Office of the Registrar

Office of the Registrar Purpose

The Office of the Registrar compiles, maintains, retrieves and disseminates accurate academic records for the current and previous University populations; ensures that registration procedures are administered within the University; ensures that governmental and accreditation compliance standards are met, and applies graduation requirements according to published regulations. All transactions are confidential. Services provided by the Office of the Registrar are delivered equitably. The staff is guided by the professional and ethical standards and policies established by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO).

Where to find our Office

Location:
Cravath Hall Suite 111

Interim University Registrar
Akira Black
615.329.8586
registrar@fisk.edu

Temporary Registration Coordinator: Course Offering, Graduation and Class schedule Maintenance, Cross-Registration, University Withdrawal
Faith Wilson
615.329.8586
fwilson@fisk.edu

Veteran Affairs Service Advisor and School Certifying Official(SCO)
Kaneeah Jones
615.329.8889
kljones@fisk.edu

Current Student Resources

Fisk University students are expected to maintain regular and successive attendance in all the lecture, laboratory, and seminar courses for which they have registered and are enrolled during a semester.  Class attendance is an essential part of the student’s intellectual development, success, retention and timely graduation .  The specific attendance policy for each course is stated on the course syllabus, which is distributed in each class during the first week of the semester.  It is, therefore, the responsibility of each student to know the attendance policy of each teacher in whose class she/he is enrolled. Failure to comply with the stated attendance policy will undoubtedly jeopardize the grade in the course.

In addition, Title IV federal guidelines mandate that institutions receiving federal aid regularly verify student class attendance to ensure that all awarded federal aid monies are used for educational purposes.

Policy Statement

Attendance in class is strictly required by University policy. In each course, students who miss more than ten percent (10%) of the scheduled class meetings (including labs) due to unexcused absences will be in danger of failing the course.  For a class that meets three times per week, the number of unexcused absences is five class sessions; for a class that meets twice a week, three class sessions; and for a class that meets once per week, two class sessions. More strenuous requirements can be applicable, as stated by individual instructors, in their respective course syllabi.  It is the student’s responsibility to understand each instructor’s requirements. The University administration, consistent with this policy, does not generally issue excuses from class.

Definition of Terms

(1) Attendance is defined in this policy statement as the physical presence (participation for distance education courses) of the student in the classroom for the entire scheduled class time.  Tardiness can be considered an unexcused absence. (2) Unexcused absences are all absences that have not been approved by a certified physician/nurse, the instructor in charge of the course, and/or the provost or his/her designee.

Applicability

The Fisk Attendance Policy is applicable to all registered students.  Individual faculty members can choose to make the policy more rigorous but in no case should they be more lenient than the University policy stated above.  Occasionally, students may miss class due to an emergency (health, accident, etc.) or, other compelling circumstances beyond their control. Such students must justify, with appropriate documentation, unplanned absences no later than 48 hours upon return to the campus. In addition, there are occasions when students may be absent from campus in connection with sanctioned University activities such as athletic competitions, academic competitions, concerts or conference presentations. In such cases, students are required to notify their faculty instructor prior to the scheduled class that they will miss and make up for work missed. In all cases, the Provost may, at his/her discretion, issue a memorandum to faculty members to permit students to make up missed work. In such cases, instructors can assign reasonable and relevant compensatory work for excused absences at a time mutually convenient to both the student and the instructor.  Such memoranda however, do not constitute excuses from class and students remain bound at all time by the absolute maximum of ten percent (10%) absence rate in any particular class.

Exception

Exceptions to the ten percent (10%) absence rate policy may only be made by the Provost in consultation with the course instructor.  Exceptions may only be considered when the student is performing at a high level of competence in the course, and when the reasons for excessive absences (e.g., hospitalization, family emergency, etc.) are such that it would clearly not have been possible for the student to attend the required ninety percent (90%) of class meetings.

An enrollment and/or degree certification is an official document that confirms attendance, awarded degrees, current and past enrollment, expected graduation date, academic standing, cumulative GPA, and other parts of a student academic record. Official certifications are printed on security paper with the University seal and the Registrar's signature.

