Registration Policies and Procedures

Students are responsible for looking up program requirements, viewing their DegreeWorks degree audit report, and meeting with an academic advisor prior to registration to determine courses needed for graduation. Not all courses available in this catalog are offered every semester or every year. Course schedule offerings for each semester, including registration instructions, are available through the Registration Information website. Students should register for classes via MAVzone. If that is not possible or if they need help, they may register in person with the assistance of IRIS.

Policies and Procedures

Add/Drops & Schedule Adjustments

Students may make adjustments to their schedules according to specified deadlines and procedures published on the Important Dates website. Students dropping all of their courses should refer to the Withdrawal Procedures below.

Attendance

Students are expected to attend all sessions of each course in which they are enrolled. Failure to do so may result in a lowered grade, exclusion from class at the discretion of the instructor, or an administrative drop for non-attended courses. Students should not assume that non-attendance will result in an automatic drop from a class (see the Student Liability for Tuition & Fees above).

Instructors may drop any student who fails to attend the first two class meetings or fails to participate in an online class. Instructors may also initiate a drop or withdrawal for a student who fails to attend classes regularly. (“Drops” are up to 15% of class elapsed; “withdrawals” are up to the two-thirds of the class.) Not all instructors will exercise this option; therefore, a student should not assume that non-attendance will result in an automatic drop from a class.

Students who receive financial aid and cease attending classes may need to repay all or a portion of their financial aid.

Attendance by a Guest

Instructor approval is required in advance if a student wishes to bring an occasional guest (or child) to class. Otherwise, the person must be enrolled to attend.

Absences and Tardiness

It is the responsibility of the student to arrange in advance with instructors for making up missed classwork, assignments or tests incurred because of a student’s participation in required field trips, intercollegiate sports, or other trips. The coach, instructor, or other official whose activities require students to be absent from classes should give each participating student an “official” roster and schedule of events for the semester or other appropriate time span which may result in classes being missed. The student is responsible for contacting the instructor of each of his/her classes affected at least 24 hours in advance of each class that will be missed.

Absences due to serious illness or strictly unavoidable circumstances may be excused if the instructor in charge of the course is satisfied as to the cause. In the case of an emergency, the student may contact the Office of the Vice President for Student Services, and that office will contact the student’s instructors to inform them of the emergency. Informing the Office of the Vice President of Student Services is not a guarantee that the absence will be excused, however.

Being excused for an absence in no way relieves the student of responsibility for completing all work associated with the course to the satisfaction of the instructor. Being late to a class or leaving a class early is disruptive and is not acceptable except in extreme circumstances or with prior approval of the instructor.

Class Waitlists

Online waitlists are available to students during the registration process. For general classes, when a seat opens, the first student on the list is emailed and given a time period with which the student can add the course. It is the student’s responsibility to check their CMU email for notification that his/her waitlisted class has opened. Failure to register within the designated time frame will result in the student being removed from the waitlist and the opportunity moving the next student on the list. The electronic waitlist is deleted after the first week of a sixteen-week class (1/16 of the class for non-standard parts of term).

Online waitlists for courses with co-requisites (lecture/lab combinations) are administered by the Registrar’s Office. The open spaces are given to the first student on the waitlist who can successfully be registered for both the lecture and lab. The waitlist on co-requisite courses will be cleared the Friday before the semester starts to ensure class/lab combinations fill.

The time limit to add from the waitlist will drop from 72 hours to 48 hours the week before school starts and down to 24 hours once classes begin. Students still wishing to add a closed class after the waitlist has been deleted must submit a complete Change of Schedule form with instructor’s signature to IRIS or the Registrar’s Office prior to the add deadline (class census).

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

General Policy

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) provides students who are enrolled in an institution of postsecondary education the right to inspect, review, and challenge their educational records. Colorado Mesa University has the responsibility of maintaining and protecting the confidentiality of students’ official educational records. Colorado Mesa University also supervises the access to and/or release of educational records of its students. FERPA covers enrolled and former students, including deceased students. Students who are not accepted to Colorado Mesa University, or if accepted, do not attend, have no rights under FERPA. In addition, the University will not release personally identifiable records of students to any individual, agency or organization without the prior written consent of the student, except as provided by FERPA.

Directory Information

Colorado Mesa University may, without the consent of the student, release to persons outside the institution information designated as Directory Information in accordance with the provisions of FERPA. Directory Information shall include information in an educational record which would not generally be considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if released, including but not limited to:

  1. Student name, address, telephone #
  2. Date and place of birth
  3. Major fields of study
  4. Participation in officially recognized activities and sports
  5. Weight and height of athletic team members
  6. Photographs
  7. Dates of attendance to include enrollment status (i.e., full time or part time)
  8. Degrees and awards received
  9. Most recent educational institution attended
  10. E-mail address

A student wishing to withhold Directory Information may add or remove a confidential indicator to their record via MAVzone under the MyAccount Personal tab. The confidential indicator will limit access to Directory Information to other parties without written permission. This request will be honored until the student removes the confidential indicator via MAVzone or submits the request in writing to the Registrar's Office. Adding a confidential indicator will restrict enrollment verification, graduation verification, and will require the student to conduct business in-person or via MAVzone.  

Access to Student Educational Records

FERPA provides current students, former students, and parents of students who claim the student as a dependent (according to Internal Revenue Code of 1954, Section 152) for income tax purposes on their most current federal tax return the right to inspect, review, and challenge their educational records.

