Office of the Registrar
Distance Education Information
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Important!You are required to have an ISU Net ID and ISU e-mail account to take Iowa State University Distance Education courses.
. Got a question?Contact us at distance@iastate.edu. |
What You Need to Know about Distance Education at Iowa State UniversityISU Critical DatesAs an ISU Student taking a Distance Education course, you need to be aware of the critical dates. These dates can affect your drop limit and any potential refunds that may be issued should you drop some or all of your courses. Critical dates are set by the Registrar's office and are calculated based on the start and the end dates of each course section. Many of the courses offered through Distance Education have start and end dates that differ from the standard academic calendar. Critical dates will be listed in your course information sent to you. What is a Critical Date?The following list of definitions may help. If you have questions, please e-mail distance@iastate.edu DefinitionsWithdrawal: When you completely withdraw from all classes during the term. This includes taking only one course and subsequently dropping it. Refunds will vary and are dependent on the start and end date of a class and the effective date of the withdrawal. Withdrawals do not count against your drop limit. Cancel Deadline: Cancelling your registration means you are dropping ALL of your courses. Each course must be canceled by its designated cancel deadline. The only time you are guaranteed 100 percent refund of tuition is when you drop ALL of your courses by each course's cancel deadline. Drop: When you formally remove yourself from a course, while remaining enrolled in one or more other courses for the term. Last Day to Drop when Drop Doesn't Count: Courses dropped through this day do not count toward your drop limit and will not appear on your grade slip or your permanent record. Last Date to Drop Without Extenuating Circumstances: Last day you can drop a course without extenuating circumstances that are beyond the student's control. Set Fee Assessment:Date used when determining if you should receive a refund for a course drop. Students who are classified as full-time after the drop are not eligible for refunds from dropped courses. Contact the Office of the Registrar certification area at 515-294-1840 if you have questions on full-time or part-time status. Schedule changes:Procedures for schedule changes vary based on the time period of the semester. The effective date of a schedule change is the date on which the change is entered into the registration system. Appropriate authorizations must be obtained before a schedule change can be processed in the registration system. You are encouraged to process any schedule changes in connection with a course on or before the date coded as "Last Day to Drop When Drop Doesn't Count" using the Web Registration system in AccessPlus. You can also drop a course or get additional information regarding refunds and required authorizations by calling the Office of the Registrar at 515-294-1889. Informing your instructor of your wish to drop a course is not sufficient.Drops must be processed through the Office of the Registrar. Please email decredit@iastate.edu or call 515-294-1889. If you do not contact the Office of the Registrar (directly or through Web Registration), the university will assume you are still enrolled and you will be billed for the full tuition. Non-payment of tuition does not constitute a drop of the course. REMINDER: NO PAPER BILLSIowa State University does not mail paper billing statements to students, faculty or staff. Instead, you will be notified via e-mail that your bill is available on AccessPlus. The e-mail includes a link for you to follow to view your bill in AccessPlus. Since billing information is communicated this way, all students, faculty and staff must have a university email address. |
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