Students may need certification of enrollment to defer student loans, to prove enrollment for their health insurance, to verify degrees for prospective employers or to show proof of academic standing to enroll in another institution.  All requests for certification must be submitted in writing to the Office of the Registrar.  Certification of directory information may be released without the student's written authorization.  Fisk University defines directory information as local and permanent addresses, dates of attendance, enrollment status, school and major field of study, classification, earned degrees, expected degree date, and similar information.  If a student has chosen to restrict his or her directory information, a written release from the student is required in order to process the request.

Certain confidential information may be released only with the student's written authorization and signature, in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974. See FERPA.

How to order an official verification:

A request for verification must include the following information.

  • The date of the request
  • Student's full name as it appears on University records
  • Student's Fisk ID number and date of birth.
  • The type of information you are requesting to be printed on the verification
  • The purpose behind your request
  • The name and address to whom it should be mailed/faxed
  • Student's signature, if non-directory information is requested
  • Postal address of requesting party, email address and daytime phone
  • Any special instructions
  • Any forms to be attached
Click here to View the Form

The course grading system at Fisk is as follows:

  • The grade of "A" indicates work of high quality.
  • The grade of “B” indicates very good work.
  • The grade of “C” indicates acceptable work.
  • The grade of “D” indicates work at a minimal passing level.
  • The grade of "E" indicates a failure to meet the minimum requirements of the course.
  • The grade of "I" indicates substantial and satisfactory work has been completed but due to unavoidable circumstances course could not be completed.

Plus and minus grades may be attached to letter grades. Grades awarded with a minus (“-”) indicate achievement at the lower limit for that grade; grades awarded with a plus (“+”) indicate achievement at the upper limit for that grade. The grade of “C-” is not acceptable toward fulfillment of departmental requirements for the major or minor or for cognate courses in the student’s major or minor. Grades of "D" do not count toward fulfillment of departmental requirements for the major or the minor, nor are "D" grades acceptable for cognate courses in the student's major or minor. Fisk does not accept "D" or equivalent grades from other institutions in transfer toward a Fisk degree. The grade of “E” is a failing grade, indicating failure to meet the minimum requirements of the course. Under some circumstances, the "E" grade is given when the student's work is incomplete or when the student has withdrawn from the course. A course for which the grade of "E" is given must be repeated and a higher grade earned, if credit is desired.

Grade Point Averages

Grade point averages are computed for each semester of a student's enrollment at Fisk and as a cumulative average for the student's entire undergraduate career. The grade point average (GPA) is important for several reasons. First, a minimum 2.0 GPA is a graduation requirement at the undergraduate level. There are GPA requirements for various academic honors and within the major field in many departments. And, most crucially, there are minimum GPA performance levels required in order to maintain satisfactory academic progress and be retained at Fisk in good standing, with eligibility for financial aid. The student’s grade point average is computed by assigning points to Fisk courses on the student's transcript. The number of quality points assigned to specific grades for each credit hour of work is as follows:

Grade Points

Letter Grade Grade Point
A 4.0
A- 3.7
B+ 3.3
B 3.0
B- 2.7
C+ 2.3
C 2.0
C- 1.7
D 1.0
E 0.0
F 0.0/Failing
W 0.0/Withdrawn (Individual Course)
WD 0.0/Withdrawn (All Courses)
WF 0.0/Withdrawn Failing
WP 0.0/Withdrawn Passing
WA 0.0/Withdrawn Administratively
AU Audit
T Transfer
P Passing
I Incomplete

The grade point average is derived by dividing the total number of quality points earned by the total number of credit hours attempted, excluding from the latter total any hours for which grades of "P," "F," "I," or "WD have been recorded. When students repeat courses, only the last grade received is considered in determining grade point average. Standards and practices vary from one institution to another: The Fisk grade point average reflects only coursework done at Fisk University. Transfer coursework is not considered.

Acceptable standards of scholarship for Fisk undergraduates require a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 ("C") or better. Satisfactory academic progress toward the required 2.0 GPA and the required minimum 120 semester hours for the bachelor's degree must be maintained throughout the student's career at Fisk. The University recognizes that student performance may be affected by adverse personal circumstances. In some instances, a student may wish to consider a leave of absence or withdrawal from the University with appropriate counsel with their faculty academic advisor.  See University Bulletin for information on Satisfactory Academic Standing.

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