Office of Admissions and Records
December 5, 2012
Advisor Tip 1
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 The Academic Forgiveness Policy consists of three parts.
They are (1) the Repeat Policy, (2) the Reprieve Policy, and (3)
the Renewal Policy.
 Academic Repeat Policy-students may repeat up to 4 courses
in which they originally made a D or F to replace the grade in
the GPA as long as they do not retake the course more than
one time. The course must be non-repeatable; meaning that
it cannot be taken for credit more than once. Zero-level
courses are not counted as one of the four courses being
repeated. The order in which courses are repeated determines
which are considered the first four. The repeat policy is
automatically applied and requires no action on the part of
the student.
Advisor Tip 2
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 Do you have an advisee who might have a semester or more of failing
grades? If so, you might take the opportunity to introduce an academic
reprieve or renewal to them.
 An Academic Reprieve can be granted for up to two consecutive
semesters (summer is considered a semester) if the following is met: the
work must be three years old or older, there can be no grades below a C
since the reprieved semesters, the student must have completed at least
12 hours since the reprieved semesters, and the student must be an
enrolled, undergraduate student.
 An Academic Renewal includes more than two semesters and begins at
the start of the student’s academic career. The work must be five years
old or older. Other requirements listed in the reprieve policy above
apply. See your catalog for full descriptions or call if you have
questions.
 Note – ECU can apply a reprieve or renewal to course work taken at
another college or university.
Advisor Tip 3
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Students who have completed courses that are being used in lieu of other required courses
must complete a Course Substitution form and secure the proper approval signatures.
A substitution may be considered for a number of reasons but the most common are that the
student took a course that is similar in content to a required course at another school or that a
required course is not available to the student at a time that would allow progression to degree
completion and the department is willing to accept another in its place.
If the student wishes to request a course substitution, the form may be obtained in the Office
of Admissions and Records or via the admissions forms page on the ECU website. The student
and advisor should complete the form together with both signing in the proper place at the
bottom of the page. The form is then sent through the proper channels for signatures,
eventually ending up in the Office of Academic Affairs where a final decision is rendered. The
student and his or her advisor will both receive copies of the form with the final decision
indicated.
Forms SHOULD NOT be initiated until the course being substituted has been evaluated. It is
imperative that the form be submitted completely and accurately. Any forms missing
information will be returned, resulting in a delay of the decision and processing. Students
should request a course substitution as soon as they become aware of its necessity.
Advisor Tip 4
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 Students who have attended military basic training are
eligible to receive four hours of college credit upon the
submission of their DD-214, AARTS, SMARTS, or CCAF
transcript. These credits will satisfy the KIN 2122
requirement on both general education requirements and on
the kinesiology major requirement. The remaining two hours
may be counted as an elective toward the 124 graduation
requirement. The four hours are considered lower level
credit.
 Students having served in the military may also be eligible
for credit granted based on special schools attended. These
are generally evaluated to be elective only. You should refer
to the student’s transfer sheet for course equivalencies, the
level of the courses taken and the level of the schooling (2
year or 4 year).
Advisor Tip 5
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 Non-accredited course work will be recorded after
the student has completed 12 semester hours at
ECU with a 2.0 GPA. Course work must first go
through the evaluation process. This also includes
exams such as CLEP, AP, and ASE.
 Please see the Admissions and Records office to
obtain the ECU Credit for Non-Accredited School
form to begin the evaluation process.
Advisor Tip 6
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 Students graduating in May should have already applied for
graduation. The $50 graduation fee must be paid prior to the
end of the spring semester. An email will be sent to all May
candidates in April detailing commencement ceremonies and
other pertinent graduation information. A “Graduation”
webpage will also be added to the ECU Website at that time.
 Only students completing their degree requirements will be
allowed to participate in the commencement exercises in May.
This means that those doing student teaching or internships
in the fall are part of the December graduating class, NOT the
May class.
 Summer candidates will walk in May even though they will
actually complete in July.
Advisor Tip 7
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 Please remind your students who are completing degree
requirements in either the summer or fall that they should apply
for their degree at the time they enroll. The graduation
application can be submitted online through the MyECU portal
and must be approved by the student’s advisor before the
student is cleared to graduate by Admissions and Records.
 Summer graduates MUST apply by (Date) to ensure that their
name is included in the May commencement program.
 Students completing in the summer will participate in the spring
commencement ceremony. Those completing in the fall will
participate in the December commencement ceremony.
 Students completing degree requirements at the end of summer
or fall (year) should complete a degree application when they
pre-enroll in April.
