Student Resources

Computer Labs and Libraries

You can use any of ITS’ computing labs to access the Internet and register online. ITS labs are located in buildings across campus. See the ITS website at for a complete list.

Campus library resources are available to all students. Visit the University Libraries website for more information.

Confidentiality of Student Records

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords you certain rights with respect to your education records. The CU-Boulder Registrar’s Office website has information on the guidelines for the release of student information under FERPA.

Course Repetition

Important Information: on March 5, 2009, the Boulder Faculty Assembly voted to eliminate the Course Repetition Program on the Boulder Campus. Students will be able to repeat courses under the course repetition program only through the summer semester of 2010. Beginning in the fall of 2010, all grades will be employed to calculate the grade point average, including any courses which are repeated.

The Course Repetition program allows students who received a grade of D+ or lower (for graduate students, a grade of C+ or lower) to repeat the course. The original grade will still appear on the transcript, but will be removed from both the total credit hour calculation and GPA. This gives students the ability to try to improve their GPA by repeating a course in which they did poorly the first time. Visit the Registrar’s Office website for additional deadlines, rules, and guidelines.

If you plan to apply Course Repetition to a course being repeated through ACCESS, Boulder Evening, Summer Session, or Independent Learning you MUST submit the online form in the semester in which you enroll in the course. You can either apply at the time you enroll or access the form through CUConnect under the Academic & Research tab. If you are using a self-paced Independent Learning course, you must notify the Registrar’s office when you complete the course in order for Course Repetition to be applied.

Disability Services

Students that feel they require accommodation to successfully complete a Continuing Education course must contact Disability Services for an evaluation. If you qualify for an accommodation because of a disability, please submit the letter from Disability Services to your instructor in a timely manner so that your needs may be addressed. Disability Services determines accommodations based on documented disabilities. Visit the Disability Services website for more information, contact them 303-492-8671, visit their office in Willard 322.

E-Mail Policy

E-mail is an official means of communication from CU-Boulder administrators and faculty to students. All students have an official CU-Boulder e-mail address. Students are expected to check their CU-Boulder e-mail on a frequent and consistent basis in order to stay current with university related communications.

Excused Absences for Religious Observance

Campus policy regarding religious observances requires that faculty make every effort to reasonably and fairly deal with all students who, because of religious obligations, have conflicts with scheduled exams, assignments, or required attendance. Visit the CU-Boulder Policies website for a complete version.

Grade Appeal

Grade disputes between students and individual faculty member are usually resolved in conversation between the student and faculty member. In those rare instances when a resolution cannot be reached, an appeals process provides a hearing for both student and faculty member.

The grade appeals process is determined by individual schools and colleges. Generally, the process is as follows:

If you believe that a grade has been improperly assigned, the first step is to discuss the concern with the faculty member. If you or the faculty member is not on the Boulder campus, you may request a mutually convenient time to talk on the telephone. Conversations may be by e-mail, but telephone is preferred. If your conversations with the faculty member do not resolve the problem:

1. You have the option of making a formal written appeal to the Department Chair. The appeal must specify the remedy desired by you and it must be submitted within 45 days of the end of the academic term in which the course was taken. For year-long independent learning classes, the student will have 45 days after the grade is posted on the Student Information System to make an appeal.

2. The Chair or designee will meet or talk by telephone (together or separately) with you and with the faculty member who taught the course.

3. If a mutually acceptable solution is not agreed upon, then the Chair shall appoint an ad hoc Grade Appeals Committee, which will review the dispute. The Committee shall consist of at least three impartial faculty members competent in the subject matter of the course in question. The Committee will be provided with the student’s appeal and a written response from the faculty member.

4. Within 45 days, the Committee will submit a report and recommendation to the Chair, and the Chair will recommend to the instructor either that the originally assigned grade stand or that a new grade is assigned. If a change of grade is recommended and the instructor does not wish to accept the recommendation of his/her colleagues, the Chair shall forward the written materials associated with the appeal to the Dean of Continuing Education and the Dean of the College for final determination.

Grading System

Continuing Education follows the CU-Boulder grading system which can be found in the University of Colorado catalog. Please note that faculty determine the grading policies for their courses.

You may take courses pass/fail. For all credit courses the deadlines for requesting pass/fail vary. Please call a Continuing Education registrar at 303-492-5148 for specific deadlines. Be sure you have checked with your department, school, or college to ensure that credit will be granted to you for courses taken pass/fail.

Petitioning for Exemption to Division Deadlines and Rules

The petition process is designed to provide students, who experience unavoidable, extenuating circumstances, the opportunity to waive a University policy that, if enforced, would result in unsatisfactory academic progress or financial consequences. A committee of Division staff reviews petitions on a regular basis. For more information, please contact the petition coordinator at 303-492-8252.

Students also have the right to appeal to the Dean of the Division any decision made by the petition committee. Contact the Division’s registration staff for more information.

Probation and Suspension

Nondegree Students

Nondegree students who complete credit course work are subject to the probation/dismissal policies of the Division of Continuing Education and Professional Students. Students who fail to maintain a cumulative 2.0 GPA after completion of any semester will receive one semester of probation. During this semester the student may take Boulder Evening, Independent Learning, ACCESS, or Summer Session courses in an effort to reach a 2.0 GPA. If the student fails to receive a 2.0 GPA after the probationary semester, the student will be placed on suspension. While on suspension the student may take Boulder Evening, Independent Learning, or Summer Session courses only and must maintain a 2.5 term GPA or reach an overall cumulative of 2.0 in order to continue enrolling in courses at CU through Continuing Education. A student that fails to obtain a 2.5 term GPA or overall 2.0 GPA each semester while on suspension will be dismissed from the Division of Continuing Education and will not be allowed to continue to take fall or spring CEPS courses for a minimum of five years. Enrollment in Summer Session or summer course work through Boulder Evening and Independent Learning carries no penalty, and students who achieve an overall GPA of 2.0 may return to taking courses during the fall and spring semesters. Student records are not reviewed for academic performance at the end of each summer term.

Arts and Sciences Students

Arts and Sciences students who are on dismissal from daytime courses and who enroll in Continuing Education courses (Boulder Evening or Independent Learning or a combination of the two) will be required either to achieve a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or above (all CU grades) or to maintain a minimum 2.5 term GPA. If the student fails to do so, the student will be dismissed from both Arts and Sciences and Continuing Education. This policy does NOT apply to students on academic probation. Students enrolled in self-paced Independent Learning courses should contact a Continuing Education academic advisor for information regarding extensions.