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When you come to SVCC you will hear a variety of terms about your educational journey that will be new to you. The following is a list of common terms that you will hear as you move through the steps of enrolling and attending SVCC.
AA&S - Associate of Arts and Sciences (university transfer) Courses for students who plan to transfer to a four-year college or university to complete a baccalaureate degree program.
AAS - Associate of Applied Science (not traditionally intended for transfer) A two-year degree awarded to students who complete the requirements of a career or technical program. This degree is generally two years in length and designed for students to go to work after graduation.
Academic Advisement Process of advising students about courses that must be taken to fulfill degree and/or transfer requirements.
Academic Calendar A calendar outlining specific timelines throughout an academic year that are of particular note to students (includes exam periods, holidays, semester term dates, payment deadlines, etc.)
Academic Progress Report An unofficial copy of your academic record that also details the required courses remaining for your certificate or degree completion. This report can be accessed in your MySVCC.
Academic Standing Students who maintain a semester minimum GPA of 2.0, who are eligible to re-enroll at the college, and are not on academic suspension or dismissal status. Additional levels of academic standing include:
Good Standing Students who maintain a 2.0 GPA and who have met all obligations to the College.
Academic Warning Students who fail to maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0 for any semester; an “academic warning” statement is printed on the student’s grade report.
Academic Probation Students who fail to maintain a cumulative GPA of 1.5; an “Academic Probation” statement is placed on the student’s permanent record. Students on academic probation are required to consult with their counselor and/or advisor and are generally required to carry less than a normal course load to ensure success. Students shall be placed on probation only after they have attempted 12 semester credit hours.
Academic Suspension Students who fail to attain a GPA of 1.5 for the next semester following academic probation for which they are in attendance. Academic suspension normally will be for one semester unless the student reapplies and is accepted for readmission to another curriculum of the college. An “Academic Suspension” statement will be placed on the student’s permanent record.
Academic Dismissal Students who fail to maintain at least a 2.0 GPA for the semester of reinstatement to the college after academic suspension, will be academically dismissed. Students who have been placed on academic suspension and achieve a 2.0 GPA for the semester of their reinstatement must maintain at least a 1.5 GPA in each subsequent semester of attendance. Students remain on probation until their cumulative GPA is raised to a minimum of 1.5. Failure to attain a 1.5 GPA in each subsequent semester until the cumulative GPA reaches 1.5 will result in academic dismissal.
Academic Year The beginning of the fall term through the end of the summer term
Accreditation Professional organizations dedicated to assuring the educational quality and effectiveness of its member institutions. Accreditation ensures that institutions are reputable, credit hours are transferrable to other institutions, and degrees granted are valuable. SVCC is regionally accredited and many of its individual programs of study also have additional accrediting bodies.
Advanced Placement/Credit for Prior Learning Earning of college credit prior to enrollment at the College by one of the following options: Obtaining certain scores on examinations such as:
- College Level Examination Programs (CLEP)
- Advanced Placement Program (AP)
- Subject Standardized Tests (SST) through DANTES/USAFI Or by
- Transfer credits from other regionally accredited post-secondary institutions
- Equated occupational experience
- Assessment of coursework with external agencies
- Institutional credit by exam
- Assessment of coursework with vocational technical schools
- Military and non-traditional learning experiences
Auditing a Course Taking a regular credit course for no credit.
Award Letter A document issued by SVCC’s Financial Aid Office listing all of the financial assistance offered to a student.
Canvas The electronic learning management system used by SVCC for instructional content delivered via the Internet.
Catalog A comprehensive publication provided by the College that contains the academic calendar, details about programs of study/majors, course information, admissions requirements, and course descriptions.
Certificates SVCC awards a Career Study Certificate and a general Certificate, both are awarded to students who complete required courses with a minimum overall grade point average and are generally geared toward a work-related skill.
Commencement This is also known as graduation, and what every student works toward! This is a traditional ceremony in which students are recognized by the College as having completed all the necessary requirements for a degree.
Co-requisite When two courses are required to be taken at the same time. This occurs because the content of each course is pertinent to the co-requisite course.
Credit Hour Academic credit given for the completion of a class. Generally, this number correlates to the number of hours per week in which class meets; however, lab classes are usually worth less credit.
Drop Withdrawing from a course after a specified period of time (generally the first week of classes and published in the Academic Calendar). Students must officially withdraw from the course by completing established procedures. Your Navigator or Academic Advisor for more information. It is the responsibility of the student to adhere to these deadlines and a student has not been considered to leave the course until the proper procedures have been followed.
Drop/Add Period The drop/add period is a specific period of time at the beginning of each semester. You are able to delete classes without penalty and/or add classes to ensure the best course schedule for you.
