Registration

Registration

Registration is the process of officially enrolling in the College, selecting a program of study, and paying all tuition and fees. Assistance will be given by the counselors and other staff members when registering, but final responsibility for completing the registration requirements rests with the student.

Dates for registration of new and continuing students are posted before each term. Students entering COM-FSM for the first time as freshmen or transfer students will be given an orientation.

Registration Procedure

Student Advisement

The objectives of the student advisement program are: (a) to ensure that students are aware of their program requirements and with the help of their advisor, follow the sequences of courses for their program to insure timely graduation. The dean of academic programs or her designee assigns students to advisors who are either a faculty member or a counselor.

Classes

Class Schedule and Changes in Student Class Schedule

The class schedule contains the semester offerings, as well as the time, instructor, room assignment, and enrollment limit of each course. This schedule is updated periodically during registration until classes begin.

Changes in student class schedule should be minimized. However, if a change is unavoidable, students should obtain the proper forms from the Office of Admissions, Records and Retention. A change will become official only after the proper forms have been signed and returned to the said Office.

Adding/Dropping a Course

Students may add or drop classes without financial or academic penalty during the add/drop period by completing and submitting to the Office of Admissions, Records and Retention (OARR) the add/drop form. Students who fail (a) to officially-add a course will not receive credit for the course, and (b) to officially-drop a course will be charged the full amount for the course.

Procedure for Adding/Dropping a Course

1. Get add/drop form from OARR. Form may also be downloaded from OARR’s webpage.
2. Complete the Add/Drop form, and get your academic advisor’s approval.
3. Submit to OARR the completed and academic advisor approved Add/Drop form.
4. Request a copy from OARR of your new Student Schedule.

Withdrawing from a Course

During the academic year, students can withdraw from individual courses after the add/drop period. Students should be aware of the following timeline and charges for withdrawing from a course:

• Withdrawals within the first week of classes will not be recorded on the students’ transcripts.
• A grade of W will be recorded on official transcript for withdrawals from course beginning the second week through the tenth week of instruction.
• A semester grade of F will be given for withdrawals from a course after the tenth week of instruction.
• Tuition will not be charged for withdrawals during the add/drop period.
• For withdrawals after the add/drop period, full tuition (100%) will be charged for the course.

For deadlines specific to summer sessions, please refer to the College’s published academic calendars.

Procedure for Adding/Dropping a Course

1. Get Withdrawal Card from OARR. Form may also be downloaded from OARR’s webpage.
2. Complete the Withdrawal Card, and get the approval of your academic advisor and course instructor.
3. Submit to OARR the completed and academic advisor approved Withdrawal Card.

Classification and Identification of Students

Freshmen

Students in a degree program who have earned less than 30 semester credits.

Sophomores

Students in a degree program who have earned from 30 to 70 semester credits.

Full-Time Students

Students who register for 12 or more semester credits in a regular semester or six credits in a summer session. For financial aid purposes, the full-time credit load is 12 semester credits for the fall and spring semesters, and six credits for summer session.

Part-Time Students

Students who register for less than 12 or semester credits in a regular semester or less than six credits in a summer session.

Credit Load

Credit load is defined as the number of semester credits that a student carries. An average load is 15 credits during regular semester, and six credits during the summer session.

Students are limited to a maximum load of 18 credits per regular semester, and six credits per summer session. Additional courses can only be taken with permission by the Vice President for Instructional Affairs.

Major Subject Area

The subject in which students plan to earn their degree is the major subject area. COM-FSM degree programs are listed and described later on in this catalog. Counselors are available to help students who have questions about or problems in choosing a major. The courses in the various majors are offered in sequence over several semesters.

Students who begin with one major then wish to change major must wait until the required sequence of courses in the new major is offered. They may have to wait as long as a year. Students are strongly advised to seek career counseling before declaring a major to avoid disrupting their program of study and lengthening their total time in college.

Auditing Classes

Students may be allowed to audit certain classes with the permission of the instructor after all students registering for credit have been enrolled. Auditing students receive no credit or grade for the course audited. Academic records are not maintained. The extent of classroom participation is at the option of the instructor. Auditing students must register and pay a nonrefundable fee of $20.00 per credit. Audited courses cannot be changed to credit status.