It is the University’s official policy that the responsibility for fulfilling graduation requirements and complying with Eastern’s academic policies rests with the student. Students must know what the graduation requirements are and complete them in a timely fashion. A student’s degree requirements are spelled out in detail in the University catalog in effect the year he/she was admitted to Eastern.
- Students must complete requirements for the Liberal Arts Core Curriculum and for an academic major.
- Thirty (30) credits of the baccalaureate degree must be taken at Eastern, with at least 15 credits of the major completed at Eastern.
- Students must maintain a 2.0 grade point average (GPA) at Eastern to remain in “good academic standing” and to continue at Eastern after accumulating more than 45 credits. The minimum acceptable cumulative GPA for students between 0 and 30 credits is a 1.8. For students with 30.01 to 45 credits, a minimum GPA of 1.9 is required. For students with more than 45 credits, a 2.0 is required. Failure to maintain the required GPA may result in a student being placed on academic probation or dismissed from the University. Students who fail to meet these academic standards may not hold an office in any student organization and should understand there may also be financial aid implications.
- Students must successfully complete a minimum of 120 credits. At least 60 of those credits must be from courses numbered 200 or higher, with 30 of the 60 credits from courses numbered 300 or higher.
- To earn credit toward graduation for courses taken at institutions other than Eastern, a student must have prior written approval from the Advising Center and comply with other procedures outlined in the Eastern Undergraduate & Graduate Catalog.
- Students should complete the mathematics liberal arts core curriculum (T1M) course, the LAC Tier I College Writing Requirement, and First-Year Introduction (FYI 100) within the first 30 credits of study. Students who fail the T1M or Writing course must take the course again the following semester.
- The Health and Wellness requirement (T1HW) must be completed within the first 60 credits of study.
- Students are strongly encouraged to fulfill their two semesters of foreign language requirements (if not met in high school) during the first 30 credits of study.
- In addition to completing all academic requirements, students must file an application for degree with the Registrar’s Office in order to graduate. The deadlines for submitting an application for a degree are as follows: August completion – February 15, December completion – June 15, May completion – October 15.
Student Course Loads
The standard course load for a full-time student is 15 credits per semester. A full-time student must carry a minimum of 12 credits per semester but can register for up to 17 credits during the initial registration period. In addition, during the open add/drop period, up to 19.5 credits may be taken by students who have attended Eastern full-time for one semester and have a cumulative grade point average of 2.7 or better. Up to 21 credits may be taken by those who have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better and who carried at least 18 credits in a previous semester at Eastern. No student will be allowed to register for more than 21 credits in any given semester. On rare occasions, exceptions to the course load requirements are made. Exceptions to these policies must be approved by the Advising Center Director and must be filed with the Registrar’s Office.
Please note that an additional per-credit tuition fee applies to those credits in excess of 18 per semester. Please check with the Bursar's Office for the per-credit fee.
Academic Advising
Eastern utilizes a dual advising model that includes both professional and faculty advisors. The University views academic advising as an essential educational service and encourages students to take full advantage of the available advising resources. Academic Advising for all undergraduate students is offered through the Advising Center within the Academic Success Center. Faculty advising services are coordinated within each academic department. Students are assigned to faculty advisor(s) and/or professional advisor(s), based upon their year at Eastern and their major field of study.
Students are encouraged to declare their major as early as possible during their academic career in order to graduate on time. Students must declare a major before completing 60 credits. Regular academic advising helps students to successfully plan and complete a program of study, and to make rewarding educational and career decisions. Faculty and professional advisors support students in their overall academic progress toward graduation, assist in gathering relevant decision-making information, and guide students in understanding policies, procedures and graduation requirements. However, it is the student’s responsibility to make appointments to meet with their advisor(s) and make all academic decisions.
