Registration Policies and Regulations

Student Responsibility

Students are personally responsible for knowing all academic and administrative policies and regulations affecting their program of study and for abiding by all such policies and regulations during their period of enrollment at the University. Students are also personally responsible for reading all related messages (email, and other) received from the University and its administrators. Continued enrollment is subject to compliance with the academic and administrative policies and regulations as described herein and otherwise published by the University. Failure to understand the policies and regulations does not relieve a student of the responsibility for adhering to the policies and regulations.

Compliance with University, School and Department Policies

Students are personally responsible for knowing all academic and administrative policies and regulations affecting their program of study and for abiding by all such policies and regulations during their period of enrollment at the University. Continued enrollment is subject to compliance with the academic and administrative policies and regulations as described herein and otherwise published by the University. Failure to understand the policies and regulations does not relieve students of their responsibility for adhering to the policies and regulations.

Students should refer to the individual program handbooks, available online and in each department office, for additional requirements of each academic program. Critical information about required courses,  performance expectations, and guiding principles are found in each handbook. No policy in any handbook may supersede those set forth in this Bulletin. When a University policy and a school policy do not agree, the University policy applies. When a school policy and a department policy do not agree, the school policy applies.

Academic Program and Graduation Requirements

Students are responsible for meeting, in a timely fashion, the requirements set forth in this Bulletin. Each student is responsible for matriculation and ensuring satisfactory progress toward the degree.  Students should direct any questions about requirements, policies, or procedures to the Program Director.

Candidates for a master’s degree must fill out a Petition to Graduate form and submit it to the Director of the Graduate Programs in Pastoral Ministries by the following dates:

• December graduation (completion of coursework during fall term): Form due first Friday in October
• March graduation (completion of coursework during winter term): Form due first Friday in January
• June graduation (completion of coursework during spring term): Form due the third Friday in February
• September graduation (completion of coursework during summer term): Form due the third Friday in June

If a student wishes to participate in the Commencement ceremony in June and has four or fewer units remaining in their academic program, the student must submit a Permission to Participate form. Petitioners must have completed all but one of the academic program’s course requirements. Permission to Participate forms must be submitted to the Program Manager by February 19, 2027.

Candidates who fail to meet all requirements for graduation in the term specified in a Petition to Graduate form must file a new Petition to Graduate form, including any required documentation, by the due date in their final quarter.

Registration and Regulations

Registration constitutes a commitment by the student to abide by the University, school, and Program policies, rules, requirements, and regulations. These include, but are not limited to, registration, academic performance and progress, student conduct, health and safety, housing, use of the libraries and computing resources, operation of vehicles on campus, facilities, and the payment of fees.  Some of these are set forth in this Bulletin; others may be found in the respective University offices.

Students must enroll in courses for all non-summer terms of the academic year from the admit term until conferral of the degree. The only exception is for an authorized leave of absence; see the Leave of Absence section in this Bulletin for details. Students possessing an F-1  or J-1 student visa may be subject to additional course enrollment requirements in order to retain their legal immigration status in the  United States; therefore, they must contact the Global Engagement Office prior to requesting a leave of absence.

Satisfactory completion of at least one course during each required enrollment term is necessary to make satisfactory progress toward a degree/certificate. Students are responsible for complying with enrollment requirements associated with scholarships, loans, and loan deferments.

In addition, students are to be registered during the following: in each term when any official department or school requirement is fulfilled,  including comprehensive exams and Capstone e-Portfolio; in any term when financial support is awarded; in any term when University facilities are used; and, for international students, in any term of the academic year (summer may be excluded, except for the summer before the first academic year term) during non-immigrant visa status  ( i.e. an F-1 or J-1 visa status).

Students who fail to enroll by the Add deadline or to be approved for a leave of absence by the start of a term are discontinued and must be re-admitted before returning to the same (or other) degree program. See the Readmission section for details. Students failing to satisfactorily complete at least one course during each required enrollment term will be placed on academic probation. See the Academic Probation section for details.

Each quarter has a registration period allowing all students to enroll in courses. Returning students are assigned appointment times in the Workday system during the designated registration period. Appointment times are assigned based on the number of units a student has accumulated and their current enrollment status.  Students may register for courses any time after their assigned appointment day and time during the open enrollment period.  Students may add, drop, or swap courses within the designated time frames. Students assume all fees associated with schedule changes.  Please see the academic calendar in this Bulletin for important registration deadlines.

Note that the process to drop a course is a two-step process. Students are advised to complete both steps (the request and the confirmation) when dropping a course.

Prior to registering for courses, a student must resolve any holds placed on his/her account. To resolve a hold, contact the appropriate office(s).

Leaves of Absence

In circumstances where continuous enrollment is not possible, students may request a suspension of their enrollment by means of a leave of absence. To request a Leave of Absence, please go to Workday and follow the instructions.

