• Unit of Credit
• Non-Traditional College Credit
• AP - Advanced Placement Examinations
• Certified Professional Secretary (CPS)
• CLEP - College Level Examination Program General Examinations
• Correspondence Credit
• CYBIS
• Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES)
• Departmental Proficiency Examinations
• Life Work Portfolio Experiential Learning Credit Options at the Undergraduate Level
• Law Enforcement and Corrections Training Credit
• Military Service Experience
• Excelsior College Examination
• Ponsi - National Program on Noncollegiate Sponsored Instruction
• Credit Load
• Classification of Students
• Academic Advisement
• Class Attendance
• Registration
• Undergraduates Registering in Graduate Courses
• Dropping Courses
• Withdrawal from the University
• Reporting Grades for Courses Dropped
• Prerequisites and Corequisites
• Proficiency in English
• Inclement Weather
• Grading System
• Grade Appeal
• Pass-Fail Grading
• Mid Term Grades
• Quality Points and Grade Point Average (GPA)
  • GPA Calculator
• Academic Status and Retention

Unit of Credit
The University offers instruction and grants credit on the semester system, with the academic year on the Main Campus including Fall and Spring semesters, and Summer term. One semester hour of credit is equivalent to 1 1/4 quarter hours credit. One quarter hour of credit is equivalent to two-thirds of a semester hour credit.

Non-Traditional College Credit
A student who intends to apply credit earned by correspondence toward teaching licensure or degree requirements must complete the Course Work Approval Form with their advisor and the Office of the Registrar for main Campus or the Information Window at Austin Peay Center @ Fort Campbell prior to enrolling.

While in residence at the University, the student may not take English Composition by correspondence. Students carrying the maximum load of credit hours may not register for additional credit to be earned during the same semester in correspondence courses, unless approved to do so by their advisor and dean.

Students may earn college credit for acceptable scores on the College Level Examination Program (CLEP), the Advanced Placement Examinations (AP) of the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB), locally administered Departmental Proficiency Examinations, the ACT Proficiency Examination Program (PEP), DANTES, PLATO/CYBIS, PONSI, and Military Service experience. The total amount of credit earned by a non-traditional method, including correspondence and extension credit, which is acceptable to apply toward a degree is limited to one-half the total number of credits required for the degree sought.

Correspondence Credit
Credit earned upon completion of correspondence courses taken from a regionally accredited university will be accepted. Students registered at APSU must have permission on the Course Work Approval form to take a correspondence course. While in residence at the University, the student may not take English Composition by correspondence.

CYBIS
Credits earned through interactive computerized instruction CYBIS will be evaluated using ACE guidelines.

Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES)
Credit earned through DANTES-Subject Standardized Tests (DSSTs) will be evaluated using ACE guidelines. DANTES are available from the Counseling & Testing Center.

Departmental Proficiency Examinations
Some academic departments give proficiency examinations to students under limited conditions in conjunction with an instructor who is willing to administer and grade the examination. Students should have the requisite knowledge and skills upon completion of existing courses, from previous experience, or personal expertise. Students should contact the respective department chair about potential courses for departmental proficiency examinations. Students must complete the Application for Departmental Proficiency form (available from the Office of the Registrar) and pay the respective fees prior to the examination. To be acceptable for credit the student must have attained a minimum grade of “B” on the examination.

Life/Work Portfolio Experiential Learning Credit Options at the Undergraduate Level
Austin Peay State University offers the Experiential Learning Program for assessing college-level knowledge gained through work and life experience.  Prior learning may be evaluated through a variety of assessment tools.  The tools may include departmental examinations, portfolios, external examinations, performance assessments or documented training programs, as determined by academic departments.  Each department may determine whether it will participate in the experiential credit process or accept credits earned via the portfolio process.  The following departments will particpate in the experiential credit process:  Communication and Theatre, Professional Studies, Health and Human Performance, and Computer Science and Information Technology.

A student may earn a maximum of 15 semester hours at the undergraduate level through experiential learning credit.  The APSU prescribe credit allocations for experiential credit fall within the established Southern Association of Colleges and Schools parameters for experiential credit.

Portfolio Development
Upon approval by the appropriate chair, a student may develop a portfolio for a course or courses offered by Austin Peay State University to gain college-level credit.  Portfolios are submitted to the faculty advisor and/or the department chair(s) of the appropriate department(s).  The process ideally includes a preliminary study of the portfolio, an interview with the student, and the determination of credit to be awarded by the faculty assessor.  A student seeking experiential credit via a life/work portfolio must complete an APSU non-credit portfolio development course through the Center for Extended and Distance Education.

