Policy and Procedure FAQ

See the University Handbook for all officially written policies and guidelines.

Academic Standing

Grades and GPA

Registration and Enrollment

Academic Standing

Reinstatement

Students academically dismissed may apply for reinstatement through the Academic Standards Committee of the college the students are attempting to enter. View the University policy and the Arts & Sciences reinstatement page.

Students who earned less than a 1.0 GPA during their first semester at K-State and are dismissed may apply for the Wabash Refresh program through the Academic Achievement Center as a way to be considered for immediate reinstatement.

Scholastic Honors

Students with a high semester or cumulative GPA may be awarded scholastic honors for a semester, during commencement, and after graduation. Note: This scholastic honors is not equivalent to participating in the University Honors Program.

Warning | Dismissal

Undergraduate students are notified of their academic status through KSIS within the "Academic Records" tile under "View Grades," then by clicking on the most recent completed semester. The academic record of each student is evaluated twice yearly - at the end of the fall semester and at the end of the spring semester. View the Academic Warning/Dismissal Policy (F102 and F103) in the University Handbook.

Grades & GPA

Kansas State University uses a letter grade policy of A, B, C, D, or F. How to calculate your GPA.

When using online GPA calculators, select your letter grade without a + or - next to the letter. Free GPA calculator.

Academic Forgiveness

Academic Forgiveness is intended to assist a student who has had poor academic performance due to a documented extenuating circumstance during their time at Kansas State University. These circumstances must be unexpected, significantly disruptive, and beyond the student's control, with a clear impact on their academic success. Students may have up to two consecutive semesters excluded from the cumulative K-State GPA calculation.

For a student to be eligible for Academic Forgiveness, the student must:

  1. Have experienced one or more extenuating circumstances.
  2. Be an undergraduate seeking their first bachelor's degree.
  3. Earn a K-State GPA of 2.2 or higher at the end of the twelfth credit hour earned after the extenuating circumstance. This may be accomplished in one or more semesters.
  4. Provide documentation confirming the extenuating circumstance.

Find the Academic Forgiveness form through the Office of the Registrar located in the "Credits and Grade Reporting" dropdown. Complete the form through the laserfiche portal.

Academic Fresh Start

Academic Fresh Start is intended to assist a student who has had poor academic performance in the past to recover, without penalty, and have a fresh start upon readmission to resume their education. Students may have up to five consecutive semesters (or a maximum of 60 credit hours) excluded from the cumulative K-State GPA calculation.

For a student to be eligible for Academic Fresh Start, the student must:

  1. Not enroll in a K-State course for two (2) calendar years prior to readmission.
  2. Be an undergraduate student seeking their first bachelor's degree.
  3. Earn a K-State GPA of 2.2 or higher at the end of the twelfth credit hour earned after readmission to K-State. This may be accomplished in one or more semesters.

Find the Academic Fresh Start form through the Office of the Registrar located in the "Credits and Grade Reporting" dropdown. Complete the form through the laserfiche portal.

A/Pass/Fail

View the A/Pass/Fail policy (F91) in the University Handbook. The A/Pass/Fail grading option is currently available for free electives only. Students are encouraged to work with their academic advisor prior to selecting this option to make sure it will work within their degree requirements.

Incomplete policy

Students may work with their instructors to temporarily mark a course as "incomplete" at the end of the semester in which that course is taken. View Incomplete Course Policy (F83) in the University Handbook. It is highly recommended that students and instructors complete the Incomplete Grade Agreement (pdf) form through the Office of the Registrar located in the "Credits and Grade Reporting" dropdown.

A grade of "incomplete" is expected to be completed by the conclusion of the next regular academic term (fall or spring), or the student's graduation term. If a student needs a further extension for their incomplete course, students must initiate completing the "Incomplete Extension Form" (pdf) found through the Office of the Registrar located in the "Credits and Grade Reporting" dropdown.

Note: Students may not graduate if they have an "Incomplete" course, even if the course is 0 credit hours and/or is not needed to complete degree requirements.

Retake Policy

Students may retake courses in order to improve grades. For the first five courses both originally taken at K-State and retaken at K-State, the original grade is marked as retaken and removed from GPA calculations and is replaced by the most recent grade. Courses retaken for a third or more times will continue to be used in calculating the student's cumulative GPA, but only the most recent grade will apply to the student's degree requirements.

Example: A student takes ENGL 100 at K-State and earns a "D", they then retake ENGL 100 earning an "F." The original grade of "D" is removed from the student's GPA calculation and the "F" is included in the calculation. If the student takes ENGL 100 for a third time through K-State, the grade of "F" will still be included in the student's GPA calculation, but will be replaced in the degree requirements with the most recent attempt.

Registration and Enrollment

Enrollment

Check the Academic Calendar for semester start and end dates, enrollment, university holidays, and other high-level dates.

Students may enroll starting on their assigned enrollment appointment time, located in the KSIS Student Center. Enrollment appointments are typically assigned based on cumulative student credit hours (both through K-State and transfer courses). Some students have Priority Dates and Enrollment Times.

All students to attend the first class meeting of all classes for which they are registered. Students who do not attend the first class meeting of a course for which they are registered may be dropped from the course by the academic department that offers the course. This policy applies to all levels of courses and to all campuses. You may not attend classes without being properly registered for them, you cannot receive credit for courses in which you are not registered, and students may not register or add individual courses retroactively without approval and within appropriate deadlines. {University Handbook, F64.1-64.7}

Course Permission

Electronic permission in KSIS is required for all courses that require instructor/department consent. Students should contact the instructor/departmental office to obtain electronic permission in KSIS. Beginning the 2nd week of classes, students must obtain electronic permission in KSIS to add all regular session courses. Refer to the non-standard course deadlines table for non-standard session course deadlines. Note: Permission does not override a closed course.

Drops & Withdrawals

Dropping vs. withdrawing: Dropped courses do not appear on a student's transcript. Whereas, a course withdrawal remains on the official transcript with a grade of 'W' but does not affect the student's GPA.

Refer to the required steps for submitting a late drop/withdrawal appeal if the drop or withdrawal deadline has passed.

Withdrawing from all classes after the start of the semester requires students to contact the Arts and Sciences Center for Student Success and Engagement, artsci@k-state.edu. There are a number of items to consider before withdrawing. Students can find the University Withdrawal form through the Office of the Registrar located in the "Registration/Enrollment" dropdown. Complete the form through the laserfiche portal.

Program Changes

Guidelines for changing (adding or removing) majors, minors, certificates, and secondary majors.

Students in a catalog year prior to fall 2024 and working toward majors in both the College of Arts and Sciences and another K-State college may submit a "dual degree worksheet" in order to decrease the number of basic requirements needed for the Arts and Sciences degree.
B.S. Dual Degree worksheet
B.A. Dual Degree worksheet

Transcripts

Order official transcripts through the Registrar's Office guidelines or view your Academic History/Unofficial Transcript in KSIS.

Limitations of transferability of credit. A maximum of two religion courses from a religiously affiliated institution can be accepted for transfer credit.

Sending Transcripts to K-State

Send all official transcripts to:

Office of Recruitment and Admissions
Kansas State University
119 Anderson Hall
919 Mid-Campus Drive North
Manhattan, KS 66506-0101

or k-state@k-state.edu for electronic transcripts.

Use the Transfer Equivalency Tool to verify how specific courses will transfer to Kansas State University. If you do not find a course listed, you can submit an evaluation request along with a course syllabus at the Transfer Course Evaluation Request Form.