Registration

Student Information

All EWC students are held individually responsible for the information and policies in this catalog and failure to read and comply with all stated regulations will not exempt a student from such personal responsibility.

Registration

Academic Advisors

When students have completed the admissions process at EWC, they are assigned an academic advisor. Students should speak with their advisor about academic planning and progress, and should consult advisors in order to request academic changes and to initiate graduation or transfer plans.

Admission Catalog

Students are expected to follow the degree requirements outlined in the catalog at the time of their initial admission. Those who change their major or interrupt their studies for one academic year will be subject to the degree requirements of the most current catalog, which may be different. Students may also opt to transition to the latest catalog version; however, this can only be done between semesters and requires completion of all degree requirements specified in the updated catalog.

Student Classification

Student classification is based on the number of credit hours earned.

• Freshman:  less than 30 credit hours
• Sophomore:  30 credit hours or more, or students with degrees

Student registration will typically open to sophomores, then freshmen, then new students.

Registration Requirements

Only students who have completed and met all admission requirements may register for classes.

If placement testing is necessary, students must complete that process prior to meeting with their academic advisor. See the Admissions  section of the catalog.

Students shall meet with their assigned academic advisor to review their academic goals, confirm their chosen major, and build a plan of study. Students shall work with their academic advisor to develop a class schedule and register for the current semester.

Students shall make appropriate arrangements with the Financial Aid Office and the Business Office to fulfill financial obligations with the college.

All information requested during registration is vital and important to the student and the college. Students must supply accurate and complete information as requested. If address, legal name, field of study, advisor, telephone number, or any other such information changes after enrollment, the student shall promptly inform the Registrar’s Office. Falsification of records may result in suspension from classes.

Academic holds or financial holds will impede the registration process and should be addressed as soon as possible.

Change of Registration

Add & Drop Period

Students desiring to add or drop courses after their initial registration for each semester should do so via EWC Smart Plan after discussing it with their advisor.  Students will need to confirm these actions in EWC Self-Service before the published deadlines. Refer to the academic calendar at the front of this catalog or the EWC website for these dates.

The following applies to students adding and/or dropping classes:

• No grade is recorded on the student’s permanent academic record for classes dropped prior to the last day to drop as published each semester.
• Classes may be added after the start of the course prior to the last day to add as published each semester.
• Classes added after the Last Day to Add require signature of the student and approval from the Instructor of the Course, Advisor, associated Program Director/Department Head, and the Registrar.

Withdrawal Period

Withdrawing from a course is a special type of drop that happens after the Last Day to Drop and runs through the Last Day to Withdraw From Classes. Refer to the academic calendar at the front of this catalog or the EWC website for these dates.

There are three types of withdrawals:

Withdrawal From Individual Classes (Board Policy 5.2)

It is the responsibility of the student to officially withdraw from classes; ceasing attendance in classes does not constitute an official withdrawal from a class. A student wishing to withdraw from an individual class must do so via EWC Smart Plan.  Student athletes must obtain a Student Initiated Course Withdrawal form from their Academic Advisor. Students may withdraw from individual classes before the withdrawal deadline for each course to receive a grade of W (Withdrawal). The completed form must be submitted to the Registrar’s Office for processing prior to the published deadline. A grade of W (Withdrawal) is not computed in the student’s grade point average. Withdrawal from a class does not release a student from any unmet financial obligation.

Withdrawal From College (Board Policy 5.2)

Withdrawal from Eastern Wyoming College is the official discontinuance of attendance. Students wishing to withdraw must obtain a College Withdrawal form from the Registrar’s Office. The completed form must be returned to the Registrar’s Office.  A student who follows this procedure will receive a grade of W (Withdrawal) on their transcript for each of the classes in which the student is enrolled, and the grade of W will not compute into the student’s grade point average. Discontinuance of attendance without completion of the withdrawal procedure may result in a grade of F (Failure) for each course in which the student is enrolled. Withdrawal from college does not release a student from any financial obligations. Withdrawal from college must occur before the withdrawal deadline for full semester classes.

Institutional Withdrawal (Board Policy 5.3)

The Vice President of Student and Academic Services may institutionally withdraw an individual from all classes in the event of a student’s total abandonment of classes, a delinquent financial account, violation of the Student Code of Conduct, death, or other extenuating circumstances. The grade of IW (Institutional Withdrawal) is assigned to the student’s classes and is not computed in the student’s grade point average. The student will have the right to appeal this decision according to the EWC Student Grievance Policy 5.13. 

