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POLICIES & PROCEDURES

Policies and Procedures

Classification of Students

A student's classification is determined at the beginning of the fall semester as follows:

Freshman--fewer than 27 semester hours
Sophomore--27 to 59 semester hours
Junior--60 to 89 semester hours
Senior--90 to 128 or more semester hours

 

Continuation as a Student

Continuation as a student at Oral Roberts University is not automatic. Basic academic, spiritual, and physical requirements must be satisfied for the student to qualify for readmission the following term. Additionally, all prior balances must be paid in full.

Students who are admitted on probation must earn sufficient credit within their first academic year to remove themselves from probation or be subject to suspension.

Students consult with their program advisor prior to each enrollment and secure written approval for enrolling in course work. Progress for each student is monitored by the advisor, and current enrollment is verified by the approved program of studies. Copies of the student's degree plan are given to the student.

Attendance at and graduation from Oral Roberts University is understood to be a privilege. The University may request the withdrawal of any student at any time if he or she fails to comply with the standards and regulations of the institution or is not compatible with its philosophy. It is imperative for the student to understand that attending and receiving a degree from ORU is a privilege--not a right.

Course Load

Undergraduate

The normal course load consists of 16 hours each semester. However, in some disciplines the load may be heavier. A student must be enrolled in a minimum of 12 hours to be considered a full-time student. No one may take more than 18.5 hours in a given semester without the approval of his or her advisor and the appropriate Dean. No one may take more than 24.0 hours in a given semester.

Graduate

The normal course load for the Graduate School of Business and the Graduate School of Education is nine hours. The normal course load for the Graduate School of Theology is 12 hours.

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Full-Time Status Requirement

Fall and Spring terms
Any student seeking an undergraduate degree from Oral Roberts University must be enrolled as a full-time student for a minimum of two semesters. Full-time student status for the Fall or Spring semester is defined as being enrolled in a minimum of 12 residential hours, attending chapel regularly, and fulfilling the Health and Physical Education requirement. Recorded course withdrawal does not change full-time status unless the student withdraws from all courses, which indicates withdrawal from the University. Correspondence enrollment during the Fall or Spring semesters does count toward full-time status.

Summer terms
Full-time student status during a Summer session is defined as being enrolled in three credit hours and attending chapel regularly. A student may only enroll in a maximum of four credit hours in a summer session if the course includes a one hour lab; or is a four hour foreign language course. Also, an HPE activity course may be taken in conjunction with another course if the total credit hours for the session do not exceed four.

Summer Correspondence
A student may enroll in a maximum of 9 credit hours of Correspondence courses during a summer term.

Summer and Summer Correspondence Combined
A student may enroll in a maximum of 16 combined hours (residential and correspondence) during a Summer term.

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Grading System

Grade Points

Grades are recorded as "A," "B," "C," "D," or "F." Grade points are assigned to each grade: four grade points are allowed for each semester hour of "A"; three for "B"; two for "C"; and one for "D." A minimum average of two grade points per semester hour must be earned for all work taken to qualify for graduation.

Incompletes

The grade of "I" is given for work that is incomplete at the time grades are given. It is given only after the student establishes permission, that his or her work is incomplete for good cause. It is the responsibility of the student to make up any incomplete work and have the professor submit a grade change to the Registrar. If this is not done in the subsequent semester, the incomplete will be changed to an "F." Graduating seniors must make up any incomplete work by March 1.

Extension of Incomplete

The grade of "E" is given for work that remains incomplete longer than the one semester allowed for make up of incomplete work. It is given only after the student establishes with the instructor and the department chair or Dean, by written permission, that his or her work remains incomplete for good cause. It is the responsibility of the student to make up any incomplete work and have the professor submit a grade change to the Registrar. If this is not done within the second semester following the enrollment of the course, the extended incomplete will be changed to an "F."

Course Withdrawal

Other marks used in grade reporting are "W" and "WF." When a course is dropped after the last day to add for the semester, a "W" is recorded if the student is passing at the time of the drop. If the student is not passing, "WF" is recorded. Students must initiate the process by completing a Recorded Course Withdrawal Form by the last day to withdraw passing deadline for the semester. Any student who withdraws from a class after the eighth week will receive a "WF." The "WF" is counted as an "F" in determining the grade-point average.

Course Repeat

A course that is repeated at ORU to replace the original credit will be noted on the student's transcript. The first course taken will remain on the document with a note indicating the first grade given and a Repeat flag. The student must notify the Registrar's Office of any repeated courses by completing a Report of Repeated Course form. Courses successfully repeated outside ORU with departmental approval will have the original credit removed, but the grade-point average earned at ORU will remain on the transcript. Only HPER activity courses, Student Teaching, Early Field-Based experience, some seminars, and certain independent study and research courses may be taken twice for credit.