Withdrawal from the University
To withdraw from the University, students must comply with the official withdrawal policy and procedure. If a student stops attending classes and does not officially withdraw, it is likely that failing grades will be entered on his/her permanent record. The deadline for withdrawing from the University is the last day of classes of an academic term. Such action should be initiated only in consultation with the Director of the Academic Services Center or her/his designee. Those who withdraw to avoid academic failure are not eligible for readmission in the following semester. Students who apply for readmission to the University following withdrawal may also need verification of good academic standing at the time of application for readmission. Finally, the failure to withdraw properly from the University may make it impossible to make refunds or provide recommendations. Financial aid recipients should check the impact of withdrawal on present and future aid at Eastern. Students with a serious medical condition may request a medical leave of absence by contacting the Vice-President of Student Affairs.
Leave of Absence from the University
Leaves of Absence are granted to full-time students who need to interrupt their studies. Leaves may be approved for one or two full semesters, but not less than one full semester, to students who intend to return to the University. Leave may not exceed six semesters.
Forms to file for a Leave of Absence are obtained from and returned to the dean of the school in which the student is matriculated. Students must specify the semester in which they expect to return. Dismissal from the University supersedes a leave of absence. A leave of absence is recorded on the student’s official transcript.
Students on leave must contact the Registrar’s Office to receive an appointment for registration for the semester of their planned return. Failure to register for the approved return semester will result in withdrawal from the University. A student wishing to return after the approved return date must apply for readmission.
Official Address
The address given on a student’s application for admission to the University will be used as his/her permanent/official address until the Registrar’s Office is notified of any change. All mailings from the University will be sent to that address. Students are required to immediately report any change of address to the Registrar’s Office. Please note that a student’s Eastern e-mail address is an official address for University correspondence. Students are responsible for any material sent from the University to their email account.
University Writing Competency Requirements
Students entering Eastern are required to complete an initial writing placement essay if they have not been placed by SAT score.. Students entering Eastern with fewer than 75 transfer credits must complete the following requirements:
Stage 1. ENG 100/College Writing (3 credits) or ENG 100P/College Writing Plus (5 credits). SAT/ACT scores and/or the writing placement essay determine which of these courses a student should take.
Stage 2. After passing ENG 100 or ENG 100P, students are required to demonstrate continuing competency in writing by passing designated sophomore/junior-level courses in their major. A particular department might ask its majors to fulfill this category in one of two ways: either 1) a single 200 or 300 level writing-intensive course in the major, or 2) two or more 200-300 level writing-enhanced courses in the major.
Passing Stage 2 is a prerequisite for Stage 3 of the Writing Competency requirements.
Stage 3. As a final demonstration of writing competency students must complete a designated 300-400 level writing-intensive course in the major. This course is different from and in addition to a Stage 2 writing-enhanced course.
Information about the major-specific course or courses required to meet Stages 2 and 3 can be obtained from the students’ department or academic advisor. A list of these requirements is also available on the University Writing Program’s website at Writing Program - Eastern.
Adding Courses
Students may add full-semester courses through the first week of the semester without written approval using eWeb. During the second week of the semester, courses may be added with written approval from the instructor and must be added at the Registrar’s Office.
Students may add less-than-full-semester courses prior to the first day of the class. During the first week of classes, the course may be added with written approval from the instructor.
In all cases, it is the responsibility of students to confer with their advisor(s) before making changes to their schedules.
In all cases, add requests are official only with final approval by the Registrar’s Office.
Please note that during the fall term 2022, the last day to add any course without instructor permission is August 29.
Dropping Courses
Students should drop a course only after a discussion with an academic advisor. Any reduction in course load may affect a student’s eligibility for financial aid, participation in intercollegiate athletics, health insurance, etc. Full-time students who are carrying less than a full-time course load (12 credits) at the end of the add/drop period, will be assigned part-time enrollment status.
Students may drop full-semester courses through the first week of the semester without written approval using eWeb. During the second week of the semester courses may be dropped at the Registrar’s Office.Please note that during the fall term 2022, full-semester courses could be dropped using eWeb until the end of the second week of classes.
Students may drop less-than-full-semester courses within the first week of class at the Registrar’s Office.
In all cases, it is the responsibility of students to confer with their advisor before making changes to their schedule. In all cases, drop requests are official only with final approval by the Registrar’s Office. Courses dropped by the established dates will not appear on a student’s permanent academic record. Courses officially not dropped by the deadline will appear on a student’s academic record with the appropriate grade assigned.
