General Academic Information - Undergraduate Programs

Definition of Full-Time, Degree-Seeking Student

To be classified as full-time, a student enrolled in classes on the Plainview campus must be enrolled for the credit hours indicated below:

To be classified as full-time, a student attending classes at an external campus must be enrolled for six credit hours each 8-week session or a total of 12 hours for the two 8-week sessions per term.

Placement

Students admitted to Wayland with ACT English score of 16 or lower, or an SAT writing score of 410 or lower will be required to take the WritePlace Accuplacer placement assessment. Students with an ACT math score of 15 or lower or an SAT math score of 410 or lower will be required to take the Wayland Math Placement Exam. Students with an ACT reading score of 17 or lower or an SAT critical reading score of 410 or lower will be required to take the Next-Generation Reading Accuplacer. The highest available ACT/SAT in math, English, and reading will be used for placement decisions.

The appropriate placement test/exam will be given to incoming freshmen based on ACT and/or SAT scores, and to transfer students if recommended by the admissions committee. Placement of students in English and reading will be based on the following placement scores:

*Placement for students who are required to take both the WritePlacer and Next-Gen Reading exams will be determined by the lower of the test scores.

Students enrolled in ENGL 0301  or ENGL 0302  will not be allowed to enroll in ENGL 1301  concurrently.

Math Placement Exam scores have been set by the Wayland mathematics faculty and are available upon request from the School of Mathematics and Sciences.

Students enrolled in MATH 0325  or MATH 0326  will not be allowed to enroll in MATH 1300 , MATH 1303 , or MATH 1304  concurrently.

A student must reach these scores and/or obtain the consent of the Dean of the appropriate academic school to be exempt from taking a developmental course. Students placed in developmental courses are required to take those courses during the first term/session of enrollment and may not withdraw from them unless withdrawing from the university.

Developmental courses do not count as credit toward a degree but count as additional GPA hours on the transcript. Other institutions may not accept developmental courses (such as MATH 0326  and ENGL 0301 ) for transfer credit. Likewise, Wayland Baptist University will not accept developmental credit from other institutions as transfer credit.

Student Course Load

Students enrolled in 12 or more credit hours in a 16-week term are considered full-time; correspondingly, students enrolled in 6 or more credit hours in each of two consecutive 8-week sessions within a 16-week term are considered full-time. A normal class load for a full-time student is 15-18 credit hours per 16-week term. Students on academic probation are restricted to 14 credit hours per 16-week term, or 7 hours per 8-week session. An enrollment of more than 18 credit hours per 16-week term or 9 credit hours per 8-week session must be approved by the vice president of academic affairs for Plainview students, or the external campus executive director/dean for external campus students. A student who works more than 20 hours per week should attempt less than the normal academic load. A fully employed student is encourage to take no more than 9 credit hours per 16-week term. A maximum of four credit hours may be earned in a three-week microterm.

Students using Veterans Education benefits from the Veterans Administration must contact the School Certifying Official to determine how their rate of pursuit during an 8-week session of a 16-week term will affect their Tuition and Fees, as well as their Basic/Monthly Allowance for Housing (BAH/MAH).

Definition of Course Modalities

In-person or face-to-face courses are traditional college courses scheduled to be regularly offered in a physical classroom or similar learning space 100% of the time. Each in-person class will provide, at minimum, the following components in the university’s adopted learning management system: the course syllabus, student attendance, and student grades.

Hybrid courses are scheduled to be regularly offered in a mixed modality format with no less than 30% of the course presented face-to-face or in-person. The in-person portion of the class will take place at a regular or set time during the session or term in which it is offered, with the remainder of the class offered online through the university’s adopted learning management system. Hybrid courses must be advertised or listed as hybrid prior to the start of the session or term.

Hyflex courses are scheduled to be regularly offered in-person or face-to-face in a physical classroom or similar learning space 100% of the time but also allow students the choice to join the course through the learning management system’s web conferencing tool (such as Blackboard’s Collaborate), or other approved video conferencing systems (such as Zoom). Each class session is then offered in-person, as well as synchronously or asynchronously online to include equivalent learning activities as determined by the instructor. Hyflex courses will originate from the physical classroom, with all students attending at least one in-person class, preferably the first or second class meeting, to certify it as an in-residence class. Students may then change their mode of attendance according to need or preference as the session or term progresses. Hyflex courses must be advertised or listed as hyflex prior to the start of the session or term. International students or other special types of students may be required to attend hyflex classes in-person in order to meet requirements set forth by the federal government.