Advisor Tip 8
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 Remember that all students must have 40 hours of
coursework taken at the upper level (3000-4000) to
graduate. 5000 level courses taken as
undergraduate credits also count as upper level.
 Transfer courses taken as a lower level course
(1000-2000) that equate to an upper level course at
ECU will satisfy the course requirement but
CANNOT be used to satisfy the 40 hour upper
level requirement.
Advisor Tip 9
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 As students arrive in your offices for advisement
be sure to watch for those on academic probation or
academic notice so that they can be advised
appropriately. Those on probation MUST make a
minimum 2.0 GPA during the probationary
semester to avoid being placed on academic
suspension.
 Midterm grades are posted online for all
undergraduate students and are excellent indicators
of issues students may be having.
Advisor Tip 10
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 Students beginning at ECU in the fall 2007 semester or later are
required to meet a Service Learning requirement prior to
graduation. Those who have earned less than sixty-four hours at
the time they begin attendance at ECU are required to
successfully complete two classes designated with a service
learning component. Those transferring to ECU with sixty-four
or more hours are required to successfully complete one class
designated with a service learning component.
 Courses with a service learning component are designated on the
student’s transcript and in the ECU Schedule with an (SL) before
the title of the class.
 (Example: ENG 1113 (SL) Freshman Composition I)
 This is a graduation requirement and students must complete the
minimum number of service learning courses. It will not be
waived.
Advisor Tip 11
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 Students must have a minimum of 124 semester hours
to graduate with their first bachelor’s degree (excluding
physical activity courses, zero level courses and “not
applicable on degree” courses). Of these, 60 hours must
be from a senior college.
 Please help students understand the 60 hour
requirement. Although all hours from a two-year
school apply toward completed hours, the student must
still complete 60 hours from a senior college to satisfy
this graduation requirement. This is what we
commonly refer to as “excessive two-year school hours”
and is a common problem seen when transfer students
apply to graduate.
Advisor Tip 12
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 Students transferring to ECU with an Associate of Arts
or an Associate of Science degree from an Oklahoma
institution of higher learning will have their 45 hours of
general education requirements considered met. This
does not apply to Associate of Applied degrees nor
degrees from out of state schools. These must be
evaluated on a course by course basis.
 If the student’s major or minor requires a specific
general education course that he or she has not taken
that requirement is not considered met even though the
student may hold an AA or AS degree.
Advisor Tip 13
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 Students enrolling in intersession courses will have
their final grades recorded on their transcript as
part of the semester or term immediately following
the intersession. Those recently completing
intersession courses in May will have their grades
recorded as part of the summer term.
 It is not guaranteed that financial aid or veteran’s
educational benefits will use intersession courses
as part of a student’s load.
Advisor Tip 14
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 A student may not select a minor from the same
program area as the major unless noted in the
catalog on the minor requirements page. In cases
where this is allowed, the student must take
additional coursework, approved by the student’s
minor advisor, to substitute for courses called for in
both the major and the minor. Courses may not
apply on both a major and minor unless the course
is considered “related work” on the major program.
Advisor Tip 15
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 Honors students should be directed to take
designated honors courses as part of their general
education requirements in four specific areas.
 HNRS 2313 should be taken in lieu of ENG 1213
 HNRS 1213 should be taken as G1 Humanities
 HNRS 1313 should be taken as G2 Humanities
 HNRS 2213 should be taken as G4 Humanities
 See ECU Catalog for details.
Advisor Tip 16
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 Many majors require courses listed as “related
work.” Related work courses do not count in the
major GPA. Courses listed as related work on the
major may be used on the students minor if
required.
Advisor Tip 17
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 FERPA(Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act)
 Federal law prohibits the release of student records to any
party without the student’s authorization. This includes
parents, spouses, and other agencies requesting information.
In some cases, students may have signed releases (on file with
our office) allowing others to obtain information from their
records. If they are giving you permission to discuss their
educational record, we suggest you require it in writing.
 Know the rules. If in doubt, don’t release.
 Feel free to call our office with questions.
 The complete FERPA policy may be found at
http://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html
Advisor Tip 18
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 During a transfer student’s first semester at ECU, all coursework from
other colleges is entered into the computer to create the student’s
transcript. This also creates a transfer credit equivalency sheet. As an
advisor, you will be able to access this along with all other advisee
records on your MyECU portal.