Students who do not meet the requirement for continuous registration during the academic year must obtain an approved leave of absence, in advance, for the term(s) they will not be registered. The Director will review the leave of absence and, if the student is on a foreign student visa, by International Student Services. The granting of a leave of absence is at the discretion of the Director of the GPPM.

The school may place appropriate conditions on its approval of a petition for a leave of absence. In the case of a leave for medical reasons, proof of treatment or an interview with a provider at Student Health, Counseling, and Well-Being may be required.

There is no obligation to grant the extension and doing so is at the discretion of the Director. The decision of the Program Director is final.

Failure to be enrolled by the appropriate deadline or to be approved for a leave of absence by the start of a quarter may result in discontinuation from the program of study.

Students may not take a leave of absence during their first matriculated quarter.

Length of Leave

Leaves of absence, whether continuous or discontinuous, are granted for a maximum of one calendar year. Any exception must be approved by the Program Director.

To request an extension of the leave of absence beyond one year, the student must submit a letter to the GPPM Director explaining the circumstances and outlining a plan to complete the program of study.  There is no obligation to grant the extension, and doing so is at the discretion of the Program director. The Program Director’s decision is final.

Status while on Leave

Students on an approved leave of absence retain their student status; however, they are not registered and therefore do not have the rights and privileges of registered students. Students on leave may complete coursework for which an incomplete (“I”) grade was reported in a prior term and are expected to comply with the terms governing incomplete grades. The leave of absence does not extend the maximum time limit of the program expiration date.

Official department requirements (e.g., comprehensive examinations, Capstone ePortfolio) cannot be fulfilled during the leave period.

Failure to return to the University as scheduled or to secure an extension of a prior leave will result in discontinuation from the academic program.

When a student is granted a leave of absence after the beginning of the term, courses in which the student was enrolled after the drop deadline will appear as a “W” on the transcript. To avoid a “W” grade, students must drop all courses prior to filing for a leave of absence.

If a leave of absence is requested after registration has occurred, the student is responsible for dropping all courses through Workday in addition to filing for the leave.

Attendance

Students are expected to attend all class sessions. Specific attendance requirements (including consequences for absences, and being allowed to zoom into a class) are set by the faculty member in the course syllabus and are binding. Whether or not the assignments were announced during an absence, students are accountable for all course assignments.

Title IX: Pregnant and Parenting Students

Santa Clara University is committed to maintaining an equitable learning environment and supporting the academic success of pregnant and parenting students. The University prohibits discrimination based on parental status, pregnancy, childbirth, false pregnancy, termination of pregnancy, or recovery from related conditions in all of its educational programs and activities pursuant to Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.  Students may request for pregnancy-related conditions or parenting responsibilities by contacting the University’s Office of  Equal Opportunity and Title IX, Loyola Hall, Suite 140, 425 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, CA 95050, titleixadmin@scu.edu, (408) 554-3043, www.scu.edu/title-ix.

Policy For Withdrawal for Health Reasons/Emergencies 

Students may experience an illness, injury, or psychological condition, herein referred to as a health condition, which significantly impairs their ability to function successfully or safely in their roles as students. In these instances, time away from the University for treatment and recovery can restore functioning to a level that will enable them to return to the University.

The purpose of this policy is to set forth the procedures for student withdrawals from the University for reasons of health and/or safety.

The University has designated four categories relating to enrollment status. They differ according to who initiates the action, whether it is voluntary or not, and the re-enrollment procedures. Students who withdraw under this policy are strongly encouraged to either purchase or continue purchasing the tuition insurance plan. See the Tuition Insurance Plan section in this chapter for more details about this plan.

The vice provost for student life or designee, in consultation with the appropriate mental and medical health professionals, Office of the Dean, and other staff as deemed necessary, is responsible for the implementation of this policy.

Health Withdrawal Categories

A. Health Withdrawal and Re-enrollment.

A student who has a health condition that temporarily precludes continued enrollment, other than the conditions described in items B, C, and D, can choose to withdraw from the University. The process of withdrawing for health reasons is the same as that of withdrawing for any other personal reason with the intention of returning to the University. The student is responsible for using standard procedures and for notifying the University in writing when withdrawing and re-enrolling in the University. A student who drops all of his/her courses is not withdrawn from the University. During an academic quarter, a student who takes a health withdrawal, as defined in this section, is subject to the University Tuition Refund Policy.

B. Conditional Health Withdrawal and Re-enrollment

If the student’s health condition substantially threatens the welfare of self or others or the student’s behavior significantly disrupts the integrity of the University’s learning environment, the University may recommend professional evaluation and treatment, withdrawal from on-campus housing, and/or withdrawal from the University. Conditions for re-enrolling in the University are established and documented at the time of the withdrawal. If the student does not agree to the recommendation, the University reserves the right to implement such action without the consent of the student (see item C in this section).

