Registration Policies

The academic degree and/or certificate program requirements in place on the date of initial matriculation shall govern graduation requirements. If a student decides to select a different degree or certificate program, these requirements will not change. However, the student may choose to follow the academic degree and/or certificate program graduation requirements in effect at the time he/she changes programs. The student must declare this change in writing and may not switch back to the prior requirements. A student loses matriculation status when they graduate from the College, are dismissed, or if he/she leaves the College for two consecutive years. (College Meeting Dec 12, 2011)

The Change of Program Request form must be signed by the student and an advisor.

A student may enroll in no more than 18 credit hours during the fall or spring semester, or 6 credit hours during intersession or 9 credit hours during the summer session without the written approval of the appropriate Academic Dean. (Approved by College Meeting March 19, 2007)

A Department may approve the substitution of a course within their own degree or certificate programs to satisfy completion requirements. A Course Substitution Request Form, including rationale, must signed by the Department Chair and submitted to the Registrar.

A student may officially withdraw from a course through the tenth week of classes. (This period shall be prorated for abbreviated sessions.) The procedure requires the student to complete a "Change of Schedule" form at the Registrar's Office. A student may also withdraw from a course via the Campus Web. If the course is dropped prior to the seventh calendar day of the semester no record of the course will appear on the student's transcript. Thereafter a grade of W will be recorded. The student is always encouraged to discuss changes in course enrollment with an academic advisor. The student is responsible for submitting the completed form to the Registrar's Office. Refer to the Academic Calendar for specific dates to submit forms for withdrawal without a record and withdrawal with a grade of "W." The date of a withdrawal will also affect refunds.

An instructor may decide to withdraw a student from a class up through the tenth week of classes when that student has failed to adhere to the instructor's attendance policy. In this case, the instructor must notify the Registrar to record a grade of "Z" on the student's record.

After the tenth week of classes, withdrawal from class will not be permitted either by the student or the instructor. Consequently, after the tenth week, W and Z grades will not be recorded on the student's record unless exceptional circumstances warrant. The Vice President of Academics and Student Affairs must review and approve these exceptions.

A student may officially withdraw from a course by obtaining a Change of Schedule form. The student is responsible for submitting the completed form to the Registrar’s Office. Please refer to the academic calendar for specific dates to submit forms for withdrawal without a record and withdrawal with a grade or “W”. The date of a withdrawal will also affect refunds.

If the course is dropped prior to the seventh calendar day of the semester no record of the course will appear on the student’s transcript. Thereafter, a grade of W will be recorded.

It is the student’s responsibility to ensure all deadlines are met. An instructor may decide to withdraw a student from a class if the student fails to adhere to the instructor’s attendance policy. The instructor must notify the Registrar to record a grade of ABS (absent) on the student’s record. (Notification of Special Action form is available on W drive, Registration Office Forms)

All matriculated students who place into either of the following developmental courses (MAT010 Fundamentals of Arithmetic and/or ENL025 Reading and Writing Essentials) on their CPT/Accuplacer must register for at least one or more of these courses in their first semester. Students are required to complete any remaining first level courses in their second semester and continue enrolling in the next level of developmental and/or co-requisite courses until they complete the developmental sequence of courses in all subjects (Math and English) needed for their academic program. (Approved by College Meeting May 13, 2013; revised February 6, 2017; updated June 2017)

All matriculated students who place into any of the following developmental or co-requisite courses (MAT025 Prealgebra and/or ENL108 Critical Reading and Thinking) on their CPT/Accuplacer must register for at least one or more of these courses in their first semester. Students are strongly advised to complete any remaining developmental (Math and English) courses in their second semester. Students enrolled in a degree program that requires MAT035 Algebra for non-STEM, MAT045 Intermediate Algebra for STEM or college-level math are advised to continue taking developmental math courses until they complete the developmental sequence. (Approved by College Meeting May 13, 2013; updated June 2017)

A two-hour final examination will normally be required in courses offered for credit. If it is not appropriate to the subject or conduct of a course to have a final examination, the scheduled examination period will be used for a class meeting. This latter alternative is subject to the approval of the Department or Academic Dean. Course policy toward the use of the final examination period will be published in the course syllabus.

No final examination may be given at any time or place other than those published in the examination schedule, except when directed or approved by the Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs.

Missing a final examination may result in a 0 for the examination, unless the student proves, within 24 hours of the examination, to his/her instructor that the absence was due to an emergency or religious beliefs. Decision as to the adequacy of the excuse rests with the instructor.

Extreme care must be exercised in proctoring examinations. Faculty members will be expected to help in proctoring other than their own final examinations. (Approved April 17, 1979)

The retention of final examinations and papers generally is at the discretion of the individual instructor, but it is expected that examinations and papers will be retained a reasonable length of time to permit resolution of problems.

