Academic Policies

Student Record Maintenance (PDF)

Policy for Engineering Minors (PDF)

Policy for Engineering Concentrations (PDF)

Student Review of Their Imaged Student Folder

University Policy – Identification, Maintenance, and Preservation of Digital Records Created by University of Michigan – SPG – UM Standard Practice Guide (PDF)

University Policy for Students, Faculty and Staff with Disabilities

Campus Safety

Retention of Student Work

College Use of Digital Media

Plagiarism


Covid-19 Grading System Change: Effective Fall 2021 the University will return to the traditional grading systems. The option to convert passing letter grades to a “Pass” will be discontinued, and the “No Record COVID” (NRC) grade, as outlined below for Winter 2020, will no longer be utilized.

Covid-19 Winter 2020 grading was as follows: Faculty continued to record letter grades, but students received either a “P” (Pass) or “NRC” (No Record Covid) grade for A-E graded courses. The grade cut-off for a “P” was the same as the traditional grade minimum for students to receive course credit, which is a C-.

Student Review of Their Imaged Student Folder

An academic file is maintained by the college for each student.  The file contains admission materials, academic records and transcripts, correspondence, etc.  The college endorses the university’s Policy on Student Records, which meets the standards set forth in the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974  (FERPA).  Each student has the right to examine all materials in his or her file, except as prohibited by the above policies.

The college registrar and the administrative officers of the college, or their appointed representatives, shall have direct access to all records.  All other persons, including faculty, may have access to portions of a student’s record only when so authorized by the student.

For an unofficial transcript, students can get their own from Wolverine Access.  For an official transcript request, please view the University Registrar’s website:  here .

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Admissions Information

The official “Admitting Office” is required to permanently retain the following:

  • Applications
  • Test Scores (e.g. SAT, GRE, etc.)
  • Transcripts from former schools

Official Admitting Offices for College of Engineering programs include:

  • Undergraduate Admissions (new freshmen)
  • CoE Transfer Admissions (transfer students)
  • Rackham Graduate School (CoE Rackham graduate programs)
  • CoE Office of Graduate Education (CoE Non-Rackham graduate programs)

It is recommended that departments maintain working files to manage their graduate admissions activity.  Once an admissions cycle is complete, departments are encouraged to integrate any admissions documents retained solely by the department into the department’s active student files*. It is not necessary to keep historical files for applicants who were not admitted, although departments may decide to keep these files for one year in case the individual decides to reapply.

*Note: FERPA states that letters of recommendation not accompanied by waivers and retained beyond their intended use may be viewed by the student.  As a consequence, it is recommended that these letters be destroyed after admission of the student.  Waivers of rights of access filed with letters of recommendation should be retained as long as the file is retained.  Students who revoke their waivers of rights of access may not see letters of recommendation submitted during the time the waivers were in force.

Student Records    

It is recommended that departments maintain working files for students who are active in their respective programs.  Departments are encouraged to retain files for a minimum of six months for students who have graduated from their program(s).

The Student Records Office of the College of Engineering maintains the official undergraduate student file electronically via Perceptive Content or WebNow and archival files on microfilm were destroyed.  The DeclarationForms (includes Plan, LS&A Minors, and Concentrations, as of Fall 2014, are stored in the LSA Advising System.  The following documents are maintained in these files:

  • Admissions Application
  • Admission Data Sheet
  • Freshman Comment Sheet
  • High School Transcripts
  • College/University Transcripts
  • Advance Placement Sheet
  • Advanced Credit Sheet
  • Combined Degree Paperwork
  • Prescribed Program Sheet
  • Degree Audit Related Paperwork
  • Transfer Credit to Rackham Memo
  • Scholastic Standing Committee Material
  • Petitions for:
  • Reinstatement
  • Exception to College Rules
  • Late Drop/Add
  • Retroactive Term Action
  • Supporting Documentation
  • Withdrawal Notices, Drop/Add Forms (Note that this process was moved to Wolverine Access Online System as of Spring 2016)
  • Signed Honor Code Agreement
  • Departmental Student Documentation

The University Office of the Registrar permanently retains the following student records:

Academic Records Area:

  • Academic Record
  • Grade Sheets
  • Supplemental Grade Sheets
  • Credit By Exam
  • Election Documents:
  1. Reg-Infos w/Elections
  2. Original Drop/Add Form
  3. Withdrawals
  4. Disenrollments
  5. Fee Changes
  6. Retro Drop/Add
  7. Exceptional Drop/Add
  8. Change Forms
  9. Special Approvals
  • General Registers and Catalogs

Certification Area:

  • Athletic Eligibility Certification
  • Diploma Problems
  • Residency Files
  • Transcript Problems
  • VA Certification
  • VA Course Approval
  • VA Compliance Survey

Diploma Area:

  • Final Degree List
  • Tentative Degree List
  • Name Change Request Forms
  • Master File
  1. Registrationnaire (prior to 1975)
  2. Name change cards
  3. Diploma Apps
  4. Fee Changes
  5. Withdrawals
  6. Teaching Fellows
  7. Reg Infos without elections (since 1975)

Statistical Services:

  • Assigned Sequence Summary (FTE)
  • Course Approval Form
  • Course History Info Report
  • Degrees by Race
  • Degree Listings Annual
  • Election Audit/Inquiry
  • Engineering Manpower Enrollment
  • Enrollment Counts
  • Enrollment Register List
  • Faculty Load Report State Budget
  • Faculty Load Report Unit
  • Fee Enrollment Data Reporting
  • Field of Specialization Count
  • Full Time Equivalent
  • Master Course List
  • New Freshman
  • Posting Boards
  • Registration Information
  • Scholarship Reports
  • Suspense Inquiry
  • Transfer:  Jr. College by School
  • University Course Data Base

Associate Registrar:

  • Fee Bulletins
  • Fee Committee Minutes
  • CIC Traveling Scholar Program
  • Dual Program Wayne State
  • Subpoenas
  • Academic Calendar
  • Honors Convocation Program

Student Financials

The Student Financial Operations Office maintains information about charges assessed and payments made to a student’s account.

Financial Aid

As stewards of University financial aid funds, departments must retain the following information:

  • Document that describes the award process for each scholarship and fellowship awarded by the unit.
  • Official minutes/documentation of meetings in which decisions are made on the award of scholarships and fellowships.

Related Policies and Procedures

University Archives and Records, SPG 601.8, June 1, 1992

Identification, Maintenance, and Preservation of Electronic Records Created by the University of Michigan, SPG 601.8-1, May 20, 1997

Records Policy and Procedures Manual, Bentley Historical Library, University Archives and Records Program, June 2002

Student Rights and Student Records, University of Michigan Office of the Registrar, June 2002

Permanent Record Retention at the Office of the Registrar, University of Michigan Office of the Registrar, 1991

Policies on Student Records, University of Michigan Board of Regents, July 13, 1973

Proposed Guidelines for Access to and Use of Materials in the Records Office, College of Engineering, August 16, 1990

Policies and Procedures for Awarding Graduate Fellowships and Undergraduate  Financial Aid in the College of Engineering, Memo from Judith Pitney to CoE Department Chairs, Program Directors, Unit Administrators, and Members of the Dean‘s Cabinet, March 22, 2000

Human Resources

The central Human Resources Offices are the custodians for all personnel related documents. Current policy (SPG 201.46) lists the forms that arc considered to be employment related and maintained in the central administrative offices.  The policy also states that departmental copies of the same forms must be maintained for a period of two years plus the current fiscal year.

The Office of Resource Planning and Management (RPM) maintains complete personnel records for faculty and staff in all job families with the exception of Temporary Hourly and Graduate Student Assistants and fulfills the two year requirement detailed in SPG 201.46.  All transactional HR related paperwork with the exception of time sheets should be routed to RPM to be maintained in the CoE personnel file. It is also the responsibility of the units to maintain copies of all documents that are not routed through RPM.  These documents include, but are not limited to:

  • Temporary Employment Applications and Change Forms
  • GSA appointment paperwork
  • Time Sheets
  • Internal department emails, memos, etc. pertaining to an individual’s employment
  • Medical documentation (that does not support the use of Extended Sick Pay)

It is important to remember to keep copies of immigration documents, medical information, and grievance documentation in separate files.  These types of information are not to be included in a staff member’s personnel file.

Casebooks are maintained according to UM policy in both the Office of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and the Associate Dean for Research.

Departments are the custodians for all recruitment/search files (including faculty and staff) and are required to retain such files for three years plus the current fiscal year, according to current policy.  (Job recruitment files including resume, interview questions, list of interviewed candidates, interview notes, etc. of the hiring process for a period of four (4) years after the start date of the selected candidate).

