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2012-2013 Seminary Programs Academic Catalog
Diplomas, certificates and final transcripts will not
be issued if the student has any remaining finan-
cial obligations to Columbia International
University. Pre-1994 graduates, upon request,
may receive a Columbia International University
replacement diploma, dated with the original
graduation date and containing a marginal sub-
script indicating “Replacement Diploma: [date of
issue.]” There is a $40 fee for a replacement
diploma.
Copies of CIU transcripts are $10 each.
transfer credit
Coursework taken in another school, although not
calculated into the GPA, may be credited up to
one-half of a degree if not used previously for the
award of the same degree or its equivalent.
Applicants who have completed work in an insti-
tution that is accredited regionally or nationally
(CHEA recognized) may receive transfer credit for
courses in which they received a grade of “C” (2.0
GPA) or better. Transfer credit may apply to a stu-
dent’s program at CIU SSM in one of the follow-
ing ways: (a) courses that are parallel to required
courses in the CIU SSM curriculum of the stu-
dent’s program may be received as meeting the
requirement, and (b) courses that do not parallel
any required course may be received as elective
credit up to the limit of electives for the particular
program in which the student enrolls. Transferred
courses may be applied to the free elective cate-
gory of a degree only if a comparable course is
offered at CIU SSM.
To obtain an estimate of transfer credit, applicants
must submit official transcripts for all postsec-
ondary study to the Office of the University
Registrar along with an application for admission
and a request for a transcript assessment. In
some cases, applicants may be asked to send a
catalog or prospectus from colleges or other
postsecondary institutions attended. The Office of
the University Registrar will provide an initial
assessment of transfer credit, but a final assign-
ment of transfer credit may not be completed until
the end of the student’s first semester of study at
CIU SSM. A copy of the transfer policy is avail-
able upon request from the transcript facilitator in
the Office of the University Registrar. For transfer
of credit from a non-accredited institution to be
considered, the institution must have been placed
on CIU SSM’s approved list following the exami-
nation of institutional evidence that courses meet
the standard of academic rigor set by Columbia
International University.
After matriculation, requests for transfer credit
must be approved by the student’s advisor and
dean by academic petition.
Withdrawal from courses
In some cases, it may become necessary or
advisable for students to drop courses for which
they have registered. Prior to the drop/add dead-
line, students should consult with their advisors
before making changes to their schedules online.
After this date, students must obtain a “Course
Withdrawal” form from the Office of the University
Registrar, complete the requested information and
obtain all required signatures before submitting it
to the Office of the University Registrar for pro-
cessing. Course withdrawal should be made as
early as possible in the semester. Note the tuition
refund schedule for students withdrawing from a
course (see Detailed Schedule of Expenses avail-
able online). Students withdrawing from a course
after the first five weeks of any semester (or after
the first day of class in the case of Winter and
Summer Studies courses) will receive a “WF” on
their transcript for the course, except for a grant-
ed medical withdrawal or some other serious cir-
cumstance excused by the dean. Students are
responsible for following established withdrawal
procedures. Failure to follow withdrawal proce-
dures will result in a grade of “F” for the course.
Deadlines for adding, dropping and withdrawing
from courses comply with federal regulations. For
detailed information, contact the Office of the
University Registrar, which publishes a schedule
of the dates for each term. Under exceptional cir-
cumstances a student may submit a written
request for an administrative or medical withdraw-
al beyond the published dates. Information on
those policies also is available from the Office of
the University Registrar.