Withdrawing from Courses
A student who wishes to reduce his/her course load after the deadline for dropping the course must obtain a course withdrawal form from the Registrar’s Office.
The course withdrawal form requires the signature of the student’s academic advisor. The W grade will be recorded on the student’s permanent transcript but will not be used in calculating the grade point average. The completed form must be submitted to the Registrar’s Office. Withdrawing from a course does not change a student’s enrollment status. It may, however, affect a student’s eligibility for financial aid, participation in intercollegiate athletics, health insurance, etc. Due to immigration regulations, international students should consult with the coordinator of international programs prior to withdrawing from a course.
The course withdrawal deadline for full semester courses is no later than the 12th week of the semester. The course withdrawal deadline for less-than-full semester courses is no later than the end of the second third of the course. If a student has not withdrawn officially from a course before the deadline, the course will appear on his/her academic record with the appropriate grade assigned.
If a student cannot complete a course in the last two weeks of classes, due to verifiable extenuating circumstances, he/she is encouraged to consult with their instructor in regards to an “Incomplete” grade. If granted, the student is responsible for completing the work within six weeks after the beginning of classes of the first full semester following the granting of the “Incomplete grade.” If a grade is not submitted to the Registrar’s office by the deadline, an official grade of “F” will be recorded.
Note that in evaluating circumstances justifying the granting of an "Incomplete", the following represent sample cases in which an "Incomplete" will not be granted: missing the final examination and carrying "F" at that time; asking to improve the grade by doing extra work; requiring additional time to complete regularly assigned work, in the absence of a clearly defined emergency.
Course Changes or Cancellations
The University reserves the right to change the time a course is offered, and it reserves the right to cancel any course if there is insufficient student demand for the course.
Academic Dismissal
Students are subject to academic dismissal in accordance with the standards outlined in the Eastern undergraduate catalog. Students are reminded that academic deans have the prerogative to dismiss any student who is not making sufficient progress toward a degree.
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) Notice and Directory Information Policy
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (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 or University receives a request for access. Students should submit to the registrar, dean, head of the academic department, or other appropriate officials, written requests that identify the record(s) they wish to inspect. The College or University 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 College or University official to whom the request was submitted, that official shall advise the student of the correct official to whom the request should be addressed.
2. The right to request amendment of an education record that the student believes is inaccurate. Students may ask an appropriate College or University official to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate, misleading or a violation of the student’s right to privacy. However, FERPA is not intended to provide a process to question substantive judgments that are correctly recorded. Consequently, FERPA amendment requests do not allow a student to contest a grade in a course because the student believes that a higher grade should have been assigned.
To request amendment of an education record, the student should write to the official, clearly identifying the part of the record he or she wants to be changed and specifying why he/she believes it is inaccurate. The institution will notify the student of the decision. If the institution decides not to amend the record as requested by the student, a College or University official will 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 provide written consent before the College or University discloses personally identifiable information (PII) from the student's education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent. FERPA permits disclosure without a student’s prior written consent under the FERPA exception for disclosure to school officials who have a legitimate educational interest. A “school official” is a person employed by a College or University in an administrative, supervisory, academic, research, or support staff position (including law enforcement unit personnel and health staff); a person serving on the Board of Regents; an employee of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system office; or, a student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee. A school official also may include a volunteer or contractor outside of the College or University who performs an institutional service or function for which the College or University would otherwise use its own employees and who is under the direct control of the College or University with respect to the use and maintenance of PII from education records, such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent or a student volunteering to assist 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 responsibilities for the College or University. Upon request, the College or University also discloses education records to officials of another school in which a student seeks or intends to enroll without the prior consent of, or notice to, the student.