Students are permitted to inspect and review their educational records within a maximum of 45 days after the request is received. Students may not review financial information received from their parents or guardians; confidential letters and recommendations placed in their files prior to January 1, 1975; academic records containing information regarding other students; administrative, disciplinary, law enforcement, student health records, and/or records which are maintained in the sole possession of the maker.

While students who have a financial hold or past due account (all holds included) have a right to inspect their academic records, no transcript will be released to the student or other party until holds are reconciled. Bankruptcy, however, removes any financial obligations the student has to Colorado Mesa University. Please contact the Registrar’s Office with questions regarding this policy.

Golden Scholars

Colorado Mesa University provides individualized support, including academic and scheduling decisions, for persons 60 years and older. For more detailed information, go to the Golden Scholars website

Classes for Credit

Persons 60 years or older who wish to enroll for credit must submit required admission and registration materials to the Admissions Office. The same deadlines, costs, etc., as for other students will apply.

Classes for No Credit

Persons 60 years of age or older who do not wish to earn college credit may attend undergraduate resident instruction classes on a space-available, instructor-approved basis at Colorado Mesa University for a reduced fee.

Interested persons should obtain an application from the Golden Scholars website. Once admitted, registration for classes is at the beginning of the semester either through MAVzone, IRIS, or the Registrar’s Office.

No-Credit Desired/Audit Courses

A student who desires to attend certain undergraduate classes regularly, but does not wish to receive grades or credit, should register for these classes using the audit status. 

Tuition charges for classes taken under the audit status are the same as for classes taken for credit, but are not eligible for the COF voucher. Financial aid does not apply to no-credit/audit courses. 

The deadline for a student to change from audit to credit is the same as the deadline to add a class. The last day for a student to change from credit to audit is the same as the deadline to withdraw from a class. 

Student Liability for Tuition & Fees

For all students, the act of registration automatically confirms attendance and the student will incur a financial obligation to the University. A registered student is responsible for paying his/her tuition and fees, regardless of whether or not he/she attend classes, unless the student officially withdraws from the University through IRIS, the Registrar’s Office, or drops all courses via the web prior to the deadlines published on the Colorado Mesa University website. It is the student’s responsibility to make a copy of the schedule reflecting any courses dropped via the web.

Withdrawal Procedures

Withdrawal from Individual Classes

A student may withdraw from an individual class via MAVzone prior to the first day of the session for the course (full semester, late start, modular, or variable length). After the session has begun, the student must submit the Course Withdraw online form up to the two-thirds of the way through the course as indicated on the Important Dates website. Within the published withdraw deadline, a student will receive a "W" on the transcript which will not be calculated in the grade point average. After the published deadline, a student will receive a grade of “F” which will be calculated in the grade point average. A student with extenuating, non-academic reasons should review the emergency hardship withdraw or add/drop/withdraw exception sections.

In addition to regular withdrawal from class(es) by the student, an instructor may initiate a course withdrawal for failure to attend classes, failure to turn in assignments over an extended period of time, or for disciplinary reasons. In such cases, the instructor must observe regular withdrawal deadlines as published on the Important Dates website.

Emergency or Hardship Withdrawal from Individual Classes

In the case of an event that qualifies as an emergency or hardship, a student may request an Emergency or Hardship Withdrawal from an instructor after 66 percent, but before 75 percent of a course is completed. An emergency or hardship situation is defined as a significant, unexpected non-academic circumstance beyond the student’s control and is granted at the discretion of the instructor. Failing, poor performance in a course, or other academic-related reasons do not constitute circumstances for an emergency withdrawal.

A student seeking an Emergency or Hardship Withdrawal must consult the instructor and submit the online form by the deadline. Substantiating documentation (e.g., doctor’s notes, court documents, death certificates) may be required at the request of the instructor.

Semester Withdrawal from the University

A student who desires to withdraw totally from all classes in a semester are advised to discuss their situation with their faculty advisor and/or IRIS prior to withdrawing.

Prior to the first day of the semester, a student may totally withdraw from Colorado Mesa University by dropping all classes via MAVzone. After the semester has begun, a student must submit the Semester Withdraw online form. See the calendar on the Important Dates website for course drop and withdraw details. Each course will be processed based on the start and end dates for the course session (full semester, late start, modular or other variable length). In the first 15% of the course session, the course will be dropped. After the drop and up to the two-thirds of the session, the withdrawn course will be denoted with a "W" on the transcript which will not be calculated in the grade point average. After two-thirds of the session, a grade of "F" will be assigned to the course which will be calculated in the grade point average. Courses that have been completed with an earned grade will retain the earned grade (include "F"s). A student with extenuating, non-academic reasons should review the add/drop/withdraw exception section.

Add/Drop/Withdraw Exceptions

Exceptions to add, drop or withdrawal deadlines are rare. To be considered, evidence of substantial and unexpected non-academic circumstances outside the student’s control must be provided. To file an Enrollment Appeal, the student must supply a written request explaining the situation along with supporting documentation to the Registrar’s Office within six months after the end of the semester being appealed. At the end of the six month period, the registration record is considered final and no further registration or tuition adjustments will be considered. The Enrollment Appeals Committee will review the provided documentation, course feedback from faculty and related enrollment information pertinent to the request. Filing an appeal does not guarantee approval.

Contact

Registrar’s Office
Lowell Heiny Hall Room 449
Colorado Mesa University
1100 North Avenue
Grand Junction, CO 81501-3122
Call 970.248.1555