Policies

Academic Policies

PROGRAM FEES

Students must pay all fees before the program begins. Students who do not pay on time will not be able to attend classes. If you have questions about this policy, please contact our Finance Department: pay-international@usc.edu

LEVEL PLACEMENT

All new students are required to attend two days of orientation which will include an English Placement Exam. If you do not test during the scheduled placement test period, you will be charged a $100 late testing fee for individual placement testing. Pre-Master’s and Master’s Preparation students are waived from the English Placement Exam by submitting an official TOEFL or IELTS or PTE Academic Test Score Report by the application deadline. During the first few days of classes you will take diagnostic tests and your English ability will be carefully observed to be sure your placement is correct.

CLASS CHANGES STUDENTS IN THE INTENSIVE ENGLISH PROGRAM

New students may submit a Placement Reevaluation Form during the first week. Requests are reviewed carefully. Placement decisions are based on class performance, English ability, and test results. Placement changes are made for language reasons only. We do not make changes to class schedules because of classroom location, teacher preference, or class time. Continuing students are not eligible for a placement review. Level changes will be made based on your performance during the first few days of class.

STUDENTS IN THE PRE-MASTER’S & MASTER’S PREPARATION PROGRAM

Students in the Pre-Master’s and Master’s Preparation programs will move up in level by successfully completing coursework and maintaining a B average. A Placement Reevaluation Form will not be accepted for any Pre-Master’s or Master’s Preparation students. New students that do not meet the expectations of the level will meet with their Program Advisors to draft up a study plan. Master’s Preparation and Pre-Master’s advising provides students with the support they need to complete their programs successfully. Advisors meet with students to assess academic progress during pivotal parts of the term, starting with a mandatory initial meeting. As a result of these meetings advisors provide resources and personalized individual tutoring as needed. Outside of advisor initiated contact, students are encouraged to contact their advisor and setup meetings throughout the term.

FOCUS SKILLS COURSES

Focus Skills courses run for seven weeks. You will not be able to change your Focus Skills Course during the first seven weeks. At the end of seven weeks, you may change your Focus Skills course if you pass the course with a grade of “C” or higher.

Pre-Master’s students:

  • If you are required to take the GRE or GMAT courses, you will be enrolled in these courses and may not be able to change until you achieve the required score for admissions to your department.
  • All new students must take the Academic Integrity course for seven weeks in their first semester.

PROBLEMS IN CLASS

If you have a problem with your class, homework assignments, teacher, or attendance, you should first talk to your teacher. In America, people prefer that one is direct and honest with them. If you and your teacher are unable to agree on a solution, you should talk to your Program Advisor.

ATTENDANCE

Students are expected to attend every class every day. Students who are absent too often will be warned in writing that they must attend class or risk being dismissed from the school and being out of status with SEVIS. Students who are absent more than 20% of Academy courses are not awarded a certificate of completion.

IF YOU ARE ABSENT OR LATE TO CLASS

  • By five to fifteen minutes: you will be marked absent for half an hour (30 minutes). If you are more than fifteen minutes to an hour (60 minutes) late you will be marked absent for one hour.
  • If later than that, you will be marked absent for the entire class.
  • If the total hours of absence reach 20% of class time at any point in the semester, you will be placed on probation.
  • If a student who is on probation continues to miss or be late for classes, the student will be dismissed from the language program and his/her I-20 will be terminated.

NOTIFY YOUR INSTRUCTOR

It is a student’s responsibility to notify an instructor in the event of an absence for any class.

  • Notify your instructor BEFORE class that you will be absent.
  • Find out what you missed.
  • Check with your classmates or instructor to find out what the homework is.
  • Make sure you are prepared for the next class.
  • If you anticipate being sick more than one day, please notify your instructors and your advisor.
  • Students should complete all assignments by the deadline given. In the U.S., it is a student’s responsibility to make sure they understand what an assignment requires and to check the deadline for an assignment. If you are not sure, please ask your instructor before the deadline.
  • Students who are unable to submit assignments as the result of illness, should notify their instructor, as soon as they know that they will be absent from class. Make up work or permission to turn in work late is at the instructor’s discretion.
  • Certain scheduled assignments such as group or live presentations, debates, quizzes, tests and final exams may not be taken early or turned in late. Limited exceptions may be made by the instructor in emergencies/cases of hospitalization or COVID-19 illness.
  • For other missed assignments (such as homework, in-class assignments, and papers) allowing late or make up work is at the instructor’s discretion. Work may be excused in some cases due to illness (e.g. COVID-19).
  • As a general guideline, instructors may accept late work up to two weeks after the original deadline to complete an assignment at their discretion. Late work will NOT be accepted more than two weeks after a deadline. (Exceptions are only made for hospitalization.)

LATE ARRIVAL

Students are expected to arrive on time and submit full tuition payment for their studies by the start date of their program. Per Terms & Conditions, students cannot join classes after the 5th day of the program. In exceptional, rare situations, students may receive a special written permission from the program advisor to start classes after the 5th day but before the end of Week 2 of the program. Late arrivals are permitted up to the end of Week 2 of a study program. After Week 2, only cases with extenuating circumstances will be considered for enrollment. All other late arrivals will need to defer
their enrollment to the next available term. Any student who arrives after a program’s start date needs to be aware of the following:

Pre-Master’s and Master’s Prep Programs: The student will not be exempted from classwork and attendance for the days they were not enrolled in classes and is expected to make up missed work as soon as they are able to join the class. Please note: some missed work may not be possible to make up (e.g. graded discussions)

Intensive English Program: Students may be exempt from completing missed assignments that cannot be made up (e.g., speaking test, first unit test); late arriving students should communicate with their teacher on their first day in class and find out what tasks can be made up. Important: It is not possible to make up “attendance”; students are required to attend 80% of their classes.

