Incoming students are assigned to First Year Program advisors who will also be their instructors for the First Year Experience (FYE) course that all freshmen have to take. Freshmen will be asked to declare their majors during their second semester. Once students have declared their majors, they will be assigned to a faculty advisor in the department of their major.
All students must complete a Major Application to be considered officially declared in their major. You will need to have your current advisor sign this application, then take the form to the chair of the department for your major. The chair will sign the form and assign you to a departmental advisor. You must then take the signed form to the registrar's office for final processing. Students who are undecided about their major should discuss their choice with their advisor or they can come to the Center for Advising and Student Achievement (CASA) to get assistance in coming to an informed decision about selecting a major. Once they have come to a decision about their major they will be instructed to complete the major application. Some departments have specific requirements that must be fulfilled in order to declare their majors; for example, students planning to go into nursing will be assigned to pre-major advisors in that department, but will not be officially declared until they have met all the requirements.
Major Applications are available in the Center for Advising and Student Achievement (CASA) located in Wright Hall, or in the registrar's office located on the 1st floor of Lincoln Hall. The application can also be downloaded from the Registrar’s Website. Students should take this application to their assigned advisor to begin the process for officially declaring a major.
All incoming freshman and transfer students are scheduled for an appointment with their assigned advisor during New Student Orientation to complete their schedule. However, after students are admitted they may not register until they pay their admissions deposit and are moved to student status in the system. Incoming freshmen must also take placement tests to determine their level in English and math. Advisors will schedule students for their first semester classes; thereafter, students will be required to register their classes online in LU Self-Service during the mandatory registration period. However, they must meet with their advisor each semester to have their schedule approved before the advisor can remove the advisor hold to permit them to schedule online.
Be sure to check your Lincoln email frequently because that is how your advisor and the registrar will communicate with you. The registrar’s office will notify students of the dates and procedures for mandatory registration each semester. Students register according to class status: seniors and priority students (athletes, band, and Honors Program) are first, juniors are second, sophomores are third, and freshmen are last. Transfer students’ status is based on the number of credits transferred in as well as those taken at Lincoln. Athletes, band members and Honors Program students have “priority,” so they get to register in the first group with the seniors. Students are advised to make sure they do not have any other holds, such as financial, health, admissions, health or judicial, which will prevent them from registering. Check “My Restrictions” in the Student Menu in LU Self-Service so you can get any holds removed before you try to register.
Students are advised to register as soon as they are eligible in order to secure the classes they need. Popular classes fill up quickly. Registration will remain open until the end of the Add/Drop period of the next semester, but if you wait till you are off campus you will still need to contact your advisor to get the advisor hold removed.
You can only drop and add during the scheduled time to adjust your schedule each semester. This is referred to as the free add/drop period and usually ends on the Friday of the second week of classes. You cannot drop or add after the last day allowed for adding and dropping. Thereafter, you can withdraw from a class up until the “Last Day for Withdrawal from a Course” which is usually the Monday after mid-term grades are submitted. If you withdraw from a class, grade of W will appear on your transcript and the credits will count as “attempted” credits. The W grade will not be used in calculation of your GPA; however, the credits do not count as “completed” or “earned” credits. The university Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) policy requires that students complete at least 67% of attempted credits after they have completed two semesters or attempted 29 credits.
To add a class within the add/drop period, you go to “Search and Register” in your Student menu and follow the same procedure as for registration.
We strongly recommend that you do not drop or withdraw from a class without discussing it with your advisor. You need to make sure you maintain a full-time schedule of at least 12 credits or you will lose your financial aid.
In order to drop, or withdraw from a course, go to “Register and Drop Sections” in your student menu in LU Self-Service. This will bring up a list of the classes for which you are currently registered. To drop or withdraw, you click in the “Drop” box to the left of the class you wish to drop, then click “Submit.” Remember, although it says “Drop” if you do this after the end of Add/Drop, it will be a Withdraw and it will show up on your transcript as a W.
You can only drop and add during the scheduled time to adjust your schedule each semester. This is referred to as the free add/ drop period and usually ends on the Friday of the second week of classes. You cannot drop or add after the last day allowed for adding and dropping. Thereafter, you can withdraw from a class up until the “Last Day for Withdrawal from a Course” which is usually the Monday after mid-term grades are submitted. If you withdraw from a class, grade of W will appear on your transcript and the credits will count as “attempted” credits. The W grade will not be used in calculation of your GPA; however, the credits do not count as “completed” or “earned” credits. The university Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) policy requires that students complete at least 67% of attempted credits after they have completed two semesters or attempted 29 credits.
We strongly recommend that you do not drop or withdraw from a class without discussing it with your advisor. You need to make sure you maintain a full-time schedule of at least 12 credits or you will lose your financial aid.
Yes, you can come to CASA, the Center for Advising and Student Achievement. Our office hours are from 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. The center provides walk-in advising services to students who have an academic concern or emergency. CASA also provides supplemental assistance to pre-major and faculty advisors. Students are welcome to come in to inquire about the university’s Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) and other academic policies and procedures; to obtain information about majors offered at Lincoln, to obtain a major application or to discuss selection or change of major, and to inquire about taking classes off campus.
