Definitions

Attempted Credit-Hour:

Credit-hours the student has registered at PUPR, and in which he/she has obtained I, A, B, C, D, F or W, including all repetitions.

Transferred Credit-Hours:

Credit-hours taken at other accredited institutions, which the student has passed with A, B, or C grades, and that are accepted by the Department Director or the corresponding Dean’s, in accordance with PUPR policy.

Passed Credit-Hours

Attempted credit-hours at PUPR in which a grade of A, B, C, or D is obtain, except in those specific cases defined by the Institution.

Grade Point Average:

A student’s grade point average is the measure of his/her academic achievement. It is calculated by dividing the total accumulated honor points by the number of credit-hours in which the student has received final grade, including outstanding F’s.

Dismissal for Academic Deficiency

A student who systematically fails to satisfy the achievement index may be permanently dismissed from PUPR for academic deficiency.

Academic Progress:

The measure that shows whether the student passes 66% of the attempted credit-hours with a grade point average equal to, or higher than, the retention index. See Table A or Table B, whichever applies.

Repeated Courses

Repeated courses are those undergraduate ones in which a student has been enrolled two or more times because he/she has obtained a grade of D, F or W. For the purpose of determining the Grade Point Average only the highest grade will be used. Only the highest grade is considered in the calculation of the GPA. However, in the calculation of the quantitative and qualitative elements all repetitions are needed to determine the attempted credit-hours.

Academic Year:

Academic year consist of three consecutive academic periods called terms from August 1 to July 31 of the following year. The Summer academic period is optional and the grades will be added to the previous academic period of study.

Provisional Grades (Incomplete):

If a professor awards an incomplete in a course, the student is responsible of completing the pending requirements before the date established in the next academic term. The professor will eliminate the incomplete within the established date. If the incomplete is not removed, it will be exchanged with a provisional grade until the professor proceeds with the change of grade. These are considered in the quantitative and qualitative computation measurements. Whenever a student leaves the course and does not request an official withdrawal will receive a WF grade to allow the Institution to differentiate between a student who failed to complete its academic responsibilities and a student who failed as a result of course abandonment.

Courses with a grade of W:

These courses will be taken into consideration in the calculation of the quantitative element.

Preparatory Courses:

These courses will be covered by the Pell Grant up to a maximum of 30 hours.

Doted Courses:

All courses will become extinct, expired or doted seven (7) years after being passed. This rule applies equally to courses passed at PUPR or to transfer courses. The respective Department Head and Dean may validate some after judging each one of them. The student must repeat all those confirmed doted by the Dean, or in its place may be authorized by the Department Head and the Dean to take advanced equivalent courses instead. These courses are considered in the quantitative element.

Retention Index:

PUPR adopts the required retention index, as seen in Table A, in accordance with the number of completed credit-hours and transferred credit-hours. (Students are required to obtain an average of 2.00 in concentration courses for graduation purposes). This constitutes the Institutional Policy, administered by the Registrar’s office.

Retention Index

The institutional policy applicable to students without Federal Financial Aid is the following:

*Total Accumulated Credit-Hours is equal to the sum of Transferred Credit-Hours and Passed Credit-Hours at PUPR. Transferred credit-hours will not be used to compute the grade point average, but they will be counted to determine the level or year to which the student belongs.

Maximum Time Allowed to Complete an Academic Degree:

Students must complete graduation requirements within a maximum time equivalent to 150% of the credit-hours required by the academic degree program in which enrolled.

Probationary and Suspension Status:

Students whose academic progress does not satisfy the qualitative elements will begin a probationary period that will not exceed two consecutive academic years before being suspended for one year. After suspension is effective, the student may return under a probationary status for a maximum period of one (1) additional academic year, at the end of which he/she may be suspended for a period of three academic years. The student may be admitted once again under a probationary status for one academic year. In the event he (she) does not succeed, he (she) will be permanently dismissed.

Procedures

The academic progress of the students will be measured using the qualitative element which will be verified during the summer of each academic year.

The retention index (qualitative element) will be determined according to Table A. The GPA will be computed only with credit-hours taken at PUPR. Probation, suspension, or dismissal will be determined, employing the following procedure:

1. When the accumulated index is lower than the established index as given in Table A, an academic probation period (P1) will be granted for one academic year. The Registrar’s Office will notify the student of the academic status in a certified letter. At the same time, the Counseling Office will be notified to ensure the required follow-up.

