Current Students

A course(s) may be added through GoldLink prior to late registration without special permission, unless the course has reached the established maximum enrollment. To add any class that has reached the enrollment limit requires a departmental permit. During the late add period, students must complete the late add form and secure permission from the instructor, department chair, the dean of their major, and the registrar and this permission may be granted only with extenuating circumstances.

After the eighth week a student may not drop a course, except where verifiable, extenuating circumstances can be demonstrated. Verifiable extenuating circumstances are reasons beyond the control of the student, such as illness or accidental injury. Poor performance in a course is not an extenuating circumstance.

Students seeking permission for late drops must present a petition to the dean of the college or school in which they are majoring as of the beginning of the semester. Students whose majors are undecided must apply to the University Advisement Center in the D. P. Culp University Center. If a late drop is approved, the student will receive a grade of "W" (Withdrawal) or "WF" (Withdrawn-Failing), as assigned by the instructor of the course.

A fee adjustment for drops will be processed beginning the first day of the term. When a student drops a course beginning the 15th day of classes, a Withdrawal (W) grade will appear on his/her transcript.

Dropping classes may negatively impact a student's Lottery Scholarship or other financial aid, housing, graduate assistantship, athletic eligibility, or tuition scholarship and the student may owe a repayment. Please contact Financial Aid or the appropriate office before dropping any classes.

Fall and Spring Semesters Standard Load

The minimum course load for full-time undergraduate enrollment is twelve (12) semester hours. The normal (average) course load is sixteen (16) or seventeen (17) semester hours for full-time students. The maximum course load is nineteen (19) semester hours, unless permission for an overload is approved.

Overload

The academic advisor and the dean of the student's college/school must approve registration for an overload. Students with a cumulative 3.0 QPA may be approved for a load up to 21 semester hours. Graduating seniors who do not have quality point deficiencies may be approved to enroll for up to 21 semester hours in order to complete graduation requirements during that semester. You may download an overload request form here.

General education course requirements apply to all undergraduate students pursuing a baccalaureate degree. Many majors and degree programs require students to take specific courses to fulfill general education requirements. Students should consult the catalog and their advisors regarding specific general education requirements applicable to their majors and degree programs.

Students majoring in the College of Arts and Sciences must meet the following requirements for the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) or Bachelor of Science (B.S.). Some requirements must be taken in addition to the General Education Core, whereas others specify which courses from the General Education Core must be taken. Students interested in degree programs in Fine Arts (B.F.A.), Music (B.M.), or Social Work (B.S.W.) should consult the appropriate departmental section of this catalog for specific information.

*International students whose native language is not English, and whose admission to ETSU requires them to take a standardized test of English as a foreign language (e.g., TOEFL), may substitute scores that meet the admission requirements for the foreign language requirement.

**Consult the Literature and Language Department's placement policy listed and in the listing for Foreign Languages in this catalog.

Catalogs Prior to 2010

Students are assigned to the current catalog at the time of first entrance into ETSU. Transfer students may receive a no obligation shift back to the catalog in effect upon their first entrance into higher education by request to the graduation office in the Office of the Registrar. If graduation does not occur within six years of the catalog of record, students must (1) shift to the current catalog or (2) receive a catalog extension from the dean of the college of the major. Students may request one change of catalog (in addition to the no obligation change described above) from the graduation office. This request can conveniently occur at the time of application for graduation.

Students are assigned to the current catalog at the time of first entrance into ETSU. Transfer students may receive a no obligation shift back to the catalog in effect upon their first entrance into higher education by request to the graduation office in the Office of the Registrar. If graduation does not occur within six years of the catalog of record, students must (1) shift to the current catalog or (2) receive a catalog extension from the dean of the college of the major. Students may request one change of catalog (in addition to the no obligation change described above) from the graduation office. This request can conveniently occur at the time of application for graduation.

A student may appeal a course grade if the student has evidence that the grade was assigned in a malicious, capricious, erroneous, or arbitrary manner. The following link provides a guideline for the appeals process. All persons concerned with this process should make every attempt to adhere to the time schedule outlined in the following description of the appeals process. No appeal will be initiated more than one year following the date the grade was assigned.

https://www.etsu.edu/policies/documents/undergraduate-grade-appeal-policy.pdf

Two big changes to ETSU's academic misconduct policy and procedure took place in 2012.

The first was a Tennessee Board of Regents system-wide revision to the Institutional Disciplinary Rules which went into effect in January 2012. The rules are published online in the University's Undergraduate and Graduate Catalogs:

• East Tennessee State University, Undergraduate Catalog, Policies and Procedures, Student Conduct and Rights, Institutional Disciplinary Rules
• East Tennessee State University, Graduate Catalog, Policies and Procedures, Student Conduct and Rights, Institutional Disciplinary Rules

The second change was the submission of a final report by the University's Academic Integrity and Ethics Task Force. In the Spring of 2011, this group was charged by Provost Bert Bach with reviewing current University policy and making recommendations to improve the campus climate related to Integrity and Ethics.

The Task Force's Final Report was submitted to the university's Academic Council in Spring 2012.

The primary mission of the East Tennessee State University Counseling Center is to provide assistance to students, helping them to succeed at the University and in life. The Center strives to support the academic mission of the University through curricular and co-curricular activities that include counseling, prevention programming, training and supervision, and teaching.

All students may feel overwhelmed or stressed from time to time. This can be due to any number of personal and/or academic reasons. The Counseling Center is here to help you. They offer professional counseling services, and numerous other programs and services, to provide help and support to students' wellbeing. Please see the following link below if you would like to visit the Counseling Center, or if you would like more information on their programming and student services.

Counseling Center 

Not sure about which major to choose? That is why ETSU provides the Career Exploration Center in the ARC on the 2nd floor of the DP Culp Center. They offer career inventory testing and career counseling services that will help to get you on the right track to finding that major or career that you decide is best for your future. Please see the following link below to contact or find out more information about the Career Exploration Center.

Career Exploration Center 

Transfer Connect is designed for students who have already been admitted to ETSU.