University Policies

Credit Hour Policy

Adler University assigns and awards credit hours that conform to commonly accepted practices in higher education and comply with federal standards. A credit hour is an amount of work represented in intended learning outcomes and verified by evidence of student achievement that is an institutionally established equivalency that reasonably approximates not less than:

• Students are expected to be in class 825 minutes per credit earned. For a one credit class, this would be 825 minutes. They are expected to be engaged in two hours of outside-of-class activities for every hour they are in class, so approximately 30 hours.
• At least an equivalent amount of work as required in paragraph (1) of this definition for other activities as established by the institution, including laboratory work, internships, practica, internship, independent study, studio work, and other academic work leading to the award of credit hours.
• Adler University operates on a semester calendar. A semester is defined as a term of 16 weeks. Instruction is scheduled over three terms: fall, spring, and summer. Standard length courses run for 15 weeks of the 16-week term. Adler University offers courses throughout the academic year in sessions of varying lengths shorter than the full semester.
• For traditional lecture-discussion and seminar courses, a one-credit-hour class meets for no less than 55 minutes per week over the course of a semester (15 weeks of instruction).

A one-credit class requires a minimum of:

• 825 minutes of contact per semester
• 30 hours of outside work per semester

A two-credit class requires a minimum of:

• 1650 minutes of contact per semester
• 60 hours of outside work per semester

A three-credit class requires a minimum of:

• 2475 minutes of contact per semester
• 90 hours of outside work per semester

Short-Term Courses: Courses offered over an abbreviated period of time will require the same amount of classroom and out-of-class work per credit hour as required of semester-long courses, with work distributed over the shorter period of time.

Practicum, Fieldwork, and Internship: These courses require the completion of an institutionally sanctioned academic activity that is equivalent to the amount of work stipulated in paragraph (1) that may occur over a different amount of time.

Online and Hybrid Courses: The expectation of contact time and student effort outside the class is the same as in traditional courses. A credit hour is an amount of work represented in intended learning outcomes and verified by evidence of student achievement that is an institutionally established equivalency that reasonably approximates not fewer than the same amount of classroom and out-of-class work per credit hour as required of semester-long courses.

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974, as amended, sets forth requirements regarding the privacy of student records and affords students certain rights with respect to their education records. Although FERPA contains exceptions for the release of “directory information” without a student’s prior written consent, students have the right to request that even such directory information be withheld from disclosure to third parties. Applicants who are not admitted to Adler University or who do not matriculate following admission have no right of access to their submitted education records.

Education records include any information or documentation that is recorded in any way, including records produced by handwriting, computer, email, audio, video, handwritten, emailed, electronic, computer, audio, and video content created or submitted by students for class assignments, among others. Educational records contain information directly related to a student and are maintained by Adler University or any party acting on its behalf. Adler University does not maintain education records in one central office. Education records are maintained in the Office of the Registrar and in the respective academic program and department offices. Other education records are maintained in Financial Aid (financial aid information), Student Accounts (financial account payment information), Student Affairs, the Office of Community Engagement, the Training Department, and other offices. Questions regarding individual student records should be directed to the appropriate department.

Adler does not release copies of students’ transcripts from other institutions. Students are encouraged to contact their previous institutions for copies of their transcripts.

FERPA provides students the following rights:

• To inspect and review educational records by submitting a written request to the Office of the Registrar. Requests can take up to 45 days. Students should submit to the Office of the Registrar, Dean, head of the academic department, or other appropriate official, written requests that identify the record(s) they wish to inspect. The Adler University official will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected. If the records are not maintained by the Adler University official to whom the request was submitted, that official shall advise the student of the correct official to whom the request should be addressed.
• To request the amendment of the student’s educational records that the student believes are inaccurate or misleading. Students may ask the University to amend records that they believe are inaccurate. The student should write the University official responsible for the record, clearly identify the part of the record they want changed and specify why it is inaccurate. If the University decides not to amend the record as requested by the student, the University will notify the student of the decision and advise the student of his or her right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the student when notified of the right to a hearing.
• To consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student’s education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent, such as directory information. One exception, which permits disclosure without consent, is disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a person employed by the University in an administrative, supervisory, academic or research, or support staff position (including law enforcement unit personnel and health staff), or a person or company with whom the University has contracted (such as an attorney, auditor, collection agent, or the National Student Clearinghouse). A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility.
• Students who believe their privacy has been violated have the right to file a written grievance with the Office of the Registrar by following the Student Complaint policy and procedures online at adler.edu.
• Students are informed of their rights under FERPA each October by the Office of the Registrar. The annual FERPA notice is located on the Office of the Registrar page on Adler Connect. For the annual notice, please go to https://connect.adler.edu/studentservices/registrar. Given the restrictions of FERPA, Adler University faculty and staff and any entity acting on behalf of Adler University should assume that all students must provide written consent that follows the format specified in FERPA before any education records may be released to anyone other than the student. Information cannot be released to any third party, including a student’s parents, relatives, and friends. Particularly sensitive information includes a student’s Social Security number, race or ethnicity, gender, nationality, academic performance, disciplinary records, and grades.

Directory Information

Certain information classified by Adler University as “directory information” may be disclosed to the public at the discretion of the appropriate Adler University representative without obtaining the student’s permission. The items classified as directory information include:

• Student’s full name
• Local and permanent addresses
• Local and permanent phone numbers
• Adler University email address
• Date and place of birth
• Enrollment status
• Major and minor field(s) of study, including the college, division, department, or program in which the student is enrolled
• Dates of attendance and graduation, and degrees received
• Previous colleges/universities attended
• Degrees earned at previous colleges/universities
• Picture

Adler University reserves the right to ask for additional information, such as a written release from a student, before releasing directory information or denying any request for directory information.