See also: Student Grievance Procedure

A full-time student is one attempting at least 12 credit hours of course work per semester. A student admitted and classified as full-time is expected to maintain full-time status (12 or more credits) for the duration of the semester.

A part-time student is one attempting fewer than 12 credit hours of course work.

The Registrar sets the date when final grades are due which is noted on the Academic Calendar. A special notice regarding the preparation and release of final grades is distributed well in advance of the due date. Final grades are processed by the instructor through Campus Web.

Once grades have been processed, any further questions should be referred by the instructor to his/her Dean and to the Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs. In grading, as in all other confidential matters, faculty and staff must adhere to the FERPA regulations.

If a student assesses into a course above MAT175 and successfully completes that course at Cape Cod Community College, the higher-level course will satisfy the Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning requirement.

If a student transfers in a course above MAT175, the higher-level course will satisfy the Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning requirement.

If a student transfers in a Mathematics course at a college-level (as determined by the Chair of the Math department), but that course is not equivalent to a course at Cape Cod Community College, that course will satisfy the Mathematics/Quantitative Resoning requirement.
(Approved by College Meeting April 25, 2016)

Matriculation is a process designed to promote student success and help students achieve their educational goals. Matriculation enhances student access to academic advising and financial aid opportunities. A student becomes ‘matriculated’ when accepted and admitted to the College under a specific degree or certificate program and has registered for one or more credit courses. (Approved by College Meeting Dec 12, 2011)

A non-matriculated student is one who has registered for one or more credit courses but is not enrolled in a degree or certificate program. (Approved by College Meeting Dec 12, 2011)

A student may apply for a Medical Withdrawal through the Dean of Enrollment Management & Advising Services as soon as possible, but no later than 90 days after the end of the semester in which the medical issue occurred. Medical withdrawals apply only to the student with the documented medical issue. A student who must care for a relative must follow the standard withdrawal procedure through the Advising Center. A medical withdrawal requires that the student submit a Medical Withdrawal Form accompanied by original documentation signed by a medical or clinical professional on letterhead that states the student was unable to complete their courses as of a certain effective date. The documentation is kept in a confidential file. A memo will be sent to the Registrar, Financial Aid (including Military & Veterans Services, if applicable), and to the Business Office to notify them of the student's withdrawal status. The student must satisfy any outstanding obligations with the Business Office, Financial Aid, Library, and if applicable, the Military & Veterans Services Administrator.

Students should be aware that withdrawals may negatively impact the Satisfactory Academic Progress Requirement for financial aid. It is the student's responsibility to follow up with the Financial Aid Office. (Approved by College Meeting November 16, 2009; revised May 4, 2020)

Cape Cod Community College is committed to students’ academic success. Prerequisite courses are established to assure students have the necessary knowledge and skills to succeed in a course. Students are required to complete (or be currently enrolled in) prerequisites prior to registering for the next level course.

A student may repeat a previously taken course. When the course is repeated, the highest grade is used to calculate the cumulative grade point average (CGPA). The grade and credits for all attempts remain on the permanent records, but only the highest grade is calculated in the CGPA. The college reserves the right to limit the number of times a student may repeat the same course. (Approved College Meeting September 15, 2003; Revised April 2, 2018)

Courses that permit accumulation of credit to a maximum of 6 credits and which the student wishes to repeat for a substitute grade must be specially requested via the Registration Office. (Approved by College Meeting September 15, 2003)

All registered students will be permitted to adjust their schedules during the first seven (7) calendar days of the Fall or Spring semester providing the course has seats available and any prerequisites have been met.  The signature of the instructor of a course is both necessary and sufficient to enroll a student into that course during the add/drop period of a given semester. The student is responsible for obtaining any missing course materials. (Approved by College Meeting February 11, 2008; revised March 23, 2015)

Change of Schedule forms are available in the Registration Office.

All requests for transcripts of a student’s record must be made either in writing or in person. Transcripts are processed according to FERPA regulations. Transcript request may take up to fourteen (14) business days to process. Transcript Request forms can be found here.

A student may withdraw from the college for non-medical reasons through the Advising & Counseling Center. A completed withdrawal form, with required signatures, must be submitted to the Registrar's Office by the last class day of the semester. No application for withdrawal will be accepted or processed after final exams have begun for the academic term. The student must satisfy any outstanding obligations with the Business Office, Financial Aid, Library, and if applicable, the Veteran's Affairs Administrator. If the withdrawal is approved, a letter grade of "W" will be recorded for all courses taken during said semester.

Students should be aware that withdrawals may negatively impact the Satisfactory Academic Progress Requirement for financial aid. It is the student's responsibility to follow up with the Financial Aid Office. (Approved by College Meeting November 16, 2009)

Withdrawal forms are available in the Advising and Counseling Center.