 Using the equivalency sheet is fast and easy. It details the course the
student took at another school, the ECU equivalency, the credit hours,
when the student took the course, the grade earned, the level of the
course, if the class is for credit or not, and the status of the school from
which the student transferred (T2-two year or T4-four year). This is
much easier than looking up each individual course on the transfer
matrix because it specifically addresses an individual student’s
information. However, if the student has not yet had coursework
entered into the computer system, you should refer to the ECU Matrix.
 An example is:
 ENG 1113 FRESHMAN COMPOSITION I 3.00 SU 2000 P T
 ENGL 1
FRESHMAN COMP I
degapply=LL cntg=E grdg=T4
Advisor Tip 18 cont.
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Here are a few points to remember:
A course equating to NODEPT 0000 means that a course equivalency does not exist. However,
the course will still count as elective credit on the student’s record.
A course equating to a department 0000 (ex. MGMT 0000) means that an exact course equivalency
does not exist but the credit may still be applied to a course on the student’s major electives or
substituted for a required course.
A course with an equivalency of NOEVAL 0000 indicates that the course has not yet been
evaluated. Therefore, you cannot assume it will or will not count toward a specific course. If in
doubt, do not put a student into a course that you feel has the slightest chance of being used as
equal to or in lieu of (by substitution) a required course.
A course with NE (not earned) in the cntg field (see example of counting field in the example
above) indicates that credit will not be applied to a degree. This will include such instances as
remedial or pre-collegiate level courses. E means it does count as earned college credit.
Do not rely on course titles to indicate an equivalency. You should always check the course
number to which the transfer work is equated.
Always check a student’s transfer work before advising a student who has transferred from
another college or university. A common problem has been students retaking courses at ECU
which they have successfully completed elsewhere.
Advisor Tip 18 cont.
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The transfer credit equivalency sheet indicates anytime two transfer courses have the same
evaluation. This is strictly to alert the student and advisor that a review/repeat situation may
exist. If the equivalency is repeatable, the repeat policy will not apply. However, if the course is
not repeatable, the rules of the forgiveness policy may alter a student’s GPA and/or completed
hours.
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(the example below shows a repeatable course equivalency without the repeated notation)
NODEPT0000 NO EQUIVALENT
4.00 SP 2002 F T
PHYS 1114 PHYSICAL SCIENCE
degapply=LL cntg=E grdg=T2
NODEPT0000 NO EQUIVALENT
3.00 SU 2004 B T
PHIL 1213 INTRO TO ETHICS
degapply=LL cntg=E grdg=T2
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(the example below shows a non-repeatable course equivalency with the repeated notation)
HIST 2483 US HIST SURV TO 1877 3.00 SP 2004 F T Repeated
HIST 1483 AMER HIST TO 1865
degapply=LL cntg=E grdg=T2
HIST 2483 US HIST SURV TO 1877 3.00 SU 2004 A T Repeated
HIST 1113 AMER HIST TO 1865
degapply=LL cntg=E grdg=T2
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A large number of advising errors result from inadequate use of transfer sheets. Please
familiarize yourself with these reports and take advantage of this tool while advising.
Advisor Tip 19
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 Students admitted to East Central with a curricular or skills
deficiency must remediate that deficiency by passing the
appropriate 0-level course within a specified time frame.
Students admitted as beginning freshmen must complete the
required course(s) within the first 24 hours of college level
courses attempted. Transfer students must do so before
attempting 12 hours at ECU.
 The Beginning Freshman Advisement sheet (BFA) will
indicate all curricular and skills deficiencies a beginning
freshman may have. Transfer students will have signed a
contract at the time of admission. Advisors should have
copies of both forms in the student’s folder.
Advisor Tip 20
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 Athletes should consult with their coach and/or the
NCAA compliance officer or NCAA Compliance
Assistant in addition to their advisor prior to
enrolling, dropping, or adding courses.
Advisor Tip 21
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 Does your major require students to complete a minor?
You might be surprised at how many students do not
know that they must complete a minor to graduate.
Please be sure your advisees know that they must
complete a minor with your program if it requires that
they do so.
 Education majors do not have minors but instead must
complete professional education requirements. These
are not the same thing as a minor.
 (By the way, completed minors are NOT shown on
transcripts or diplomas as are majors.)
Advisor Tip 22
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 Students pursuing education degrees are not
required to complete a minor. The professional
education curriculum is used in lieu of a minor.
Professional Education courses are not included in
the major GPA.
Advisor Tip 23
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 For various reasons a student sometimes takes a course
or two at another school during their final semester at
ECU. These students should declare the enrollment on
their Application for Graduation and should make sure
the course equates to the required ECU course.