FERPA also permits disclosure of education records without consent in connection with, but not limited to:
- To comply with a judicial order or a lawfully issued subpoena;
- To appropriate parties in a health or safety emergency;
- In connection with a student's request for or receipt of financial aid, as necessary to determine the eligibility, amount or conditions of the financial aid, or to enforce the terms and conditions of the aid;
- To certain officials of the U.S. Department of Education, the Comptroller General, to state and local educational authorities, in connection with certain state or federally supported education programs;
- To accrediting organizations to carry out their functions;
- To organizations conducting certain studies for or on behalf of the College or University;
- The results of an institutional disciplinary proceeding against the alleged perpetrator of a crime of violence to the alleged victim of that crime with respect to that crime.
- Directory information as defined in the policy of the Board of Regents.
4. The right to refuse to permit the College or University to release Directory Information about the student, except to school officials with a legitimate educational interest and others as indicated in paragraph 3 above. To do so, a student exercising this right must notify the University's or College's Registrar, in writing. Once filed, this notification becomes a permanent part of the student's record until the student instructs the University or College, in writing, to remove it. A student may exercise his or her right to opt out of Directory Information, prohibiting disclosure of the student's information without the student's consent as noted in section 3, except however, that pursuant to the Solomon Amendment, military recruiters must be provided the same access to student information as is provided to nonmilitary recruiters.
5. The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by Colleges to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the Office that administers FERPA is:
Office of the Chief Privacy Officer
U.S. Department of Education 400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202-4605
Directory Information Policy
Acknowledging that Directory Information is FERPA protected information that may be disclosed at the discretion of a College or University, it is the policy of the Board of Regents for Higher Education for the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities that disclosure of Directory Information is within the sole discretion of the College or University. Colleges and Universities may disclose Directory Information without the prior consent of the student only as provided herein.
The Board of Regents for Higher Education has designated the following as Directory Information:
For purposes of access by school officials of the Colleges and Universities governed by the Board of Regents for Higher Education, the following is designated as Directory Information:
- Student’s legal name
- Permanent mailing address Month and day of birth Photographs
- Student identification number, User ID, or other unique identifier Email address
- Telephone number
- University or College previously attended or currently attending Dates of attendance
- Full vs. part-time student status Awards and honors
- Class standing/year
- Major, minor, concentration and/or program of study Degree(s)/Certificate(s) candidacy Degree(s)/Certificate(s) earned
- Previous Institutions attended Graduation expected/completion dates
- For purposes of access by military recruiters only, the following is designated as Directory Information (Student Recruiting Information):
- Student's legal name
- Permanent mailing address Telephone number
- Age
- Place of birth
- Class standing/year
- Major and/or program of study Degrees received
- Most recent educational institution attended
For purposes of participation in any recognized activity or sports, the following is designated as Directory Information:
- Student's preferred name
- Dates of attendance
- City and State of Residence
- Class standing/Year Recognized activity or sports team performance statistics & team position
- Photos and videos
- Awards
- Height and weight of the athlete
For purposes of disclosure to/access by the general public, the following is designated as Directory Information:
- Student's preferred name
- Permanent mailing address Photographs
- Dates of attendance
- Major, minor, concentration and/or program of study
- Degree/Certificate candidacy
- Degree(s)/Certificate(s) earned
- Awards
- Full vs. Part-time status
- Anticipated graduation date
- Graduation date
- Connecticut Community College Only - Student identification number, User ID, or another unique identifier
- Charter Oak State University Only – Email address
Policy on Appeal by a Student for a Change in a Final Grade:
1. A student who believes that an error or a palpable injustice has occurred in assigning a grade may request a change of grade, except when that grade was the result of academic misconduct. All grade appeals involving cases of academic misconduct must be pursued solely through the Academic Misconduct Appeals Process. Cases of simple error should be corrected at the instructor or chairperson stage of this process.
2. During any of the following procedures, the student or the faculty member may be accompanied to the meeting by a member of the college community as an observer and/or advocate. At any point, the instructor may choose to change the grade, or the student may choose to withdraw the appeal. No change of grade without the written consent of the instructor may be made prior to the hearing by the Grades Appeal Committee (see section 8 below).
