Exclusion from a Course or Subject Policy

Fact box

Policy owner: Registrar
Policy category: Academic: Academic Administration
Policy status: Approved
Approval body: Academic Board
Endorsement body: Quality Assurance Committee
Related policies:
Last amended: 22nd Oct. 2024
Relevant HESF: 1.2

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to describe the exclusion of an Alphacrucis University College (AC) student for non-compliance on the basis of academic misconduct or academic progress, related to either a course of study or a subject.

Scope

HE and VET

Policy

Exclusion from a Course

Unsatisfactory Course Progression:

A student who has been identified as making unsatisfactory course progression (see Course Progression Policy) within their:

Provisional Entry Qualifying Period (equivalent to one semester); and/or
after the implementation of an Academic Progress Intervention Strategy;

may be excluded from their course of study.

Academic Misconduct:

A student who is a candidate in an AC course and has been involved in academic misconduct on two or more instances during their period of candidature may be permanently expelled from AC in line with the Academic Integrity and Misconduct Policy. The offending student’s candidature is cancelled and s/he is not eligible to enrol in any AC course for a period of two academic years.

Graduate:

Where AC has admitted a student to a degree (or other award of AC) and academic misconduct occurring within the student’s candidature is substantially alleged and eventually substantiated:

the student concerned is recorded as “failed” in any relevant subject or other component of the course of study from which they graduated;
conferral of the degree is rescinded;
the student’s name is deleted from AC’s Register of Graduates;
the student is required to return the AC testamur and final academic transcript to AC.

Notification:

Where the penalty of exclusion from enrolment for a specified period, or permanently, is determined, the Program Director or equivalent notifies the Student Experience Department. It is the Student Experience Department’s responsibility to notify the particular student, together with the student’s rights of appeal and the appellate processes involved.

The Student Experience Department also has responsibility for ensuring that the student’s record is appropriately notated and the determination enforced.

Exclusion from a Higher Education (HE) Subject

A student who is admitted into a HE course may only take a subject twice. That is, they cannot re-enrol in a subject which they have already twice failed. At this point, the student is excluded from further study in that particular subject.

If the subject is an elective subject and not a core requirement to the degree structure, the student may be allowed to remain a candidate as long as they are making satisfactory course progression overall (see Course Progression Policy)

If the subject is a core requirement to the course structure, they may be excluded from the course overall.

The student may appeal to the Student Affairs Committee (SAC) in writing to ‘show cause’ why they should be allowed to enrol in a subject for a third time. The SAC will either:

Confirm the student’s exclusion from the subject, or
Permit their re-enrolment in the subject for the third and final time.

Depending on the circumstances, an initial or repeat offence may result in the offending student’s exclusion from re-enrolment (see Academic Integrity and Misconduct Policy).

Responsible for implementation

Chair, Quality Assurance Committee

Key stakeholders

All staff and students

Procedures

Exclusion from a Course or Subject Procedure

Exclusion from a Course Procedure

The student will be notified of AC’s intention to cancel their candidature through an ‘Exclusion Letter’. This will include a ‘Notice of Intent to Report’ if they are an international student.

Upon receipt of this notification students have 20 working days (or 28 days for students approved to defer payment of tuition fees through FEE-HELP or VET Student Loans program) to access AC’s grievance resolution procedures and in writing ‘show cause’ why they should not be excluded from the course and have their candidature cancelled. Appeals are referred to the Student Affairs Committee (SAC) for hearing and determination. A student may access the Complaint and Grievance Resolution Policy and follow the procedure. A student may appeal on the following grounds:

failure to record or calculate a student's marks accurately;
compassionate or compelling circumstances; or
intervention strategies have not been implemented appropriately by AC.

If a student accesses the appeals process, the SAC will either:

1. Confirm the student’s exclusion (student’s appeal unsuccessful) – the student to be informed in writing that their candidature has been terminated and the reasons why. In the case of exclusion of an international student:

AC will not report any cancellation of the international student’s enrolment (via PRISMS) within the 20 working days students are given to access the grievance procedure or until the internal review process is completed.

Once the appeals process is finalised and the student is deemed as having failed to maintain satisfactory course progress, AC will report this via PRISMS, as soon as practical.

Students who are excluded for reasons of unsatisfactory course progress are not eligible to enrol in any AC course at an equivalent or higher level, for a period of two academic years.

2. Permit their reenrolment for a subsequent semester. Students are to be placed on another Academic Progress Intervention Strategy that provides the student with ongoing support.

At the Internal Monitoring of Grades at the end of this subsequent semester’s enrolment, the student is to be identified as:

i. Maintaining satisfactory course progress:

Academic Progress Intervention Strategy requirements removed;
student allowed to enrol as per normal;
if an international student: resultant changes in course completion times to be noted in PRISMS, and new CoE issued;

ii. Deemed to be not maintaining satisfactory progress:

student to be excluded from course and confirmed in writing (see process above).
If a student does not access the appeals process within the 20-working day period (or 28 days for students approved to defer payment of tuition fees through FEE-HELP or VET Student Loans program), or the student withdraws from the process, their course exclusion is to be confirmed in writing. For international students notification is made via PRISMS, as soon as practical.