ATTENDANCE PROBATION

Students who have too many absences are put on probation. Students on probation are in serious danger of losing their full-time student visa status.

In order to maintain full-time student visa status with the university, a student who is on probation must attend all classes and improve attendance.

Students who meet the requirements of their probation and who finish the semester in good standing are allowed to register for the next semester. Those who fail to improve their attendance will be dismissed from the program without refund, will lose their full-time status, will need to leave USC housing, and will not be allowed to register for the next semester.

Students who are absent more than 20% are automatically considered “out of status.” Students who are out of status will not be allowed to enroll again at the Academy.

Students starting any term on probation may be dropped from the program and their I-20 may be terminated if they don’t attend all scheduled classes. Once an I-20 is terminated, students need to leave the U.S.

ACADEMIC DISRUPTIONS

Students must follow the student code of conduct at USC. In the American higher education system, instructors expect students to listen, pay attention, follow directions and to refrain from using cell phones unless directed to do so. A student is considered disruptive when they engage in behaviors which interfere in a significant way with normal teaching activities. These behaviors may include: arriving late and talking, talking while the instructor is talking, asking inappropriate questions that interrupt the flow of class, persistently calling or interrupting an instructor’s office hour/work, showing verbally or physically abusive behavior, or sending threatening email.

If you are observed to cause an academic disruption in a live or online class: Your instructor will give you a warning, explain the behavior that is disruptive and ask you to stop. If you continue this behavior, the instructor may ask you to leave class or refer you to speak to your academic advisor. All academic disruptions will be documented. In the case of violent or threatening behavior, campus police may be called (if in-person).

MISSED WORK

Students should complete all assignments by the deadline given. In the U.S., it is a student’s responsibility to make sure they understand what an assignment requires and to check the deadline for an assignment. If you are not sure, please ask your instructor before the deadline.

Students who are unable to submit assignments, as the result of illness, should notify their instructor, as soon as they know that they will be absent from class. Make up work or permission to turn in work late is at the instructor’s discretion. Certain scheduled assignments such as group or live presentations, debates, quizzes, tests and final exams may not be taken early or turned in late. Limited exceptions may be made by the instructor in emergencies/cases of hospitalization. For other missed assignments (such as homework, in-class assignments, and papers) allowing late or make up work is at the instructor’s discretion. Work may be excused in some cases due to illness (e.g. COVID-19). As a general guideline, instructors may accept late work up to two weeks after the original deadline to complete an assignment at their discretion. Late work will NOT be accepted more than two weeks after a deadline. (Exceptions are only made for hospitalization.)


Grades & Recognition

GRADES

At the end of each semester (Pre-Master’s and Master’s Prep) or session (Intensive English Program, IEP), USC International Academy students receive final grades which represent their achievement of the learning objectives for each course. Students are expected to make satisfactory progress in their program by earning passing grades for all courses.

PASSING GRADES

In order to pass a course, students must earn a B grade (83%) or higher in core classes, and a C grade (73%) or higher in focus skills and project-based courses.

  • Intensive English Program: To be promoted to the next level, you must pass all core classes. In general, a student is allowed to repeat a level only twice.
  • Pre-Master’s & Master’s Preparation: If you do not pass one or both core classes, you will have to repeat the entire level the next semester. In general, a student is allowed to repeat each level only once.

PRE-MASTER’S GRADE POLICY

Pre-Master’s students must pass all their classes and maintain an overall B grade point average in order to successfully meet the conditional requirements of their USC admission offer. Pre-Master’s students must also meet any other requirement set by their university department (e.g. GRE score) before they can successfully progress into their graduate program.

GRADE POINT AVERAGE (GPA)

Students will receive a grade report which lists the final grade received in each course and the student’s overall grade point average (GPA).

ACADEMIC RECOGNITION

The Academy chooses several students each term to be recognized with an “Outstanding Student” award. These students have perfect attendance and grades (As) in their program.

ACADEMIC PROBATION

When a student has failing grades at the end of a term, the student may be placed on academic probation. Academic probation is a university warning system designed to alert a student that he/she has a GPA or grade performance that is lower than the program requirement. Students on academic probation are required to meet with their Program Advisors at the International Academy.

Students are expected to make sufficient progress in their language studies as required by their student visa. When a student on academic probation completes a term with passing grades, the academic probation status is removed.

Pre-Master’s and Master’s Preparation Program

  • If a student does not pass a level after 14 weeks of study, the student is placed on academic probation.
  • The student will have one more 14-week term to demonstrate they can pass the level.
  • If the student does not pass the level after two semesters of study, the student may be asked to leave or transfer.

Intensive English Program

  • If a student does not pass a level after two 7-week terms of study, the student is placed on academic probation.
  • The student will have one more 7-week term to demonstrate they can pass at least one of the required core classes.
  • If the student is not able to pass one of their core classes after 21 weeks of study, the student may be asked to leave or transfer.