Students taking their final work off campus must have
the official transcript showing completion of the
coursework to the Office of Admissions and Records by
the established deadline to remain in the graduating
class.
 A student must complete 15 of the last 30 hours in
residence at ECU OR 50% of the major requirements
must be from ECU to graduate.
Advisor Tip 24
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 All students pursuing a degree with a Teacher
Certification concentration must demonstrate
novice high competency in foreign language or
complete a Foreign Language or American Sign
Language course with a C or higher.
 Questions concerning novice high competency
should be directed to the School of Education and
Psychology.
Advisor Tip 25
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 Many students utilize the course substitution process to be
able to use one course in lieu of another on the student’s
degree plan.
 Although one course may be used in lieu of another for
degree requirement purposes, the Grade Point Average (GPA)
will not reflect this substitution as a repeated or reviewed
course. Example: HIST 2003 taken at another school equates
to ECU course number HIST 0000. The student passes it with
an A. HIST 2003 is substituted for the required course HIST
2483 in which the student previously received a grade of F.
Both grades of A and F will calculate into the retention GPA
even though the 2003 class is used in lieu of 2483. This is
because the courses do not “EQUATE” to each other but
instead of are just being used in lieu of one another.
Advisor Tip 26
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 This is the time of year when students apply to take
Advanced Standing Exams to validate knowledge
gained in a non-academic or high school setting. If your
advisee is planning to take an exam, please remind
them that they must complete the application for exam
process before they can test.
 If you are issuing the test, DO NOT administer it
without an authorization sheet from Admissions and
Records and a grade sheet.
 The deadline for dropping a class (if the student passes
the exam and was enrolled in it for credit) is August
(day) to receive a full refund.
Advisor Tip 27
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 Advanced Standing Examination (ASE), Advanced
Placement (AP), College Level Examination
Program (CLEP) credit, and military credit
(excluding Community College of the Air Force
(CCAF)) all count as senior college course work.
Advisor Tip 28
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All students who began attendance at an educational institution Fall 1998 or later are required
to satisfy a COMPUTER PROFICIENCY graduation requirement. This includes students
transferring to ECU that began college fall 1998 or later at another school.
There are three ways that a student may satisfy the computer proficiency requirement. They
are 1) complete an AA or AS degree from an Oklahoma college, 2) successfully complete the C2
ECU general education requirement as specified in the student’s program of study, or 3)
complete a program where the primary use of a computer is integral to the major (i.e. Computer
Science majors).
You should refer to the program sheets in the Catalog as to which course a student is required
to pass for each major. Some are satisfied using any general education computer course (see
section C2) while others may call for a specific computer course based on major requirements.
It should be noted that all students pursuing a teacher certification major or concentration will
satisfy the computer proficiency requirement upon successful completion of the professional
education sequence. These students must complete both a communications and foreign
language course to satisfy general education and major requirements. All non-education
majors must complete the computer proficiency requirement as detailed above.
Be alerted that students changing from education to non-education majors MUST meet the
computer proficiency requirement as detailed in the new major. This applies even if all
general education requirements were completed using communication (C1) and foreign
language (C3) prior to the major change.
Advisor Tip 29
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 As a means of saving costs and speeding up
notifications to students, a student’s campus e-mail is
used as a primary method of communication. The
Admissions and Records Office routinely uses e-mail to
notify students of decisions for waiver requests’ when
degree checks are ready for pick-up and all graduation
issues and notifications. Other offices, advisors and
faculty use this method of communication also.
 Please remind your advisees to forward their ECU email to a personal e-mail account if they do not
routinely check their campus e-mail.
Advisor Tip 30
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 Students may only use one course from their general
education requirements towards the minor.
 If a student’s major requires the same course(s) as their
minor, the student must take additional courses to be
used in place of the duplicated course(s) UNLESS the
course(s) are considered “Related Work” on the major.
Related Work courses may be used, as needed, on the
major, minor and general education requirements
unless otherwise noted.
 Courses that are used on both the major (as related
work) and the minor will result in the student having
more electives than are specified in the catalog or on the
degree audit.
Advisor Tip 31
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 ECU general education requirements include UNIV 1001 Freshman
Seminar and UNIV 3001 General Education Seminar. Students must
complete UNIV 1001 during their first semester at ECU and UNIV 3001
should be completed once a student has accumulated between 45 and 72
hours.
 Transfer students with 15 or more hours completed and one full time
term may request to waive UNIV 1001. Those completing 25 hours or
more of general education requirements prior to transferring to ECU
may request that UNIV 3001 be waived. Forms are available in the
Office of Admissions and Records or online.
