Academic Regulations on Admissions

Assessment Testing

All students who wish to pursue a degree or certificate must be assessed. Students may retest for English and/or reading one time. Retesting in English/reading is not allowed after attending or starting English or reading classes. Students seeking a retest in mathematics must first successfully complete the appropriate noncredit review course. Retesting in mathematics is not allowed after enrollment in mathematics classes. Attempting to take an assessment test more than the approved policy allows violates the college’s Academic Integrity Policy. Any assessment test score which is found to be the result of unauthorized repeat testing will be discarded.

Class Standing (Freshman vs. Sophomore)

Students who have been admitted to the college are classified as follows: 0 to 27 credit hours earned - first-year student (freshman); 28 or more credit hours earned - second-year student (sophomore).

Hours Attempted and Earned

Hours attempted means the total number of credit hours in all the credit courses (numbered 100-299) for which students receive one of the letter grades listed under Grades and Quality Points .

Hours earned means the total number of credit hours in all the credit courses (numbered 100-299) for which students receive a letter grade of D or higher. No credit hours are earned with a grade of F or FX or a grade designator of W, WP or WF.

Each grade report shows the credit hours attempted and earned for the term. Grade reports can be accessed through the student’s MyAACC page under Self Services.

Equivalent Hours (for developmental courses)

The college offers developmental courses and some courses for which academic credit is not granted. These are known as equivalent hour courses. Hours spent in equivalent courses are not included in hours attempted, hours earned or in computation of the grade point average. They are counted in computing total course load and tuition. This means that students who are limited to a maximum number of credits may take only that total of combined credit and equivalent hours.

Placement Status Maximum Concurrent Credit Hours Limits by Session Length

The chart below documents the maximum number of credits for which a student may be concurrently enrolled based on their placement status and the length of session in which the course(s) is scheduled.

Status/Standing	13-15 Week Session	5-12 Week Session	4 Week or Less Session

English Composition Eligible	18	9	6
Provisional	13	7	4

Note: Academic standing also impacts the maximum credit hours per term.

An exception to the limitation on credit hours may be granted by an academic advisor for a student with English Composition Eligible status if the student has an adjusted cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.00 or higher that includes at least one full-time term of courses for which a GPA of 3.00 has been earned.

Credit and equivalent hours are noted near course titles in the Courses section of this catalog. Limitations on credit hours are calculated as the sum of all the credit hours and equivalent hours, for which a student registers for a given term.

Re-Enrollment/ Forgiveness of Courses/ Academic Clemency

Academic Clemency is designed to provide former Anne Arundel Community College credit students, who have not been enrolled at the college for a minimum of five years, an opportunity to return to Anne Arundel Community College without the burden of previous poor academic performance (i.e., grades of D, F or FX). Upon re-enrollment at Anne Arundel Community College after at least a 5 year absence, students who have demonstrated academic progress by completion of a minimum of 12 credits with a minimum grade of “C” in all courses attempted, may petition the Committee on Academic Standards for Academic Clemency. If the Committee on Academic Standards approves the request for Academic Clemency, the student may choose a maximum of 15 credits be forgiven based on Academic Clemency. The 15-credit clemency is intended as a one time use regulation per student. The courses will still appear on the student’s transcript, but are marked as forgiven based on Academic Clemency and not included in the adjusted grade point average. Courses that are forgiven for Academic Clemency cannot be applied towards a degree or certificate. Academic Clemency may only be granted to courses taken at Anne Arundel Community College and only to students currently enrolled at the college. The request for Academic Clemency must be approved prior to the student being awarded a degree or certificate and may be granted one time only. Developmental courses will not be considered for Academic Clemency.

Regardless of whether classes and grades are forgiven by AACC, all attempted classes and grades will be included in the calculation of Satisfactory Academic Progress and used to confirm eligibility for Financial Aid. The calculation utilizing all grades for required courses is consistent with the U.S. Department of Education Regulations. Students should consult with the Financial Aid Office regarding individual circumstances.