Academic Information

All Wake Technical Community College policies (academic; student services; administrative) apply to all students, regardless of campus and center locations or mode of instructional delivery, unless expressly defined by the college.

Absences

Wake Tech encourages regular class attendance; absences can hurt academic performance and are not a part of good scholarship. Students are expected to take personal responsibility for their attendance and use discretion when making schedule choices to meet the demands of work, family and other responsibilities.

A class absence is defined as missing one-third or more of any regularly scheduled class meeting.

Students who know of upcoming absences should notify their instructors in advance. If advance notice is not possible, students should contact instructors immediately upon their return to class.

Students are expected to attend at least 90% of all scheduled class meetings. If a student's absences in a class exceed 10% and are not justified to the satisfaction of the instructor, that instructor will submit an online withdrawal form to Registration and Student Records documenting the student's last date of attendance. 

For information on grading and attendance policies, see Assignment of Grades for Attendance Policy Violations and Withdrawal.

Tardiness and early departure

Students are expected to arrive to class on time and to remain in class for the entire class period. Arriving late or leaving early disrupts the learning environment; however, extenuating circumstances may necessitate late arrivals or early departures. Classroom doors are not generally locked. If doors are locked for security or other reasons, they will be opened for students who are justifiably late or have a justifiable reason for leaving early.  

Patterns of tardiness or early departure that cannot be justified to the satisfaction of the instructor will be considered violations of the attendance policy – two tardies or early departures will equate to one absence. Students should consult course handouts or instructors for more specific details.

Wake Tech recognizes its legal and ethical responsibilities to accommodate students who must miss classes to participate in religious observances. North Carolina law requires that students be permitted at least two excused absences per year for these purposes. Wake Tech students are allowed two class days of excused absences per academic year for religious observances.

It is the student's responsibility to contact the instructor for each course in which work will be missed. The student must provide written notification to the instructor within the first two weeks of the semester, identifying the religious observance and date of the planned absence.

Faculty members must provide a suitable accommodation for affected students. Specific accommodations may vary, depending on course content, mode of instruction and size of class.

Examples of suitable accommodations:

• Establishing a class policy allowing all students to drop one exam or assignment grade
• Providing an opportunity for a makeup exam or equivalent assignment
• Allowing extra-credit assignments to substitute for missed class work
• Other reasonable accommodations determined by the course instructor

Students are responsible for missed class content. Students must request and should be provided with any instructional materials given out during their absence.

Adding a course

Students may add a course via Self-Service through the last day to add as published in the academic calendar. Students who find it necessary to add a course should confer with their advisors. In rare instances, after the registration systems close, courses may be added by the Registration and Student Records Services Division upon receipt of a completed Request for Registration Override form. Students must obtain this form and the required signature from the academic department offering the course.

Dropping a course

Students may drop a course through the last day to drop as published in the academic calendar online (date subject to change). Students who find it necessary to drop a course should confer with their advisors. Students may drop classes via Self-Service until the end of the published drop deadline.

Courses dropped after the last day to drop for the term and on or before the 60% date of the semester or term are considered withdrawals. Courses dropped during this period will result in a grade of "W." 

Students who drop a class are advised that doing so may affect their financial aid. Students may contact the Financial Aid office to determine whether funds will be affected.

Audits

Students who wish to audit courses may do so by submitting a Request to Audit form to the Registration and Student Records Services Division no later than the last day to add classes. Departmental approval is not required to audit courses during the published schedule period. After the last day to add, students may request to audit by submitting the form with signatures from the instructor and the dean of the division offering the class (or designee). Requests are not accepted after the mid-point of the term.

Audited courses provide no credit hours or grade points. Registration fees and tuition for audited courses are the same as those for courses taken for credit.

Withdrawals

A student who finds it necessary to withdraw from a course, courses or from the college must initiate the withdrawal process by contacting the instructor of each course and declaring his or her intent to withdraw. The instructor will then submit the necessary information to the Registration and Student Records Services Division via the online withdrawal form.