Pass/NoPass Option

Students choosing the pass/no-pass option will receive a standard grade from the professor, but this grade will be converted to a "P" or "NP" for the updated grade report and transcript. Grades of "A," "B," or "C," will be converted to a pass grade; grades of "D" or "F" will be converted to the no-pass grade. Credits taken under the pass/no-pass option will not be counted in the GPA. The pass/no-pass option may not be chosen to fulfill general education requirements, high school deficiencies, or to complete the sequence required for a major or minor.

Audit

Normally, regular class attendance as outlined in the syllabus is required to maintain an audit on the transcript. A student who formally withdraws from an audit course by memo from the instructor to the Registrar's Office before the last day of class shall have that course deleted from the transcript. If a student does not withdraw and does not meet audit requirements for the course, a "no pass" will be recorded on the transcript.

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Honors

President's List and Vice-Presidents' List
The Vice-Presidents' List recognizes students who carry at least 14.5 units for credit in a semester, exclusive of pass/no-pass courses, and who attain a grade-point average of 3.500 or better with no grade below "C." The President's List recognizes students who carry at least 14.5 units for credit in a semester, exclusive of pass/no-pass courses, and who attain a grade-point average of 4.000.

Graduating with Honors

Undergraduate

Students who fulfill the degree requirements with a grade-point average (GPA) of at least 3.80 and receive an "A" or "B" grade on the senior paper/project will receive the distinction summa cum laude. Students with a GPA between 3.60 and 3.79 who receive an "A" or "B" grade on the senior paper/project will receive the distinction magna cum laude. Students with a GPA between 3.40 and 3.59 and who receive an "A" or "B" grade on the senior paper/project will receive the distinction cum laude. To receive honors, a student must be successful in the oral defense of the senior paper/project as arranged by the major department.

Graduate

Graduate students with a 4.0 GPA receive the distinction "with high honors," and those with a GPA between 3.80 and 3.99 receive the distinction "with honors." All courses related to the current degree are included in the calculation.

Honors are determined for the commencement program and ceremony, for both graduate and undergraduate students, at the conclusion of the fall semester prior to graduation. Honors on the diploma will reflect all course work for the degree.

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Satisfactory Academic Progress at ORU
Full-Time Undergraduates must meet or exceed the requirements listed below.

Total Quality Hours Attempted

Minimum GPA Required

1-32

1.5

33-64

1.75

More than 64

2.0

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Satisfactory HPE Progress

The health, physical education, and recreation program is an integral part of the University's whole-person philosophy. Its objectives are...

  • to develop aerobic fitness and to maintain a strong and healthy body through proper physical activity and good health habits;
  • to acquaint the student with the knowledge necessary to participate in a variety of physical activities;
  • to aid the student in acquiring skills in lifetime sports and recreational activities;
  • to provide a climate in which the student may achieve habits of initiative, self-responsibility, and loyalty, and learn to live socially and cooperatively with others; and
  • to acquaint the student with continuing program of lifetime health and fitness

ORU was founded on a concept of education for the whole man, with equal emphasis placed on the development of the mind, spirit, and body. For that reason, each ORU student is required to pass a physical education activity course each semester and to pursue an individual fitness program.

The ORU program focuses on the concept of aerobics, a physical-fitness program designed by Dr. Kenneth H. Cooper, a former Air Force physician and innovator of the exercise program used by the astronauts. It is a program designed to increase the capacity of the heart, lungs, and blood vessels through a calculated series of exercises that emphasizes running, swimming, and cycling. These exercises require one to breathe harder and faster. The greater the oxygen intake, the harder the heart and lungs must work. The more these organs work, the stronger they become. This reduces the chances of heart disease and related physical ailments later in life.

 

Every student is required to make satisfactory progress in physical fitness. ORU wants its graduates to be mentally alert, spiritually alive, and physically disciplined. For this reason, all undergraduate full-time students are required to enroll in and successfully complete an HPE activity course each semester. (An HPE activity course can only be taken two time for credit)

To successfully complete HPE activity course undergraduate students must earn a grade of "D" or better. Graduate students must earn a grade of "C" or better. An incomplete grade will not satisfy a student's HPE requirement.

An undergraduate student's progress is evaluated each semester. Students not fulfilling ORU's physical-fitness requirements during the previous semester are placed on HPE probation. A student may be placed on HPE probation for failing to successfully enroll in and complete an HPER activity course.

Students who are not removed from the probation list after one semester are suspended from the University. A student on HPE probation or suspension is not eligible to graduate from the University.

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