Academic Advising
Academic advising helps students choose courses and fulfill graduation requirements. At the registration session, students will be assigned an academic adviser who will assist the student with selection of courses, completion of registration forms and answer questions the student may have about the registration process. See the MTI course schedules for advising dates.

Registration
Students admitted to class must be officially registered. A student must file registration forms and pay all tuition and fees, or make other financial arrangements with the Business office. Students who do not complete the registration process will not receive credit for courses.

Terms of Payment
The registration process is not complete until all costs are either paid or arrangements are made. This must be completed by the end of the first day of classes of each semester. The conferring of degrees and diplomas is contingent upon the full payment of all tuition, fees and educational costs due MTI.

All registration costs must be paid by the end of the fourth week after the beginning of each semester or start date. Registration costs for summer courses must be paid by the end of the second week after the start date. Students who fail to make full payment within the time limit will be subject to immediate termination of their enrollment at MTI. Re-admission will be contingent upon payment in full.

Transcripts
Transcripts are copies of academic records. Official transcripts will be issued on the following basis:

1. Copies of official transcripts cost $5.00 each.
    
2. All requests for transcripts must be made in person or in writing. You may download a transcript request form from the MTI website. Fax or mail the form to the MTI Registrar.
    
3. If requesting transcripts by mail, a student must provide the name under which he or she was enrolled, the program, Social Security number and the years attended.
    
4. Official transcripts are mailed in a sealed, labeled envelope. Official transcripts cannot be mailed directly to students.
    
5. Grade reports (unofficial transcripts), labeled as “Issued to Student,” are available at no cost.

Class Schedule Change
Any changes in a student’s registration (including adding or dropping a course) must be completed on a Course Change Form. Semester courses may be added or dropped through the 10th day of classes each semester. Courses scheduled in shorter modules may be added through the 5th day of such classes unless otherwise announced or approved by the department and Assistant Director for Instruction.

Adding and/or dropping a course after the 10th day requires approval signatures of the student, the course instructor, and the department head. If the proper drop/add procedure is not followed, the student may fail the course.

A student may drop a course through the 48th school day of the semester. Courses dropped during the first 10 days of the semester will not be recorded on transcripts. From days 11-48, the student who drops will be issued a grade of “W” to indicate official withdrawal. (A “W” grade is not computed in the student’s grade point average.) Students will not be allowed to withdraw from specific courses after that time except under unusual circumstances and with the approval of the Assistant Director for Instruction. Students who stop attending classes are not automatically withdrawn. Students who quit attending classes after 48 days and have not completed the withdrawal procedure will receive a failing grade.

A student must initiate the withdrawal process and file the appropriate paperwork. Paperwork is available in the Admissions/Student Services office area. Financial aid is prorated based upon the number of credits for which a student is enrolled and may be impacted by a drop or withdrawal.

No registration change is official until the properly approved form is filed with the Registrar’s office; the official date of the add or drop is the date the form is filed in the Registrar’s office.

Withdrawal From School
Students withdrawing from school must:

1. complete a withdrawal form obtained from the Registrar.
    
2. turn in their locker key and ID Card.
    
3. have an exit interview with the Student Services Coordinator or Counselor and Financial Aid Coordinator or their designees.

The date of the completed withdrawal slip will determine the amount of the tuition refund to be made.

Satisfactory Academic Progress
Students attending Mitchell Technical Institute must be making satisfactory progress toward the completion of their academic goal—to obtain a degree or a diploma. Regular and punctual attendance is necessary. Active and committed class participation is required. To maintain financial aid, a student must have satisfactory progress.

Students must successfully complete at least seventy-five per cent (75%) of the credits attempted each semester in order to complete graduation requirements within the maximum time frame. Students who do not successfully complete 75% of 12 or more credits for two semesters may be suspended from financial aid.

Students have a maximum of four semesters to complete two-semester programs and six semesters to complete four-semester programs. Part-time students’ completion schedules will be prorated accordingly.
Passing grades of “A,” “B,” and “C” are counted toward completion of courses for satisfactory progress. Students are encouraged to repeat program courses when they earn a “D” and must repeat all program courses that they fail. Some programs have higher minimum grade requirements. See program descriptions for details.

Repeated courses are considered as normal credit hours and count towards the maximum time and enrollment status for a given semester.

Academic Suspension
Students who fail to achieve a cumulative GPA of 1.0 during their first semester of enrollment will be suspended with no academic probation.

If a student is suspended for academic or other reasons, the student must wait at least one full semester before applying for re-enrollment. Students may be suspended from a program only twice. Registration will not be accepted a third time.