Students enrolled in courses offered on schedules other than the standard 16-week semester and the regular Summer term should consult the Wake Tech academic calendar to determine the last day to withdraw and receive a grade of "W." Students may also initiate a withdrawal form accessible from the student portal, my.waketech.edu.

Assignment of grades for attendance policy violations and withdrawals

Faculty assign grades according to methods which are professionally acceptable, communicated to everyone in the class and applied to all students equally. 

Grade of W
Students who withdraw or who are withdrawn for any reason, including attendance policy violations, on or before the 60% point are assigned a grade of "W." In accordance with the state refund policy for community colleges, tuition refunds are allowable after the drop deadline for the term only in the case of military deployment or death of the student.

Grade of WP
Students who withdraw or who are withdrawn after the 60% point with legitimate, extenuating circumstances will be assigned a grade of "WP." It is the student's responsibility to explain the circumstances to the satisfaction of the instructor. "WP" counts the same as a grade of "W" in the determination of the student's GPA. In accordance with the state refund policy for community colleges, tuition refunds are allowable after the drop deadline for the term only in the case of military deployment or death of the student.

Grade of WF
Students who withdraw or who are withdrawn after the 60% point with no legitimate, extenuating circumstances will be assigned a grade of "WF." If a student stops attending class before the last test, final project or final exam and has violated the attendance policy, that student will receive a "WF." The grade counts the same as an "F" in the determination of the student's GPA. In accordance with the state refund policy for community colleges, tuition refunds are allowable after the drop deadline for the term only in the case of military deployment or death of the student.

Grade of F
A grade of "F" indicates that the student completed the class but earned a failing grade. If a student stops attending class before the last test, final project or final exam but has not violated the attendance policy, that student will receive the grade earned, including zeroes for the work missed. 

Grade of I (Incomplete)
A grade of "I" may be given at the discretion of the instructor if the instructor decides that the student (who has contacted the instructor to request an incomplete) has a legitimate reason for missing the last test, final project, final exam or other assignment. The instructor must make arrangements for the student to make up the work for the final grade(s) within the time allowed for completion of any incomplete (by the end of the fifth full week of the following semester). A grade of "I" will automatically revert to a grade of "F" unless the work is made up and a Grade Change form is submitted to the office of Registration and Records by the instructor.

A full-time student is a person enrolled for 12 or more semester hours of credit in the Fall or Spring semesters and nine or more semester hours of credit in the Summer term.

A part-time student is a person enrolled for fewer than 12 semester hours of credit pursuing a degree, diploma or certificate program in the Fall or Spring semesters and fewer than nine semester hours of credit in the Summer term.

A visiting student is any student who is enrolled in a credit course but is not working toward a degree, diploma or certificate.

For financial aid purposes only, full-time status is 12 hours credit or more each semester.

The Academic Foundations courses are designed to prepare students for college-level coursework by helping them develop the reading, English and mathematics skills required for entry into curriculum courses. Students are placed in Academic Foundations courses on the basis of their unweighted high school GPA, admissions test scores for students who have been out of high school for more than 10 years, the recommendation of their advisor or instructor or their own voluntary selection.

Students who require the Transition Math and/or the Transition English course will be required to take a study skills course, ACA 090. This course has been designed to improve student success in both Academic Foundations and curriculum courses. Depending on individual circumstances and pending advisor approval, students may take Academic Foundations and curriculum courses during the same term. Most Academic Foundations courses are offered every term, both day and evening.

A student taking required Academic Foundations courses must earn a passing grade of "C" or better. A grade of "R" or "F" may require the student to repeat the course.

Academic Foundations courses:
ACA 090
ENG 002, ENG 011
MAT 003, MAT 010, MAT 021, MAT 043, MAT 052, MAT 071

Some courses may have prerequisite or co-requisite course requirements, which ensure that the student is ready to move on to a higher level course. All students are required to successfully complete the course prerequisites and co-requisites listed before enrolling. Students who do not have confirmed prior credit, equivalency via placement test scores or transfer equivalency that satisfies the stated prerequisites and co-requisites may be administratively dropped from the course. Course prerequisites and co-requisites may be found by clicking on the course number on Self-Service course schedules.

