Academics: The Basics

Academic questions? See the Undergraduate Bulletin at catalog.apsu.edu.

Academic Calendar
View important dates on the Academic Calendar.

Course Syllabus
Your student will receive a syllabus in each class. The syllabus includes information such as class attendance, policies, required materials and textbooks, instructor contact information, assignments and due dates. Students should use their syllabus to plan for assignments and to help manage time.

Class Load

The basic unit of all college work is the “semester credit hours.” For undergraduate students, twelve (12) semester hours for Fall or Spring semester is a full-time load in determining such things as veteran status, financial aid, and insurance eligibility.

To determine your eligibility for Clarksville campus and our Fort Campbell campus, please visit the Financial Aid website at www.apsu.edu/financialaid. However, the usual load for a full-time undergraduate student is at least 15 semester hours. Because the summer term is approximately one-third the length of the semester, the workload for one course is three times as heavy. APSU strongly recommends students register for no more than six (6) semester hours in each summer term. Graduate students who enroll for eight (8) hours during the semester are considered full-time.

Class Attendance: It’s expected.

Students are expected to attend class regularly, to participate in class and to be prepared with assignments. The University requires all faculty to report students who have never attended or who stopped attending class. The impact of class attendance on the final grade is at the purview of the teaching faculty, and faculty will inform class members of their attendance policies through a course syllabus distributed at the beginning of the semester or term. Irregular attendance may result in a referral to the Office of Undergraduate Persistence (Academic Notify). 

Unless the student is officially representing the University off-campus, the discretion of the instructor determines the action regarding missed exams or work.

Class absenteeism that results in the grade of “FA” (failure: stopped attending and reported within 14 days of the last date of attendance) or “FN” (failure: never attended and reported within the first 14 days of class) may adversely affect the student’s time status, and financial aid repayment of lottery scholarship and/or veteran’s benefits. Grades of "FA" are awarded for courses when a student stops attending class and the grade of "FN" is awarded for courses when a student never attends the class.

Student Classification
The classification of undergraduate students is based on number of credit hours they have earned as follows:

• Freshman = 0-29 credit hours earned
• Sophomore = 30-59 credit hours earned
• Junior = 60-89 credit hours earned
• Senior = 90 and above credit hours earned

Registration and Academic Advising

Students are assigned a faculty or professional adviser at the time of initial enrollment. Students can see their academic adviser’s name in OneStop on the academic advising page. The adviser helps students clarify personal goals, career options, courses of study, program requirements and educational needs. While the adviser assists the student to identify and assess the alternatives and the consequences of academic decisions, academic choices rest with the students. Each department and college has policies specific to advisement. Students who have not declared a major will be assisted in choosing an academic focus and appropriate core courses by student success coordinators. Freshmen will be assigned to a professional academic advisor, either in their College or with Student Success. Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors will be advised by the department of their declared major.

Currently enrolled students may use this checklist as a brief summary of registration requirements. During or before the designated preregistration period:

• Students will receive priority registration information by APSU email. The student should then schedule an appointment with their academic adviser.
• Once a student has been advised, they will be able to register through AP OneStop starting on their designated date.
• Prior to preregistration, students should check AP OneStop (onestop.apsu.edu) for any registration holds. All registration holds must be removed prior to preregistration. There are several types of holds that can prevent a student from preregistering.
• Some of these holds include, but are not limited to: 
  
  

  Type of Hold	Office to Contact
  Financial Aid debt	Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships
  Balance due to the University	Student Account Services
  Graduate maximum hours	Student’s Graduate College Coordinator
  Health Services fees due	Student Account Services
  Library fines/overdue books	Library
  Traffic fines	Student Account Services

• Students should access OneStop (onestop.apsu.edu) to register in accordance with their first registration dates as indicated in the priority preregistration email.
• After preregistration, students may make adjustments to their schedules through AP OneStop. Any adjustment made to a schedule after the date fee statements are printed will not appear on the statement, but for verification, students may check their current schedules in AP OneStop.
• After registering, students must meet the fee payment deadlines and confirm their classes or classes will be dropped.

UNIV 1000
All first time freshman and students who enter with fewer than 12 hours earned in a college/university after high school must enroll in UNIV 1000. In this class, students have the opportunity to work in groups with other new students, learn how to navigate the APSU academic system and develop skills that encourage academic success. Students must earn at least a C in order to pass the course.

Online/web-based classes

Distance Education supports learning, teaching, and technology in the online environment which impacts all courses –online, hybrid, face-to-face, etc. Our staff manages and provides resources and training on several technologies used while learning at APSU including the D2L online classroom, Tutor.com online tutoring, Zoom web conferencing, Examity and Honorlock online proctoring, YuJa media management, SmarterMeasure Learning Readiness Indicator, and Turnitin academic writing integrity tools.* Students may encounter one or more of our supported tools in any course. Besides direct support to students, we also collaborate with faculty to improve course quality, technology integration, and design.

Distance Education staff can assist you with any of the technologies listed above or with general questions about online learning. Our support desk, Distance Education Support, can be reached Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at online@apsu. edu, 931-221-6625, or in McReynolds 216. Additionally, our Distance Education website, www.apsu.edu/online, has a wealth of information including an introduction to online courses guide, technology training resources, FAQ, helpful tips, and much more.