Online courses are scheduled to be offered entirely online via the internet, primarily through the university’s adopted learning management system. Online courses may only be scheduled and offered through WBUonline.

Regardless of course format (face-to-face, hybrid, hyflex, or online), faculty members must provide each student a syllabus with a written attendance policy on the first day of class each session or term. It is the student’s responsibility to understand and meet the attendance requirements set forth in the course syllabus.

Administration may alter the above definitions if the need arises.

Auditing a Course

Students may attend classes for a course without receiving credit if they complete an application for admission, submit a registration form requesting audit at the time of registration, and have the permission of both the instructor of the course and the dean of the school in which the course is offered. The cost is one-third tuition in addition to all course fees. No credit is awarded and no record of the student’s attendance is maintained. Students will not be given permission to audit a course until the first day of classes. Audits are on a space-available basis and no refund will be given if the course is dropped. A credit may only be changed from credit to audit before the census date of the term. Under no circumstance may an audit be converted to credit.

Plainview Undergraduates Enrolled in Wayland Online Courses

Plainview students are allowed to register for online courses.

Undergraduates Enrolled in Graduate Courses

A Wayland student classified as a senior in the last regular or summer session term of undergraduate work may enroll in up to six credit hours of graduate work, provided that the student has completed an application to the Graduate Program, has a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better, and has obtained written approval from the dean of the school in which the work is offered. With approval from the academic advisor, the student may apply credit for graduate course work to either the undergraduate degree or graduate degree during the term taken; however, in no instance may credit for course work be applied to both degrees with the exception of specific requirements stated toward an accelerated program. On external campuses, the advisor must notify the correct administrative office in writing as to the area for which credit is to be applied.

If the graduate course work is to satisfy undergraduate degree requirements, the student shall be governed by the existing catalog of record. If the graduate course work is to be applied to Wayland graduate degree requirements, the student shall be governed by the current catalog at the time of initial enrollment in graduate course work. Students will not be allowed to enroll in any more graduate classes until admitted to the university as a graduate student and the baccalaureate degree has been posted, with the exception of accelerated degree programs. Courses taken to be used toward a graduate program may have financial aid implications. For clarification of financial aid, contact the campus financial aid representative.

Schedule Changes

A course may be added to or dropped from a student’s schedule during the time specified in the official university calendar. For Plainview students, schedule changes must be approved by the university registrar or the vice president of academic affairs, the student’s advisor, financial aid, coach if applicable, and the instructor concerned. For students at external campuses, schedule changes must be approved by the external campus executive director/dean. Other regulations related to adding or dropping a course follow:

Adding a Course

To add a course at the Plainview campus, a student must obtain an ADD/DROP form from the university registrar’s office. This form must be signed by the student’s advisor, coach if applicable, and the course’s instructor. Students at external campuses must obtain an ADD/DROP form from the external campus executive director/dean. This change must be approved by the executive director/campus dean. If these are not available, the form may be signed by the vice president of academic affairs. There is no charge for adding a course. Under no circumstance may a course be added after the date indicated in the official calendar for adding a course.

Dropping a Course

To drop a course at the Plainview campus, a student must obtain an ADD/DROP form from the university registrar’s office. This form must be signed by the student’s advisor, coach if applicable, and the course’s instructor. Students at external campuses must obtain an ADD/DROP form from the external executive director/campus dean. This change must be approved by the executive director/campus dean. If these are not available, the form may be signed by the vice president of academic affairs. There is no charge for courses dropped as a result of changes in the university’s course schedule, the request of the student’s advisor, or during the official registration period. Otherwise, a fee of $10 will be charged for each course dropped. A student may drop a course without record through the date in the official calendar indicated as the census date for Withdrawal Without a Letter Grade. For courses dropped after the last day to receive a W, the student will receive either WP or WF indicating withdrawal passing or withdrawal failing.Students may not drop courses or withdraw from the University after the last day for WP and WF as indicated in the university calendar; students will receive the grade earned in the class. Students placed in developmental courses may not drop these courses without consent of the school dean of the developmental course’s discipline. A student is officially dropped from a course only after the ADD/DROP form has been received and dated in the university registrar’s office. Failure to file the ADD/DROP form can result in grades of F in courses affected. Dropping a course can affect financial aid. Students should contact the campus financial aid representative for award details. Any student who drops a course according to the procedures stipulated will be allowed a grace period of two working days to rescind the drop.