As this information is public and available, students who drop on their own or due to a faculty-requested drop after the first day of class and before the published 10% date are eligible for only a 75% refund. Therefore, students are advised to review course prerequisites and co-requisites carefully before enrolling.

Grade Point Averages (GPA)

Students are graded according to the following grade-point system in all courses, except Academic Foundations courses.

Grade Points

Students in Academic Foundations math and English courses are graded according to the following system:

Students in Academic Foundations transition math and English courses are graded according to the following system:

The following grades will not be used in computing grade point averages:

*IE and WE grades are temporary grades implemented for the COVID-19 pandemic.

An "I" (incomplete) grade will be given only when circumstances justify additional time for the completion of a course. Except for "IE" grades, an "I" must be removed by the end of the fifth full academic week of the term immediately following the term in which the grade was given. If it is not removed by this date, the "I" will be recorded as an "F" in the student's permanent record.

The grade awarded for participation in Work-Based Learning will be either "P" (Pass) or "F" (Fail). These grades are not used in computing the grade point average. Grades are available online approximately one business day after the deadline for faculty to submit final grades.

To view grades, access Self-Service, click on "Grades" and view grades by term. Information regarding grade appeals is listed within the Student Rights and Responsibility policy.

Computation of grade point average
The following process is used to determine a student's grade point average (GPA):

• Multiply the number of semester hour credits assigned a course by the number of grade points for the grade received.
• Add all the grade points together.
• Divide the total grade points by the total number of semester hours attempted, including grades of F and WF.
• Whenever a course is repeated, the best grade (except when the repeat results in a grade of I, IP, AU or X) will be used in the grade point average computation.
• Exclude attempted hours for courses with W, WP or WE grades and classes below the 100 level. Courses below the 100 level, such as ENG-002, MAT-003 and CHM-090, are developmental courses.

In the example below, the W grade in HUM-110 would not be included in the GPA calculation. The GPA calculation would be 9 grade points divided by 7 hours attempted = 1.286. The 3 hours attempted for HUM-110 would not be included.

A student may enroll in the same course up to three times during his or her academic career. Each attempt will be recorded on the student's official academic record.The best grade earned in all the attempts is calculated in the GPA. Exceptions to this policy may be approved by the dean, department head or designee responsible for supervising completion of the course.

Students will receive a registration error message on their third attempt to repeat a course and must contact the appropriate department in order to proceed. The error message allows Curriculum Education Services to intervene before a student risks violating the repetition policy.

The Family Policy Compliance Office, which is responsible for the administration of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) at schools and colleges, has issued a technical letter stating that grades may not be posted by Social Security number, or part thereof, without the written consent of the student.

Wake Tech faculty are neither required to post grades nor prohibited from posting them; however, faculty may post grades only for those students who have given their written consent. Even with student consent, full Social Security numbers must never be used as identifiers.

Faculty should distribute FERPA Consent to Post Grades forms to students in classes for which they intend to post grades. The consent forms should be turned in to the faculty member’s dean with the final grade report and maintained for no less than three years. After three years, grade report records may be destroyed, provided no litigation, claim, audit or other official action involving the records has been initiated. If any official action has been initiated, the records should be destroyed in office after the official action is complete and attendant issues resolved. 

For faculty posting grades electronically on Blackboard, written consent is not required, provided a student's grade is posted where only the student can access it with a secure password (i.e., individual grade books). Faculty may not post grades on a Blackboard site to which all class members have access; such an action would constitute the disclosure of personally identifiable information without student consent.

Faculty may send grades to individual students via email only when there is written authorization from the student on file. Authorization should be maintained by the instructor; Self-Service will be the official means of final grade notification.

