Academic Regulations

Full-time Course Load

Determination of full-time and part-time status at Selkirk College is based on the number of credits per semester.
 

• All post-secondary certificate, diploma, degree and university transfer programs (excluding trades and vocational) are standard undergraduate programs. Students are considered full-time if they are enrolled in nine credits, which is 60% of a standard course load.
• Students are considered part-time if they are enrolled in less than nine credits.
• Trades students are considered full-time if they are enrolled in the entire program as outlined in the college calendar.
• Upgrading/SOAR students are considered full-time if they are enrolled in two courses, which is 60% of a standard course load.
• Academic non-credit* programs are considered full-time based on a minimum 20 instructional hours per week.
  *Community Education & Workplace Training programs are excluded.

Disability status: Students with approved disability status are considered full-time if they are enrolled in six credits (40%). Eligibility for a reduced course load will be determined by Accessibility Services.

Definitions

• 100% standard course load: 15 credits per semester.
• Full-time status: nine credits, which is 60% of a 100% course load.
• Part-time status: less than nine credits per semester.
• Disability status: six credits, which is 40% of a 100% course load. (Note: To be eligible for disability status, students must be registered and approved by Accessibility Services.)

Audit

A student who is interested in participating in a credit course but who does not wish to complete assignments, write examinations or receive credit may enrol as an audit student provided space is available. Not all courses may be audited. Written permission to audit must be given by the instructor and school chair.

Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) is assessment by valid and reliable means, and by qualified specialists, of what has been learned through non-formal education/training or experience. Such learning may be eligible for advanced standing or credit in a course or program offered by Selkirk College.

The assessment of individuals' knowledge, skills and experience enables individuals to gain recognition and credit for what they already know and can do. The goal is to improve access to post-secondary education and to recognize non-traditional ways of learning.

It is important to recognize that the key to the PLA is the learning that has occurred, not the experience itself. Applicants are guided and assisted through the process. There is a requirement to produce documentation of evidence of learning that meets the criteria for the course or program. Normal course fees apply.

Contact the appropriate school chair for more information about PLA.

Domestic students wishing to withdraw from a course or program prior to the course start date can do so via their online student record. All international students wishing to withdraw from a course or program prior to the course start date must meet with a counsellor.

All students wishing to withdraw from courses or a program after the start date must complete a Course Registration Change Form and return it to the Admissions and Records Office by the deadline dates. See Important Dates.

Non-attendance by itself does not constitute withdrawal from a course or program. A student is considered registered until a Course Registration Change Form has been submitted. It is the student's responsibility, not the instructor's, to ensure an official withdrawal has been completed.

If a student withdraws from a course, it will not show up on official transcripts.

Students must submit a Course Withdrawal Form by the advertised deadline to receive a "W." Otherwise a "DNW" is awarded. This form can be found here.

A DNW carries a grade point value of 0.00.

Honesty is expected and required of all students. The purpose of this section of the policy is to deal with honesty in the conduct of all examinations, essays, reports and other assignments prepared or completed by students pursuant to the requirements of a Selkirk College program or course.

Cheating is defined as dishonest or deceptive conduct or attempted conduct by which individuals or groups of individuals use or attempt to use unauthorized aids, assistance, materials and methods to represent others academic work, training and standards as their own.

Plagiarism is defined as the presentation or submission of work or data (published or unpublished in any form), done in whole or in part by other persons, without citation or credit, as the student's own work.

The submission of one's own work for credit in more than one course without the expressed knowledge of the instructors involved is forbidden. Selkirk College will not condone, nor will it accept work submitted to obtain credit that was produced through cheating or plagiarism.
 

• First offense: The assignment, test, exam, paper, project or other work involved will be awarded a grade of zero and be incorporated into the calculation of the final grade.
• Second offense: The student will be required to withdraw from the course.
• Further offense: The student will be required to withdraw from the college.
• A record of the foregoing will be kept in the student's official record.
• Depending on the nature of the offense, the first two steps may be bypassed, following consultation of instructor, school chair, dean and/or registrar. 

To be eligible to continue studies in subsequent semesters, students must obtain minimum GPAs defined in program policies approved by the Program Quality Committee.

"P" grade is the minimum pass standing for credit and is not normally sufficient standing to serve as prerequisite for subsequent courses in the same subject area.

A student may be placed on probation for academic or behavioral reasons as outlined in specific departmental policies. Students may appeal a grade or other decisions by following the student appeals procedure.

A student who is dissatisfied with the final grade awarded in any course may appeal within five working days of receiving the grade. Please review Student Appeals (8400) Policy.

The first steps in the appeals process are:
 

• Contact the course instructor in writing within five working days.
• Contact the school chair in writing within five working days.
• Contact the dean in writing within five working days.

Students have the right to have an ombudsperson with them in the appeal process. For assistance in accessing this support, please contact the Selkirk College Students' Union.

• Students are advised to seek academic counselling prior to selecting a program or course.
• Students are responsible for ensuring that program requirements and transferability requirements are met. 
• Students are responsible for the completion and accuracy of their registration. 
• When registering, if a student chooses to be placed on a waitlist for a course, the onus is on the student to check with the Admissions Office as to his/her status on the waitlist. If space becomes available, that seat is automatically given to the student at the top of the waitlist. The Admissions Office does not contact a student if a seat becomes available. 
• Students will receive credit only for courses in which they are officially registered. Students must notify the Admissions and Records Office in writing of any course changes, section changes, course deletions, course additions, program withdrawals and change of name or address.
• Students are responsible for meeting deadlines for tuition and fee payment.
• Students are responsible for contacting the Selkirk College Students' Union office regarding exclusion from the extended Health & Dental program by the published deadline each term.
• Students are responsible for attending lectures, laboratories, field trips, seminars, tutorials and examinations. Poor attendance, compromising safety, disruption of the learning opportunities of others, and the destruction of property are causes for compulsory withdrawal.

Students who have attended a post-secondary institution may apply for transfer credit for courses completed. Depending on the nature of these courses, transfer credit may be used to satisfy Selkirk College program requirements or to provide prerequisites for college courses. Up to 75 per cent of a Selkirk College certificate, diploma or associate degree may consist of credit obtained from studies completed at another accredited post-secondary institution. Information about the procedures for obtaining transfer credit is available from the Registrar's Office. Students wishing to receive transfer credit are strongly advised to apply at the time of application to the program. When transfer credit is to be used as a prerequisite, students need to apply for credit well before the semester in which the prerequisite must be met.

Transfer credit accepted by Selkirk College may not be accepted by another institution, nor for the purpose of Canada Student Loans or BC Provincial Loans. Such credit is not considered part of the student's course load. A "P" or better is required to obtain transfer credit. Students who pass the College Board Advance Placement Test may be considered for advanced placement.