Northwest Mississippi Community College has a full-time staff member to help assist all veterans and others who are eligible for Veterans Administration assistance. The veterans advisor serves a vital purpose in contacting eligible persons and helping them make proper application. Also, regular communication between the veteran and this advisor is necessary while the veteran is enrolled in Northwest. Questions concerning VA benefits, programs, and regulations should be forwarded to this address:

Director of Veteran Student Affairs
Northwest Mississippi Community College
Senatobia, Mississippi 38668

Veterans' Standards of Progress

I. EXAMINATION OF RECORDS
School records and accounts pertaining to veterans and other eligible persons enrolled in Northwest Mississippi Community College are readily identifiable and available for examination by authorized representatives of the State and Federal Government.¹ The academic record of veterans includes information relative to admission, grades, cumulative absences, transcripts, as applicable. These records are located in the Office of the Registrar. The Registrar is responsible for the maintenance of these records. Records pertaining to fiscal related matters such as accounts of veterans are located in the Business Office of Northwest Mississippi Community College. The Vice-President is responsible for the maintenance of fiscal records.

All school records and accounts of veterans in attendance at Northwest are readily identifiable through the utilization of a current list of enrolled veterans which is supplied and revised by the Director of Veteran Affairs.

II. ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS
To be accepted as a student at Northwest Mississippi Community College, the following items must be on file in the Office of the Registrar prior to registration:

1. A completed application for admission,
2. An official copy of ACT scores,²
3. A complete high school and/or college transcript or GED scores, when applicable.
4. Students enrolling in career courses only, who are non-high school graduates and have not submitted GED scores, are classified as "ability to benefit" students and must take and successfully pass the Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE).

The student will be notified as to admission status as necessary information is received in the Office of Admissions and Records. When all required material is on file in the office, the applicant will be sent a Certificate of Admission which must be shown when the student begins registration.

It is the sole responsibility of the veteran to insure expeditious completion of admission requirements. Failure to provide required admission material will necessarily cause a delay in the processing and securing of financial assistance afforded eligible veterans.

III. PREVIOUS EDUCATION AND TRAINING RECORDS
Transcripts of previous education and/or training must be on file in the Office of Admissions and Records prior to the completion of an Enrollment Certificate by the Director of Veteran Affairs. Evaluation of credit earned through previous education or training will be made by the Registrar. A copy of the evaluation will be forwarded to the Director of Veteran Affairs who will report the credit accepted in the veteran's proposed major field of study. Post secondary transcripts and/or training records are attached to the permanent record card as maintained in the Office of the Registrar.³

IV. PROGRESS RECORDS
A permanent record of grades earned, absences, grade point average, and courses taken is maintained in the Office of the Registrar. The unit of credit is the semester hour. A semester hour is an hour recitation in one subject once a week for 18 weeks.

Most of the courses in the curriculum meet three hours per week and give three semester hours credit. The grading system at Northwest Mississippi Community College is as follows:

GRADE:   A   B   C   D   F

QUALITY PTS. PER SEMESTER HOUR: 4   3   2   1   0

The permanent record at Northwest Mississippi Community College does include a final grade in each course attempted each semester of attendance. A "W" grade indicates withdrawal from a course or courses. The Registrar can verify dates of withdrawal in cases where it is not recorded on the permanent record. Northwest has a uniform course numbering system; therefore, re-enrollment in subjects from which withdrawal was made is evident on the record card. Number of absences in each course for each semester is recorded on the permanent record. Veterans or eligible persons must meet the same standards of progress as outlined under "Standards of Academic Progress to Maintain Financial Aid Eligibility" in the Northwest Bulletin.. If these standards are not met during the probation period, the veteran or eligible person will not be eligible for further enrollment with VA benefits unless approved by a VA counseling psychologist. No student will be considered to have made satisfactory progress when that student withdraws from all subjects undertaken when enrolled in two or more courses.

V. ATTENDANCE RECORDS
A grade book maintained by each instructor should be an accurate record of any days absent for any student. Proper administrative officials at Northwest Mississippi Community College will communicate to all faculty the necessity of maintaining accurate attendance data on veterans and other eligible persons. When instructors send grade sheets to the Office of the Registrar at the end of each semester, cumulative absences for the semester are a part of the information reported. All students are subject to the same policy if administrative action is taken because of excessive absences.

Note: Northwest Mississippi Community College does not offer a student "leave of absence policy". If it should become necessary for a student to withdraw from his course of study during a semester, then the student must begin that semester's course of study over.

VI. CLASS ATTENDANCE POLICY
Regular class attendance is a requisite for a student's success in class and in future careers. When a student registers, that student accepts the responsibility of attending all classes and completing all class work assigned by the instructor. Beginning with the first class period, instructors will record absences at each class meeting and this information is entered in the student's permanent record. The college reserves the right to sever its relationship with any student who incurs excessive absences. A student who misses an announced test or examination shall receive a "0" on the test or examination unless the instructor deems the absence to be of a justifiable nature.

VII. TARDIES
Students are expected to be prompt in class attendance. A student is counted absent from class if he or she is later than ten minutes arriving to the class meeting. Three tardies constitute one absence.

VIII. REPORTS TO THE VETERANS ADMINISTRATION
The Director of Veteran Affairs is the Northwest official responsible for notifying the Veteran's Administration concerning drops and withdrawals of eligible veterans. Information concerning drops and withdrawals will be reported as soon as the Director of Veteran Affairs is informed. The Office of Admissions and Records will assist the Director of Veteran Affairs in connection with drops and withdrawals.

When a veteran or eligible person has completed a probation period and not earned the proper grade average, this person will be notified by Northwest Mississippi Community College that the student must secure approval from a VA counseling psychologist prior to further enrollment at Northwest Mississippi Community College.

1. Northwest, in compliance with Privacy Rights of Parents and Students (45CFR Part 99) has developed a policy concerning the privacy of student records. A copy of the policy is available in the Office of Admissions and Records.
2. In cases of unusual circumstances, a student may be permitted to enroll at Northwest before taking the ACT. The student is required however, to sit for the ACT test during the first term of enrollment.
3. Determination of post secondary transcripts which are to be attached to the permanent record card shall be based on information provided on the Application for Admission.