A student who has not been enrolled in curriculum courses in the college for 36 consecutive months (three years) or longer may submit a Grade Forgiveness request to the Registration and Student Records Services Division. Under this policy, the student may request that previous grades of "WF" or "F" not be used in calculating the cumulative grade point average. A grade of "FG" will replace the original grade on the transcript: however, the "FG" grade is not included in the GPA. This ruling has no bearing on any other institutions or how they calculate GPA.

Prior to re-evaluation for grade forgiveness, the student must be readmitted to the college, register for courses and complete at least 12 credit hours of course work at the 100 level or above, with a minimum quality point average of 2.0. Requests for re-evaluation are processed weekly, and the student will be notified in writing at the mailing address on file. A student may request grade forgiveness only once while at Wake Tech.

At the end of each academic term, students’ semester and cumulative grade point averages (GPAs) are calculated. Each student is expected to make satisfactory progress, defined as a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0, based on credit hours attempted. Students with the minimum cumulative GPA are considered to be in good standing.

Credit hours for Academic Foundations courses are not counted in credit hours attempted; thus, grades from some Academic Foundations classes are not counted toward cumulative GPA. Likewise, courses with a grade of "AU" (audit), "SR" (senior audit), "X" (challenged), "W" (withdrawn) or "WP" (withdrawal passing) are not considered in credit hours attempted and are not counted toward cumulative GPA.

Satisfactory progress in Health Sciences curricula
Certain policies pertaining to student progress in the Health Sciences curricula differ from general college policies. These policies will be given to each student enrolled in a Health Sciences curriculum.

Satisfactory progress in Academic Foundations courses
The objective of the Academic Foundations program is to assist students in obtaining the academic skills they need to succeed in a curriculum program. Therefore, a student taking required Academic Foundations courses must earn a passing grade to progress to a curriculum program or to the next level in an Academic Foundations course. A grade of "R" or "F" may require the student to repeat the course.

A student’s academic standing is determined at the end of each Fall and Spring semester based upon previous academic standing and cumulative grade point average. Academic standing is applied to curriculum, credential-seeking (degree, diploma and certificate) students; it is not applied to visiting students or Career & College Promise students. Students will receive email notification of their academic standing at their college-issued address.

Warning
Students will be placed on Academic Warning the first Fall or Spring semester their cumulative GPA is below 2.0.

A restriction will be placed on their record to prevent access or continued access to the registration system.  Upon successful completion of College Strong, a free online academic support course in Blackboard, the restriction will be lifted and access to the registration system will be restored.

Suspension
Students will be placed on Academic Suspension the second consecutive Fall or Spring semester their cumulative GPA is below 2.0. Students on Academic Suspension will not be allowed to enroll in courses for one full semester and will not be allowed to participate in college functions during that time. Students on Academic Suspension will be blocked from registering for classes and may not remain in any classes for which they have pre-registered. A refund of any tuition and fees paid will be authorized, and any applicable financial aid will be canceled for the term.

If a student's cumulative GPA is below 2.0 but their most current term GPA is above 2.0, or if they earned a grade of "C" or better in all Academic Foundations courses for the most current term, this indicates progress toward improving the cumulative GPA. As such, a student will be allowed to continue their enrollment for the immediate next semester. The student is expected to utilize the immediate next semester as an opportunity to continue making progress and improve their cumulative GPA.

Reinstatement following suspension
After a one-semester suspension, a student will be reinstated by completion of the following steps:

• Attend a Success Workshop sponsored by the Individualized Learning Center
• Meet with an academic advisor to develop a contract for success

Upon completion, the restriction will be lifted and access to the registration system restored. The reinstatement steps must be completed no less than one month prior to the start of the term for which the student wishes to be reinstated.

Probation
After a one-semester suspension, students who are reinstated will be placed on Academic Probation for the enrolled term immediately following the suspension. Students on Academic Probation must adhere to the success contract developed with their academic advisor. At the conclusion of the probation period, students whose cumulative GPA improves to a 2.0 or higher move to Good Standing. Students whose cumulative GPA remains below 2.0 return to Academic Suspension.

