FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions and Answers:

Have you received my transcripts yet?
Will you accept hand delivered transcripts?
Why is there a hold on my account?
Who can see my grades?
What is the difference between dropping a class and withdrawing?
What if something happens and I can’t finish a class?
What can my advisor do for me?
What do I need to do to graduate?
If I take the same class twice, do I automatically keep the best grade?
Will all my credits from another university transfer?
When will all my transfer credit be evaluated and posted?
What books will I need for the next term?
Why does my diploma not list my major?

Have you received my transcripts yet?

To be concidered fully enrolled, the Registrar's Office will need to receive all of your transcripts. You can help us by letting us know the names of institutions you have previously attended. Make sure we know your former names (married, divorced, maiden) so we can check our files. Please let us know the date your transcipt was requested from each institution. Some transcripts may take two weeks from the day they are requested to the day they are received. Transcripts should be mailed to our office or sent through a secure electronic means to registrar@sckans.edu. Our office does not accept faxed or hand-delivered transcripts.

Will you accept hand delivered transcripts?

We require the receipt of official transcripts. Transcripts are official when they are sent via mail printed on secure transcript paper or with a raised university seal. Transcripts sent by mail must arrive in the original sealed envelope. We are also developing greater capacity for receiving secure electronic transcripts. We participate in the National Student Clearinghouse – Electronic Transfer Exchange (ETX), Parchment, and many other secure transcript sending methods. Talk to your institution about their ways of sending an official secure transcript. Typically, a notification email is sent to registrar@sckans.edu with a link to the secure document. We cannot accept any transcript stamped “Issued to student.” We also do not accept transcirpts submitted via fax.

Why is there a hold on my account?

Self-service will show you when there is a hold on your account. If the hold says "Student Account", you should contact Student Services 620-229-6251 or accounts@sckans.edu. Transcript orders and course registration cannot be completed if there is an unpaid balance on your student account. If you know we have not received all your transcripts, then see question #1.

Who can see my grades?

We cannot release any non-directory information without your expressed written consent. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) protects the privacy of your education record. Click here to learn more about your rights under the FERPA act. You can give anyone permission to access your academic record. Click here to download a FERPA release form.

Also, In your self-service account, you can share access with a parent, guardian, spouse or anyone trusted. Go to the My Profile tab and the Shared Access link. You can control which information can be viewed and by whom. You can also view or remove your current invitations to share information.

What is the difference between dropping a class and withdrawing?

If you wish to drop a class at any time during the registration period, you must get online permission from your advisor and submit it through your self-service. After the last day of the add/drop period (typically, the first week of class), you will need to go through the official withdrawal process. This process should be done online through your self-service account, but our office can help if you experience technical difficulties.

Main Campus students may withdraw from a course in the fall or spring semester at any time until the close of the ninth week and receive a grade of “WD,” which does not influence the grade point average. During a summer semester, each day of class counts as equivalent to a week in a regular semester. Failure to withdraw in a timely manner may result in an “F” showing on the transcript if you do not fulfill the course requirements in a satisfactory manner. For classes that last one week or less, regardless of semester, no cancellation is possible once the class begins.

What if something happens and I can’t finish a class?

You may request a temporary grade of incomplete when your work has been generally satisfactory, but for reasons beyond your control it has not been possible to complete certain assignments made by your instructor.

Your instructor must agree to your request and sign the Request for Incompletion Form. You will typically have 30 days after the beginning of the next semester to complete your work. A grade of “F” will automatically be entered as a final grade if the remaining work is not completed by the deadline.

Your instructor may not give an incomplete unless you have requested it. If the signed incomplete form is not submitted to the registrar’s office by the end of the grading period for that semester, a grade of “F” will be recorded.

What can my advisor do for me?

Your advisor can answer any question that you have about your academic plan and help you set goals for your time at Southwestern College. If you are a transfer student, your advisor will help you understand substitutions, articulations, and pre-requisite issues. Your advisor knows the answer to all the questions on this page and many more. If you are a new student, you will be assigned a faculty advisor within your major to manage the transition to college life and to begin exploring the opportunities and requirements of that field. If you are undeclared or undecided about a major, you will be assigned a general advisor.

To change advisors or majors, you must complete the Declaration / Change of Major / Minor / Emphasis form, obtain the new advisor’s signature, and return the form to the registrar for processing.

What do I need to do to graduate?

The Requirements for a degree are listed below. Ask your academic advisor if you have any specific questions.

• Complete the required courses for your major.
• Complete the general education requirements.
• Earn a minimum 2.00 (GPA) in:
  • Courses required by each major, minor, or secondary certification to be granted.
  • All work taken at Southwestern College regardless of grade points earned at other institutions. 
• Complete a minimum of 124 credit hours.
• Complete a minimum of 60 hours at a baccalaureate-degree-granting (4 year) institution.
• Have Southwestern College course credit of at least 30 credit hours.
• Have taken 15 of the last 30 course credit hours at Southwestern
  • (waived for professional studies learners who are active duty military personnel under an SOC agreement).
• Complete the Application for Degree by the stated deadline.
• Be elected to the respective degree by the faculty and by the Board of Trustees.

If I take the same class twice, do I automatically keep the best grade?

No, if a you repeat a course, both the original and repeat grade will be recorded on your official transcript, but only the repeat grade (the last grade earned) will be used in calculating earned hours and grade point averages, regardless of whether that grade is higher or lower than the original grade. Courses shown in the catalog as repeatable for credit do not fall under this rule.

Will all my credits from another university transfer?

All of your credits will transfer, however, only transfer hours with a grade of “C” or better will be counted toward general education requirements, or accepted as substitutions for major requirements. Our office will need to evaluate all of your transfer work from other institutions. We follow the guidelines set by the academic divisions to determine which credits from other institutions satisfy your general education requirements at Southwestern College. Click here for a list of direct substitutions. You may appeal the registrar’s decision not to count transfer credits toward general education requirements by petition to the academic dean, whose decision on the matter shall be final. Only hours successfully completed and/or degrees earned at institutions recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) may be considered. Southwestern College does not recognize credit for varsity athletics or remedial coursework.

Any student with an associate of arts degree or an associate of science degree is waived from all general education requirements except PREP 499, Career Preparation and Planning (or equivalent course requirement in the student’s major). If you have a bachelor’s degree, then you are waived from all general education requirements. Any exception to the above requirements must be approved by the academic dean.

When will all my transfer credit be evaluated and posted?

Evaluation of transfer credit is the most time-intensive process our office does. Please allow up to eight weeks from the start of your first term of enrollment for transfer credit to be evaluated and posted. When your credits are posted, you will be able to view them on your self-service account.

What books will I need for the next term?

Please click here for a list of books required for each class.

Why does my diploma not list my major?

Your diploma shows the degree you earned. Southwestern College, like most four-year institutions, does not list majors on the diploma. This is in part due to tradition, but also for pragmatic reasons, since many of our students double major and space is limited on the diploma. Your official transcript lists all programs of study, along with your degree and graduation date. 
Click here for more information about requesting a transcript.
Click here to learn more about diplomas.