Academic Procedures and Requirements

The following regulations, procedures, and definitions are important for all students taking classes for credit. Understanding and following these procedures is an essential part of acquiring a college degree or other credentials. Any questions should be directed to the Admissions and Registration Office.

Students are responsible for following their curriculum, meeting graduation requirements, and/or meeting transfer requirements. Assistance in planning acceptable programs is available from faculty advisors and professional academic advisors.

FVCC courses require college-level reading as well as basic computer and typing skills. For every one credit hour students take, they may expect to spend a minimum of 2-3 hours each week on coursework; therefore, a student enrolled in 15 credits should spend 30-45 hours per week outside the classroom engaged in studying, reading, writing, and/or reviewing course materials.

Graduation applications are due on December 1 for spring graduation and May 1 for summer and fall graduation.  Students intending to graduate in the summer who would like to attend the spring graduation ceremony will need to meet the December 1 graduation application deadline. Applications for Graduation are available from the Admissions and Registration Office in the Learning Resource Center or at fvcc.edu/graduation.

Students commonly graduate under the catalog in use during the first year they attended FVCC. However, a student may graduate using any FVCC catalog under which they have attended and were enrolled in the program, up to five years prior to graduation. For example, the 2022-2023 catalog can be used through summer 2028. College or program requirements may change to comply with accreditation requirements, professional certification, and licensing requirements, etc. In the event a change is made after the catalog is published, the changes will be posted online.

If a student initially enrolled more than five years before their graduation, they must follow the catalog requirements currently in effect during the semester they apply for graduation.

Note: A student who has been on hiatus for at least one year will not be able to return to a program that is no longer offered at FVCC.

Substitutions: Program requirements may be substituted for another course with the approval of the program director or advisor. If a student holds a higher degree than that which they are seeking, General Education and Related Instruction requirements may be substituted at the program director’s discretion. If a student does not hold a higher degree, General Education and Related Instruction substitutions need additional approval from the Gen Ed Team. 

A single course may not be used to meet more than one group requirement, e.g. if ARTH 200 is used to meet the humanities requirement, it cannot also be used to meet the global requirement.

Waivers: Program requirements may be waived with the approval of the program director or advisor when there is evidence that the student has already gained a level of competency that will satisfy the program requirement or if the student holds a higher degree than that which they are seeking. Otherwise, waivers for General Education and Related Instruction courses need the additional approval of a majority vote of the Gen Ed Team.

When a waiver is approved, it only waives the specific content requirement and not the overall credits required to obtain a degree. Therefore, if a waiver will put a student below the degree credit limit, request a substitution instead. Credit requirements are as follows: AA, AS, and AAS – 60 credits; CAS – 30 credits; and CTS – 16 credits.

View academic advising information on the advising page.

Any FVCC student who has a cumulative grade point average (GPA) below 2.0 will be placed on academic probation.

Academic Probation process for degree-seeking or Running Start students:

A student on academic probation will be required to meet with a Student Support Center advisor to discuss academic goals and barriers and ways to achieve their goals. A review of the academic assistance available at FVCC and the completion of an Academic Plan to assist the individual in achieving his/her academic goals is required before the student may register for any future semesters.

If a student improves his/her semester academic GPA to a 2.0 or higher, but the cumulative GPA is still below a 2.0, the student remains on academic probation. Before registration for future terms, the student is required to meet with a Student Support Center advisor each semester until his/her cumulative GPA is a above a 2.0.

If a student fails to improve his/her semester GPA while on academic probation, he/she will be placed on academic remediation. The student is provided two options: choose to leave FVCC for a period of no less than one year, or agree to a Remediation Plan developed by the Student Support Center advisor and approved by the Director of Student Services. If the student does not complete a Remediation Plan one week prior to the start of the academic remediation semester, the student’s schedule may be cancelled. If the student’s academic remediation semester GPA is below a 2.0 and/or the student did not successfully complete the Remediation Plan, he/she will be academically suspended immediately for no less than one year.

A student reinstated after being on academic suspension will be required to meet with a Student Support Center advisor to develop an updated Remediation Plan prior to registering and the plan will be approved by the Director of Student Services. If the reinstated student does not earn a 2.0 or higher semester GPA, he/she will be academically suspended for no less than one year. If a student improves his/her semester academic GPA to a 2.0 or higher, but the cumulative GPA is still below a 2.0, the student remains on academic remediation. Before registration for future terms, the student is required to meet with a Student Support Center advisor each semester until his/her cumulative GPA is a above a 2.0.

Once a student’s cumulative GPA improves to a 2.0 or better, he/she will be removed from academic probation or academic remediation.

The Academic Probation process for non-degree seeking students:

A non-degree-seeking student who has a cumulative GPA below a 2.0 will be limited to five credits or fewer per semester until the student’s cumulative GPA improves to a 2.0 or better.

Non-degree seeking students with a cumulative GPA below a 2.0 may request to enroll in more than five credits per semester by creating an Academic Plan with a Student Support Center advisor. If the non-degree student does not earn a semester GPA of a 2.0 or higher while on an Academic Plan, the student will be limited to five credits or fewer per semester until the student’s cumulative GPA improves to a 2.0 or better.