Academic Suspension appeal process
Students on Academic Suspension may submit a written appeal in order to continue their enrollment. The appeal will be considered if the student’s transcript indicates that, while the cumulative GPA of 2.0 has not been achieved, significant progress has been made. Significant progress is defined as a minimum 2.0 GPA for the most current term and/or a grade of "C" or better in all Academic Foundations courses for the current term. 

If the appeal is approved, the student must meet with an academic advisor to develop an academic success contract. The registration hold will then be removed to restore the student’s access to the registration system. Course availability may be limited.

If the appeal is denied, the student will not be able to take any classes for one semester and must follow the reinstatement process as outlined above.

To be eligible for graduation, students must complete all prescribed courses for the curriculum in which they are enrolled, with a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 in their program of study.* They must complete at least 25 percent of the hours required for a degree, diploma or certificate in residence at Wake Tech.

To graduate, students must fulfill all financial obligations to the college. 

*GPA is calculated by dividing the total number of grade points earned by the total number of credit hours attempted. Courses used in this calculation are those completed at Wake Tech and listed in the student's curriculum outline as "minimum requirements," along with any additional courses approved by the appropriate academic dean.

President's List 
The college publishes a President's List at the end of each academic term, composed of credential-seeking students who have achieved a grade point average of 4.0 at the end of that particular term, based on a minimum of 12 curriculum credit hours attempted in Fall and Spring semesters and a minimum of eight hours in Summer term. President's List recognition is not applied to visiting students nor Career & College Promise students.

Dean's List
The college publishes a Dean's List at the end of each academic term, composed of credential-seeking students who have achieved a minimum grade point average of 3.5 at the end of that particular term, based on a minimum of 12 curriculum credit hours attempted in Fall and Spring semesters and a minimum of eight hours in Summer term. Dean's List recognition is not applied to visiting students nor Career & College Promise students.

President's Award for Excellence
The President's Award for Excellence is the top academic award presented by Wake Tech, to recognize students who excel in academic achievement, attitude, attendance and motivation. One student from each academic division is selected to receive the President's Award for Excellence each calendar year. Division deans and instructors select award recipients.

Each recipient receives a personal plaque of commendation from the college president. Recipients' names are engraved on a trophy that is on permanent display at the college.

Who's Who Among Students in American Junior Colleges
Each spring, second-year students are nominated for Who's Who Among Students in American Junior Colleges, based on the student's scholarship, participation and leadership in academic and extracurricular activities, citizenship and service to the college and potential for future achievement.

Graduation exercises are held at the end of the Fall and Spring semesters for all students who have completed degree or diploma requirements since the last graduation. Prospective graduates must request a graduation clearance by submitting an online Self-Service Graduation via Graduation Overview. Deadlines are posted on the Registration and Student Records page.

Prospective summer graduates who will enroll in their final coursework are allowed to participate in May graduation ceremonies. Prospective graduates must request a graduation clearance by submitting an online Self-Service graduation Application via Graduation Overview. Deadlines posted on the Registration and Student Records page.

The rate of persistence toward graduation for Wake Tech students is available from the counseling staff.

Information about student completion in each of the academic programs is available students online from the National Center for Education Statistics. Other related information available to view completion rates include the Critical Success Factors and the Fact Book. Wake Tech student completion links can also be found on the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges website.

The availability of this information satisfies the federal requirement regarding dissemination of student consumer information.

Locations 
Registration & Student Records (Southern Wake Campus)
9101 Fayetteville Road, Raleigh, NC 27603
Building L, Room 243A
Monday - Thursday, 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Phone
919-866-5700

Registration & Student Records Services  (Scott Northern Wake Campus)
6600 Louisburg Road, Raleigh, NC 27616
Building C, Room 218F
Monday - Thursday, 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Phone
919-532-5502

Website