Academics

Policies

President’s List

A full-time student will be named to the President’s List by achieving a term GPA of 3.5 or higher. The President’s List is published following each semester.  Students receiving an incomplete grade (“I”) in any class are not eligible for the President’s List.

Degree Honors Designation

A graduate will be granted High Honors by maintaining a 3.75 or higher cumulative grade point average. A graduate will be granted Honors by maintaining a 3.5 – 3.74 cumulative grade point average. 

Class Schedule Change (Drop/Add)

Any changes in a student’s registration (including adding or dropping a course) must be completed on a Course Drop – Add Form. (Courses are not dropped by discontinuing attendance.) Semester courses may be added through the 5th day of a semester or with the approval of the course instructor, or dropped through the 10th day of classes each semester. Courses scheduled in shorter modules may be added or dropped through the 3rd day of such classes.

Adding and/or dropping a course after the 10th day requires approval signatures of the student and the course instructor. If the proper drop/add procedure is not followed, the student may fail the course.

Courses dropped during the first 10 days of the semester will not be recorded on transcripts. From days 11-48, the student who withdraws will be issued a grade of “W” to indicate official withdrawal. (A “W” grade is not computed in the student’s grade point average.) Students will not be allowed to withdraw from courses after the 48th day except under unusual circumstances and with the approval of the Vice-President for Academic Affairs.

Adding or dropping a course is not considered official until it has been processed through the Registrar’s Office. The official date of the add/drop is the date the form is filed in the Registrar’s office. Students discontinue a course without completing the proper paperwork after the drop/add period will still be considered enrolled in the course and will receive a failing “F” grade for the course. Courses dropped after the add/drop period has expired are not eligible for a refund, unless the student is withdrawing from school entirely. (See Withdrawing from School)

Summer Session

Courses dropped during the first 3 days of the summer session will not appear on the student’s transcript.  Students may withdraw from a summer class and receive a grade of “W” through the 10th day of the class. No withdrawal from a summer class is permitted after the 10th day of the class.

WITHDRAWAL FROM SCHOOL

Official Withdrawal

Students planning to withdraw from school entirely are required to complete a “Withdrawal Form” available in the Registrar’s Office. On rare occasions, completing the form is not possible for the student, then a formal notification to the Registrar’s Office or Retention Coordinator should be made either by email or phone. A student is not officially withdrawn from the institute until the proper withdrawal form is filed with the Registrar’s Office. Academic Activity is NOT:

The process for officially withdrawing from school is:

  • Complete a withdraw form available in the Registrar’s Office.
  • Complete an exit interview with the Retention Coordinator, Learning Services Coordinator, or the Registrar.
  • Complete an exit interview with the Financial Aid Office.

Students withdrawing entirely from school, wishing to re-enroll at a later date, are required to complete a new Application for Admission.

Refunds for Official Withdrawals are based on the Tuition Refund Process. The date of the completed withdraw form that is submitted to the Registrar’s Office will determine the amount, if any, of a tuition refund after Title IV funds have been returned to to the federal government. Students receiving an earned grade for any course during the semester are not eligible for a refund. (See the Business Office for a refund schedule)

Unofficial Withdrawal (non-active students)

Students who leave Mitchell Tech without completing the required withdrawal paperwork and have all unearned failing grades (failing due to non-academic activity)are considered “unofficial withdrawals. Students that are considered Unofficial Withdrawals will receive all failing grades for their coursework and their withdrawal date will be considered the midpoint of the semester (mid-terms). A 50% refund for unofficial withdrawals will be applied. A  Return of Title IV funds will be calculated and federal funds will be sent back to the Department of Education.

Please note: When an Unofficial Withdraw is applied, Mitchell Tech has the right and will bill the student for the federal funds that are sent back to the Department of Education. 

Academic Activity Defined:

For students to receive federal financial aid, student must have academic activity. If academic activity isn’t confirmed in each class, federal financial aid will be cancelled or reduced based on the classes where academic activity is confirmed. 

The United States Department of Education defines Academic Activity as:

  • Physical attendance where there is direct interaction between the instructor and student;
  • Completion and submission of an academic assignment, quiz or exam;
  • Participation in a study group as assigned by the instructor;
  • Participation in an online discussion;
  • Initiated contact with the instructor pertaining to an academic course.

Academic Activity is NOT:

  • Logging into an online class or MyTech
  • Meeting with an academic advisor

Re-entry of Withdrawn Students

Student who have withdrawn from enrollment and would lie to re-enroll are required to submit an Application for Admission. The student’s academic record and financial standing with Mitchell Tech will be reviewed prior to acceptance.  Students who were previously suspended from a program, did not show satisfactory progress in a program, violated Mitchell Tech policies or state or federal laws, or have an outstanding financial obligation to the Mitchell Tech  may be denied acceptance. Re-entry students are subject to being placed on a waiting list if their chosen program is full.

Withdrawal for Military Activation

Students who are members of the National Guard or reserves who are activated and have attended classes for 75% of the semester during which they are called to active duty, will be allowed to receive the grade they have earned and given full credit for the class/course, providing it is a C or better.  Students who are activated prior to 75% of a complete semester will receive a “W”.

