Course Start Dates
A term officially begins on the published term start date. This occurs on the first day of each month. In order to avoid delays and minimize the chance of violating the continuous enrollment policy, it is recommended that learners review the next term's courses by the 15th of the month prior to the previous course end date.
Add/Drop Period
CalSouthern allows learners the option to register in a course up to 10 days after the course start date. The learner is responsible for making up assignments to accommodate the time missed; all work will still be due no later than the course end date and all other policies governing coursework and assignment submission apply and will be enforced.
Learners may drop a course up to and including the 10th day after the course start date with no academic or financial penalty. Additional information is provided in the Cancellation and Refund Policies section of this catalog.
For more information, please contact your assigned academic advisor.
Course Load/Overload
The normal academic course load is no more than 6 credits at a time for undergraduate learners or no more than 3 credits at a time for graduate learners.
A course overload occurs when a learner requests to be scheduled for additional credits beyond the normal academic course load. Course overload requests may not exceed 6 additional credits beyond the normal academic course load for undergraduate learners or 3 additional credits for graduate learners and are subject to be reviewed based on the Academic Program Course Schedules (Sequence). Course overloads are not permitted for doctoral projects. Course overloads require approval by an Academic Official and/or Registrar's Office. It is the learner’s responsibility to discuss the financial impact of a course overload with the Accounting Department. A learner must have successfully completed one term and be in good academic standing to be eligible for a course overload. Course prerequisites will be considered when reviewing course overload requests and may impact the learner’s ability to receive approval for their overload request. A course overload may affect a learner’s ability to meet minimum program length requirements due to some licensure-bound programs’ requirements.
Continuous Enrollment
Effective for terms beginning June 1, 2024 and after:
To be considered in an active learner status, learners must maintain continuous enrollment in at least one course throughout their program unless on an approved Leave of Absence (See Leave of Absence Policy). It is recommended that learners follow the pre-registered schedule outlined by their degree course plans to help them remain continuously enrolled.
If a learner is not continuously enrolled in a course for 75 days from the end of their last course or extension date, they will be administratively withdrawn from the University for Non-Continuous Enrollment.
Effective for terms beginning May 1, 2024 and prior:
Learners must maintain continuous enrollment by remaining enrolled in at least one course unless on an approved Leave of Absence. A learner will be deemed not to be continuously enrolled if a learner takes more than three months leave of absence in a consecutive year or has not been enrolled in a course for more than 30 days. It is recommended that learners follow the schedule outlined by their degree course plans to help them remain continuously enrolled.
- Example 1: Course end date March 23. Learner must begin their next course on April 1.
- Example 2: Course end date March 23 with a two-month Leave of Absence. Learner requests and is approved to take a Leave of Absence for two consecutive months. Learner must be enrolled in their next course starting the term immediately following the expiration of the Leave of Absence, which in this case would be June 1.
Learners not continuously enrolled will be placed on Non-Continuous Enrollment Probation and given 30 days to start a course. If the learner does not start a course within 30 days and is not on an approved leave of absence, the learner will be subject to administrative withdrawal from the University. (See Non-Continuous Enrollment Probation section.)
Course Extensions and Incomplete Periods
Learners requesting a 30-day course extension are required to submit and pay for the extension request by the last day of the course (see Learner Fees section of this catalog). Extension requests submitted after this date will be denied. Course extensions may only granted once for each registered course. Learners that do not complete the course requirements by the end of the 30-day extension may face the possible consequences of needing to repeat courses to meet the University’s expected academic grade performance requirements. Learners may choose to cancel their request for a 30-day course extension. In order to receive a refund of the extension fee, the cancellation request must be made before the first day of the 30-day extension period. All other cancel requests made on or after the first day of the extension period will not be approved for a refund.
Learners may request a 7-day course incomplete period at no cost as an alternative to a full 30-day extension. Learners are required to request the 7-day incomplete by the last day of the course. The learner must also remain continuously enrolled by remaining registered in their next course for the term immediately following their current course’s term end date. A learner may only take one 7-day incomplete per course. Learners that do not complete the course requirements by the end of the 7-day incomplete period may face the possible consequences of needing to repeat courses to meet the University’s expected academic grade performance requirements.
Both the 30-day extension and the 7-day incomplete are measured in calendar days starting with the day after the course term end date. Learners are not allowed to utilize a 30-day course extension and a 7-day incomplete for the same course and cannot change the 7-day incomplete to a 30-day extension.
Internal Pause Policy
Learners in the School of Behavioral Sciences have the opportunity to pursue practicum and internship experiences in select programs and certificates, but finding an appropriate placement often takes time. In order to ensure a student is not penalized for non-continuous enrollment, this policy will allow a learner to request an ‘Internal Pause’ while they search for a site.
Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) and Doctor of Psychology: Clinical Specialization (PsyD-C)
Learners searching for appropriate Internship placement sites with appropriate qualified supervision may request additional time through Internal Pauses in two-month increments, up to three times (for a total of 6 months) for additional time to secure sites and supervisors.
At the expiry of six months, if unable to secure an appropriate placement site with appropriate qualified supervision for optional Internship, learner will be moved to degree conferred status (assuming all program requirements are satisfied).
*If the learner is unable to secure an appropriate placement site with appropriately qualified supervision to participate in optional Practicum courses, learner must select other courses for elective slots or will be moved to administrative withdrawal.
Master of Arts (MA) in Psychology, with an Emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy and Certificate in Advanced Addiction Studies and Addiction Studies (Field Study Practicum)
Learners searching for appropriate Practicum/Internship sites with appropriate qualified supervision may request Internal (program) Pauses in two-month increments, up to three times (for a total of 6 months) for additional time to secure sites and supervisors.
