Misc Policies
Commencement
PIU will have Commencement in May, with additional August and December conferral dates for diplomas. The university may approve an alternate conferral date in conjunction with international partners when appropriate. Main campus students are required to attend Commencement.
Academic Load
A student’s academic load is determined by the number of credits that he or she takes, as displayed on the table below. A student has 150 percent of the time requirements in the catalog to finish a program.
| Credit Hours | Academic Load |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate | |
| 6-8 hours | Half-time |
| 9-11 hours | Part-time |
| 12+ hours | Full-time |
| Graduate | |
| 2-5 hours | Less than half-time |
| 6-8 hours | Half-time |
| 9+ hours | Full-time |
| Doctoral | |
| 3 hours | Half-time |
| 6+ hours | Full-time |
Records of Progress
Records of progress are kept by this institution on all students, veteran and non-veteran alike. Progress records are furnished for all students, at the end of the scheduled school term.
Academic Advising
Faculty members are required to check student academic progress by periodic examinations, term papers, class reports, and such other means as seem desirable to estimate achievement. Grades are recorded by the Registrar’s Office and then provided to all students via the student portal.
Individual counseling at regular intervals supplies further stimulation for advancement. Each student is assigned an academic advisor upon enrolling. Periodic advising sessions are required at pre-registration. Students are encouraged to discuss both academic and personal issues with their advisors at other times as needed.
Academic Appeals Policy
Any student desiring to appeal an academic decision (e.g., grade dispute) should begin by discussing the situation with the appropriate professor. If not satisfied with the response, the student should contact the dean of the appropriate school. If a conflict persists, the student should submit a written appeal to the Appeals Committee through the Office of the Provost. The committee is composed of the members of the Academic Review Committee. The Academic Council serves as the Academic Appeals Committee. The committee will review the appeal and respond in writing. A final institutional appeal may be submitted to the Board of Trustees through the President. After all institutional avenues are exhausted, the student may contact TRACS at 15935 Forest Road, Forest, Virginia 24551 or call (434) 525-9539 or via email at info@tracs.org.
Student Success Center
The services of the Student Success Center are provided for students in need of help with basic study skills, reading, writing, and mathematics. It is the desire of the faculty and staff to provide these services so the student will have a greater capacity to learn and acquire necessary skills to serve the Lord. The Student Success Center offers study skills, test-taking strategies, motivational skills, improved reading skills and comprehension, time and stress management, computer-assisted instruction, referrals to counseling, one-on-one tutoring, and learning style discovery and assistance.
Online Policy for Main Campus Students
Main campus students may enroll in online courses with the approval of the student’s academic advisor. Students on Academic Warning need to seek the additional approval of the Director of the Student Success Center.
Attendance
In general, regular attendance allows students to receive full benefit from the University experience. Yet, the university recognizes that various factors may hinder a student from attending class on campus. Therefore, students may choose to attend synchronous classes in person or via teleconference. Furthermore, students are allowed to transition to online learning at any time during the semester without penalty. No students will be academically punished based on attendance, as long as they stay engaged, communicate clearly with faculty, and take responsibility for successfully completing all requirements on time.
Classification of Students
- Freshmen: Those who have completed up to and including 30 credit hours.
- Sophomores: Those who have completed 31 to 60 credit hours.
- Juniors: Those who have completed 61 or more credit hours.
- Seniors: Those who have 95+ credit hours or who are planning to graduate during the academic year in progress. Seniors will receive a letter from the faculty inviting them to enter the senior class.
- Auditors: Those who do not wish academic credit but do receive a transcript.
- Full-time Students: Undergraduate students who are taking 12 or more credit hours; graduate students who are taking 9 or more credit hours.
- Part-time Students: Undergraduate students who are 11 or fewer credit hours; graduate students who are taking 8 or fewer credit hours.
- Enrichment Students: Those who attend for personal growth and do not receive a transcript.
