1 of 3
Proposed simplification of University procedures regarding “fee-related changes” to the student record, made after GDEU deadlines
Sylvia Franke – to be presented to Committee of Student Affairs and Fee Policy Committee for discussion
March 14, 2005
Background
Current practice as outlined in the university calendar states that after certain deadlines, changes to a student record that affect fees can be made only where there are "extraordinary personal" or "extraordinary academic" circumstances. These deadlines are :
Fall Term - January 31,Winter Term - June 15,Summer Term - September 30.
The calendar states that, after receiving the recommendation of the faculty,ARR, sometimes in consultation with Student Accounts, makes the decision of whether not to make the change. The changes encompassed by this rule would be any change to the student’s record (such as course change, course drop, course add) except grade changes or transcript comments.
If in fact ARR approves the change to the student’s record, typically the change is not immediately made to the student’s record. Rather the change is made after the final governmental audit of that term’s submission of records to the ministry. This may cause a delay of as long as 18 months before it is appears on their record, and initiates a correction (either up or down) to the student’s fee statement.
Problem
There are a number of problems with this procedure:
- ARR is put in the position of second-guessing faculty policy related to an academic record.
- Where the change is approved by ARR, the delay in correcting the student’s record is perceived as bureaucratic. For a certain period of time, the transcript is not an accurate reflection of the academic decision.
- There is change is approved by ARR, there is a delay in the student receiving a refund for a course that should have been dropped. Where a course has been added and a belated fee statement is issued, there is manual intervention required by Student Accounts to prevent the bill from going to a collection agency.
- Where the change is not approved by ARR, there can be negative consequences on the student’s academic career, such as delay of graduation, or the repetition of a course that has already been successfully completed.
- The calendar text is complicated and difficult to clearly communicate to the student.
Proposed simplification
It is proposed to remove the special procedure related to “fee-related” changes. All student record changes that affect the transcript after the deadlines listed abovewill be handled in the same way from the student’s perspective: the student must make a request in writing to the faculty that demonstrates “extraordinary personal” or “extraordinary academic” circumstances. The associate dean of the faculty or their delegate would make the decision.
Note: student record changes related to the student's citizenship, residency, immigration status and fee exemption status (which affect fees as well, but do not affect the transcript) would continue to be decided upon by ARR, sometimes in consultation with Student Accounts, as these matters are not within faculty jurisdiction.
GDEU implications
Even with this change, the administrative procedures related to data entry of the changes on system would continue: any “fee-related” change after the GDEU deadlines may not be made by the faculty in the student record system. The request for the change and appropriate supporting documentation indicating that procedures were followed,must be provided by the Student Affairs office to ARR. ARR staff will make the change on the system, and ensure that Student Accounts is notified. ARR will also initiate communications with the Ministry, as appropriate, regarding a possible amendment to the data file submission to the Ministry.
Annual Report
The proposed change is not intended to increase the number of changes made to a student’s record after the normal deadlines or posted deadline. For those changes that are made, there will be administrative and IT expenses incurred at McGill, increased audit attention by the Ministry and a certain degree of funding risk in making changes after the deadlines for submissions of student data to the Ministry.
The Registrar’s office would report on an annual basis to CSA:
- the number of changes made after the deadline for each faculty, and
- a description of the types of changes made and for what type of reasons.
In this manner, the Registrar and CSA may identify whether there are procedural improvements that can be made to minimize the cost and funding risk to the university of post-deadline changes, and to ensure that the student’s academic and financial record is handled in a timely way.
Excerpt from General Information section of 2004-2005 calendar
5.7 Changes to Student Records after Normal Deadlines
Students are permitted to make record changes, such as course add/drop, course withdrawal, etc., at given times during each term. If a student is not able to make a change during the required period, he or she must follow the procedures described under the section relating to that change.
Students must also be aware that faculties have deadlines after which they can no longer consider any special student record requests for a given term. These deadlines are set by the Admissions, Recruitment and Registrar's Office (ARR), and the procedures that must be followed are described in the following two sections.
5.7.1 Fee-related Changes
Changes that would alter a student's citizenship and/or immigration status, and therefore the level of tuition they are required to pay, are dealt with in section 2.2.1 "Documentation for Permanent Code, Citizenship and Proof of Quebec Residency".
This section deals with other changes that affect fees or government reporting, such as:
- Adding/Deleting a Term
- Adding/Deleting a Course
- University Withdrawal with a refund
- Grade of a "W" with a refund
- Changing a Thesis program to Non-thesis, and vice versa
- Including/excluding a course as part of a program
Such fee-related changes to students' records, if approved by the student's faculty, are to be completed by the dates given below.
The faculties have until these dates to make the changes. Any changes that require ARR action must be submitted in advance of these dates:Fall Term - January 31,Winter Term - June 15,Summer Term - September 30.
A change that affects fees that is requested after the dates given above will not normally be considered. In situations where there are "extraordinary personal" or "extraordinary academic" circumstances that could not have been foreseen prior to these deadlines, students may formally request an extension of the deadline from the Admissions, Recruitment and Registrar's Office. The Associate Dean of the faculty concerned will be required to provide the ARR with all available documentation relating to the student's request. The ARR, upon consultation with the Student Accounts Office if necessary, will decide whether or not to consider the request and will so advise the faculty or department in writing. If the request is accepted for consideration, once the final decision has been rendered, the student and the faculty will be informed of the result by the ARR. In the instance where a request is approved, the ARR will also inform the student and the faculty of the date the change will take effect.
5.7.2 Non Fee-related Changes
Examples of non fee-related changes are:
- Grade changes (excluding "W" grade with a refund)
- University Withdrawal without a refund
- Adding/modifying comments that appear on the transcript
Non fee-related changes to students' records are to be completed by the dates given below.
The faculties have until the dates specified below to make changes. Any changes that require ARR action must be submitted in advance of these dates:Fall Term - January 31,Winter Term - June 15, Summer Term - September 30.
For non fee-related changes after the above deadlines, the student must make a request in writing to the Associate Dean of their faculty, clearly explaining the reasons why the change could not have been requested prior to these dates. The Associate Dean would then review the request and render a decision. If permitted, the change would then be processed according to existing Faculty and Student Record procedures.