Academic Policies

Academic Regulations

Academic policies vary by school and degree. For school-specific information, please visit the Enrollment Bulletin.

Auditing

Undergraduates in the Blair School of Music, College of Arts and Science, School of Engineering, and Peabody, and DUS students cannot audit courses during summer sessions. There is no formal audit for regularly enrolled students in these schools.

Class Attendance

It is in the interest of every student to attend all class sessions; each student has an obligation to contribute to the academic performance of all by full participation in the work of each class. Students are therefore expected to attend all scheduled meetings of classes in which they are enrolled. At the beginning of the session, each instructor will explain the policy regarding absences, and thereafter will report to the office of the appropriate Dean the name of any student whose achievement in a course is adversely affected by excessive absences. In such cases, the Dean, in consultation with the instructor, will take appropriate action, which may include dropping the student from the class. Students dropped after the deadline for withdrawal receive the grade of F. Class attendance may be a factor in determining the final grade in a course.

The Honor System

Vanderbilt operates under the Honor System, established when the university was founded in 1873. All work submitted as a part of course requirements is presumed to be the product of the student submitting it, unless credit is given in the manner prescribed by the course instructor. All students—full-time, part-time, and visiting/transient—are subject to the policies of the Honor System. For more information, complete details are outlined in the Student Handbook.