Dropping a Course
Changes in courses made after the student has attended the class or accessed the appropriate Blackboard course site require permission from the Registrar and consultation with the Advisor, the Financial Aid Director, and the Student Accounts Representative. No course may be dropped after the tenth week of a semester class, after the fourth week of an online class, after the second week of the month-long modules, and after the third day of the week-long modules. Courses dropped without permission will be recorded as failures. If a student abandons the course after the last date to withdraw, a student grade will be marked as a “WF” as of the last date of attendance.
Withdrawal from the University
Any student withdrawing from the university for any reason must communicate in person, by phone, or by email with his/her Advisor. In addition, main campus students must communicate with the Dean of Student Development before an acceptable withdrawal can be processed. Students must complete the Withdrawal from the University Form and submit it to the Academic Services Office. Failure to complete and submit the form will result in a $25.00 fine. Upon completion and submission of the form, the fine will be waived from the student’s record. Appropriate communication with all aforementioned offices will ensure accurate academic and financial records.
If a student’s attitude or conduct does not conform to the student handbook, the university reserves the right to request withdrawal. The same holds true if the student demonstrates that he/she is unsuited to the work of the university because of inability to maintain a satisfactory academic progress standard. The university reserves the right to administratively withdraw a student from the university in situations that the university deems necessary.
Grades and financial obligations are computed as of the day of withdrawal (e.g. withdrawn during withdrawal without academic penalty period, withdrawal during drop/add, withdrawal with academic penalty). A complete refund schedule is included on the Schedule of Fees, which is available in the Student Accounts Office or on the Piedmont International University website, piedmontu.edu.
Withdrawal from all courses in a term will result in a student being marked as withdrawn from the university. A request to withdraw from the university after the last day to withdraw with academic penalty will result in the student receiving a failing grade for the courses in which he/she is enrolled. The withdrawal also may result in the return of Title IV funding.
Withdrawal from a semester or lack of enrollment for a semester does not invalidate a student’s status as a continuing student as long as he/she notifies the Registrar or Advisor of his/her intent to continue and/or register for the next available session/semester. Please note that withdrawing from one semester and not attending the subsequent semester constitutes an absence of two consecutive semesters, which triggers the need for a Returning Student’s Readmission Process.
Medical Withdrawal
In the case a student must withdraw from the university due to medical reasons, with appropriate documentation provided from a board-certified physician, a student may be medically withdrawn from the university. A medical withdrawal will only apply for students who are withdrawing from the university, not withdrawing from a course. If the student were to medically withdraw after the add/drop period, the grade for the course would be a “W.” The withdrawal also may result in the return of Title IV funding.
Military Withdrawal
In the case a student must withdraw from the university due to military deployment, a call to active duty, required specialized training, or natural disaster response deployment, a student may be granted a military withdrawal. The student or a family member must submit the request to the Office of Academic Services within one week of the student’s official notification from the government with appropriate documentation to be considered. A student is entitled to a complete (100%) refund of tuition and fees for the term of a granted military withdrawal and all courses will be dropped from the transcript as a result of the military withdrawal. The student will be charged for all housing and meal plan expenses that have occurred. Additionally, due to the potential of the return of Title IV funding for a withdrawal, it is important for the student to consult with the Financial Aid Office. In the case a student desires to complete courses that are already in progress instead of withdrawing, special accommodations may be extended.
Potential completion of coursework may be discussed with instructors. Online completion may be an option. In addition, the student who has completed over 70 percent of the semester or session may receive credit and a grade by requesting to receive a final grade based upon the student’s work in the course up to the date of deployment or activation. A student may receive a final grade by requesting to take an early final exam or submitting a final paper/project in order to determine a final course grade for the student.
Readmission after Military Deployment
When a student’s deployment is complete, a student may request readmission to his/her prior academic program. To do this, he/she must submit the Readmission after Military Activation/Deployment form along with a copy of his/her deployment papers or his/her most recent DD214 Form. Piedmont International University will provide priority readmission in this scenario. Re-entry into the student’s program will be effective the next available semester or session. If a student requests admission to a new program of study, the student must submit a change of program request.
