Spring 2021 > Academic Policies and Procedures > Temporary Policies

Temporary Policies

Program Modality and Transcript Disclosure

Program Modality

Due to the current COVID-19 outbreak, the University has moved most of the on-ground courses into a distance education modality. However, as soon as the COVID-19 circumstanceschange, students will be expected to return on campus to complete their program on- site in the regular learning modality as approved by WSCUC and outlined in the university catalog. As thesituation evolves, the University will continue to communicate to students the expected return date to their campus to complete their program on-site.   

Temporary Modification to Admission Requirements

Due to the current COVID-19 outbreak WCU has temporarily modified its admissions requirements. ATI TEAS/HESI AI entrance exam and composite score based on entrance examination and cumulative GPA requirements will not be required for entrance into BSN, LVN/LPN to BSN and BSDH programs.  However, students will be conditionally accepted and are required to take and pass ATI TEAS/HESI AI entrance exam in order to progress and to be allowed entrance into the program's core courses.  Students will be allotted five (5) attempts to be proficient on the TEAS exam, at which point student will be dismissed from the University and be responsible for all tuition charges incurred. Students who do not meet this requirement will be dismissed from the university.  If the COVID-19 situation changes these conditionally accepted students could be offered an opportunity to take the ATI TEAS/HESI AI exam on campus prior to their start in order to be fully accepted into WCU if they are able to demonstrate the required exam proficiency for the program.  Please review the program specific admission requirements under Admissions section of the catalog for specific GPA and Composite scores requirements that incorporate ATI TEAS/HESI AI exam results.  

The changes outlined below are effective March 26, 2020 for the following start dates:

California campuses – June 15, 2020 and August 24, 2020

Texas and Florida – April 6, 2020 and June 15, 2020 and August 24, 2020 starts

Applicants for any starts not listed above will be required to take ATI TEAS/HESI AI on campus prior to being admitted into the program. All applicants are still required to meet the admissions requirement for their program.  

Temporary Modification to the Add/Drop Policy

The Add/Drop period begins at the start of a term and ends on the second Tuesday. During this period, students may add or drop classes. Courses dropped during this period will not appear on students’ transcripts nor be included in evaluating Satisfactory Academic Progress. Students dropping all classes will be treated as a withdrawal from the University.

Please note, the University will automatically withdraw a student from any course(s) in which he or she is registered and for which attendance has not occurred by the end of the Add/Drop period.  Programs and courses may have specific attendance requirements that supersede this policy.  Students dropping a course(s) within the MSOT or DPT programs will be withdrawn from the University.  Please refer to the programmatic section of the catalog and to your programmatic handbook for more information.  

New students may be admitted during this period provided they attend at least one scheduled class during the Add/Drop period.  Students will not be admitted after the Add/Drop period without approval from the campus Executive Director and the applicable program Dean/Chair.  

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and limited availability of clinical sites, students may transfer between sections of the same course within the term after the add/drop period ends. Student may not transfer to a different course nor add a new course to their existing schedule.

Note:  For information regarding adjustments to institutional charges, please see the Refunds for Dropped Courses policy in the "Financial Aid > Withdrawal and Refund Policies" section of this catalog.  

Withdraw COVID-19 Grade Policy

The "WC" grade is a special withdrawal designation used during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Students who are unwilling or unable to complete a course as scheduled due to the COVID-19 virus may be issued a "WC" grade.  "WC" grades are not calculated into a student's Grade Point Average (GPA) or completion rate.  Additional information regarding this special designation can be obtained from the Registrar's Office.  

Accommodating Students Whose Enrollment is Disrupted by Coronavirus

WCU will make every reasonable effort to accommodate students and help them continue their education despite interruptions caused by COVID-19. Due to campus and clinical site closures, all academic programs were transitioned to online delivery effective March 17, 2020, and clinical partners displaced clinical rotations.  However, as soon as the COVID-19 circumstances change, students will be expected to return to campus to complete their didactic courses on- site in the regular learning modality and to resume scheduled clinical rotations as approved by WSCUC and outlined in the university catalog.  Under guidance posted by the Department of Education on 3/5/20, WCU may make exceptions to offer courses to students on a schedule that would otherwise be considered a non-standard term, if doing so enables those students to complete the term.  The Department of Consumer Affairs and the CA Board of Registered Nursing have approved waivers to permit students to complete required clinical practice hours through a combination of direct care hours (telenursing, volunteer service) and non-direct care hours (simulation, skills, and other virtual experiences).  However, the campuses have been challenged to meet the clinical hours, even with the waivers.

West Coast University – Ontario students have been displaced from direct care hours earlier in the term.  However, WCU was contacted by its health care partners to ask for assistance by allowing WCU-Ontario students to vaccinate frontline workers during the holiday break originally scheduled for the Fall II 2020 term,(December 21-January 3) and also the week prior to the Spring I 2021 term (January 18-24, 2021) for NURS498L-ext.  This permits the students to make up missed hours, stay on track to graduate, and serve the Inland Empire.  As a result, we have modified our normal academic calendar for the Fall II 2020 term and Spring 1 2021 term so that the clinical hours worked during this time frame can be appropriately included.