Absences from Final Examinations

Students are required to adhere to the policies regarding final examinations as published in the Enrollment and Student Academic Information bulletin, which can be found at the Office of the Registrar.  

Absences from Scheduled Classes

Illness is usually the only acceptable excuse for absence from class. Other absences must be explained to the satisfaction of the instructor, who will decide whether omitted work may be made up.  

Addition of Courses

No course may be added by an undergraduate student after the first week of a semester or a summer session unless the instructor of the course approves and the request is approved by both the chairperson of the department in which the course is offered and the dean.

Change of Grade

Requests for a change of grade must be made no later than the last day of classes of the next regular semester.  

Confidentiality of Records

Indiana University, in compliance with the General Education Provisions Act, Section 438, titled the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, and the university's Policy on Access to Institutional Data, provides that all student records are confidential and available only to eligible employees of the university for use in the conduct of university business (as determined by data stewards), the student and the parents, if the student is under 21 and dependent as defined by IRS standards. Students may review their records upon request and may ask for deletions or corrections of the record in a hearing process described in detail in the Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct  or at the Office of Student Ethics, Assistant Dean of Students Annex.

References, recommendations, and other similar documents may carry a voluntary waiver relinquishing the student's right to review this specific material. The student may also release the record to others by signing a written release available in the offices that maintain records. Further details regarding the provisions of the Privacy Act and a list of offices in which student records are kept may be found in the Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct.

Credit by Examination

The school will apply credit earned by departmental examination, College Board Advanced Placement Tests, the International Baccalaureate, SAT II Subject Tests, and language placement tests offered by the Bureau of Evaluative Standards and Testing toward appropriate degree requirements. Such credit must be entered on the student's transcript.  

Degree Applications

Candidates for the B.A.J. must file an application for a degree with the school recorder's office. The application can be found on the School of Journalism Web site. Deadlines to apply: June 1 for May graduation; December 1 for August graduation; February 1 for December graduation.

Candidates must have all credits on record at least six weeks prior to the conferring of degrees, except for credits of the current semester.

 Dual Bachelor's Degree

In certain cases the dean may permit undergraduate students who have not yet completed a first baccalaureate degree to complete a second bachelor's degree. Such students must complete all requirements for the B.A.J. and the second degree. Students with a baccalaureate degree should consider applying for admission to a graduate program.  

Exceptions to Degree Requirements

Requests for deviation from school requirements may be granted only by written approval from the dean of the school (or the dean's administrative representative).

Incomplete Courses

A grade of Incomplete (I) may be given only when the work of the course is substantially completed and when the student's work is of passing quality. All Incomplete grades must be removed within the time specified by the instructor of the course or they will automatically change to an F one calendar year after the end of the semester/session the grade of I was given. It is the student's responsibility to obtain from the instructor the requirements and deadline for the removal of the Incomplete. Students who receive a grade of I should not register for the course a second time.

Language Placement for International Students

Students whose native language is not English may demonstrate required proficiency in their language. Students are required to take a proficiency exam from the department of their native language. Students must place at or above the fifth semester. They cannot earn credit for courses at the first- or second-year level in their native language.

Pass/Fail Option

Students in good academic standing may take up to eight elective courses, maximum two courses per academic year, for a grade of P (pass) or F (fail). No courses used to fulfill major requirements, second concentration, statistics, foundations, breadth of inquiry, or world languages and cultures requirements may be taken under the Pass/Fail option.

Students must meet the deadlines to enroll in courses under the Pass/Fail option as listed each semester in the Enrollment and Student Academic Information bulletin, which can be found on the Office of the Registrar's Web site. A grade of P is not calculated in the grade point average; a grade of F is calculated in the grade point average. A grade of P cannot be changed subsequently to any other letter grade.

Public Information

Upon request, certain information is made available to the public by the Office of the Registrar, Student Central on Union, 408 N. Union Street, (812) 855-0121.

Release of Information in Student Records

An implicit and justifiable assumption of trust is placed in the School of Journalism as custodian of personal data submitted by students entering the school or generated during their enrollment. This mutual relationship of trust between the school and the individual student requires that such data be held in confidence.  

Statute of Limitations

Course work for the B.A.J. degree must be completed within eight years from the time the student first registers at Indiana University. Students who do not meet this requirement must apply in writing to the dean to have their programs updated to meet the degree requirements currently in effect.

Withdrawal from Courses

The school permits withdrawal from courses with the automatic grade of Withdrawal (W) within the deadlines as published in the Enrollment and Student Academic Information bulletin, which can be found at the Office of the Registrar.

Petitions for withdrawal after the periods specified in the Enrollment and Student Academic Information bulletin will be considered by the dean only for urgent reasons related to extended illness or equivalent distress. Documentation of extended illness or equivalent distress will be required.

If students withdraw with the dean's consent, their mark in the course shall be W if they are passing at the time of withdrawal and F if they are not passing. The grade will be recorded on the date of withdrawal. Failure to complete a course without authorized withdrawal will result in the grade F.