Judgment of Compliance

Narrative

Sam Houston State University (SHSU) makes available to all students, regardless of modality, current and future academic calendars, grading policies, and refund policies.  Current and projected academic calendars and current refund policies are published on the SHSU website.  Grading policies are communicated to students through the academic catalogs and within course syllabi.

The University Calendar Committee [1] meets each October to set the academic calendar for upcoming academic terms.  After approval, the University Registrar posts the academic calendar [2] on the SHSU Registrar’s Office website [3], the Fast Links dropdown menu on the SHSU home page [4],  the online graduate [5] and undergraduate [6] catalogs, the admissions website [7], and within the university’s homepage under the “My Sam” portal (registration, faculty, and student tabs) [8].  As the academic calendar is published online, both face-to-face and online students have access to the information.  The SHSU academic calendar is in compliance with Texas Administrative Code, Title 10, Part 1, Chapter 4, Subchapter A, Rule 4.5 [9].

At SHSU, faculty are responsible for determining the grading system for each course taught and are required to communicate that system within their course syllabi [10], [11].  Faculty members are charged with informing their students as to the grading value of each assignment, test, etc.  The SHSU grading system can be found in both the 2014-2016 Undergraduate Catalog [12] and the 2013-2015 Graduate Catalog [13].  Additionally, academic colleges may provide additional syllabus guidelines with formal, college-specific syllabus requirements [14], [15].  Sample syllabi have been provided for reference [16], [17], [18].  As the grading policies are published in each course syllabus and the online academic catalogs, both face-to-face and online students have access to the information. 

Refund policies, tuition and fee tables, and payment options are posted online for both student and public review through the schedule of classes [19] and the undergraduate and graduate catalogs [20], [21].  As the refund policies are published online, both face-to-face and online students have access to the information.  The refund policy at SHSU includes a pro-rated refund for students who officially withdraw from the university during a scheduled period, in accordance with Texas Education Code, Section 54.006 [22].

Supporting Documentation