans’ training, financial aid, or tuition waivers (with the exception of Sussex employees electing to audit a class as part of the standard tuition waiver benefit). Forms requesting a change from credit to audit and vice versa are available in the Registrar’s Office.

Faculty members in charge of the course being audited shall determine the extent to which auditing students may participate in class assignments and learning activities.

Incomplete Grades

An incomplete grade, “I,” may be given at the initiation of a student and at the discretion of the faculty, only to students who have completed at least 80% of the required coursework with a grade of “C” or better. No “I” grade may be given without the submission of the signed form.

The completion date is determined by the instructor, but in no case may the date exceed February 15th for grades issued in fall and Winter semesters or terms and September 30th for grades issued in spring and summer semesters or terms. After the deadline, if the “I” has not been changed by the instructor, the original “I” will be recorded as an “F.”

Repeat Courses

Students may repeat courses in order to improve grade point averages. In a repeated course, the highest grade is calculated in the grade point average and appears on the transcript as a “repeated course.” All instances of repeated courses and grades remain on the transcript; however, credit will be awarded only once.

A course may be repeated twice, i.e., an initial registration plus two repeats for a total of three. Should a student attempt to repeat a course a third time (4th registration), they will be barred from registration except as noted: Special Topics, Chorus and English for Speakers of Other Languages. In the event a course is retired and a replacement course designated, the repeat logic will apply to the designated replacement course.

In the event a course is retired and a replacement course not designated, the student will lose the repeat option. Students may appeal this policy in writing to the Senior Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs.

Satisfactory Academic Standing

To be classified as a student in satisfactory academic standing, any student, whether full-time or part-time, matriculated or non-matriculated, must maintain a grade point average of 2.0 or above.