Roster Certification Requirement

1. All faculty must complete Roster Certification by the deadline established each term by the Registrar’s Office, generally by 4pm on the last business day of the first week of classes.

During certification, faculty must confirm:

• Students who have begun academic engagement, and
• Students who have never attended and therefore are subject to administrative drop.

2. Faculty Authority to Drop Never-Attending Students

Under this policy, faculty are authorized and expected to mark a student as never attended for students who have never attended during the first week of the course and then the student will be dropped.

Faculty must submit this through:

• The Roster Certification submission

This action ensures:

• Compliance with Federal Title IV financial aid rules
• Accuracy of enrollment and census data
• Reduction of academic and financial liability for students who did not begin attendance

3. Documentation of Non-Attendance

Before submitting a drop, faculty must document absence of academic engagement using verifiable evidence, such as:

• Attendance records
• LMS activity logs
• Assignment non-submission
• Lack of participation in required course meetings or discussions

Documentation should be retained through the end of the term.

4. Student Notification

Students dropped for non-attendance will receive:

• A notification from the Registrar’s Office
• Instructions to contact Advising for placement in alternate courses during Block B

5. Exceptions and Instructor Discretion

Faculty may choose not to drop a non-attending student if:

• The student has communicated extenuating circumstances (e.g., illness, technology failure, family emergency), and
• The faculty member affirms the student can still meet learning outcomes

Any exceptions should be reported.

6. Late Start, Block, or Eight-Week Classes

For classes beginning after the standard term start date, the “first week” is defined as:

• The first five business days following the published start date of that course section.

7. Continuous Review and Compliance

EWC’s Registrar’s Office and Academic Affairs will review this policy annually to ensure it remains aligned with:

• Federal and state regulations
• Wyoming Community College Commission (WCCC) guidance
• Best practices used across Wyoming community colleges and the University of Wyoming

Limitations of Courses Offered

Eastern Wyoming College reserves the right to cancel any course. Certain courses are offered irregularly and based on demand. The listing of available courses in this catalog does not imply a contractual obligation to offer these courses.

Repeating Courses

With approval of the academic advisor, a student may repeat courses to better a previous grade. In such cases, both credit entries and both grades appear on the student’s record. The credit from any given course (or equivalent course on another campus) is applicable to degree requirements only once. The credit and the grade earned in the last attempt are used in calculating the cumulative grade point average. Variable credit courses are not considered as repeat courses unless the instructor provides written certification that the course content was, in fact, repeated. A student cannot repeat a course in which a grade of ‘I’ (Incomplete) has been assigned. Repeating courses may affect Veterans Educational benefits and Federal Aid. [Ends Fall 2026]

[Effective Spring 2027]: A student may repeat courses to better a previous grade up to three total attempts. In such cases, both credit entries and both grades appear on the student’s record. The credit from any given course (or equivalent course on another campus) is applicable to degree requirements only once. The credit and the highest grade earned are used in calculating the cumulative grade point average. Variable credit courses are not considered as repeat courses unless the instructor provides written certification that the course content was, in fact, repeated. A student cannot repeat a course in which a grade of ‘I’ (Incomplete) has been assigned. Repeating courses may affect Veterans Educational benefits and Federal Aid. Repeating courses with a satisfactory grade of C or better requires approval. 

Auditing Courses

The privilege of auditing a credit class is available with approval of the student’s academic advisor and the class instructor. Though this auditing privilege carries full rights of class participation, it does not carry academic credit or a grade, and subsequent credit by special examination is not available. The auditing privilege is subject to the same tuition and fee schedule as credit courses. Students must signify at the time of registration whether or not they are taking courses for audit. Audited courses cannot be funded by financial aid because they are not applicable to degree requirements.

Independent Study

Independent study is determined on a case-by-case basis by an instructor and approved by the Executive Dean of Academics. Independent studies are considered exceptional circumstances and are not used routinely.

Independent study is subject to the same academic calendar as regularly scheduled coursework and is to be completed during the term.

Change Degree Program, Certificate, Catalog or Academic Advisor

This procedure is applicable to degree or certificate seeking students. Non-degree seeking students must submit an Application for Admission to switch to a degree or certificate seeking. To clarify, non-degree seeking students cannot utilize the Change in Degree Program, Certificate, Catalog, or Advisor form to declare a degree or certificate program. They may utilize the form to request a change of academic advisor.