2. During the probation period (P1), the student must raise the grade point average to a value equal to or higher than the corresponding index in Table A.

3. If after this probation period the student does not comply with the established condition in item 2 and does not remediate his/her academic deficiencies, he/she will be granted a second one academic year probation (P2). Whenever the student fails to succeed the probation (P2), the student will be suspended for one academic year. The Registrar’s Office will notify the suspended student via a certified letter. After the one year suspension, the student may be readmitted in probation (P3) for one academic year. In the event the student fails to raise the GPA above the retention index after the third probationary period (P3), the student will be suspended for a period of three (3) academic years; after which, the student may request readmission. The student may be admitted again under a probationary status for one academic year. In the event he (she) does not succeed, he/she will be permanently dismissed.

Flow chart depicting the probationary periods and the final permanent dismissal when a student fails to achieve satisfactory academic progress

Right to Appeal

The student may appeal this decision under the following conditions:

-Any student who considers that a mistake has been made in the application of these policies and procedures used to evaluate academic progress may send a written request for reconsideration to the Academic Achievement Committee within ten (10) working days after notification of the decision.

-The request for reconsideration should state clearly the mistake he/she understands has been made, give a brief statement of facts, state and justify the basis for the requested change or restitution.

– Each request for reconsideration must be submitted to the Registrar’s Office.

– Presentations before the Academic Achievement Committee by persons who are not members of the Committee will be permitted in special cases. The committee’s decision will be final.

Students with Financial Aid

The academic achievement of all students who qualify and receive federal financial aid will be evaluated employing two indices, as follows:

1. Retention Index (Qualitative Element)

This index is defined as shown in Table B.

Table B, Retention Index (Qualitative Element)

2. Percentage of passed credit-hours (Quantitative Element):

The student must pass no less than 66% of all attempted credit-hours. The student must complete all the graduation requirements within the time frame of 150% of the total credit-hours of program chosen. The calculation of the 150% takes into consideration the student’s academic history. The student is not qualified to receive any further financial aid after reaching the150% limit. The Financial Aid Office will measure annually, the student Academic progress during the summer term. If it is the first time, in which the student doesn’t meet the Academic Progress Policy, the student will be in a limited probationary period (one year) and will continue to receive financial aid; if not the student will not be eligible for financial aid. The Financial Aid Office will inform the students in writing.

Examinations

Final examinations are scheduled and administered regularly at the end of each term. Dates of final examination schedules will be published and placed on the bulletin boards of the Institution. It is the responsibility of the instructor to give two or more summative examinations in each term in compliance with the syllabus, as well as a comprehensive final examination, which is compulsory for all students in class. Beside these, the instructor may administer several other formative tests as deemed necessary.

Readmission Policy

Students who are not active during two or more consecutive terms, or who are under suspension for disciplinary or academic reasons, and wish to continue their studies, must apply for readmission to the Institution.

Regular students who have discontinued their studies for one year or more will be readmitted under the procedure in effect. The applicable curriculum will be the one outlined in the Catalog in effect at the time of readmission. Each applicant will be evaluated by the Director of the Department to which the student is seeking readmission.

Readmission applications must be submitted at least a month prior to the next registration period. If the student does not register during the period requested, the application will remain active for one (1) additional term.

Readmission

1. The student will receive the readmission application form from the Registrar’s Office, and will submit it back to the Registrar’s Office.

2. The student will pay a readmission fee, which is not refundable.

3. Upon payment of the readmission fee, the Finance Office will proceed to notify the student of any debt with the Institution.

4. If the student is indebted to the indebted to the Institution, the process of readmission is held up until the student pays the debt and receives the approval from the Finance Office.

5. The Registrar’s Office will apply the following criteria to evaluate the readmission application.

— Study any evidence of disciplinary measures taken or non compliance with University regulations and stipulations made.

— Verify that the student complies with minimum G.P.A. according to Table A (Retention Index – Qualitative Element).

— Confirm that the student complies with the required suspension time limit.

6. A student whose readmission application has been denied may appeal to the Readmissions Committee through the Registrar’s Office. The student will receive instructions regarding the procedure to follow in order to request reconsideration by the Committee.