At the expiry of six months, if unable to find site with appropriate supervision for required Practicum/Internship courses, learner will be moved to dismissal status.
Leave of Absence
The Leave of Absence policy is applicable to all officially admitted and enrolled learners at CalSouthern. A learner can obtain up to three months leave of absence during a consecutive, or “rolling” 12-month time frame if they meet LOA requirements. LOA can be approved in increments of one month without exceeding the three-month maximum cumulative time of leave in a consecutive 12-month timeframe. The request must be submitted in writing to the Academic Advisor and must be taken between course enrollments and may not interrupt an ongoing course. In the case of a need to interrupt an ongoing course, the learner should contact Academic Advisor for further assistance. If a learner requests a Leave of Absence and is unable to submit the appropriate documentation within their allotted time frame, the learner should contact Academic Advisor for further assistance. If the learner fails to meet LOA requirements, including documentation, and does not continue with their current course, the learner may be at risk for non-continuous enrollment.
A leave of absence may be requested for the following (but not limited to) reasons: military, medical, jury duty, family care, etc.
A learner may be granted a Leave of Absence (LOA) if the following requirements are met:
- The LOA request is submitted in writing no more than one month before the requested LOA is set to begin, and no later than the end of the add/drop period of the term in which the LOA is requested. Requests must include the reason for the LOA and the return date.
- Learners may request multiple LOAs, but the total number of months the learner remains on LOA may not exceed three months during a consecutive 12-month timeframe.
- Prior to applying for an LOA, the learner must have completed their most recent term. An LOA may not be taken in the first term of a learner’s program.
- Learners must be in good academic standing and/or are not subject to disqualifications or dismissal due to academic deficiencies or disciplinary action.
An extended LOA for up to 180 days in a 12-month period may be granted for grave hardship. The same procedure for requesting a standard LOA must be followed for this extended leave time and additional documentation or verification is required.
While on a leave of absence, all tuition commitments remain in force. For more information on the learner’s finance and payment status, learners must contact accounting@calsouthern.edu.
Learners who decide not to return to the University or who do not return by the stated return date must formally withdraw their registration in accordance with the Withdrawal from the University policy. To do so, learners should contact their Academic Advisor/Learner Support Services at least one week prior to the expiration of the leave of absence and complete a withdrawal form. At the time of withdrawal, learners are advised of the conditions under which they might resume their studies should their circumstances change and decide to return at a future date. Upon the end of the approved leave of absence timeframe, learners will be subject to the Continuous Enrollment policy and may result in the learner being administratively withdrawn from the University.
Military Deployment
CalSouthern understands and acts upon the needs of its military learners. Learners need to notify CalSouthern when military deployment prohibits program progression. With sufficient documentation of military duty that prohibits program progression, a learner will be placed in inactive status and be subsequently reinstated in their program of study upon returning from military duty.
Withdrawal from a Course
Learners may drop courses prior to the course start and through the add/drop period without any academic penalty (see Add/Drop Period). If a learner wants to withdraw from course(s) after the add/drop period, they must request a course withdrawal through their advisor, and discuss possible financial and academic implications. Merely ceasing to attend classes does not constitute an official course withdrawal request. Learners can withdraw from a course within the following timelines:
- 8-week course: between day 11 and up to an including day 42 of the course.
- 16-week course: between day 11 and up to and including day 84 of the course.
The effective date of the course withdrawal is the date the request is sent. Any course withdrawal request within the aforementioned timelines above will result in a grade of “W” on a learner’s academic record and transcript. Credit hours for courses from which a learner withdraws are included in their total number of credit hours, and as such, withdrawn courses will appear as credits attempted, but no credits earned in the academic record.
Course withdrawal requests after the above deadline will not be accepted. Any learner who has not officially withdrawn from a course by the established deadline will be assigned the grade calculated on the basis of all submitted and missed graded assignments for the course. Missed assignments will earn a grade of zero.
Course withdrawals may have implications in terms of:
Withdrawal from the University
The learner is responsible for notifying CalSouthern of withdrawal from the University in writing. Learners who wish to withdraw from their program of study should send their request via email to their Academic Advisor or to the Learner Support Services department at learnersupport@calsouthern.edu. It is the learner's responsibility to understand any academic and financial implications of their request before deciding to withdraw.
The withdrawal is effective when the Withdrawal request is sent. Please refer to the Cancellation and Refund Policies section of this catalog for information regarding refunds and payment due.
Learners may be subject to administrative withdrawal if in accordance with University policies, such as Non-Continuous Enrollment and/or Conditional Admission.
Learners who wish to re-enter the University are subject to current policies and tuition and fees in effect at the time of their return to the University. Please refer to the Reinstatement: Re-Entry Requirements section of this catalog for more information.
Dismissal
A learner may be subject to dismissal from CalSouthern for various reasons, including:
- Academic Integrity violation
- Code of Conduct violation
- Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Dismissal
Please review the appeal information within the Academic Integrity and Code of Conduct policies. Information for appealing SAP Dismissals can be reviewed in the Reinstatement policy.
Change of Academic Program Policy
Learners who wish to change their academic program of study must submit the Change of Academic Program form to Learner Support Services. Learners can change their academic program of study one time at no charge while keeping their current program tuition and payment option rates. After a learner has changed their academic program of study once, for any subsequent program changes the learner will be charged a Change of Academic Program fee and the new program will be at the prevailing tuition and payment option rates.