Satisfactory Progress Standards

Class Attendance and Course Progress

Regular and punctual class attendance at all scheduled classes is expected. Each faculty member will inform students of the attendance policy and the course objectives at the initial class meeting and in the course syllabus.

• Students are required to be in class on time. Instructors may choose to lower a student’s grade because of tardiness. Excessive tardiness is disruptive to the educational process and may result in disciplinary action. Due process and the right to appeal will be provided to students subject to disciplinary action.
• Only instructors can authorize an excused absence. Regardless of the reason for the absence, the student is responsible for completing all coursework covered during any absence.
• Failure to meet the attendance requirements in a course may result in a lower grade or failure in the course.
• Students enrolled in distance learning courses are expected to maintain constant progress throughout the course. Lack of progress or participation may result in a grade of “F.”

Census Date (Drop/Withdrawal)

Prior to or on the census date, students may drop a class (course will not appear on their transcript). The census date is the day that CTC officially certifies with the State of Texas the number of enrollments in each credit course. Census date signals the last day of the add/drop period. This chart depicts the census date based on course length.

NOTE: Census dates are subject to change by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Deadline to officially withdraw from a class is usually at the 75 percent point of class instruction. The number of weeks in the “Last Date to Withdraw from a Class” column in the chart below are approximate. Refer to the applicable semester Enrollment Guide or CTC website for actual dates to drop/withdraw. See the “Late Registration and Adding or Dropping Classes” in the Admission and Registration section of the catalog for more details. The chart displays the census date based on course length.

Length of Class in Weeks	Census Date	Last Date to Withdraw from a Class*
2 or less	1st Class Day	1½ Week
3	2nd Class Day	2¼ Week
4	3rd Class Day	3rd Week
5	4th Class Day	3¾ Week
6	4th Class Day	4½ Week
7	5th Class Day	5¼ Week
8	6th Class Day	6th Week
9	7th Class Day	6¾ Week
10**	7th Class Day	7th Week
12**	9th Class Day	9th Week
16**	12th Class Day	12th Week
*This information is to serve as a guide. Refer to the applicable semester Central Campus Enrollment Guide for actual dates of withdrawal. Enrollment Guides can be found at www.ctcd.edu/academics/class-schedules/ **In the Summer Semesters, the official census date for classes taught 10 or more weeks is the 12th class day.

After the census date, students may withdraw themselves through the CTC Central Records or CTC Fort Cavazos Records Office or Etrieve (online). Faculty cannot withdraw students from a course after census and instead will report a last date of attendance with final grade for students who stop attending or participating in class. Dropping or withdrawing from a class after the class start date will not result in a full refund. See Central Texas College District Refund Schedule for details.

NOTE: For co-requisite classes a withdrawal/drop from one class will result in an automatic withdrawal/drop from the other co-requisite class.

Absence/Participation Policy

Students are expected to actively participate in all courses at all times. Instructors are required to document attendance through the census date by requiring students to complete an academically related activity or to communicate extenuating circumstances to the instructor not later than census. For face-to-face classroom courses the instructor has the discretion to use the student’s attendance in one or more class meetings in place of a graded activity to certify that the student is in class. For blended or hybrid classes where the first class meeting is after the census, completion of a graded activity is required.

For all courses, including competency-based open entry, lack of evidence of active study participation before the census may result in the student being dropped from the course and having to pay partial tuition and fees. Students who do not meet the participation requirements will be dropped by the Registrar’s staff upon receipt of the course instructor’s signed certification-census roll.

NOTE: Refer to the Census Date section for more information about census dates.

 

Religious Holy Days

Under the Texas Education Code, §51.911, Texas public institutions of higher education shall excuse a student from attending classes or other required activities, including examinations, for the observance of a religious holy day, including travel for that purpose. A student whose absence is excused for this purpose may not be penalized for that absence and shall be allowed to take an examination or complete an assignment from which the student is excused within a reasonable time after the absence. Students who desire to be absent from classes for the observance of a religious holy day must work with the instructor prior to the absence. The instructor may respond appropriately if the student fails to satisfactorily complete the assignment or examination within a reasonable amount of time. A “religious holy day” is defined as a holy day observed by a religion whose places of worship are exempt from property taxation under Section 11.20 of the Tax Code.

Withdrawal or Leave of Absence – Military Orders

Based on Public law 117-328 signed on December 29, 2022, a new Section 3691A “Withdrawal or Leave of Absence from Certain Education” was added to Title 38 of the U.S. Code. An enrolled student who is a member of the U.S. Armed Forces (including reserve components) and receives orders “to perform a period of service” (i.e., active duty, inactive duty training or state service) may withdraw from a course without penalty or request a leave of absence. Student is required to contact the Associate Dean, Admissions, Registration, and Records (Registrar’s Office) and provide a signed copy of his or her orders. Students may withdraw from all courses for the semester or request a leave of absence from all courses but cannot mix the two during the same semester. If feasible, the student should provide a signed copy of his or her orders to the Registrar’s Office before departing. In the event the student does not have written orders at the time of withdrawal or requesting a leave of absence, the student should fax a copy of those orders to the Registrar’s Office as soon as possible. If student is unable to do so, the student should contact the Registrar’s office by phone (254-526-1114) or email (SRegistrar@ctcd.edu). All requests must be received no later than 180 days from the course end date.