All employment related departmental files are subject to the laws regulating employee’s access to their personnel files.  In the event of a discrimination charge or a lawsuit, all relevant records must be kept until the final disposition.

Related Policies and Procedures

Personnel Records-Collection, Retention and Release, SPG 201.46, October 1, 1991

Recruitment and Regular Employment Process (Regular), SPG 201.22, October 1, 2008

The attached table, Federal Record Retention Requirements for Employers, details the legislation related to records retention and the associated requirements.  (Nathan – See me, I have the table!)

There are websites that provide information on Michigan employment law.  A useful site is https://www.dol.gov/general/location.

Governance

It is the responsibility of administrators of colleges and schools in cooperation with the Bentley Historical Library’s University Archives and Records Program (UARP), to ensure that records are maintained properly and that records which document the history and achievements of the college or school are transferred to the archives for permanent retention.  The section below is an excerpt from the University Records Policy and Procedures Manual at https://bentley.umich.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/manual.pdf.

Specific record groups that should be transferred to the university archives include:

  • the chair’s or director’s topical file and correspondence;
  • committee records, particularly executive and curriculum committees;
  • faculty or staff meeting minutes;
  • documentation of reviews of the unit;
  • general development files;
  • reports, including annual reports;
  • identified photographs;
  • newsletters and other publications of the unit.

Records that should not be transferred to the archives, but which should be discarded when their administrative use is completed include:

  • duplicate items;
  • correspondence and administrative files documenting routine activities such as room scheduling, travel logistics, etc.;
  • non-university printed material received by the unit and retained as a reference file;
  • documents distributed widely to university units but not generated by the unit;

Grievances

The Office of Compensation and Staff Relations is the sole custodian of staff grievance files. The Office of Academic Affairs and the Office of the Dean/Director of the relevant school or college are the custodians of instructional faculty and primary research faculty grievance files.

Departments may choose to keep a copy of the grievance and related documentation.  However, in such cases it is important to remember to keep information related to a grievance in a separate file. These documents arc not to be included in an individual’s departmental personnel file.

Facilities & Safety

The responsibility for maintaining floor plans and other architectural documents rests with the central university offices of Plant Extension and Plant Operations.  Units may forward blue prints, floor plans, and other types of architecture/facilities documents that you feel may be of historical value to the CoE Facilities Office.  Such documents will be forwarded on to the Bentley Library as appropriate.

The Office of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs maintains a central file for the College Safety Committee.  Refer to the “Governance” section of this document for guidelines applicable to departmental/unit safety committees.   Please note that units should retain any records pertaining to safety issues that are currently undergoing an audit, investigation, or are part of a court proceeding until the matter has been resolved.

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University Policy on Sexual Harassment by Faculty and Staff (March 14, 1994)

It is the policy of the University of Michigan to maintain an academic and work environment free of sexual harassment for students, faculty, and staff.  Sexual harassment is contrary to the standards of the University community.  It diminishes individual dignity and impedes equal employment and educational opportunities and equal access to freedom of academic inquiry.  Sexual harassment is a barrier to fulfilling the University’s scholarly, research, educational, and service missions.  It will not be tolerated at the University of Michigan.

Sexual harassment violates the University’s long-standing policy against discrimination of the basis of sex.  Sexual harassment is also illegal.  It is prohibited in the employment context by Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, in the education context by the Title IX of the Educational amendments of 1972 and, in both employment and education context, by Michigan’s Elliot-Larsen Civil Rights Act, adopted in 1976.

A claim under this policy may be brought by the University or by a faculty, staff or student member of the University community based on the conduct of any University employee.  Complaints based on conduct by students who are not also employees of the University are addressed in the Interim Policy on Discrimination and Discriminatory Conduct by students in the University Environment, which is administered by the Office of Student Services.

Sexual harassment can be a very serious matter having far-reaching effects on the lives and careers of individuals.  Intentionally false accusations can have a similar impact.  Thus the charge of sexual harassment is not to be taken lightly by a charging party, an accused party, or any member of the University community.  A person who knowingly and intentionally files a false complaint under this policy is subject to University discipline.

More detailed information on the University’s Policy on Sexual Harassment can be obtained here:  http://spg.umich.edu/policy/201.89-0.