Repetition of a Course

If a Wayland course is repeated, the initial grade received in the course will remain on the transcript, but only the last grade will be used to calculate the Wayland cumulative GPA. All repeated grades are indicated as such on the official record. When a course has been taken more than twice at Wayland, all grades will remain on the transcript, and the last grade will be used to calculate the Wayland cumulative GPA. For courses repeated at other universities to replace a failing grade received at Wayland, the WBU GPA will not reflect the repeated grade.

Once students have been awarded a degree by the university, they may not repeat a course as a part of that degree for the purpose of changing the grade or GPA on the official transcript. However, courses may be repeated in order to qualify for post-baccalaureate programs or to enter graduate school.

A course may be repeated for multiple credits toward graduation only when so designated in the catalog course description and approved by the faculty advisor. In cases where this regulation is violated, only the last effort will be calculated into the GPA and all other attempts will be recorded as “no credit” or the equivalent.

Withdrawal from the University

Withdrawing from the university is defined as “dropping all courses in which the student is currently enrolled.” Failure to file an official request may result in grades of F for courses in progress. A student who withdraws from the university according to the procedures stipulated will be allowed a grace period of two working days to rescind the withdrawal. Any state requirements for more stringent refund policies will take precedence over Wayland policy and will be honored. The university calendar notes last dates to withdraw. Final examination days and days thereafter are specifically excluded. Any state requirements for a longer grace periods will take precedence over university policy and will be honored.

Students enrolled at the Plainview campus must file an official Withdrawal Request via e-mail to the university registrar’s office by the last day to withdraw as indicated in the university calendar.

Students enrolled at the external campuses must file an ADD/DROP Request form which must be signed by the external campus executive director/dean.

Official Withdrawal Requests and/or ADD/DROP Request forms, duly signed, must be submitted to the university registrar. To receive a transcript, all accounts in the Business Office must be paid.

Administrative Withdrawal from the University

Any student who has not attended class according to university records by the census date for any given term is considered a “no show” and will be administratively withdrawn from the class or university without record. The student is advised that this action may have adverse effects on financial aid.

Academic Probation and Suspension

Students are placed on academic restriction when their cumulative GPA falls below a designated level. Restriction is based on terms 10 weeks or longer in length. A student may have restrictions moved based on performance during shorter terms. Types of academic restrictions and the conditions attached to each follow:

Academic Probation

This academic restriction applies to those students who:

1. Have attempted from 30 to 59 credit hours with a GPA lower than 1.60; or
2. Have attempted 60 or more credit hours with a GPA lower than 2.0, or
3. Are enrolled on a part-time basis and fail to complete enrolled hours during a regular term.

Students on academic probation on the Plainview campus are restricted to 13 credit hours. Students on academic probation on an external campus are restricted to no more than 6 credit hours per 8-week session.

Academic Suspension

This academic restriction applies to those students who:

1. Have attempted from 30 to 59 credit hours and who have a GPA lower than 1.60 after one term on Academic Probation; or
2. Have attempted 60 or more credit hours and who have a GPA lower than 2.0 after one term on Academic Probation; or
3. Are enrolled on a part-time basis and failed to complete enrolled hours after one term on Academic Probation; or 
4. Full-time students must pass at least three hours to remain in good standing. Students who pass fewer than the required number of credit hours will be placed on Academic Suspension. Students do not have to be on a previous Academic Probation to be suspended under this criteria.

Students placed on academic suspension are suspended immediately. This suspension continues through the next regular term for first-time suspensions, and for a full calendar year for any subsequent suspensions. Following the suspension, students are required to reapply for admission. Any student who has been on suspension and has re-applied for admission, must be accepted and permitted to the university prior to enrolling in classes. Students reinstated to the university will be on academic probation and while on probation must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0 to remain in the university.