Returning Students
Previously enrolled students desiring to re-enter the university should submit an application online at piedmontu.edu. The applicant should request that all official transcripts from institutions attended since withdrawing from Piedmont International University be submitted by mail to the Admissions Office. Those returning with a GPA of less than 2.0 will be required to submit a written statement supporting their plans for academic improvement and success. Submission of additional documentation will be the discretion of the Admissions Committee.
Delayed Graduation
Students who drop out of the university for a year or more and later return to graduate must meet the requirements in effect for the catalog of the year in which they reenter. Continuing students who change majors must meet the requirements of the catalog in effect for the year in which they make the change.
Graduation Rate
Pursuant to the Federal Student Right-to-Know Act, the completion or graduation rate in 2016-2017 for undergraduate students who entered Piedmont International University in 2011 as a first-time, full-time, certificate or degree-seeking student was 43 percent.
Honors
Dean’s List: Names of full-time students are placed on the Dean’s List when their semester grade point 48 averages are 3.3 or higher. This honor is in keeping with the biblical injunction of Romans 13:7 to give honor to whom it is due.
Honor Graduates: At commencement, honors are given on the following basis to students who maintain high academic averages:
- cum laude 3.3
- magna cum laude 3.6
- summa cum laude 3.85
Such achievement is recorded on the student’s permanent record.
Award of Excellence
Piedmont International University recognizes superior scholarship and excellence of Christian character with an Award of Excellence. To qualify for this award, a student must have a minimum grade point average of 3.3 and be in the top seven percent of the senior class.
Note: Students already holding a bachelor’s degree are not eligible for the Award of Excellence.
Transcripts
Official transcripts may be obtained through the Registrar’s Office of the university or at piedmontu.edu. A minimal fee is charged for every transcript. Unofficial transcripts are available on the student portal.
Summer Semester
Piedmont International University offers a combination of on-campus and online sessions during the summer. Each session is equivalent to 15 weeks of academic study. These sessions are designed for students who want to enrich their programs of study or to correct deficiencies. Students of other colleges or universities may take courses for transfer credit. Individuals may take courses to improve their Bible knowledge or enhance their Christian service. The summer courses consist of representative courses from the university curriculum that are offered on an on demand basis, as well as a significant offering of online courses. The university reserves the right to cancel any class with fewer than four students. Courses are normally taught by resident faculty members.
A full-time load for summer school is considered 12 hours for undergraduate, 9 hours for graduate, and 6 hours for doctoral students, over any combination of sessions. No student may register for more than three courses in one session.
Directed studies begin the first day of the first summer school session and must be completed by the last day of the summer semester.
Directed Studies
Students desiring credit for a directed study should submit a formal request to the Provost. The policy and form may be obtained from the Registrar’s Office. The request should include a valid, detailed rationale for needing the directed study.
Distance Education
Spurgeon Online makes a significant number of PIU's degrees available at a distance. Programs available in their entirety are identified as such in this catalog. Qualified students may earn an associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree. Online courses are taught via highly interactive, web-based delivery systems. All courses are designed and taught by faculty with appropriate academic credentials, many of whom teach at the main campus as well. Course content is regularly reviewed for comparability with traditional classes. This review includes syllabi and textbooks, student outcomes evaluation, credit hour policy compliance, and faculty evaluations.
Piedmont International University defines a credit hour in a traditional classroom as one hour of formal classroom instruction accompanied by approximately two hours of study/academic work outside of the classroom. The Institution further defines online comparability by a comparison of “time on task” which takes into account online lecture (whether video, audio, or print), student discussion, research, writing assignments, projects, assessments etc. In addition, the accomplishment of all significant learning outcomes is considered.
Online student identification is based on course syllabus policy statements, student affirmation on assignments and examinations, chat room participation, telephone interviews, institutional email addresses, and password-protected course and portal access.
The university policies of privacy and integrity find their rationale in federal law and the Scriptures. Abiding by the policies established by the university makes student academic success possible.
Teach-out Programs
The curricula for Piedmont International University academic programs are provided in detail in the appropriate school sections of this catalog. Additional programs are currently available as part of the Tennessee Temple University teach-out plan and the John Wesley University teach-out plan. For more information, contact the Registrar’s Office.