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192 │COLUMBIA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY 2017-2018 │ACADEMIC POLICY
Additional Note for 8 Week Online Courses: Failure to attend an online course during the drop/add period will result in
automatic drop from the course. Initial attendance in an online course is established based on the completion of any course
activity (e.g. forum post, submission of assignment, or appropriate communication with instructor).
Auditing
An auditor is one who registers to attend a class, but not for academic credit. Permission to audit is at the discretion of the
instructor; no more than 25 percent of students registered for any course may be auditors. Auditors are observers in the
classroom and are not expected to participate in class discussions or submit work except as authorized by the instructor.
Online courses are not available for audit. No course may be added for audit and dropped for credit, or vice versa, after the
drop/add period.
Auditors must register as an auditor (form available from the
Office of the University Registrar
) and pay the audit fee (
Tuition
and Fees
). Please note that additional course fees may apply. Audited courses are entered on the student's transcript with
the symbol “AU.” Auditors also receive access to the course website associated with an audited course.
Courtesy auditors must register as an auditor (form available from the
Office of the University Registrar
), but are not required
to pay the auditing fee. Please note that additional course fees may apply. Courtesy audit status is available only to CIU
graduates, CIU employees or employee dependents, the spouse of a student currently registered for the same course, or
a student who has taken the course formerly. No more than one courtesy audit is permitted in a single semester. Courtesy-
audited courses do not appear on the student's transcript.
Classification of Students
The undergraduate student body is divided for class organization on the basis of academic classification:
Freshman: a high school graduate or one who presents satisfactory scores on equivalency examinations
Sophomore: a student who has completed 30 to 59 semester hours
Junior: a student who has completed 60 to 89 semester hours
Senior: a student who has completed at least 90 semester hours
Commencement Participation
The University holds commencement ceremonies in Fall and Spring of each year. Any 30 hour certificate, associate,
bachelor’s, or master’s degree seeking student should meet all degree requirements in order to participate in
commencement. For the Spring ceremony, a student may request permission to participate in commencement prior to
completing graduation requirements under the following stipulations:
Students must have all degree requirements met by the August degree conferral date of the same year they wish
to participate.
Students must have no more than nine credits left to complete their degree requirements.
Students must complete a “Request for Permission to Participate in Commencement Only” form that includes a
printed and signed academic advisor-approved completion plan/advising worksheet identifying and articulating
how all courses will be completed with anticipated completion dates.
Permission to walk across the stage at commencement does not constitute the conferral of a degree.
Doctoral degree candidates must have successfully completed all required coursework and met all program requirements
as defined by the department in order to participate in the commencement ceremony. All doctoral candidates must have
met the appropriate graduate application deadline.
See “Graduation” for additional information.
Competency/Proficiency Examinations
Competency examinations at the undergraduate level correspond to proficiency examinations at the graduate level.
Undergraduate-level:
A student, when authorized by the student’s advisor, the instructor of record, and the dean, may prove
competency in the knowledge and/or skills of designated courses within the curriculum, similar to the structure established
for CLEP or DSST. If the student passes the instructor’s comprehensive “competency” exam with a minimum of a 2.0 (“C”)
grade or above, the student may either accept the credit for the course based on established proficiency or have the course
waived so that a more advanced course or a Faculty Directed Study may be substituted within the program. For a list of
qualified courses students should contact their academic dean’s office. Students will pay a testing fee whether or not they
are granted credit. All examination scores and documentation must be submitted to the Office of the University Registrar
before credit can be granted. No credit can be earned through a competency examination if the student has started a
designated course and/or finished and failed said course at CIU. No more than 12 semester hours of Competency Exam
credit can be used in an undergraduate degree program (see “Standardized Testing” for information regarding CLEP and
DANTES exams).