Excused Absence for a Person Called to Required Military Service - Texas

HB 1630 of the 79th Texas Legislature (updated by SB 937 of the 87th Texas Legislature) requires Texas public colleges and universities to grant excused absences for students who are called to required military service for a brief duration of service and who do not choose to withdraw. Required military service is defined as service in the armed forces of the United States, the National Guard, or the Texas State Guard including travel associated with the service. The maximum period for which a student may be excused can be no more than 25 percent of the total number of class meetings, excluding the final examination, for the specific course or courses in which the student is currently enrolled at the beginning of the period of required military service. For students who enroll in distance learning courses, competency-based courses and other asynchronous courses, a student may be excused for a period of time not to exceed 25 percent of the length of the course. Students who are called to required military service for a brief duration of service are required to provide to the CTC Associate Dean, Admissions, Registration and Records office an original copy or notarized copy of their orders, which indicates that they have been called to required duty. Students are responsible for contacting each of their instructors prior to leaving for required duty so that they can discuss which assignments and/or exams need to be completed once they return and a reasonable time for completion. Students will be given a withdrawal grade of WT (Withdrawal Temporary).

Upon returning from required duty, students must contact their instructor(s) and arrange for completing the remaining course requirements. Each faculty member has the right to issue a final grade based on coursework completed should students fail to satisfactorily complete the assignment(s) and/or examination(s) within the reasonable time designated by the instructor. Students who wish to dispute the institutional process regarding this policy will follow the informal grievance procedures outlined in the CTC Student Handbook. If the informal procedures do not resolve the grievance, then such students will follow the formal grievance procedures included in the CTC Student Handbook.

Withdrawal - Servicemembers

In accordance with federal regulations, 34. C.F.R. §668.18 and the Department of Defense Voluntary Education Partnership Memorandum of Understanding (DoD MOU), Central Texas College will promptly readmit Servicemembers who request readmission to a program that was interrupted due to a uniformed service obligation.

Eligibility. Said provisions apply to: (1) Servicemembers who are unable to attend classes for more than 30 consecutive days; and (2) Servicemembers who are unable to attend classes for less than 30 days when such an absence would result in a withdrawal from the college.

The student is eligible for readmission under this policy if, during an absence the student performs uniformed service, voluntary or involuntary in the United States Armed Forces to include the National Guard or Reserve on active duty, active duty for training, or full-time National Guard under Federal authority. The cumulative length of all absences for uniformed service (service time only) must not exceed five years.

Servicemembers who are temporarily unable to attend classes for less than 30 days within a semester/term due to a uniformed service obligation when such absence results in a withdrawal under institutional policies may be readmitted under the same academic status as when they last attended CTC or were accepted for admission to CTC.

Notification. A student must provide oral or written notice of a uniformed service obligation to the Associate Dean, Admissions, Registration, and Records (Registrar’s Office) as far in advance as possible, unless impeded by military service. Student does not need to indicate when he or she will return to the college. The student must also provide oral or written notice of his or her intent to return to CTC within three years after completion of the period of service. A student who is hospitalized or convalescing due to an illness or injury incurred or aggravated during the period of service must notify the school within two years after the end of the period needed for recovery from the illness or injury. Immediately upon student’s intent to return to school, the student must provide notice that he or she may be entitled to tuition and enrollment benefits outlined in the readmission requirements. The returning student may be required to provide supporting documentation.

Tuition and Fees. Students readmitted under this policy should contact the CTC Business Office to determine their tuition and fees rates. The following is a general guide.

(1) If the student is readmitted to the same program, for the first academic year in which the student returns,

(i) The tuition and fee charges that the student was or would have been assessed for the academic year during which student left the institution, or

(ii) Up to the amount of tuition and fee charges that other students in the program are assessed for that academic year, if veterans’ education benefits, as defined in section 480(c) of the Higher Education Act (HEA), or other servicemember education benefits, will pay the amount in excess of the tuition and fee charges assessed for the academic year in which the student left the institution; or

(2) If the student is admitted to a different program, and for subsequent academic years for a student admitted to the same program, assessing no more than the tuition and fee charges that other students in the program are assessed for that academic year.

Readmission. For more information regarding the readmission process refer to the “Readmission of Member of the United States Armed Forces” section in the Admissions and Registration section of this catalog.

Based on federal regulations, returning students who receive a dishonorable or bad conduct discharge from the Armed Forces (including the National Guard and Reserves) are not eligible for readmission under this policy. However, servicemembers who receive a dishonorable or bad conduct discharge remain eligible for readmission even though they will not be entitled to the benefits outlined in this policy.