Repeating a Course

Students who have failed a course may need to repeat it to meet graduation requirements.  Students may choose to repeat a course in an attempt to raise an undesirable grade. Financial aid restrictions may apply. In the event a student repeats a course, both grades are recorded on the student’s Mitchell Technical College academic records. Only the grade from the second attempt will be calculated into a GPA.

Attendance

Enrollment in Mitchell Tech assumes maturity, seriousness of purpose and self-discipline. Every student is expected to attend each meeting of all classes for which he/she is registered, to arrive on time and to stay for the full class period. Mitchell Tech recognizes that absences occur as a result of circumstances beyond a student’s control, as well as from a student’s failure to accept responsibility for attending class regularly. It is with the intent of providing for orderly management that Mitchell Tech has established the following rules:

  • Instructors shall establish attendance policies for each class.  Students are expected to become familiar with these policies and follow them.
  • Attendance shall be taken and recorded at each regularly scheduled class meeting.
  • Tardiness and leaving class early may be treated in the same manner as absences.
  • Instructors may excuse absences when the absence results from illness, accident, death in family, religious observance, holidays and other circumstances beyond the student’s control, or for participation in authorized professional or Institute activities.
  • Instructors shall determine what work should be made up.
  • Final grades may be affected by attendance to the extent that the instructor has included attendance in the “method by which the final grade is determined” and has provided this information to the students in the course syllabus.
  • All rosters shall be cleared of inactive enrollment as of the 10th day of the semester.  Inactive enrollment results when students do not attend the first 10 days of class.
  • All drops and withdrawals shall be recorded on the student’s record in the same manner.

Student Academic Load

The maximum load to be carried during any semester by a student (including both face-to-face and online courses) is 21 credit hours or the number of hours specified in the curriculum for the particular semester, whichever is larger. A student who has attained a grade-point average of 2.5 on a load of at least 15 credit hours for the preceding semester may be permitted by the Vice-President for Academic Affairs to carry extra credit hours.

Mid-Term Grades/Student Progress

Each semester instructors will record mid-term grades.  This information is available to students through MyTech and will be shared with Student Services Staff to better inform the academic advisors on the progress of their students. Non-active students will be withdrawn from Mitchell Tech at the point of Mid-Term. Refer to the Unofficial Withdrawal (non-active students) policy.

Incomplete Grades

Students with incomplete grades (“I”) at the end of a semester should arrange for the completion of the course with the instructor. A student has 4 weeks from the end of the semester to complete an “I” grade. Failure to complete the course within the 4 weeks may result in a failing grade (“F”) for the class.  Incomplete forms are available from the instructor.

Satisfactory Academic Progress

Students attending Mitchell Technical Institute must be making satisfactory progress toward the completion of their academic goal—to obtain a degree or a diploma. Regular and punctual attendance is necessary. Active and committed class participation is required. To maintain financial aid, a student must have satisfactory progress.

Fulltime students receiving federal financial aid have a maximum of three semesters to complete two-semester programs and six semesters to complete four-semester programs. Part-time students’ completion schedules will be prorated accordingly.

Students must successfully complete at least 67% of the credits attempted each semester in order to complete graduation requirements within the maximum time frame.  Students who do not successfully complete 67% of 12 or more credits for two semesters may be suspended from financial aid.

Passing grades of  “A,” “B,” and “C” are counted toward completion of courses for satisfactory progress. Students are encouraged to repeat program courses when they earn a “D” and must repeat all program courses that they fail. Some programs have higher minimum grade requirements. See program descriptions for details.

Repeated courses are considered as normal credit hours and count towards the maximum time and enrollment status for a given semester. Students should note that financial aid will only cover the cost of one repeat of a previously passed course with
a grade of A, B, C or D.

Students complete academic and attendance records are available through the MyTech web portal at any time. All students are strongly encouraged to monitor their own academic progress and ask their academic adviser any questions they may have.

Academic Probation

Students may be placed on academic probation if they have less than a cumulative 2.00 grade point average (GPA) at the end of their first semester and for any subsequent semester.

Students may attend Mitchell Tech for one semester on academic probation.  If the student fails to achieve a cumulative 2.00 GPA during the probation semester, the student will be placed on academic suspension.

During a probation semester, students may continue to receive financial aid; however, if the minimum grade point average is not achieved by the end of that semester, all federal financial aid will be suspended.

In order to assure satisfactory progress, students on probation should carefully monitor their GPAs. Any student whose GPA drops below 2.0 should meet with an Academic Advisor, Retention Coordinator, or the Vice-President for Academic Affairs immediately to evaluate the probability of achieving the necessary GPA of 2.0 needed to graduate.

Please note: A student placed on probation will be notified in writing.  A copy of that correspondence will be placed in the student’s permanent file.