A conditional health withdrawal may apply to:

• Students who are deemed to be a danger to themselves or others.
  Danger to self or others is here defined to include, but not limited to, any danger of suicide, self mutilation, accident, or assault which necessitates unusual measures to monitor, supervise, treat, protect, or restrain the student to ensure his/her safety and the safety of those around him/her.
• Students whose behavior is severely disruptive to others.
  Disruptive is here defined to include, but not limited to, behavior that causes emotional, psychological, or physical distress to students, faculty, or staff above that normally experienced in daily life and/or impacts the integrity of the University’s learning environment. Such disruption may be in the form of a single behavioral incident or somewhat less severe but persistent disruption over an extended period.
• Students (a) who refuse or are unable to cooperate with recommended assessment and/or treatment, and/or (b) whose behavior or physical condition suggests a disorder, such as an eating disorder, which is likely to deteriorate to the point of permanent disability, disfigurement, impairment, or dysfunction without such assessment and/or treatment. When standard assessment is impossible because of the student’s resistance, indirect behavioral observations may constitute the basis for such judgment.

Advantages of a conditional health withdrawal:

• The time away from the University will allow the student to focus on his/her health without the additional responsibilities associated with being a student.
• The student can seek the most appropriate professional treatment and resources without the constraints imposed by remaining enrolled at the University.
• The student may be granted grades of “W” (withdrawn) in all enrolled classes, even if the normal deadline for a “W” has passed.

The student may be eligible for a tuition refund for the quarter less any applicable financial aid. A student who lives on campus may be eligible for a room and board refund based upon the date the student officially checks out of the on-campus residence in accordance with Residence Life and Housing procedures.

See the Tuition Refund section in this chapter for more details.

Re-enrollment procedure.

When the student is ready to be considered for re-enrollment, the student should contact the vice provost for student life or designee according to the written conditions for re-enrollment and provide appropriate documentation of sustained behavioral change, and satisfactory resolution of the initial condition that gave rise to the withdrawal, including compliance with the conditions of re-enrollment. The student must be assessed by an appropriate professional: a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist, if evaluating mental health concerns or a licensed physician if the evaluation is regarding other medical concerns. Further, all providers must be unrelated to the student and must have specialty/credentials appropriate for the condition of concern. The off-campus health care professional will be asked to provide a written evaluation of the student’s current health status, the nature of the treatment, and provide recommendations regarding:

• The student’s readiness to return to the academic and co-curricular demands of University life
• The student’s readiness to live in the on-campus residential community
• Ongoing treatment, academic accommodations or testing needs
• Any conditions or restrictions that the University should impose the vice provost for student life or designee may consult with the director of Health and Counseling Services, Office of the Dean and any other appropriate University departments. The vice provost for student life or designee will either initiate the re-enrollment process or deny the student’s request and specify when the next request for re-enrollment will be considered, as well as the conditions that must be met for re-enrollment.

Once approved for re-enrollment by the vice provost for student life or designee, a student may re-enroll without further permission if the student was in good academic standing prior to leaving the University, does not have any outstanding financial obligations with the University, is returning to the same college or school, and is returning within five years of the date of the withdrawal. Students who do not meet these conditions must seek permission to re-enroll from the dean of Academic Support Services.

C. Involuntary Health Withdrawal and Re-enrollment

This policy is meant to be invoked only in extraordinary circumstances, when a student is unable or unwilling to request a voluntary withdrawal, and such a withdrawal may be necessary to protect the safety of that student and/or others, or the integrity of the University’s learning environment. If a student does not agree to comply with the University’s recommendation to withdraw voluntarily,

1. The vice provost for student life or designee will:

• Consult, as may be appropriate and feasible, with representatives from the Office of Student Life, Counseling and Psychological Services and Cowell Health Center, Residence Life, the Drahmann Advising Center, Office of the Dean, the student’s professors, and other individuals or departments.
• Seek, if appropriate and feasible, the cooperation and involvement of parents or guardians of the student. The decision to notify a student’s family members will be weighed carefully against the student’s privacy rights. The student’s parents or guardians may be contacted without the expressed consent of the student if it is perceived necessary to protect the welfare of the student or other individuals.
• Review, if feasible, with the student the reasons why an involuntary health withdrawal is being considered, provide an opportunity for the student to respond to the reasoning, and assert his/her reasons as to why withdrawing is not necessary and/or appropriate.

2. If the student is incapable of responding on his/her own behalf due to his/her condition or if the student chooses not to respond to inquiries or directives of the University, the University reserves the right to withdraw the student without the voluntary consent of the student or the parent or guardian. The terms of the withdrawal may include denying the student permission to be on property owned or controlled by the University.