Important Tips to Get Started

Access to courses in D2L will begin two business days before the official start of classes. Log into your online courses the first day and continue to check them daily. Online courses are not self-paced; courses begin and end on specific dates and class work has assigned deadlines. Refer to the course syllabus posted within each course for more information about the course format and deadlines. Stay up-to-date on assignments. As an online learner, it is your responsibility to manage your time and keep track of assignment due dates. Reach out to faculty and use academic support resources as much as needed to stay successful in your courses. Stay connected with APSU and your online classes by downloading the Peay Mobile and D2L Pulse apps.

Dropping Classes
Students receiving financial aid should always consult with the Office of Financial Aid prior to dropping a course. Dropping a class can cause financial aid to be lowered especially if the student drops below full-time. Dropping may also affect satisfactory academic progress, which also affects financial aid. After a student has officially registered for a class, the student is considered to be a member of the class unless the student officially drops the class, officially withdraws from the University, is canceled by administrative authority or is permanently excluded. All financial obligations are retained when the student discontinues class attendance without officially dropping or withdrawing from the University. Dropping a class or classes or complete withdrawal may require repayment of financial aid, loss of lottery scholarship eligibility, and/or loss of VA benefits. 

Withdrawal from the University

Not attending class does not remove the student from the class, relieve students from their financial obligations, or entitle them to a refund. Students who withdraw before the first day of class will not incur tuition liability. Students receiving financial aid should meet with the financial aid counselor prior to withdrawal. Students will be responsible for charges in accordance with the refund schedule on the academic calendar.

Students who confirmed their registration must withdraw officially from the University if they decide not to attend APSU. Official withdrawals must be completed online in AP OneStop. For questions regarding withdrawals, please contact the Office of the Registrar at 931-221-7150.

Withdrawal from the University may require repayment of financial aid, loss of lottery scholarship eligibility, and/or loss of VA benefits. Official withdrawals are completed online in OneStop.

Academic Status, Probation and Suspension
Three levels of academic status exist: good standing, academic probation, and academic suspension. Students placed on academic probation or academic suspension receive notification from the Office of the Registrar at the end of the semester the status was earned. Students should check APSU email for official notification.

Good Standing means that the student is meeting the minimum standard for retention.

A student will be placed on academic probation at the completion of any semester/term when the student’s cumulative GPA falls below the minimum requirement as stated in the Undergraduate Bulletin. Freshmen and sophomores placed on academic probation will be required to participate in and successfully complete the PASS academic strengthening program. Contact the Office of Student Success at (931) 221-6643 for information about the program.

Students on academic probation who fail to earn the required GPA for that semester or raise their overall GPA to the required minimum will be suspended for the next semester. A student who is academically suspended for the second time will be suspended for one calendar year. Suspended students may file a written appeal with the Office of the Registrar no later than the deadline indicated in the suspension letter. Students who are indefinitely suspended must wait one year before they are permitted to appeal.

Conditionally admitted students enter on probation and will be subject to suspension after the first semester if their semester GPA is less than 1.50 and are not allowed to appeal. See the Undergraduate Bulletin online for additional requirements and details.

Office of the Registrar - (931) 221-7150
The Office of the Registrar maintains student academic records — courses registered for, attempted and completed, grades, transcripts, course substitutions, change of majors, residency status (in-state, out-of-state) and coordinates the registration process. The office provides registration assistance, verification of enrollment, address and official name changes, and questions related to graduation and course transfer equivalency. Most registration information, including grades, is available in Self Service through OneStop.

The Office of the Registrar is also responsible for the following:

• The FERPA release form allows students to authorize the release of confidential academic, financial aid, discipline and student account information otherwise protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) to designated persons. These designated persons will have access to the student’s grades and progress reports, certain disciplinary records and other information related to academic progress, financial aid and student financial accounts. For instructions on how to complete the FERPA release visit https://www.apsu.edu/registrar/resources/FERPAStudentInstructions.pdf
• Official withdrawal is ONLY completed if the student is dropping all classes for the semester. The withdrawal process is completed in OneStop by clicking the ‘Withdraw from APSU’ link.
• Enrollment verification for insurance, scholarship, tax or personal purposes, students request an enrollment verification in OneStop.
• Privacy hold/release forms are completed if the student would like a privacy hold on their account. With this hold, the University cannot release any student information or registration status to anyone. The form is at https://www.apsu.edu/registrar/files/PRIVACY_INFORMATION_FORM.pdf and click on “Privacy Hold/Release Form.”

Austin Peay Center at Fort Campbell (FCC)
Uniformed military personnel, veterans and civilians may take classes and can earn an associate, bachelor’s or master’s degree through the Austin Peay Center at Fort Campbell. FCC offers online, classroom, day, small-class sizes and evening course offerings. Many courses are fully online so students can PCS and continue to work toward the degree. The center offers accelerated 7.5-week terms five times per year. Visit the academic calendar at www.apsu.edu/registrar/acadcal. Students without military affiliation can receive a semester pass for hassle-free entry to the installation throughout the term. Staff will also evaluate students’ military experience for academic credit to help achieve academic goals sooner.

Inclement Weather Protocol
APSU may remain open during periods of inclement weather. To be notified if classes are canceled or the University is closed due to inclement weather, students should sign up for AP Rave Alert text messaging. Students may also check email and the APSU homepage for cancellation or closing notices. Unless the University officially cancels classes, students are responsible for any academic work missed as a result of inclement weather. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the instructor in order to make up any missed work. In cases of severe inclement weather and hazardous roads, students are to exercise their own judgment in making decisions about class attendance.