Students may restrict the release of any item of information considered directory information by submitting a written request via their Adler University email account to their campus Office of the Registrar. The decision to restrict directory information will apply to all requests for directory information from within and outside Adler University, including prospective employers. These restrictions will remain in effect until the Office of the Registrar is informed in writing to remove the restrictions.

Students may restrict the release of any item of information considered directory information by submitting a written request via their Adler University email account to their campus’s Office of the Registrar. The decision to restrict directory information will apply to all requests for directory information from within and outside Adler University, including prospective employers. These restrictions will remain in effect until the Office of the Registrar is informed in writing to remove the restrictions.

Commencement/Graduation Activities

The Degree Completion and Graduation Application signals a student is nearing completion of their degree program. By submitting the Degree Completion and Graduation Application, the student is giving permission to the University to print the following information in any Adler University graduation program and/or announce this information at any Adler University commencement ceremony: the student’s name, their Adler degree, and any other academic credentials completed by the student at Adler.

If a restriction on directory information request was previously submitted, the student’s signature and/or submission of the Degree Completion and Graduation Application temporarily releases (for graduation ceremony/ program purposes only) the directory information restrictions enacted by the student so the information can be published in any Adler University graduation program and/or announced at any Adler University commencement ceremony. In addition, the student’s signature permits Adler University to release the student’s name and address to the external photographer/ videographer vendor with whom Adler contracts and to have the vendor place graduation photographs of the student on its website. The recording of the graduation ceremony could also appear on the Adler University website and/or social media sites, including, but not limited to, YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook.

If there are questions about how the information will be used for graduation or commencement purposes, please speak with the Office of the Registrar before signing and/or submitting the Degree Completion and Graduation Application.

Records of Deceased Students

Adler University does not permit the release of education record information of a deceased student unless required by law and/or authorized by the executor of the deceased student’s estate, or parents or next of kin if an executor has not been appointed. Inquiries regarding this policy should be made to the Office of the Registrar.

Mailing Lists

Adler University does not release the names, addresses, phone numbers, or email addresses of its current or former students as mailing lists unless required to by law (i.e., the Solomon Amendment).

Additional Questions

The Office of the Registrar is the compliance office for FERPA at Adler University. If there are additional questions, please contact your campus Office of the Registrar.

Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) - Vancouver Campus

British Columbia’s Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) sets out the rules for how private sector and nonprofit organizations, such as Adler University, may collect, use, or disclose information about its students.

Adler University collects relevant personal information about its students and has processes in place to protect the privacy of these records. Student records will not be disclosed to a third party unless the student has given written consent or the request qualifies as a legal exception. To release their information to a third party, students must complete and submit the FERPA-PIPA document release form online at adler.edu.

Students have access to their academic file through the Office of the Registrar. Students who wish to see the contents of their academic file should submit a written request to the Office of the Registrar. The Office of the Registrar can take up to 30 days to respond to a student request. Students can submit correspondence to be filed in their academic file to the Office of the Registrar.

Students who believe that their privacy rights have been violated have the right to file a written complaint with the University Commissioner. The designated University Commissioner is the Vancouver Campus Executive Dean. The University Commissioner can conduct an investigation and will respond to the complaint in writing. For questions about confidentiality of records and privacy of students, please contact the Dean of the Vancouver Campus at 236.521.2401. If the concern is not resolved with the University Commissioner, students can contact the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia at [email protected].

Students with Disabilities

Adler University seeks to facilitate an environment where all students thrive academically and professionally. Disability Services within the Office of Student Affairs serves and supports students with disabilities by creating an accessible learning environment, removing barriers that may impede full participation, and fostering full inclusion across the Adler community.  

It is the policy of Adler University to offer reasonable accommodations to students with disabilities, in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the B.C. Human Rights Code. If a student with a disability wishes to receive accommodations to participate in the courses, programs, or activities offered by the University, the student may request accommodations by contacting the appropriate department listed below. The use of these services is voluntary and confidential. Students must request accommodation prior to the implementation of needed accommodation as accommodations cannot be applied retroactively. Review the University’s ADA Policy for additional information. 

Any student with disabilities, including psychological, medical, physical, visual, hearing, and learning disabilities that affect their academic experience may be eligible for reasonable accommodations and should begin the request process as follows:

Chicago and Online Campuses: Students should contact Disability Services within the Office of Student Affairs ([email protected]). Disability Services will work directly with the student to develop a reasonable accommodation plan. Disability Services will also work with faculty regarding the provision of reasonable accommodations. 

Vancouver Campus: Students seeking accommodations on the Vancouver Campus should contact the Manager, Student & Alumni Services.

Active Duty Military

Adler University will promptly readmit a service member returning from active duty with the same academic status and enrollment status, to the same program to which the student was last admitted. (If that exact program is no longer offered, the student will be admitted to the program that is most similar to the former program, unless the student requests or agrees to admission to a different program.) The student will be readmitted with the same number of credit hours completed previously (unless the student is readmitted to a different program to which the completed credit hours or clock hours are not transferable).

A student going on a military leave must give advance electronic or written notice of service to the University, and to be readmitted, a student must provide proper documentation as listed in 34 CFR 668.18 (g). For the Active Duty Military Readmission policy to apply, the cumulative length of the absence, and of all previous absences from Adler University by reason of service, cannot exceed five years. A student must apply for readmission no later than three years after the completion of the period of service (unless a student is hospitalized and recovering from injuries suffered during service). Adler is not required to readmit a student, after undertaking reasonable efforts, if it determines that the student is not prepared to resume the program at the point where the student left off.

When a student is readmitted to the same program, for the first academic year in which he or she returns, the student is eligible to be charged the tuition and fee rates that he or she was or would have been assessed for the academic year during which he or she left the University.