Students may appeal suspension. The appeal process is initiated by the student with a written request of their reasons for the appeal sent to the Vice-President of Academic Affairs by the date specified on their notification of academic suspension.

Academic Probation
Students may be placed on academic probation if they have less than a cumulative 2.00 grade point average (GPA) at the end of their first semester and for any subsequent semester.

Students may attend MTI for one semester on academic probation. If the student fails to achieve a cumulative 2.00 GPA during the probation semester, the student will be placed on academic suspension.

In order to assure satisfactory progress, students on probation should carefully monitor their GPAs. Any student whose GPA drops below 2.0 should meet with an academic adviser, Registrar, or the Vice-President of Academic Affairs immediately to evaluate the probability of achieving the necessary GPA of 2.0 needed to graduate.
Students on academic probation must complete all credits attempted for that semester. During a probation semester, students may continue to receive financial aid; however, if the minimum grade point average is not achieved by the end of that semester, all federal financial aid will be suspended.

Incomplete Grades
Students with incomplete grades (“I”) at the end of a semester should arrange for the completion of the course with the instructor. A student has 4 weeks from the end of the semester to complete an “I” grade. Failure to complete the course within the 4 weeks will result in a failing grade (“F”) for the class. Incomplete forms are available from the instructor.

Preparatory Courses
090-level preparatory, review courses will be offered for pass/no credit (“P”/“N”). Preparatory credits count toward course load, but are not figured in grade point averages.

Readmission (Reinstatement)
Students who have left school in good standing will need to complete the application process if they wish to return. No application fee will be charged for readmission.
Students who have left school for reasons of unsatisfactory progress, nonpayment of fees, or suspension will need to do the following for re-admission into MTI:

1. Pay all past bills and the costs for the semester they are entering school.
    
2. Receive approval from the Assistant Director for Instruction and the respective Department Head.
    
3. If students need financial aid, such as Veterans benefits, Pell Grant, etc., they will also need approval from the Financial Aid Coordinator or the respective agency.

Students who leave the Institute on academic suspension must wait one semester before applying for readmission.

Repeating a Course
Students who have failed a course may need to repeat it to meet graduation requirements. Students may choose to repeat a course in an attempt to raise an undesirable grade. Financial aid restrictions may apply. In the event a student repeats a course, both grades are recorded on the student’s Mitchell Technical Institute academic records. Only the grade from the second attempt will be calculated into a GPA.

Grade Appeals
Students have the right to appeal a grade if they feel they have been graded unfairly. Students wishing to appeal a grade may do so by submitting a statement of their reason for appeal to the Vice-President of Academic Affairs no less than four calendar weeks into the subsequent term after the grades have been released. The request is considered by the Vice-President of Academic Affairs and the instructor.

Course Numbering System
The following numbering system is used for all courses:

1. The two- to four-letter prefix designates the department or program area. A department may use more than one prefix.
    
2. The three-digit number indicates the level of instruction as follows:

   090-099 Preparatory/Review Level
   100-199 First Year
   200-299 Second Year

Credit Hour System
The credit hour is the academic unit used at Mitchell Technical Institute. One credit hour is defined as the credit earned for the completion of a course covering a 17-week semester and consisting of one class period, not less than 50 minutes, weekly.

Full-Time Student
A full-time student is one who is enrolled in twelve or more credit hours during a semester. Financial aid calculations are determined by enrollment status. 100% of aid is not available to students enrolled in fewer than 12 credits in a semester. See the Financial Aid office for details.

Change of Program
Students may request a change of programs within the Institute by completing a Transfer Form. Transfer forms are available from the Registrar. Transfer is based on availability in a program. No transfer is guaranteed.

When a student changes programs, credits may be transferred to the new program. Only grades of ̉CÓ or better may be transferred. Students changing programs will have the normal time frame to complete the new program.

Those on academic probation will remain on probation in the new program.

Change of Program to Improve GPA
Qualifying students may increase a poor GPA if they change to a new program and successfully complete at least 12 credit hours in the new area with a minimum GPA of 2.0. If the student successfully completes 12 or more credits in the new program with a GPA of 2.0 or higher, the poor grades from the former program will remain on the transcript, but will not be used in any GPA calculation.

Receiving Transferred Credits
Students transferring credits to MTI from other post-secondary institutions or high schools will be individually evaluated to determine courses needed to complete a diploma or degree. A transfer student may have previous coursework accepted to fulfill MTI course and graduation requirements according to the following guidelines:

1. Official transcripts shall be submitted for use in assessing courses and credits for transfer from accredited institutions. It is the student’s responsibility to have his or her transcript validated by the Registrar.
    