Suspension

There are two types of suspension: Academic and Non-Academic. Students who have been suspended must wait at least one semester of full time enrollment before applying for re-enrollment. Students who re-enroll after suspension will be automatically placed on academic probation. Students may be suspended from a program only twice. Registration will not be accepted a third time.

Academic Suspension

Students who fail to achieve a cumulative GPA of 1.0 during their first semester of enrollment will be suspended with no academic probation. This type of suspension MAY NOT be appealed.

Students may appeal academic suspension if their cumulative GPA is 1.50 or higher. The appeal process is initiated by the student with a written request of their reasons for the appeal sent to the Vice-President for Academic Affairs by the date specified on their notification of academic suspension.

Non-Academic Suspension

Students may be suspended for other reasons including, but not limited to failed drug tests, disciplinary reasons, policy violations, etc.
Please note: A student placed on suspension will be notified in writing. A copy of that correspondence will be placed in the student’s permanent file.

Change of Program

Students may request a change of program within the institute by completing a Request for Change of Academic Program form. The request should be filed with the Admissions Office. After a review of the admissions requirements and determination of program capacity, a change in program may be granted.  After a student has been granted the change of program, earned credits will be applied to the new program.

The student may apply for Grade Forgiveness for prior course work that is not a requirement of the new program. See Grade Forgiveness policy.

Grade Forgiveness

Students that have transferred to a new program may apply for Grade Forgiveness. Grade forgiveness applies to previous course work completed at Mitchell Tech that is not a requirement for the new program.  It is the student’s responsibility to apply for grade forgiveness after successfully completing at least 12 credit hours in the new program with a minimum GPA of 2.0. The grades from the technical courses of the former program will remain on the student’s transcript, but will not be used in an GPA calculation (grade forgiveness).

Terms of Payment

The registration process is not complete until all costs are either paid or arrangements are made. The conferring of degrees and diplomas is contingent upon the full payment of all tuition, fees and educational costs due Mitchell Tech.

All registration costs must be paid by the end of the fourth week after the beginning of each semester or start date. Registration costs for summer courses must be paid by the end of the second week after the start date. Students who fail to make full payment within the time limit may be subject to immediate termination of their enrollment at Mitchell Tech. Re-admission will be contingent upon payment in full.

**A late fee may be assessed to delinquent accounts.

Administrative Withdrawals for Subsequent Semesters

Students registered for subsequent (future) semester may be administratively withdrawn from the future semesters if the student has an outstanding account balance from the current semester or if placed on suspension from Mitchell Tech. Student may register after account is paid in full or suspension has expired.

Transfer Credit Evaluation

Mitchell Technical College will accept credits from any post-secondary institution accredited by one of the major regional accrediting associations, such as the Higher Learning Commission or North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

Acceptance of transfer credits is contingent upon the student having completed the coursework with a grade of “C” or higher, and the course credit and content is similar to the course offered at Mitchell Tech. Technical related and general education courses shall be reviewed by the appropriate department(s) and the Registrar to determine course equivalence and acceptance. Courses in the program of study (technical courses) completed more than five years previously may not be accepted for transfer. Only accepted courses required for the program of study will be transferred.

Transfer credits are not used in determining a student’s cumulative GPA. The grade recorded on the student’s academic record will be “CR” (credit). Transfer credit will not be applied towards’ the completion of program requirements until an official transcript from the crediting institute/college is on file in the Mitchell Tech Registrar’s Office.

To begin the process of transfer evaluation, please contact the Mitchell Tech Admissions Office to visit with an Admissions Counselor.  Transfer evaluations are conducted for potential students who have applied to Mitchell Tech and have designated a program of interest.

Internships

Internships are educational programs that allow students to receive practical work experience and academic credit while working in governmental, community service, or business settings. At Mitchell Tech, internships are a requirement for graduation in several programs. They generally occur at the completion of all required classroom courses, near the end of a semester or during the summer. Curriculum for each program is available in the Academic Catalog which outlines the accepted timeframe in which an internship occurs. Students must complete a minimum of two semesters of coursework in their program of study to be eligible to register for an internship. Other requirements include:

  • be a full-time, degree seeking student at Mitchell Tech;
  • completed all course requirements for the for the program with satisfactory academic progress;
  • have own transportation and housing arrangements;
  • understand that an internship is a class; tuition and fee charges do apply to internship credits and must be paid for all credits earned or the internship will be cancelled. A student not completing a required internship will result in student not meeting graduation requirements)
  • additional requirements my exist in particular departments. Students should contact their program faculty for a complete list of requirements.

Internships at Mitchell Tech are designed with intentional learning goals to assure that the experience will promote the academic, personal, and career development of students. Mitchell Tech will work with the site sponsor to support the success of the internship experience. Students share the responsibility in locating potential internship opportunities. No commitments should be made, however, until the internship has been approved by the program internship coordinator. After approval of an internship by the program’s Internship Coordinator (program faculty), the student must register for the internship course with the Registrar’s Office. All tuition and fees apply.

Additional information regarding internships at Mitchell Tech may be obtained in the Mitchell Tech Internship Guide (available upon request) or by speaking with the program instructor or the Career Services Coordinator.