Registrar's Office

Taking Courses Elsewhere

In special circumstances, students may be permitted to take courses at other colleges and have the credit transferred to Rhode Island College. Students need to file an Authorization of Credit Form with the Registrar's Office before pursuing credit. Students are required to receive permission from the department chair of the course subject they plan to complete at the other institution. Example: A student would like to take BIOL 348 at CCRI, the student will need a signed Authorization of Credit form from the Biology department chair. 

Upon completion of the course, the student will need to have the college where the course was completed, send an official transcript to the Registrar's Office at records@ric.edu. Students need to achieve a grade of C or better in the course in order for RIC to accept the transfer credits. 

Authorization of Credit Form

Making a Change

Students looking to make changes to their curriculum should first start with the department of the major or minor you are choosing. For most cases, the department has the ability to add the major or minor. If you would like to remove a major or minor, you need to fill out the Change of Major/Minor Form. The form will need to be turned in to the Registrar's Office for processing.

How to Request Official and Unofficial Transcripts

Steps to Withdraw From the College

We are sorry you are considering an official withdrawal from the college. If you wish to speak to someone before making a final decision, please contact the Dean of Students Office.

When a student requests to leave the college or transfer to another institution, the student will be asked to complete a College Withdrawal Form and will be required to indicate on the form the reason for withdrawal and the expected date of return. The form will require logging in with the student’s username (ex. RICStudent_1234) and password in order to make an official request.

The student will be provided with the terms of the policy and the necessary steps for return. The student will then meet or speak with Financial Aid to review the effects that the student’s withdrawal has on their financial aid and loan repayment, if applicable. 

Please Note: Students who withdraw from the college, attend another institution and then wish to return to RIC will need to formally apply for readmission to the college through the Admissions Office.

The Registrar's Office has a notification process for reporting the approval of a leave of absence to the following: the department chair, advisor, the student’s professors and any other relevant offices. The Registrar's Office will also place a notation and hold in the student’s MyRIC account. The student must contact the Registrar's Office (records@ric.edu) to request that the hold be lifted upon return. It may be necessary for the student to meet with additional college personnel, including their academic advisor, to register for courses.

The effective date of the withdrawal used for calculating the student’s bill and any refunds will be the date the form is submitted by the student to the Registrar's Office. Please see the college’s refund policy for more information.

Considerations

Withdrawing from all courses may impact financial aid, housing, health insurance, meal plans, veteran benefits, visa status, campus services, athletic status, and academic progress.

Related Offices

• Financial Aid
• Bursar
• Residential Life and Housing
• Military Resource Center
• Unity Center/International Student Resources
• Health Services

Course Requirements

Substitution and waivers of course requirements may be submitted to the Registrar's Office. Your Department Chair must approve the substitution or waiver. Once the form is approved, you will see notation on your academic advisement transcript. 

Course Substitution Form

Family Education Rights and Privacy Act

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99) is a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education.

The term "education records" is defined as those records that contain information directly related to a student and which are maintained by a school or by a party acting for the school. Under FERPA, a school is not generally required to maintain particular education records or education records that contain specific information. Rather, the school is required to provide certain privacy protections for those education records that it does maintain. Also, unless there is an outstanding request by a student to inspect and review education records, FERPA permits the school to destroy such records without notice to the student.

FERPA affords students at Rhode Island College (the “College”) certain rights with respect to their education records. These rights include:

Under FERPA, a school is not generally required to maintain particular education records or education records that contain specific information. Rather, a school is required to provide certain privacy protections for those education records that it does maintain. Also, unless there is an outstanding request by an eligible student to inspect and review education records, FERPA permits the school to destroy such records without notice to the student.

• The right to inspect and review the student's education records within 45 days after the day the College receives a request for access. A student should submit to the Registrar's Office a written request that identifies the record(s) the student wishes to inspect. The Registrar's Office will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected. Written requests should be submitted to:
  
  Registrar's Office
  Rhode Island College
  600 Mount Pleasant Ave
  Providence, RI 02908
  records@ric.edu​
• The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the student believes are inaccurate, misleading or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy rights under FERPA. A student who wishes to ask the College to amend a record should submit a written request to the Registrar's Office, clearly identify the part of the record the student wants changed, and specify why it should be changed. If the College decides not to amend the record as requested by the student, the College will notify the student of the decision and the student’s 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.
• The right to provide written consent before the College discloses personally identifiable information (PII) from the student's education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent. (For more information, see the section below entitled “Disclosure of Education Records.”)
• The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the College to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the office that administers FERPA is:
  
  Family Policy Compliance Office
  U.S. Department of Education
  400 Maryland Avenue, SW
  Washington, DC 20202

Disclosure of Education Records

Under FERPA, the College may not generally disclose personally identifiable information from an student's education records to a third party, including parents, unless the student has provided written consent. The signed and dated written consent must specify the records that may be disclosed, state the purpose of the disclosure, and identify the party or class of parties to whom the disclosure may be made. When a disclosure is made, if a student so requests, the College will provide the student with a copy of the records disclosed.