2. A grade of C or better (2.0 on a 4.0 scale) shall be required in each course accepted in transfer. The last grade earned will be the recorded grade. Transfer credits do not count toward a cumulative GPA. Courses in the major area of study completed more than five years previously may not be accepted for transfer. The grade recorded on the student’s academic record will be “CR” (credit).
    
3. Technical related and general education courses shall be reviewed by the appropriate department(s) to determine course equivalence and acceptance. Courses outside of MTI’s areas of study will not be accepted for transfer.
    
4. Transfer students must complete a minimum of one-third of their coursework, including their final semester, at MTI.
    
5. Students who choose to transfer articulated high school courses to MTI should contact the Registrar or Tech Prep Coordinator.
    
6. To transfer credit, an Application for Admission must be on file and a record-processing fee may be charged.
    
7. Non-credit courses from MTI’s Business and Industry Training Division may be considered toward meeting credit course requirements. Students requesting such credit transfers must present a certificate of completion to the Assistant Director’s office at MTI. The grade recorded on the student’s academic record will be “CR” (credit).

Transferring Credits to Other Institutions
Students may be able to transfer MTI credits to colleges and universities and other technical institutes. See the Registrar for more information.

Credit for Prior Learning/Work Experience
Students with post-high school education or verified work experience, including military experience and training, may request evaluation of prior education and work experiences. Some credit may be allowed towards a diploma or degree. Life experiences and training may constitute no more than half of the credits required for an MTI diploma or degree. The evaluation may require a written examination or other documentation by the student and instructor. Departments may award advanced standing after a review and evaluation of transcripts of previous education and/or testing.

Test-for-Credit Process
Students may be allowed to receive credit by taking a test—“Testing Out”—instead of completing a course. Within the first ten days of classes, a student may notify the instructor that s/he desires to Test Out. A “Test for Credit Form” is available in the Registrar’s office and must be filed with the instructor and a test fee paid in advance to the Business office. The completed form must be in the Registrar’s office before credit can be recorded on a student’s academic record.

The non-refundable testing fee is $30 (up to 3 credits) plus $5 for each additional credit. If the test includes lab exercises, there may be additional fees assessed. If the test is passed with an 80% or higher score, a grade of “CR” will be entered on the student’s transcript. A test-for-credit may not be repeated. Students may only test-for-credit for up to 50% of their courses required for graduation. Students considering test-for-credit should check with Financial Aid to determine how the test-out would affect financial aid or scholarship status.

College Level Examination Program (CLEP)
Mitchell Technical Institute does not administer the College Level Examination Program (CLEP). However, CLEP credits earned for general education courses may be accepted by MTI. The guidelines governing transfer of credits will apply. Before taking any CLEP examination, students should consult with their Department Head and the Registrar to assure transfer of the CLEP credit.

Service Learning
Some MTI programs and classes are implementing a service learning component in their curricula. Service learning is a strategy for learning and growing in which students actively apply the knowledge they have gained in the classroom to real community needs through involvement in service projects. As this project grows in scope, students may be required to complete a service learning project for satisfactory completion of a particular course or program.

Course Audits
Courses may be audited for no credit. There is a $40 fee to audit a course. A Class Audit form is available from the Registrar’s office. Students enrolled for credit have first priority for space available in any MTI course.

Competency Requirements
Mitchell Technical Institute uses a competency-based education curriculum in which each program has identified competencies to be mastered by students. Each program reserves the right to require and to test mastery of the competency by its graduates. Thus, in cases where program course requirements are met by transfer or nontraditional credits, the Department may still require students to complete portions of courses to master specific competencies that were not met in the students’ prior coursework or experience.

Exceptions to Regulations
Students who request exception to academic regulations must submit a letter to the Assistant Director for Instruction explaining special circumstances which might permit waiver of MTI regulations. Requests will be referred to the Assistant Director for Instruction for review with input from the department, the Registrar, Student Services Coordinator, and other interested parties.

The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974
The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 protects the privacy of students’ educational records. The statute governs access to records maintained by educational institutions and the release of educational information. The Institute is in compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974. Compliance procedures are further defined in the Student Handbook .

The statute provides students access to their permanent files and an opportunity for a hearing to challenge the records if they are inaccurate or otherwise inappropriate. Permission must be obtained from a student before releasing personally identifiable data from the records.

The Institute discloses, without consent, “directory” information as defined in the Student Handbook. However, the Institute provides students with the opportunity to request nondisclosure of information.

Student Right to Know and Completion Rates
Federal law requires MTI to disclose information on its graduation or completion rates for students who enroll at MTI. Due to the complex nature of the statistical data, an explanation is available with the information from the Assistant Director for Instruction for those students who request it.