» Academic Information for International Students

Incoming First Year Students

All incoming first year students have an advising requirement that must be fulfilled prior to course registration. Advising information will be mailed to new students between May and June, at which time students can call the Academic Advising Center at (714) 744-7959 to RSVP for a group advising session. Another option if you are not in the local area is to complete the online advising tutorial. Your academic advisor will review courses for your major and the General Education program. 

Online Advising for First Year Students

An online tutorial will be available for those students who are out of the local area, or who are comfortable receiving important information in an electronic manner. The tutorial will cover all of the same information as the in-person workshops. Follow-up phone appointments with an advisor, or email options, will be available for students who have additional questions. The tutorial will be available for students around the beginning of June on the Academic Advising website.

Transfer Students

Every transfer student has taken a unique pathway to arrive at Chapman. Be sure to schedule an appointment with your Academic Advisor to review your program evaluation and plan your coursework accordingly.

You will register for your courses using a student portal called my.chapman.edu. Your student portal also has other important information regarding your academics and finances at Chapman. Review course registration information for new, transfer, and graduate students.

• First Year Undergraduate Students
  • Registration for classes will occur the summer prior to your start here at Chapman. Follow the First-Year Student Checklist to track important dates leading up to the start of classes.
  • Be mindful of dates for Academic Advising and Registration in June and July.
• Graduate Students
  • The Program Director of your Academic Department will assist you with registration and your program plan. Be sure to contact your Academic Department directly.
  • View graduate student registration information.

 Steps to Register:

1. Undergraduate Students: Complete the math placement test if necessary. All students who have not been waived out of Math 98/99 based on SAT scores will be required to take the online math placement exam. You can check for Math 98/99 waivers on your my.Chapman.edu student portal through your program evaluation. Select a math course. If you are placed in Math 98 or 99, it is required that you enroll in these courses in your first term, and that you complete these courses before the end of your first year at Chapman. If you place into Math 104 or GE Math, you are not required to take math in your first semester, although it is recommended. 
2. Determine your assigned registration date by logging in to your my.Chapman.edu, and clicking on “Student Center.” Registration dates are randomly assigned, and CANNOT BE CHANGED. You can register any time on or after your assigned date. Dates will be assigned and available in your student portal in early June. 
3. Build and validate your preferred schedule with the Shopping Cart located in your My.Chapman.edu Student Center. TIP: Fill your shopping cart with the classes you want prior to your registration date.
4. Register for courses on or after your assigned registration date/time using courses listed in your Shopping Cart.

Time Expected for Each Course

You can expect to spend the same number of hours completing homework and assignments as you spend hours in the classroom. For example, if you are taking a three credit course you can expect to spend three hours a week in the course and three hours a week completing homework and assignments for that course.

Course Load

During regular semesters students may enroll in up to 18 credits. Enrollment in 18.5 credits or more, including coursework concurrently enrolled at other institutions, requires at least a 3.0 Chapman grade point average, completion of a minimum of 15 credits of graded coursework at Chapman, and approval from an academic advisor. A maximum of 21 credits during a regular semester may be taken, including coursework concurrently enrolled at other institutions. Additional tuition is charged for registration in more than 18 credits taken at Chapman. During interterm sessions, students may take a maximum of four credits.

NOTE: Any coursework taken at another institution placing a student in an overload status which is not reported may nullify standard transfer of credit policy. Contact the Office of the Registrar regarding concurrent course approval processes.

Students admitted provisionally or who are currently on Chapman Academic Probation may enroll in no more than a total of 16 credits per semester at Chapman and/or concurrently at other institutions.

TIP: For your first semester at Chapman we would recommend having 12 credits or 15 credits if you participated in AP/IB in high school. This allows you to have more free time to explore the university and everything it has to offer.

Graduation Requirements

To receive a Chapman University diploma, undergraduate students must earn 120 credits. If you were to divide this by four years it would come out to 31 credits a year. This means that you should be taking about 15 credits a semester. If you are unable to complete the 15 credits a semester you also have the option to take up to 4 credits during the interterm session, which is between the fall and spring semester. Interterm is at no additional cost and is already built into your tuition.

Add/Drop

Students may add or drop courses during the add/drop period stated in the academic calendar (see Academic Calendar section in the catalog) either via the My.Chapman.edu student portal or in person at the Office of the Registrar, depending upon course requirements or restrictions. Courses dropped during the add/drop period will not have a record of enrollment on the student’s academic transcript. Being placed by an instructor on the course roll does not constitute being officially registered for the course. Students can officially register only through the My.Chapman.edu student portal or at the Office of the Registrar. After the semester/term add deadline, students may not attend courses without being officially enrolled in the course. Students adding a course after the first week of the term must get the instructor’s approval signature in order to register for the course.