However, FERPA allows schools to disclose those records, without consent, to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A “school official” is defined as a person employed by the College in an administrative, supervisory, academic, research or support staff position (including law enforcement unit personnel and health staff); a person serving on the board of trustees; or a student serving on an official committee such as a disciplinary or grievance committee. Other individuals who may be considered school officials include volunteers or contractors outside of the College who perform an institutional service of function for which the College would otherwise use its own employees and who is under the direct control of the College with respect to the use and maintenance of PII from education records, such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent or a student volunteering to assist another school official in performing that official’s tasks. A school official typically has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill professional responsibilities for the College.

Additionally, FERPA allows schools to disclose records, including PII, without consent, to the following parties or under the following conditions:

• To officials of another school where the student seeks or intends to enroll, or where the student is already enrolled if the disclosure is for purposes related to the student’s enrollment or transfer, subject to the requirements of FERPA.
• To authorized representatives of the U. S. Comptroller General, the U.S. Attorney General, the U.S. Secretary of Education, or state and local educational authorities, such as a state postsecondary authority that is responsible for supervising the College’s state-supported education programs. Disclosures under this provision may be made, subject to the requirements of FERPA, in connection with an audit or evaluation of federal- or state-supported education programs, or for the enforcement of or compliance with federal legal requirements that relate to those programs. These entities may make further disclosures of PII to outside entities that are designated by them as their authorized representatives to conduct any audit, evaluation, or enforcement or compliance activity on their behalf.
• In connection with financial aid for which the student has applied or which the student has received, if the information is necessary to determine eligibility for the aid, determine the amount of the aid, determine the conditions of the aid, or enforce the terms and conditions of the aid.
• To organizations conducting studies for, or on behalf of, the College, in order to: (a) develop, validate, or administer predictive tests; (b) administer student aid programs; or (c) improve instruction.
• To accrediting organizations to carry out their accrediting functions.
• To parents of a student if the student is a dependent for IRS tax purposes.
• To comply with a judicial order or lawfully issued subpoena.
• To the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) for the purpose of allowing the INS to determine a student’s nonimmigrant status, provided that the student has signed Form I-20 and thereby provided consent to the release of educational information for this purpose.
• To appropriate officials in connection with a health or safety emergency, subject to FERPA.
• To a victim of an alleged perpetrator of a crime of violence or a non-forcible sex offense, subject to the requirements of FERPA. The disclosure may only include the final results of the disciplinary proceeding with respect to that alleged crime or offense, regardless of the finding.
• To the general public, the final results of a disciplinary proceeding, subject to the requirements of FERPA, if the College determines the student is an alleged perpetrator of a crime of violence or non-forcible sex offense and the student has committed a violation of the school’s rules or policies with respect to the allegation made against the student.
• To parents of a student regarding the student’s violation of any federal, state, or local law, or of any rule or policy of the College, governing the use or possession of alcohol or a controlled substance if the College determines the student committed a disciplinary violation and the student is under the age of 21.

Additionally, the College may disclose, without consent, the following "directory" information about the student:

Students have the right to refuse to allow any or all such information about the student to be designated as directory information. Students can log in to My.RIC and update their FERPA restrictions for directory information. Otherwise, students must notify the Registrar's Office in writing of such a request.

The College maintains a record in the student’s file listing to whom personally identifiable information was disclosed and the legitimate interests the party or parties had in obtaining the information. This does not apply to school officials with a legitimate educational interest or to directory information.

Practical Application

When a student comes to meet with a faculty member and brings parents the student should provide written approval to include parents, otherwise the parents can wait outside the office.

• Parents who call cannot be given information without the student's written consent.
• Papers cannot be left in a pile to be picked up by students.
• Grades cannot be posted on a list that includes identifying information.
• If you have any questions contact the Registrar's Office at 401-456-8213.

Why Voting is Important

Voting is fundamental to our democracy. Unfortunately, and all too often, the importance of this single act is ignored, especially by our youth. In 2016, over 469,000 Rhode Islanders made their voices heard by casting their vote in the general election, but just 26% of those aged 18-24 voted. It is imperative to engage our next generation in the civic process. The Higher Education Amendment of 1998 requires all universities, including RIC, to provide students with the opportunity to register to vote and access to voter information.

For Rhode Island Residents

Rhode Island residents can go to vote.ri.gov as their one stop shop for elections information. Eligible voters can:

• register to vote online
• update voter information
• find their local polling place, preview a sample ballot, and view their elected officials

There are three ways to vote in Rhode Island:

• vote with a mail ballot
• vote early with an emergency mail ballot
• vote at the polls on election day

The RI Department of State also developed the Voter Information Center, a peer to peer video guide to voting in RI.

For Out of State Residents

Out of state residents can also learn about how to request mail ballots in their home states.

If you are an out-of-state resident who wants to register to vote in Rhode Island, it is recommended to speak with the RIC financial aid office to make sure doing so does not impact your financial aid. For more information on this topic,​ please email elections@sos.ri.gov​.​