The Change in Degree Program, Certificate, Catalog, or Advisor form is available from the student’s academic advisor or the Registrar’s Office. The student must obtain the appropriate signatures for the change being requested to include academic advisor(s) signatures and a financial aid representative signature, even if the student is not currently utilizing financial aid funds. Eligibility for some federal financial aid programs is contingent upon the type of degree a student is seeking (certificate program or associate degree), the length of that program (less than one year, one year, or two years), as well as previously attempted and earned credits, as well semester and cumulative grade point average.

Completed Change in Degree Program, Certificate, Catalog, or Advisor forms must be returned to the Registrar’s Office for processing. Change forms submitted before or during the drop/add period at the start of each semester will be effective immediately. Change forms submitted after this deadline are effective at the start of the subsequent semester.

Initial Assignment of Degree/Certificate and Educational Goal

Initial degree/certificate and educational goal is assigned in the system based on a student’s application for Admission to EWC. Students who wish to pursue a program or educational goal which varies from the program and educational goal listed on student’s original Application for Admission must complete and sign the Change in Degree Program, Certificate, Catalog, or Advisor form. Students who submit an application for admission to a selective admissions program (such as nursing or gunsmithing) and are not admitted to the selective admission program will be required to complete a Change in Degree Program, Certificate, Catalog, or Advisor form before being activated for advising and registration.

Catalog Change

Students must complete and sign a Change in Degree Program, Certificate, Catalog, or Advisor form when changing to a catalog which is different from the catalog assigned based on the student’s Application for Admission or the catalog in effect at the time of a previous change form.

Changing from an Associate’s Degree to a Certificate Program (or Certificate to Associate’s Degree)

Students must complete and sign a Change in Degree Program, Certificate, Catalog, or Advisor form when seeking a change from an associate’s degree to a certificate program or vice versa.

Adding a Degree Program or Certificate

Students wishing to add a degree program or certificate to the current degree or certificate program declared on their student record must complete the Change in Degree Program, Certificate, Catalog, or Advisor form.

Credit Hour 

Eastern Wyoming College (EWC) awards credit on a semester system term.  The EWC Board (Board Policy 4.3) requires the following information be adhered to when student contact hours are computed to ensure accurate credit and student contact hour requirements in the published course and program requirements. The standard measurement of class time is a “Base Contact Hour” which is equivalent to a minimum of 750 minutes of direct instruction. In online and hybrid courses, a portion of these contact hours may take place online as indicated in the course syllabus. Contact hours for directed study and independent study classes represent the expectation that the student will work the same number of hours on their own, with faculty oversight. The “Base Contact Hour” does not include the time that students are expected to spend studying and preparing for class (approximately two hours for every hour in class or 1,500 minutes of out-of-class student work for every 750 minutes of direct instruction).

Credit hour

A unit of measure representing the equivalent of an hour (50 minutes) of instruction per week over the entire term. This measurement unit is applied toward the total number of credit hours needed for completing the requirements of a degree, diploma, certificate, or other recognized postsecondary credential. For most instructional types at Eastern Wyoming College, fifty (50) minutes is considered an hour of “classroom or direct faculty instruction.” One Base Contact Hour is equivalent to a minimum of 750 minutes of direct instruction. For Internships, and Practicums, sixty (60) minutes is considered an hour. This unit is awarded based on the fulfillment of these minute minimums, regardless of the total length of the calendar term.

Base Contact Hour

The Faculty Base Contact Hour represents a standard measurement of consumption of faculty resources by students. It consists of the number of scheduled minutes of instructional activity involving direct contact of faculty with students in a given term utilizing a particular method of instruction.

Full-time Equivalency (FTE)

A calculation that translates student credit hours into an equivalent number of full-time, full-year students. The calculation varies depending on the level of student. The full-time equivalent for an undergraduate student is 45 student credit hours, or 15 credits for three terms.

Semester System Term

One Base Contact Hour = a minimum of 750 minutes. This translates to a minimum of fifteen 50-minute hours per semester.

One Credit Hour = 50 minutes contact + 100 minutes outside work over 15 weeks for a total of 2,250 minutes of student effort. 

Credit Hour Load

Enrollment in twelve credit hours in a semester is the minimum required for full-time status as defined by EWC and federal aid programs.

An average of 15 or 16 hours of credit each semester is considered a normal load. The maximum semester credit load is 19 hours. Students must obtain and complete the Semester Overload Request Form from their Academic Advisor for authorization to exceed the limit of 19 credit hours.

Certain programs outlined under the Programs of Instruction  section of the catalog will identify a semester totaling 19 hours or more. Students should work with their Academic Advisors to determine the best way to complete all program requirements.