Policies

Academic Advising

  Be sure to also check the Advising FAQ.

 

 

Academic fresh start policy

Undergraduate students may petition once with the Registrar to exclude OSU courses from the calculation of institutional requirements, credits, and grade point average, under a condition of the academic fresh start policy. (It is AR 31 on the regulations page)

 

FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act)

Advisors are restricted by Federal Law (Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act) from releasing any information about a student’s class schedule, grades, transcripts, advising checklist, or other specific information to a third party (outside of OSU) without written permission from the student. Faculty/staff (pdf) are able to access student records as needed to fulfil one’s employment responsibilities; there must be a “legitimate educational interest,” which generally entails working directly with the student for whom information was requested. Access to student information does not permit disclosure of information to a third party without a student’s written permission. The Permission to Release Education Records form may be obtained through the Advising Office or from the Access to Records page on the Registrar's website. This form must be in the student’s file to allow any information to be released. For more information please contact the Office of the Registrar at 541-737-4331.

 

Incomplete grade policy

 A student may request an incomplete grade for a course that has not been completed if:

  • Reasons for the incomplete are acceptable to the instructor; and
  • Student is passing the course at the time of the request.

Refer to incomplete grade policy and practices to see how to request an incomplete grade.

 

Maximum retake policy

Beginning fall 2021, more than two attempts will be permitted to earn the required grade for a major/option or minor.

The policy applies to Ecampus, Cascades campus, or Corvallis campus majors/options and/or minors in:

  • Human Development and Family Sciences (HDFS)
  • Public Health (PH)
  • Nutrition (NUTR)
  • Health Management and Policy minor
  • Environmental and Occupational Health minor
  • Gerontology certificate

note

  • An attempt comprises a final grade in a course earned at OSU or another college or university, where the grade is: A, A–, B+, B, B–, C+, C, C–, D+, D, D–, F, S, U, P, NP or an I/Alternate Grade (where the Alternate Grade is one of these grades). See Academic Regulation 20: Repeated Courses.
  • Applies to students who declared a CPHHS major at any time.  
  • Students planning to apply to a health profession, or any other graduate program are advised NOT to take courses required for admission multiple times. Multiple attempts at a course will negatively impact their ability to gain admission to a graduate program.
  • Students in the Dietetics option should not take degree-required courses multiple times since multiple attempts at a course will negatively impact their ability to find a Dietetic Internship.  
  • Students who change their major to Kinesiology from HDFS, PH, or NUTR major will NOT be allowed to apply the third attempt at a course to earn the required grade for the major/option without an approved petition.
  • Students are responsible for informing their advisor once they have earned the passing grade for a course. Once notified, the advisor may enter a force complete for the requirement.  
  • The above policy change is NOT retroactive. Grades earned for courses before Fall 2021 will fall under the former policies.

Second graded attempts should be retaken where they were taken originally.

If you plan to repeat a course please see OSU Repeated Courses.

 

Minimum GPA policy

Beginning fall 2021, OSU students can change their major offered in the CPHHS, regardless of their cumulative OSU GPA.

note

  • Some programs may have GPA or course grade requirements that impact progress towards degree completion.

 

Minimum grade policy

Effective calendar year 2017-2018, a grade of C– or higher is required for all courses in a student’s undergraduate program of study. This policy applies to all courses and associated prerequisite courses in a student's undergraduate program of study for a major, minor or certificate as listed in the online course catalog.

Some programs have an additional grade and/or GPA criteria, which must be met in addition to this grade policy.

Baccalaureate Core courses are not subject to this policy unless they serve as courses required in or prerequisites for a student's major, minor, or certificate.

The College of Public Health and Human Science’s major in Kinesiology does not accept third-course attempts taken at OSU or transferred in from other institutions to meet individual course requirements within the Kinesiology major.

  • Effective Fall term 2014. Third or subsequent attempts taken prior to Fall term 2014 may be considered to meet major program of study requirements. The Exercise and Sport Science and Athletic Training majors stopped allowing third or subsequent course attempts effective Fall term 2013.

 

Student dispute resolution policy

The Student Dispute Resolution Policy for the College of Public Health and Human Sciences (CPHHS) provides students with a mechanism to address and resolve questionable treatment by members of the CPHHS including faculty, staff and administrators.

 

S/U policy

Beginning fall 2021, students have the option to change their grading basis to S/U as long as they plan on repeating the course for a normal (A-F) grade.

The policy applies to Ecampus, Cascades campus, or Corvallis campus majors/options and/or minors in:

  • Human Development and Family Sciences (HDFS)
  • Public Health (PH)
  • Nutrition (NUTR)
  • Health Management and Policy minor
  • Environmental and Occupational Health minor
  • Gerontology certificate

note

  • Grades of S will not be applied to major requirements. The student's responsibility is to retake the classes for which they earned an S or U grade and subsequently earn the required letter grade (A-F).
  • Applies to students who declared a CPHHS major at any time.  
  • The above policy change is NOT retroactive. Grades earned for courses before fall 2021 will fall under the former policies.

Students in the Kinesiology major or Exercise Sport Science minor may not use S/U grading any required course (including prerequisites for major/minor required courses). Kinesiology students may, however, use S/U grading for Bacc Core classes and electives (including courses offered by their major or minor department), if not required for the major or minor.

  • Students may elect to change a course graded on an A-F basis to a Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) basis.
  • A grade of S or U has no grade point equivalent and is not used in the GPA calculation.
  • Instructors do not know which students have changed their grading basis, and submit A-F grades for everyone at the end of the term.
  • Students earning a C- or higher in the class will get an S grade on their transcript and receive full credit for the course.
  • Students earning a D+ or lower in the class will get a U grade on their transcript and receive no credit for the course.

While major/minor courses typically require a C- or above, Baccalaureate Core and elective courses only require a D- or above. Students who elect S/U grading basis will have a U on their transcript if they earn a grade below a C.

Therefore, if a student earning a D+, D, or D- in a Baccalaureate Core or elective course and chose to S/U the course, the course would NOT apply to the degree and the course would need to be repeated, or the student would need to take a different course to fulfill their degree requirement.

More information in Academic Regulation 18: Alternative Grading Systems.

See the Office of the Registrar’s Change of Grading Basis for more S/U information and to learn how to request the S/U grading option.

If you answer “yes” to any of these questions, we recommend you research the potential impacts of choosing S/U grading with your advisor, as there may be ramifications associated with your choice that would impede progress to your goal.

  • Are you currently working to increase your cumulative GPA or increase earned credits for Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) to regain or to continue receiving financial aid?
  • Are you currently working to increase your cumulative GPA or increase earned credits for Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) to regain athletic eligibility?
  • Are you currently working to increase your term and cumulative GPA to be removed from Academic Warning/Probation?
  • Are you retaking a course you previously failed?
  • Do you need to improve your GPA to maintain a scholarship?
  • Do you need to maintain a certain number of credit hours with regularly graded courses for a scholarship or grant?
  • Are you planning to transfer (we hope not) to another college/university?
  • Are any of the courses you are taking this term required prerequisites for a professional or graduate school? If yes, does the institution you plan to apply to require traditional grading (A-F) for prerequisite courses?