The following regulations for experiential learning credit will apply"

1. Experiential learning credit will be granted upon the written recommendation of the chair of the department and/or designated faculty assessor having jurisdiction over the courses involved with department chair approval.
2. The applicability of experiential learning credit toward specific degree program requirements is subject to departmental approval.
3. A student may not fail a course at Austin Peay State University or any other institution and later receive credit for the same course through an experiential learning option.
4. Credit earned from non-accredited institutions may not be used as a basis for credit earned via a portfolio.
5. A student may not enroll in a course for credit or aufit at Austin Peay State University and subsequently seek credit through an experiential learning option.
6. No letter grades will be entered on the transcript for experiential learning credit.  The credit will be treated in the same way as transfer credit:  a "P" (Pass) will be assigned and it will not count in the grade point average.
7. A student earning experiential credit must meet the minimum residency requirements of 25 percent of the total number of credits required for the degree at Austin Peay State University.  This would include the specified residency hours of upper-level courses in the department should be aware that some program residency requirements exceed the university minimum residency requirements.
8. The privilege of seeking experiential learning credit is available to both full-time and part-time degree status students.  A student should meet with his or her program advisor at the beginning of the academic career at Austin Peay State University to determine how experiential learning may be applicable to the degree.  For further information, contact the Dean of Extended and Distance Education.
9. Students must choose CLEP, departmental challenge exams or other approved mechanisms to receive credit for prior knowledge when available in lieu of seeking credit via a portfolio.

Candidates for portfolio credit are:

• Returning student with significant work experience
• Employed at least 5-7 years in a particular field, with increasing responsibilities
• Highly organized - effective speakers and writers
• Highly motivated - will work independently to complete a project
• Able to reflect on work and training

Law Enforcement and Corrections Training Credit
Upon completion of one APSU course, a regular admitted student may request evaluation of training received from the Tennessee academies listed below. A maximum of one half of the credit required for the A.A.S. degree in Management Technology with a concentration in Police Science and Administration may be applied from a combination of this training credit. Fort Campbell personnel will review the certificates of completion for the following programs:

Metropolitan Police Department (Nashville)

LEN 1020 Criminal Law and Procedures (3)
LEN 1040 Police Firearms & Defensive Tactics (3)
LEN 1190 Unarmed Defense Tactics (3)
LEN 2080 Internship in Criminal Justice (3)
Total Maximum Credits (12)

Tennessee Basic Police School (Donelson)

LEN 1040 Police Firearms & Defensive Tactics (3)
LEN 2030 Criminal Evidence (3)
LEN 2080 Internship in Criminal Justice (3)
Total Maximum Credits (9)

Tennessee Department of Safety (Donelson)

LEN 1040 Police Firearms & Defensive Tactics (3)
LEN 2030 Criminal Evidence (3)
LEN 2080 Internship in Criminal Justice (3)
Total Maximum Credits (9)

Tennessee Department of Corrections (Tullahoma)

*LEN 1040 Police Firearms & Defensive Tactics (3)
COR 1050 Survey of Institutional Corrections (3)
*COR 1060 Introduction to Criminology (3)
COR 2090 Seminar in Corrections (3)
Total Maximum Credits (9)

*Juvenile Correctional Officers receive credit for COR 1060, instead of LEN 1040.

Military Service Experience
Students are eligible to receive non-traditional credit for military experiences after successfully completing one course at APSU and attaining regular student status. Military experience is evaluated using the appropriate ACE Guide recommendation. Students who have completed Basic Training are awarded two hours of Physical Activity and three hours of HHP 1250 –Wellness Concepts and Practices..

Excelsior College Examination
     The School of Nursing grants credit for the following Regents College Exam in nursing for (RN-BSN) registered nurses.
     If a student does not pass the examination, it may be retaken once. If the minimum score is not made, the RN/BSN student must take and pass that course within the APSU Nursing Program. Official scores must be sent to the APSU Office of Admissions and the School of Nursing. After careful review, a memo with scores attached will be forwarded to the Office of the Registrar for recording to the academic record. Contact the School of Nursing for additional information.

PONSI - National Program on Noncollegiate Sponsored Instruction
Credit earned through PONSI will be evaluated using the National PONSI guide.

Credit Load
A normal course load in a term is sixteen or seventeen semester hours. If you want to graduate in four years, you will want to take fifteen to eighteen hours. To be classified as a full-time undergraduate student during a Fall or Spring semester or Summer term, a student must register for at least 12 semester hours credit. Eighteen semester hours is the maximum number for which a student may register in the fall and spring semesters. Any deviation from this policy must be approved on an Overload form by the student’s advisor and/or the department chair and the dean of the college in which the student is majoring. An overload includes registrations at all colleges and universities including Fort Campbell during the semester.

The maximum undergraduate load in the Summer is eight hours for either five-week session or 14 hours for the entire Summer term.

Students on academic probation are recommended to limit their credit load to 14 hours during the Fall and Spring semester, or six hours at Fort Campbell or all Summer sessions.

The maximum load for a teacher education student enrolled for full-time Student Teaching is 18 hours; any exception to this policy shall be approved by the Director of Student Teaching prior to completing registration.

Academic Time Status Classification and Maximum Load

Students enrolled on both Main Campus and Fort Campbell will be considered full-time when enrolled in 12 hours of combined credits for the overlapping days of the semesters/terms, and be limited to a maximum of 18 hours. Students enrolling only at Fort Campbell will be considered full-time if enrolled for a minimum of six credit hours.

Classification of Students
Students will be classified on the basis of total semester hours earned as follows: Freshman 0-23; Sophomore 24-59; Junior 60-95; Senior 96 and above.