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Resources and Policies • Policies


What is the payment plan policy?

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For students enrolled prior to August 1, 2011: Students who select the payment plan option when enrolling in an Independent Study course are subject to the following terms:

Terms of Agreement for Payment Plan Option (in PDF format)

What is the financial aid policy?

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For students enrolled prior to August 1, 2011: KU degree-seeking students using financial aid to pay for their Independent Study enrollment(s) must complete all coursework including the final exam, if applicable, according to the course submission guidelines by the last day of final exams for the semester. Failure to complete all coursework by the deadline will result in an F on the transcript.

How many Independent Study courses may I take at one time?

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For students enrolled prior to August 1, 2011: Students are allowed to enroll in two Independent Study courses at one time. If you wish to enroll in more than two courses at one time you must obtain permission. Please contact Independent Study.

What is the withdrawal policy?

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For students enrolled prior to August 1, 2011: Student Initiated*

The withdrawal period is divided into three segments. During Period 1 all schools and colleges allow students to cancel a course without permission. The cancelled course does not appear on the academic record for undergraduate students. Graduate students will receive a grade of W, which will appear on the transcript, but will not be included in computing the grade point average on the transcript. Period 1 includes the first 1.5 months from the date of enrollment. Students who complete 75% of their course during Period 1 are not allowed to withdraw from that course. Withdrawals submitted within Period 1 will be eligible for a partial refund. Students who withdraw after 1.5 months will not receive a refund.

Period 2 ends 4.5 months from the date of enrollment. Students seeking to withdraw from a course during Period 2 will receive a grade of W, which will appear on the transcript, but will not be included in computing the grade point average on the transcript. KU students enrolled in Architecture & Urban Planning, Education, Engineering, and Nursing must obtain permission from their school before withdrawing during period 2. Students who complete 75% of their course during period 2 are not allowed to withdraw from that course.

Period 3 begins after the last day of period 2 and continues until the course completion deadline. Students cannot withdraw from a course during period 3. Students who do not complete their course during period 3 will have a grade of F posted on their transcript and the grade will be calculated into GPA.

Please note most Independent Study courses require a passing grade on the final exam to pass the course. For students who do not withdraw from an Independent Study course and do not take the final exam for the course, a grade of F is recorded on the transcript.

Withdrawal requests can be made by using your Online Service Account.

*(Policy subject to change pending university approval.)

For students enrolled prior to August 1, 2011: Initiated by Independent Study

Students dismissed from KU are not allowed to enroll in Independent Study courses. Students enrolled in an Independent Study course and who are subsequently dismissed from KU may have their Independent Study course enrollment cancelled. If a student’s course enrollment is cancelled, the student will receive a full refund.

For students who enrolled through June 30, 2009: Because our courses are not on the semester system, there are no specific withdrawal deadlines. Withdrawal requests can be made by using your Online Service Account. Withdrawals submitted within six weeks of the date of enrollment will be eligible for a partial refund.You may withdraw after the initial six-week enrollment period, but no refund will be available. Withdrawal requests must be made prior to completing the course. If a student withdraws from an undergraduate-level course, it will not appear on the transcript. Graduate-level courses remain on the transcript with a grade of WG (waiting grade).

What is the course refund policy?

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For students enrolled prior to August 1, 2011: Student Initiated

Course Withdrawal: If a student withdraws from their course within 1.5 months of their enrollment period, the tuition, off-campus area fee, and course fee (if applicable)—minus a $40 processing fee—will be refunded. The materials fee, mediated course fee, postage fee, and sales tax are not refundable. Students who withdraw after 1.5 months will not receive a refund. Failure to submit assignments or obtain textbooks does not entitle students to a refund.

For students enrolled prior to August 1, 2011: Initiated by Independent Study

Course Withdrawal and Refund: Students enrolled in an Independent Study course and who are subsequently dismissed from KU may have their Independent Study course enrollment cancelled. If a student’s course enrollment is cancelled, the student will receive a full refund.

For students who enrolled through June 30, 2009: If you withdraw from the course in the first six weeks of your enrollment period, a partial refund will be issued. The tuition, off-campus area fee, and course fee (if applicable)—minus a $40 processing fee—will be refunded. The materials fee, mediated course fee, postage fee, and sales tax are not refundable. Students who withdraw after six weeks are not eligible for a refund. Refunds are not granted for a failure to submit assignments or obtain textbooks.

What is the transfer policy?

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For students enrolled prior to August 1, 2011: A request to transfer from one course to another must be made in writing within 1 month of the date of enrollment. The initial course expiration date, withdrawal deadlines, refund deadlines, and extension policy remain in effect.

