Think of your college campus as a small town—maybe even a little city! In the same way that towns and cities need laws to regulate citizen activities, colleges and universities need codes and policies to define appropriate operations, behaviors, events, activities, and much more.

Common Policies

Each institution has its own unique set of codes and policies, but many commonalities can be found between the codes and policies of different institutions. You can expect to find policy and code specifications about academic standards, admissions, enrollment, tuition and fees, student classifications, degree types, degree requirements, transfer agreements, advising, course scheduling, majors, minors, credits, syllabi, exams, grade-point averages, academic warnings, scholarships, faculty affairs, research, rights and responsibilities, and honors and distinctions.

Here are several sets of policies and rules that you may be interested in looking over:

• Public college: Pennsylvania State University Policies and Rules for Undergraduate Students
• Private college: American University Policies; Selected Listing of Student-Related Policies
• Two-year college: Cuyahoga Community College Policies and Procedures
• For-profit college: Capella University

Where to Access Policies

Take time to find the policies and procedures for your institution. You can find them online, in the print version of the college handbook, in the admissions office, through your guidance counselor, and/or in the main office building of your academic program.

Course-Specific Policies

Be aware that your individual instructors will provide you with information about their course-specific policies and procedures. These may include policies about grading, absences, and academic integrity. You will also find expectations for submitting work, for communicating with your teacher, and much more. Course-specific policies can affect your grades on individual assignments as well as your final grade. If you think of your college as a small town as mentioned above, then these policies are your road map.