3. The student will receive written notice of the final decision, including the conditions for re-enrollment, if the student is withdrawn.

4. The student may be granted grades of “W” (withdrawn) in all enrolled classes, even if the normal deadline for a “W” has passed.

5. The student may be eligible for a tuition refund for the academic term less any applicable financial aid. If the student lives in University housing, the student will be eligible for a room and board refund based upon the date s/he officially checks out of the on-campus residence in accordance with Residence Life and Housing procedures. See the Tuition Refund section in this chapter for more details.

6. If the decision includes a requirement for the student to obtain off-campus health care as a condition of re-enrollment, the student must give signed consent for the off-campus health care professional and the director of Health and Counseling to communicate about the nature of the problem that led to this action by the University, a complete description of the University’s concerns, and the scope of the resources that the University offers. This communication should occur prior to the beginning of the student’s treatment to ensure that there is clarity regarding the medical and/or psychological problems that need to be addressed.

Appeal Process

A student who is involuntarily withdrawn from the University may appeal this decision. If an appeal is denied, the decision is final and no further appeal is permitted. The student must submit the appeal and the reason(s) why the appeal should be granted within three business days of notice of the involuntary withdrawal. The student must submit the appeal and the reasons supporting the appeal to the vice provost for student life. In the event the vice provost for student life is the person who made the decision to involuntarily withdraw the student, the provost or the provost’s designee will hear the appeal. On appeal, the decision will be upheld if there is sufficient evidence that the student’s health condition substantially threatens the welfare of self or others, or the student’s behavior significantly disrupts the integrity of the University’s learning environment. The decision on the appeal will be communicated to the student within three business days of the day the appeal was submitted. During the duration of the appeal process, the student will be placed on interim emergency health restriction (see item D below). If the student does not submit an appeal, the involuntary health withdrawal will be implemented at the conclusion of the three-business-day period to submit an appeal.

Re-enrollment Procedure

A student who is involuntarily withdrawn from the University under this policy may be considered for re-enrollment by following the same re-enrollment procedure specified in item B.

D. Interim Emergency Health Restriction

If, for reasons pertaining to a health condition, a student’s behavior poses an immediate and direct threat to self or others, or an immediate disruption to the integrity of the University’s learning environment, the vice provost for student life or designee may suspend the student from the University or restrict the student’s access to the University campus, University housing, services, and activities, as appropriate, for an interim period before a final determination of the matter. If the student is placed on interim emergency health restriction at the discretion of the vice provost for student life or designee, the student will not be permitted to attend classes, participate in class in any way, or be on University-owned or -controlled property. This decision will be based upon a review of the available information that may include, if possible, speaking with the student regarding the matter. The vice provost for student life or designee may seek the cooperation and involvement of the student’s parents or guardians.

The decision to notify a student’s family members will be weighed carefully against the student’s privacy rights. The student or family member, if appropriate and feasible, will be notified of the interim emergency health restriction as well as the subsequent process in making a final determination regarding the student’s enrollment status.

The interim emergency health restriction will remain in effect until a final decision has been made. The vice provost for student life or designee will review relevant available information related to the student’s behavior and health, and provide, if possible, an opportunity for the student to meet with him/her. The standards for making the decision are whether the student’s health condition substantially threatens the welfare of self or others or the student’s behavior significantly disrupts the integrity of the University’s learning environment. The vice provost for student life or designee will document the findings of the review process and the recommendations and will notify the student in writing accordingly. If the student is withdrawn, the student will be informed of the conditions that must be met for re-enrollment.

Tuition Refund

Students who are placed on conditional health withdrawal or involuntary health withdrawal are eligible to receive only one tuition refund under the Policy for Withdrawal for Health Reasons during their academic tenure at the University. Any student who receives a tuition refund under this policy must meet re-enrollment conditions before the student will be permitted to return to the University.

Tuition Insurance Plan

The student is strongly encouraged to purchase the University’s tuition refund insurance prior to the beginning of the quarter and to maintain the insurance through the remainder of his/her enrollment.

Students are eligible to receive only one tuition refund under the Policy for Withdrawal for Health Reasons. This is applicable even in the event that the tuition insurance plan excludes coverage for a student’s condition. The student is responsible for reviewing the terms and conditions of the insurance plan including those pertaining to coverage and exclusions.

Additional Information

Additional details on selected University policies can be found in the University Policies chapter of this Bulletin. University policies are subject to change and the most current policy statements are found on the University website.

Inquiries regarding equal opportunity policies, the filing of grievances, or requests for a copy of the University’s grievance procedures covering discrimination and harassment complaints should be directed to:

Director of Equal Opportunity and Title IX Coordinator
Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX
Santa Clara University, Loyola Hall Suite 140
425 El Camino Real
Santa Clara, CA 95053
408-551-3043
titleixadmin@scu.edu