A fee of $40, a new materials fee, and additional tuition/fees, if necessary, will be charged. A refund will be made if tuition for the new course is less than tuition for the old course. No refund can be made if the student withdraws from the new course. Only one transfer is allowed per course enrollment and the transfer fee is nonrefundable.

KU students enrolled in Architecture & Urban Planning, Education, Engineering, and Nursing must obtain permission from their school before transferring.

For students who enrolled through June 30, 2009: Transfer requests can be made by using your Online Service Account. Transfer requests must be made prior to completing the course as long as the course has not expired. A nonrefundable $40 transfer fee will be assessed. Additional charges, which may include new course materials fees, mediated course fees, and the difference in tuition, will also be assessed. A refund will be issued if the tuition for the new course is less than the tuition for the old course. You may only transfer to a new course once, and no refund can be made if you withdraw from the new course. It is not possible to transfer from an Independent Study course to an on-campus course. It is also not possible to transfer from an on-campus course to an Independent Study course. Instead, you must withdraw from one course and enroll in the other.

What is the extension policy?

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For students enrolled prior to August 1, 2011: In most cases, courses expire six months after the enrollment date. For active military students and students residing outside the United States, courses expire nine months after the enrollment date. Students* may request to extend their enrollment by three months if they have submitted all assignments required to take the midterm. If a course does not have a midterm, the student must have submitted 50% of the course assignments to be eligible to request an extension. The request must be received before the course expiration date. Upon approval and receipt of a nonrefundable $40 processing fee, the course completion date will be extended by three months. If an extension is granted, the additional 3 months to complete the course will be considered period 3 for the purposes of applying the withdrawal policy and students will not be allowed to withdraw from the course.

*KU degree-seeking students using financial aid to pay for their Independent Study enrollment(s) are not eligible for an extension.

For students who enrolled through June 30, 2009: A one-time, three-month course extension is available for a nonrefundable $40 fee. An extension can be made by using your Online Service Account. You are only eligible for a single three-month course extension. You may only request an extension when you are within two months of your initial expiration date. Extension requests must be made prior to the course expiration date.

What appears on my transcript if I do not complete?

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For students enrolled prior to August 1, 2011: Most Independent Study courses require a passing grade on the final exam to pass the course. For students who do not withdraw from an Independent Study course and do not take the final exam by the course expiration date, a grade of F is recorded on the transcript.

What is the plagiarism policy?

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Plagiarism is presenting someone else’s words or work as your own. Plagiarism applies to material taken from a book, article, or the Internet, or to material taken from another person without properly citing your sources. Paraphrasing another writer, substituting words, or rearranging sentences from the work of another also constitutes plagiarism. Plagiarism is easily detected with databases and search engines.

Plagiarism is academic misconduct and is a violation of rules and regulations of the University of Kansas. Penalties for academic misconduct range from failure of the assignment to expulsion from the University. In this course, plagiarism on an assignment will result in an F for that assignment, and any additional plagiarism will result in failure of the course and possible further penalties. Plagiarism on an examination will result in failure of the course, regardless of the current status of your grade. If plagiarism is discovered after you complete the course, your instructor may reexamine your work and will notify you of the proposed penalty. If you disagree with a charge of academic misconduct, you may request a review by the Center for Online and Distance Learning.

The KU Writing Center provides guidance on academic integrity, incorporating and properly citing reference sources, and how to avoid plagiarism.

What is the mediated courseware policy on tuition for nondegree-seeking students?

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For students enrolled prior to August 1, 2011: If you are not currently enrolled in a KU degree program and have not been enrolled at the KU Lawrence campus in the last 12 months, you will pay standard resident tuition, regardless of your Kansas residence status.

If you have graduated from KU within the last 12 months, you will pay standard resident tuition regardless of your residency if you certify that such courses will not be used toward completion of a KU degree. However, if you wish to apply online courses toward a degree, then the appropriate standard resident or nonresident undergraduate/graduate tuition rate will be assessed.

Course Repeat Policy

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Undergraduate students seeking degrees from KU may be able to use an Independent Study course to repeat a course in which they have already received a grade of D or F. Please consult your academic adviser for additional criteria and procedures.

University Policies

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The University has established standards of conduct. As members of the University community, students are expected to adhere to all published rules, regulations and policies. For a complete list of applicable rules and policies, visit http://studenthandbook.ku.edu/codes.shtml.

In particular, please read the sections related to the following issues:

Jurisdiction Policy

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As a condition of enrollment in distance education courses, the student agrees that for any matter related to or arising from a course shall be governed by laws of the State of Kansas and jurisdiction shall be in the state court of Douglas County, Kansas, or in federal court located in Topeka, Kansas.