3. At any step evidence to justify changing or not changing the grade may consist of attendance records; the instructor’s statement of course policies and objectives distributed on the first day of class; graded examinations and/or other assignments such as written papers; creative projects; standardized tests designed to show knowledge and/or skill in the questioned area; or additional assignments, which may be made by any of the people who are being asked to change the grade.
4. A student who believes a grade involved an error or a palpable injustice shall consult with the instructor of the course within three weeks after receipt of the grade or within three weeks of the first day of classes in the following semester. When a grade has been granted after the beginning of the semester (i.e., an incomplete changed to a letter grade), the conference with the instructor shall occur within three weeks after the student receives the grade. If the deadline for initiating the grade change appeal has passed because of the student’s physical and/or mental incapacity, the student may ask to have the deadline waived by petitioning (as appropriate) either the vice president of Student Affairs or the dean of Continuing Education, who, after investigation, may recommend to the appropriate academic dean that the deadline be waived. Upon written approval from the academic dean, the student may appeal to the instructor and follow the normal sequence thereafter.
5. If, after the consultation with the instructor, the student continues to believe that an error or palpable injustice has occurred and has not been remedied, the student shall, within two weeks, file with the chairperson of the department granting credit for the course a Grade Re-evaluation Request Form (available from the Registrar).
6. Within two weeks of receipt of the Grade Re-evaluation Request Form, the chairperson will convene and preside over a meeting between the instructor and the student. If the chairperson is the instructor who originally granted the grade, or is unavailable during the time period of the request, the meeting will be convened by another department member, selected at the beginning of each academic year as the alternate convener for a departmental level Grad Re-evaluation Request. The chairperson (or alternate) shall send a decision to the student within one week of the meeting.
7. If a further appeal is sought by the student after this decision, the student shall appeal in writing within one week to the dean of the school concerned. The dean will request the chair to forward the re-evaluation form and any appended materials and will, as appropriate, either meet with the student and instructor and/or convene the Grade Appeals Committee within two weeks of receipt of the student’s request. The committee shall consist of the dean of the school concerned (or designee); one teaching faculty person chosen by the University Senate for a three-year term, and one student in good academic standing chosen by Student Senate for a one-year term; and alternates for the latter two. The committee has the right to review materials, conduct investigations, and hold hearings as appropriate. Should the Grade Appeals Committee decide that a palpable injustice has occurred, it shall have the power to adjust the student’s grade. After the hearing, the dean shall send the committee’s decision to the student, instructor, and chairperson within one week.
8. If the instructor is deceased or cannot be located, the student may submit the Grade Re-evaluation Form to the chairperson who may deny the student’s appeal, recommend a grade change to the dean in cases where error has occurred, or, if a palpable injustice may have occurred, ask the appropriate dean to convene the Grade Appeals Committee. The student, if not satisfied with the chairperson’s decision, may ask the dean to convene the committee. The normal timelines for an appeal shall be followed.
9. No grade change involving instructor error or a palpable injustice shall be made at Eastern Connecticut State University except those made following the procedures stated above.
Honors and Honor Societies
- Kappa Delta Pi (Education)
- Omicron Delta Epsilon (Economics)
- Sigma Delta Pi (World Languages)
- Kappa Mu Epsilon (Mathematics)
- Psi Chi (Psychology)
- Delta Mu Delta (Business Administration)
- Alpha Mu Alpha (Business Administration)
- Omicron Delta Kappa (Leadership)
- Upsilon Pi Epsilon (Computer Science)
- Pi Alpha Theta (History)
- Sigma Tau Delta (English)
- Beta Beta Beta (Biology)
- Pi Sigma Alpha (Political Science)
- Alpha Upsilon Chi (Kinesiology and Physical Education)
- Alpha Kappa Delta (Sociology)
- Lambda Pi Eta (Communication)
- Pi Alpha (Social Work)
- Phi Theta Delta (Health Science)
- Alpha Omicron Delta (Honors Program)
- Alpha Mu Alpha (Marketing)
- Iota Iota Iota (Women's and Gender Studies Program)
- Omicron Delta Kappa (Finance)
- Chi Alpha Sigma (Athletics)
