Statement of Policy

All Excelsior College students have the responsibility to understand and to conduct themselves in accordance with the rights and responsibilities set forth in this document. The term “students” includes: students currently matriculated at Excelsior College taking examinations and/or courses, non-matriculated students taking examinations and/or courses, non-matriculated students in the application process, individuals using OneTranscript® formerly matriculated students currently in withdrawn status, and graduates.

Preamble: Excelsior College promotes an environment that protects the freedom of its students to learn to their greatest potential. The College is committed to the principle that students have a duty to respect each other and to promote a professional environment in which the educational mission of the College can be freely pursued to the greatest degree possible. Academic integrity is essential in any educational endeavor. The student should continually strive to improve his or her knowledge, skills, understandings and perspectives through lifelong learning. Honesty, integrity and respect in all interactions with colleagues, staff, and instructors are essential academic attributes necessary to promote success at Excelsior College. Therefore, a student commits to the College's ideals, ethics, and standards of conduct.

Student Rights

• Students are entitled to equity and fairness in the application of all College policies.
• The College shall be open to all students who qualify under its admission standards, regardless of age, color, religion, creed, disability, marital status, veteran status, national origin, race, gender, or sexual orientation. All students have equal right of access to the services of the College, in accordance with College policies.
• Students have a right to understand the general qualifications and requirements for establishing and maintaining academic standing within a particular program and at all levels within Excelsior College.
• Students have a right to understand the course and examination learning outcomes, requirements, and grading policies set by Excelsior College.
• Students have a right to understand the graduation and/or completion requirements for their program.
• Students have a right to be assured of the privacy and confidentiality of their education records and other personal information.
• Students have a right to distribute, as an individual or as members of student organizations, written electronic material within Excelsior College's online environment providing such distribution is approved and consistent with Excelsior College's policies.
• Students have a right to exercise full rights as citizens of their nations, but when participating in such activities, students accept that no claim is made that the student represents Excelsior College.
• Students have the right to appeal any disciplinary action within the established College procedures.

Student Responsibilities

• Students are responsible for maintaining an atmosphere of honest inquiry and academic integrity and should be familiar with the provisions as described on the Student Policies page. Each student is responsible for the content and the integrity of all work performed or submitted.
• Students shall treat other students and staff with mutual respect and dignity.
• Students should not harass others, sexually, verbally, or psychologically. Students shall not discriminate on the basis of age, color, religion, creed, disability, marital status, veteran status, national origin, race, gender, or sexual orientation.
• Students shall not plagiarize.
• Students shall not reproduce, disseminate, study or otherwise use materials known or reasonably known to be test materials obtained from or contained in examinations administered by the College.
• Students shall not have another person impersonate or in any other way commit identity fraud in any course, exam, or other academic exercise. Likewise, students shall not commit any form of identity fraud for another person.
• Students shall not engage in any form of cheating or dishonesty.
• Students shall not submit in one course material that is substantially the same as that submitted in another course without prior authorization of the instructor.
• Students are expected to be familiar with the College's policies and administrative processes as stated on the Excelsior College Student Policies page and in the College catalogs.
• Students have a responsibility to uphold and obey federal, state, and local laws.
• Students shall not abuse the College's Web site or its technical network. Students are advised that certain computer misconduct is prohibited by federal and state laws. Such conduct includes, but is not limited to, knowingly gaining access to unauthorized computer systems or databases, destroying or seriously compromising other electronic information, and violating copyright laws.
• Students are responsible for completing course evaluations for all their courses using the Excelsior College course evaluation form. Student course evaluations must be completed before the course closes.
• Students are responsible to keep themselves informed of the content of all notices concerning changes by periodically perusing announcements posted on the Excelsior College Web site.
• Students have a responsibility to participate in standardized tests (an example is the "Proficiency Profile" published by Educational Testing Services) that may be required during the period of their enrollment. These tests may be in addition to regular coursework and are required to gather critical information on achievement of student learning. Students are expected to actively participate and make every effort to do their best on these assessments to produce scores that accurately reflect their abilities. The results from these assessments will not be part of the course grade but are crucial for the purpose of program improvement and are frequently required by regulators and accreditation agencies. Participation in these assessments contributes toward increasing the value of the degree by providing evidence of student learning to external organizations, employers, and the general public.