Students earning a GPA below 2.00 (C) are placed on Academic Probation. Students cannot take more than 13 credits if they are on academic probation. Also, they are not allowed to participate in sports or hold any university office until they come off probation. They must also participate in EMAP, the Early Monitoring Alert Program, which provides support services to students on probation. This program is also housed within CASA.
Yes, failure to comply with our SAP (Satisfactory Academic Progress) Policy can result in academic suspension. Basically, you must earn a minimum GPA of 1.6 when you have completed 30 - 59 credits, a GPA of 1.89 when you complete 60 – 89 credits and a GPA of 1.95 when you have completed 90 or more credits. Also, you must complete 67% of the credits you attempt. After you have completed two semesters, failure to satisfy either one of these requirements can result in academic suspension.
The Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) policy as it relates to financial aid is available at: Policy of Satisfactory Academic Progress
If you are suspended from the University for not meeting our SAP (Satisfactory Academic Progress) requirements, you can appeal your suspension. An Appeal of Suspension form (also available on the Financial Aid website) will be enclosed in the suspension letter the Financial Aid office sends you. You should mail the completed appeal back to Financial Aid by the required deadline. Thereafter the Academic Standing Committee will read your appeal and if the committee considers your reasons for lack of academic progress were due to extenuating circumstance, they may decide to overturn or revoke your suspension. If your suspension is overturned, you will be allowed to return but will be placed on progress probation. As a condition of progress probation, you will need to do an Academic Improvement Plan with your advisor and submit it to the Financial Aid office before your restriction can be removed in LU Self-Service to allow you to schedule classes. The Academic Improvement Plan is available for downloading from the Financial Aid webpage. Also, you will be required to participate in the EMAP (Early Monitoring Alert Program), a program developed to help students improve their academic performance and raise their GPA’s to the required level. If your suspension is upheld, you will not be permitted to return to campus until you satisfy conditions stipulated by the Academic Standing Committee.
Financial Aid forms are available at: http://www.lincoln.edu/departments/financial-aid/financial-aid-forms
Yes, particularly if the course is a basic course, a core requirement, or a required course in your major. The sooner you complete your basic courses, the sooner you will be able to begin taking courses in your major. Also, repeating and passing a course in which you got an F is the easiest way to raise your GPA, because the higher grade will then be used in calculating your GPA; the F will no longer be included in the calculation.
Remember, however, that the credits for the F will still be considered “attempted” credits.
Yes, as indicated in questions #7 & #9, this program is called EMAP (Early Monitoring Alert Program). It is offered by the Center for Advising and Student Achievement (CASA) on the second floor of Wright Hall. Students will be notified and told they must participate in the program if they are on academic probation or have been allowed back on progress probation after being suspended for academic reasons. The Academic Standing Committee is notified when the student does not fulfill his/her obligation to participate in the program and this can result in the student being denied another progress probation. Information about EMAP is available at: http://www.lincoln.edu/departments/center-advising-and-student-achieveme...
If you have to leave school and intend to return to complete your studies then you need to notify your instructors so that they do not assume you are absent from class. Also, it is recommended that you do this before leaving campus so that you can arrange to complete any missed assignments or tests. If it is not possible to see your instructors before you leave,
then you should contact your advisor so that he/she can notify your instructors. Also, it may be possible to appeal for I’s (incomplete grades), or W’s (withdrawals) if your departure occurs at the end of the semester. If you have no intent of returning to complete your studies, then you should contact the Registrar’s Office to officially withdraw for the semester. If you
choose to not return to the university all together, then you should also complete a withdrawal form. By taking this approach, you can avoid getting F grades for all your courses.
Most graduate and professional schools require a minimum 3.00 GPA to be considered for admission into their graduate programs. If you are planning to go to graduate school to earn a masters or higher degree, or if you are planning to go to a professional school (law, dentistry, medicine, pharmacy, etc.) it is important that you check to see what the minimum GPA requirement is for admission for the schools you are thinking of applying to. It varies from school to school In addition to earning a high GPA, you will need to take a standardized test and earn a qualifying score to be considered for admission.
They include but are not limited to the following:
For graduate schools:
For more information about graduate schools and programs go to: www.graduateschools.com or www.petersons.com/graduate-schools.aspx
For professional schools:
Typically, students take these tests in their junior year. If you do not earn a qualifying score on the test, you can take them over.
Specific guidelines on content and preparation for these tests are available in the Career Services Center, located on the third floor of Wright Hall. Also, information on coaching programs for boosting you score is available.
Also, go to www.studyguidezone.com for free resources for students and beginning professionals, and anyone else who wants to improve his or her score on a standardized test.
No, only courses you earned a C or higher grade in will transfer. Your courses will be evaluated for equivalency; and if they do not transfer in for equivalent credit, they usually transfer in as electives. Your advisor will assist you with the process for completing the Transfer Equivalencies form.
Yes, you can declare your major upon admission as long as you have satisfied the conditions for declaration.
Yes, Student Support Services make provisions for students with disabilities. Please go to their website for more information: Office of Accessibility Services.
Yes, Student Support Services also provides those services. Please go to the Student Support Services website for more information: Office of Veteran Affairs