7. If the student has a grade point average lower than required, or if required suspension time limit has not expired and the Committee rules in favor of the student, readmission will be granted on a probationary basis. The condition of the probation period will be:

— The student must pass all courses for which he/she is registered with grade of C or higher.

— The academic load will be limited to a maximum of twelve (12) credit-hours per term.

— The G.P.A. should be increased or improved according to what has been established.[/p]

8. Students who have voluntarily interrupted their studies at PUPR, and during this inactive period have attended one or more institutions without prior permission from the Department Chairperson, will have no right to request the transfer of any credit-hours passed in that incursion.

9. The decision of the Readmissions Committee will be sent in writing to the student through the Registrar’s Office.

Graduation Information

Application for Graduation

Candidates for a Baccalaureate degree who have completed 80% or more of the credit-hours required must apply for graduation. The students must file the application and pay the graduation fee not later than the date specified in the academic calendar. They obtain the applications at, and return them in after being filled and getting the clearance from the Library, the Financial Aid and Finance Offices, to the Registrar. Those clearances indicate that the student does not have pending debts and have paid the graduation fee. The candidates will report any alleged error to the Registrar within a week after he received the analysis of his/her academic record.

General Graduation Requirements

The Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico reserves the right to make changes in the different curricula and degree requirements at its discretion. As a rule, a student is entitled to graduate under the curriculum requirements in force at the time of admission to the Institution. However, students who fail to fulfill the graduation requirements within the regular period of time assigned to their corresponding curricula, and students who re-enroll after a period of one year or more of absence, are governed by the existing curricular requirements at the time of their graduation.

Curricular Changes

When the curriculum of any one program is revised, the Registrar will automatically initiate the transfer process of every student, enrolled in said program to the revised curriculum. The student will be moved horizontally and will be required to take all the necessary courses of a level higher than that at which he/she actually is until he/she completes the number of credit-hours specified in the old curriculum. Under no circumstances will the student be asked to go and take any new courses of lower codification added to the revised curriculum. By the same token, the Department Director and the Registrar will do everything within their power to help the student transfer smoothly without the penalty of taking an excessive number of new courses.

Veteran Services

Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico offers recruiting, guidance, and referral services to veterans who wish to study at the institution. The guidance and counseling officer at the Registrar’s Office assists veterans in the solution of their individual problems and serves as liaison with other offices, as needed. Veteran’s academic records are under the custody of the Registrar’s Office and are available for student’s review.

Certification/Transcripts

Whenever a student files an application with the Registrar’s Office for a certification of his program of study, transcripts or any other official statement, the same will usually be issued by the Registrar within two weeks after the filing of the request. However, when a request is made at the beginning or the end of a term, a longer period of time for issuance may be required. To transfer credit-hours to other colleges and universities and to supply information to certifying agencies and prospective employers, official transcripts are issued in a confidential manner. These are mailed directly to the addresses designated by the students and are never given to the student or any other individual. Students may also obtain an official copy of the transcript of credits marked Student Copy. Any alleged errors in the transcript should be reported to the Registrar within ten days of receiving it. A transcript and certification fee is charged for each transcript. All services are denied to debtor students.

Diplomas

Diplomas must be claimed by graduates at the Registrar’s office no earlier than three weeks following the graduation ceremony.

Change of Address

When a student submits an application for admission, he/she is required to submit a mailing address. After admission, changes of address should be reported immediately to the Office of Admissions. If change of the address is not indicated, the University will not be responsible for correspondence it sends which is not received by the student. Any notice, official or otherwise, mailed to a student’s address as it appears on the records shall be deemed sufficient notice.

Class Attendance

The fact that classes are scheduled is evidence that attendance is important. Students should maintain regular attendance if they are to attain maximum success in the pursuit of their studies. Students who have not attended any classes during the first two weeks of the academic term, are automatically disqualified to charge tuition fees to federal funds and are responsible for their payment. The instructor, after receiving the class lists, will submit, in writing, the names of all such students to the Office of the Registrar.

It is recognized that the record of class attendance may vary according to the student, the instructor, or the course. On occasions, it may be necessary for the student to be absent from scheduled classes or laboratories. The student is responsible for contacting the instructor and for all work, completed or assigned. Instructors in charge of courses in all programs of study are required to include in their midterm and final grade reports the total number of absences of all students. The Registrar will not accept reports if this condition is not met by the instructor.