About the Academic Regulations

The Academic Regulations are the master compilation of the College’s commitments, policies, and procedures regarding the academic program. Review these regulations for familiarity with curricular opportunities, to assist in the planning of an academic trajectory, and to understand the specific rules involved.

Requirements for the Degree

This section spells out the fundamental elements of the Haverford degree. It includes:

• The Overview tab, with an explanation of the minimum number of credits needed for graduation
• General Education Overview and its two components: Essential Foundations and Domains (effective for students matriculating in or after Fall 2018)
• The Major
• An explanation of the circumstances in which a course taken Pass/Fail can count towards one of the other requirements mentioned in this section

Other Curricular Options to Fulfill the Degree Requirement

This section identifies other available (but not required) components of the Haverford degree:

• Pre-College Credits
• Independent Majors & Double Majors
• Minors
• Areas of Concentration
• Independent Minors and Concentrations

Physical Education Requirement

This section articulates the components of the six-quarter Physical Education Requirement.  

Academic Regulations in Detail

This section details the many finer points of the academic program:

• Grades
  • Grading scales and symbols used at the College
  • Grading Regulations (rules governing withdrawals, incompletes, grade changes, and disputed grades)
  • Academic Standing (policy detailing requirements for being in good academic standing)
• Course Regulations
  • Residency and other Requirements for the Degree (credits required while “in residence” and options for fewer semesters)
  • Registration & Course Load (course credits required per semester)
  • First-Year Program (recommended course variety for first-years)
  • Continuing Students (expectations and rules concerning registration and housing)
  • Course Changes (deadlines for adding/dropping classes)
  • Repeating Courses (regulations about taking the same class twice)
  • Year-long Courses (procedures for courses composed of two full semesters)
  • Course Limits at Cooperating Institutions (constraints on classes at Penn, and requirements for seniors studying outside of the Bi-Co regarding second-semester grade reporting)
• Course Options
  • Pass/Fail (taking a course for credit, but not for a numerical grade)
  • Independent Study Courses (working with a faculty member on a solo project for credit)
  • Course Intensification (earning a second credit for a one-credit course)
  • Auditing a Course (participating in a course, but not for credit)
• Course Responsibilities
  • Deadlines
  • Class Attendance
  • Lab Courses
• Graduation and Degrees
  • Graduation Honors (as determined by the Committee on College Honors and Fellowships; criteria for departmental honors are explained under the individual department headings of the Catalog)
  • Social Graduation (an option for seniors who have less than three credits remaining to complete at the end of their final semester)
  • Posthumous and In Memoriam Degrees 

Incompletes (INC) and Their Deadlines

This section specifies the protocol for the granting and concluding of Incompletes at the end of a semester.

Monitoring Academic Performance

This section explains the procedures by which the Committee on Student Standing and Programs (CSSP) reviews and responds to students’ academic performance.

Leaves of Absence

This section differentiates between the types of leaves: Dean’s Leave, College Leave, and Medical Leave.

Special Academic Programs

This section includes policies and programs pertaining to:

• The amount of time students spend at Haverford (Academic Flexibility, Early Graduation, Extended Programs)
• Study on other campuses or partnerships with master’s degree-granting institutions (Intercollegiate Cooperation, Study at Other American Colleges, Summer Study at Another Institution, Accelerated Master's Engineering Program, 3/2 Engineering Program, 3/2 City Planning, 4+1 Bioethics @ Penn, Accelerated Program at Penn GSE, Master’s Economics/Finance at Claremont McKenna, Graduate Degree in Latin American Studies at Georgetown, and China Studies at Zhejiang University)
• Alternative avenues for earning academic credit (Academic Flexibility, Credit for Non-Collegiate Academic Work, and Independent Study While Not in Residence)
• The Tri-Co Philly Program

International Study

This section covers procedures for students may study abroad, and information about petitioning to add study abroad programs to the approved program list.

Course Instruction During Atypical Circumstances

Although all Haverford courses are expected to be delivered in-person, there may be atypical circumstances that warrant a temporary shift to remote instruction for some or all courses. If deemed necessary, the President and Provost would authorize remote instruction for that particular semester. With the exception of situations that require immediate remote instruction for all, faculty and students would then be given the opportunity to indicate their intent to teach (or take) their course(s) in a remote fashion.