Course Withdrawal

Students who officially withdraw from a course between the third and the tenth week of a regular term (see Academic Calendar for interterm and summer deadlines) will receive a non-punitive notation of “W” on their transcripts indicating the withdrawal. Students cannot drop a course after the tenth week of a regular semester (see Academic Calendar for interterm and summer deadlines). It is the student’s responsibility to officially withdraw from a course or all courses. Failure to attend a course does not constitute a withdrawal. Students who stop attending courses without officially withdrawing will receive a grade of “FW” (failure to withdraw) which is calculated as an “F” grade.

Administrative Drop

Students who do not attend the first class meeting of a course in which they are registered may be administratively dropped, unless they make arrangements with the instructor prior to the first day of class. Students should contact the instructor if a possible error has been made regarding an administrative drop.

Grades and corresponding grade points follow:

Students dropping a course in the prescribed manner after the add/drop period and on or before the final day to withdraw from a course (as stated in the Academic Calendar section) will receive a “W” grade.

The “FW” grade is assigned to students who cease attending part way through the semester but who do not officially withdraw via the My.Chapman.edu student portal or the Office of the Registrar. “FW” is computed in the grade point average as an “F.” Students who take a course Pass/No Pass and cease attending part way through the semester and fail to officially withdraw will receive an “FW” grade.

Helpful Links

• Online Academic Advising Tutorial
• Transcript Requests
• Program Evaluation Reference Guide

Pass/No Pass

Undergraduates may take up to six semester credits per year on a Pass/No Pass basis, excluding interterm courses and courses offered only on a Pass/No Pass basis. Students should consult with the department chair regarding the choice of “P/NP” grading for courses in the major. Certain courses require letter grades only, while certain courses allow only Pass/No Pass as the grading option. Such restrictions are noted in the course description.

After initial registration in a course, in order to change the grading basis (e.g., to “P/NP”) students must submit a registration form to the Office of the Registrar by the end of the 10th week for fall and spring semesters (see Academic Calendar for corresponding dates for interterm and summer semesters). Changes in grading basis cannot be done via the my.chapman.edu student portal. Once a course is graded students cannot request a change in grading option.
A student who satisfactorily completes a “P/NP” course will receive a “P” grade. Credit will be granted, however no grade points are assigned, and it is not computed in the grade point average. “P” grades are equivalent to a “C” grade or higher.

A grade of “NP” (no pass) will be given when the requirements for credit in the course have not been satisfied at the level of “C” or higher. “NP” grades are given for “C-” and below. No credit is granted, no grade points are assigned, and the “N/P” is not computed in the grade point average.

Students who take a course as Pass/No Pass and stop attending part way through the semester, without officially withdrawing from the course will receive an “NP” grade. Please see individual course syllabi to confirm their requirements.

Student Disability Services

Students with disabilities may register with the university’s Disability Services for accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. It is the responsibility of the student requesting accommodations to make these needs known in a timely fashion and to provide recent documentation and evaluations as required. The granting of any accommodation will not be retroactive and cannot jeopardize the academic standards or integrity of the course. Services may include extended test time, note–takers, readers, advocacy, etc. Information about services, academic modifications or documentation requirements can be obtained from Disability Services or by calling (714) 516-4520. You can also view the non–discrimination policy in the general information section of the university catalog.

Chapman University highly emphasizes honest and authentic student work. Students are responsible for doing their own work. Be sure to know the negative results for not following the Academic Integrity Policy. Academic dishonesty of any kind can result in consequences, including expulsion.

1. Important Guidelines For Students
   Students should strictly avoid any appearance of academic dishonesty. This includes, but is not limited to: joking to others about cheating, permitting others to cheat off them, talking during examinations, plagiarizing, fabrication or falsification of information or forging documents. Students should keep their eyes on their own exams during examinations and protect their exams from the view of others.
2. Students should be aware and adhere to instructor guidelines for projects, papers and exam situations including use of appropriate citations. This includes the extent of independent and collaborative work allowed for an assignment. All electronic devices (cellular phones, tablets and computers) should be turned off and placed completely out of sight during test situations, unless otherwise directed by the instructor.
3. Academic dishonesty can take a number of forms:
   • Plagiarism: Using the words, research findings or ideas of another person as your own in any academic exercise.
   • Cheating: Using or attempting to use unauthorized assistance, information or study aids in any academic exercise.
   • Fabrication: The invention of any information or citation in an academic exercise.
   • False Academic Records: Misrepresenting, tampering with or attempting to alter any university academic document, either before or after coming to Chapman University

Students who discover an apparent violation of this policy should report the matter to the instructor of record or if the instructor is not known or unavailable, to the Vice President of Student Affairs/Dean of Students.

For more information, visit Chapman's Academic Integrity Policies