 Students transferring to ECU with an Associate of Science or an
Associate of Arts degree from an Oklahoma college will have their
general education requirements considered met. Therefore, they are not
required to take these courses nor do they need to request a waiver.
Advisor Tip 32
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 In addition to meeting all coursework requirements for
graduation, students must also meet minimum grade
point average requirements before their degree can be
conferred. Students must have a minimum GPA of 2.0
in up to six areas. These include:
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Retention/Graduation GPA
ECU Retention/Graduation GPA
Overall Major GPA
Overall ECU Major GPA
Overall Minor GPA (if minor is required)
Overall ECU Minor GPA (if minor is required)
 Remind your students that not only must they pass the
classes, but they must meet these minimum GPA
requirements also.
Advisor Tip 33
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 Students transferring to ECU will have a summary of all
courses they have taken at other colleges or universities
available by the midpoint of their first semester at ECU. This
is contingent upon the student supplying final official
transcripts to the Admissions and Records Office in a timely
manner. The summary report will show equivalent courses at
ECU for each course transferred. It is an excellent advising
tool.
 Students and advisors may access the student’s information
using the MyECU portal. Students should login>click
STUDENT tab>click the Transfer Work link in the left-side
menu. Advisors should login>click ADVISOR tab>click
Transfer Work link in the left-side menu. The ECU course is
the one listed first and the transfer course is below it.
Advisor Tip 34
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 Students graduating from East Central University with
a bachelor’s degree must complete a minimum of 30
hours in residency at ECU. Courses completed by
advanced standing exam will NOT count toward the 30
hour requirement. Courses taken online or at any of the
distance education sites that are taught and transcripted
by ECU will count toward the requirement.
 Graduating students must also have a minimum of nine
semester hours in residence (from ECU) toward the
major requirements and a minimum of three semester
hours in residence toward the minor requirements.
Advisor Tip 35
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 Catalog requirements often change from year to
year. Be sure your advisees are being advised
under the correct catalog in regards to major,
minor, general education, and degree requirements.
You, as an advisor, will indicate the catalog year
being used on the student’s request for an official
degree check.
 Students who cease attendance for a fall or spring
semester will be required to meet the newer
requirements under the catalog in existence when
they return to ECU.
Advisor Tip 36
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 Do you know the difference in two degrees vs. a double major? Many
students don’t understand the difference. A student graduating with
two degrees at the same time must apply for both degrees separately
(two online applications), must pay two $50 graduation fees and must
complete a minimum of 154 hours. They will receive two separate
diplomas. A student graduating with two majors will receive one degree
and one diploma showing both majors, must pay one $50 graduation fee,
and must complete a minimum of 124 hours.
 A student who has already received a bachelor’s degree and returns to
school to pursue a second bachelor’s is required to complete a minimum
of 30 hours above the first degree which means he or she must complete
a minimum of 154 hours. They must have a different major and minor
than the first degree. Courses used on the major core from the first
degree (excluding related work) may not be used as part of the major
core on the second degree. A degree check should be requested during
the first semester in which the student returns to school.
Advisor Tip 37
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 Students may only use one course from their general
education requirements towards the minor.
 If a student’s major requires the same course(s) as their
minor, the student must take additional courses to be
used in place of the duplicated course(s) UNLESS the
course(s) are considered “Related Work” on the major.
Related Work courses may be used, as needed, on the
major, minor and general education requirements
unless otherwise noted.
 Courses that are used on both the major (as related
work) and the minor will result in the student having
more electives than are specified in the catalog or on the
degree audit.
Advisor Tip 38
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 ECU general education requirements include UNIV 1001 Freshman
Seminar and UNIV 3001 General Education Seminar. Students must
complete UNIV 1001 during their first semester at ECU and UNIV 3001
should be completed once a student has accumulated between 45 and 72
hours.
 Transfer students with 15 or more hours completed and one full time
term may request to waive UNIV 1001. Those completing 25 hours or
more of general education requirements prior to transferring to ECU
may request that UNIV 3001 be waived. Forms are available in the
Office of Admissions and Records or online.
 Students transferring to ECU with an Associate of Science or an
Associate of Arts degree from an Oklahoma college will have their
general education requirements considered met. Therefore, they are not
required to take these courses nor do they need to request a waiver.
Conclusion
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 Office of Admissions and Records
 Phone Number: 580-559-5237
 Office Hours: 8am-5pm, Monday -Friday