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University Policy for Students, Faculty and Staff with Disabilities

It is the policy of the University of Michigan to maintain an academic and work environment free of discrimination and harassment for all students, faculty, and staff. Discrimination and harassment are contrary to the standards of the University community. They diminish individual dignity and impede educational opportunities, equal access to freedom of academic inquiry, and equal employment. Discrimination and harassment are barriers to fulfilling the University’s scholarly, research, educational, patient care, and service missions.

The University’s commitment to diversity and inclusiveness extends to students with disabilities.   The University is committed to the academic success, personal development and general well-being of all students.

The University of Michigan, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University of Michigan is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, height, weight, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions. Inquiries or complaints may be addressed to the Senior Director for Institutional Equity, and Title IX/Section 504/ADA Coordinator, Office of Institutional Equity, 2072 Administrative Services Building, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1432, 734-763-0235, TTY 734-647-1388. For other University of Michigan information call 734-764-1817.

Disability discrimination can occur whenever a qualified individual with a disability is denied the same equal opportunities afforded to other similarly situated individuals on the basis of his or her disability status.  Under applicable disability laws, an individual with a disability is a person who:

Temporary, non-chronic impairments that do not last for a long time and that have little or no long-term impact usually are not disabilities. The determination of whether an impairment is a disability is made on a case-by-case basis.

For an impairment to be considered a disability, it must substantially limit one or more major life activities. Examples of major life activities include walking, speaking, breathing, performing manual tasks, seeing, hearing, learning and caring for oneself.

To be protected, a person must not only be an individual with a disability, but must be qualified. For students, a qualified individual with a disability is a person who, with or without reasonable modifications to rules, policies or practices; the removal of architectural, communication or transportation barriers; or the provision of auxiliary aids or services, meets the essential requirements for the receipt of services or participation in programs or activities provided by the University.

For University students, a reasonable accommodation is a reasonable modification in University policies, practices, or procedures, when the modifications are necessary to avoid discrimination on the basis of disability, unless the modifications would fundamentally alter the nature of a University service, program or activity. Examples of reasonable accommodations may include, but are not limited to:

  • note taking services
  • text conversion to alternative accessible formats
  • permission to audio tape university activities such as courses, lecturers and discussions
  • qualified interpreter services
  • adjusting time limits on tests
  • making facilities and/or programs readily accessible to and useable by individuals with disabilities.

The University is obligated to make a reasonable accommodation only to the known disability of an otherwise qualified student. In general, it is the responsibility of the student to make the disability status and related need for an accommodation known to the appropriate University official. Students should request accommodations for their disability through the appropriate disability services office on their campus.

For further information, complaint procedures and campus resources, please visit:  Https://ssd.umich.edu/article/nondiscrimination-policy-and-grievance-procedure

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Campus Safety

Each year, the University of Michigan prepares an ”Annual Security Report” and publishes it in the Campus Safety Handbook.  The report, which is issued each October 1, contains detailed information on campus safety and security policies, procedures, and programs, including information on:  emergency services, security telephone numbers, sexual assault policy, stalking laws, handling obscene phone calls, sexual harassment policy, dealing with workplace violence and threats, police agencies, health services, counseling services, safe transportation after dark, safety tips, and alcohol and drug policies and programs.  The report also includes statistics concerning crimes on campus.  If you would like to receive a complete copy, visit the University of Michigan Department of Public Safety website at http://www.umich.edu/~safety/ or call (734) 763-3434.

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Retention of Student Work

The faculty reserves the right to retain examples of student work, done in conjunction with class assignments, for purposes of illustration, instruction, and exhibition.

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College Use of Digital Media

The College of Engineering may record/capture video, audio, and/or images of students and student work during regular college activities (i.e. class sessions, lectures, exhibits, group meetings, team projects, etc.).  These media may be made available in various forms to describe and/or promote college activities and programs in a variety of ways consistent with the mission of the college and university.

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Plagiarism

Plagiarism is knowingly presenting another person’s ideas, findings, images or written work as one’s own by copying or reproducing without acknowledgement of the source.  It is intellectual theft that violates basic academic standards.  In order to uphold an equal evaluation for all work submitted, cases of plagiarism will be reviewed by the Scholastic Standing Committee.  Punitive measures will range from failure of an assignment to expulsion from the University.  For further information, please visit:  (Office of Student Support and Accountability link here).

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