Distance Learning Course A mode of delivery for instruction with options to take as an online or online/classroom class.
Drop Date The last day on which a class may be dropped to receive a W (withdrawal) on a student’s transcript. If a student drops the course after this date, the student will receive an F for the course.
Educational Plan A document created when a student and Academic Advisor meet together to plan out the student’s academic goals and path for completing required courses.
Electives College-level courses not taken to fulfill a degree or to satisfy prerequisites for a major.
Financial Aid Different types of financial assistance available to eligible students to help with education-related expenses.
Full Time Enrollment A full-time student is enrolled in 12 or more credit hours in a semester. A part-time student is enrolled in less than 12 credit hours in a semester.
Grade Point Average (GPA) This is an indicator of your academic performance. Numerical values/points are assigned to each letter grade you earn in a class. To compute your GPA: Divide the total grade points earned by the total number of semester hours completed. A full description of grades follows later in this document under the heading ‘Grading’.
Hold: We put a hold on your academic record when you have an outstanding obligation such as an unpaid bill. The hold is released when you have met the obligation. If you have a hold on your record, you will not be permitted to register for classes, order transcripts or receive any other services from the college until the hold is released.
Honor Societies Organizations honoring students who have achieved academic distinction in areas of study. The Alpha Theta Upsilon chapter of Phi Theta Kappa serves Southside Virginia Community College.
Late Start Courses These are courses that begin after the start of the regular 16-week semester. These classes are usually offered in a 12, 10, 8 or 4-week format.
Major This is the primary academic program a student chooses to pursue based on their personal and career goals for the future.
MySVCC An electronic portal page which allows you to log-in once to access several Southside Virginia Community College/Virginia Community College System sites. You will have access to:
Canvas
Student Email (Gmail and other Google Apps)
Library Services
SIS: Student Information System & SIS Mobile
Navigate Student
Human Resource System
Follett Discover: College Bookstore
Credits2Careers
SIS Mobile: Student Information System
Virginia Education Wizard
IOTA: 360 Evaluations
Brainfuse
Zoom
Online Learning A course where all content is delivered through a means of technology so that a student can complete the course remotely. A full description is listed in the Academic Information section of this handbook.
Prerequisite A requirement that must be met before a course can be taken.
President’s List An academic honor awarded to a curricular student who has attained a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher and has attempted a minimum of six credit hours during the present semester, and has completed a minimum of 20 semester credit hours at SVCC.
Probation An academic warning that satisfactory progress has not been maintained, and unless immediate corrective action is taken, the student may risk suspension.
Registration Process of enrolling for classes, requiring the selection of courses by day and time offered then paying for courses.
Satisfactory Academic Progress Federal regulations require the College to establish Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress as a general eligibility requirement for financial assistance. Every semester the Financial Aid Office evaluates students for grade point average, completion rate, and maximum time. Students who do not maintain this progress are in jeopardy of losing their financial aid. Please visit southside.edu/financial-aid for more information. https://southside.edu/satisfactory-academic-progress-sap.
Shared Distance Learning A partnership between SVCC and Northern Virginia Community College affording students the opportunity to take online classes from other community college partners without having to transfer credits or apply to other institutions. Courses are considered to be part of the SVCC curriculum.
Southside Alert The emergency notification system used to inform the College community of an emergency situation on a campus or throughout the College.
Suspension An interruption or inability to take classes based on a college requirement. There are several ways in which a student may experience circumstances that may lead to a suspension: disciplinary/conduct, financial aid, or academic. Each type of suspension prevents you from taking classes; but all have opportunities for students to rectify the situation so students are able to continue with classes.
Syllabus This is a document given to you by your faculty for every class you will take. It outlines class expectations, policies, deadlines, and requirements.
TBA “To be arranged (assigned, announced).” Students may occasionally see this term when scheduling classes.
Term Also referred to as ‘semester’. There are varying lengths of academic terms including but not limited to 16-week, 12-week, 10-week, 8-week, and 4-week courses.
Transcript This is your complete, permanent academic record. It includes information such as courses taken, grades earned, academic status, honors received, and sometimes disciplinary notations. Transcripts are available to students through the Records Office.
Vice President’s List An academic honor awarded a curricular student who has attained a semester GPA of 3.2 or higher and has attempted a minimum of 12 credit hours during the semester.
Withdrawal After the drop period, you can remove a course from your schedule and receive a grade of “W” if the withdrawal is done by the last day to withdraw there will be no academic penalty. A “W” will not negatively impact your GPA but could impact your financial aid. Before removing any course, please speak with Student Services or your Academic Advisor and Financial Aid to explore all options.
ZOOM Live interactive video-streaming which broadcasts class sessions at multiple locations.
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