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Rules and Graduation Requirements

See Requirements section of the Catalogue for more details.

General Requirements:
A minimum of 128 semester credit hours, with a 2.00 cumulative grade point average. Of the 128 credit hours, 64 must be earned in residence. Seven semesters of full-time college-level study are required with four semesters, including the last one, spent on the Colby campus.

Specific Requirements:

  1. First-Year Writing: a course designated as “W1” in its description. Must be completed in the first year.
  2. Foreign language: the equivalent of three semesters of a modern language (course usually numbered 127 or higher), or a classical language (course usually numbered 131 or higher); or a qualifying exam score (see catalogue); or completion of Colby’s intensive language program in Salamanca, Spain, or Dijon, France; or for students whose native language is not English or who have studied a foreign language not taught at Colby: by presenting evidence of reading, writing, speaking, and listening at an intermediate level.
  3. Areas: one course in each of these areas – arts (A), historical studies (H), literature (L), quantitative reasoning (Q), social sciences (S); two courses in natural sciences (N), one of which must include laboratory; and two courses which deal with specific diversity issues, one as they concern the United States (U) and the other in a context outside the United States (I).
  4. January Programs: three if in residence for seven or more semesters; two if in residence for six or fewer semesters. A “Jan Plan” must be completed in the first year.
  5. Residence: a full-time student at Colby for at least four semesters (64 credits), including the last semester.
  6. Wellness: four seminars/lectures, the web-based eCHECKUP To Go course, and sexual violence prevention training in the first year; sexual violence bystander intervention training in the second year. Wellness units do not earn academic credit hours.
  7. Major field of study (see catalogue, or consult major department).

Credit Limit:
To register for more than 20 credit hours in a semester, a student needs permission from the faculty advisor(s) and the Dean of Students.

Conflicts:
Without the approval of all instructors involved, registration for two or more courses scheduled to meet concurrently (even in part) is considered a form of academic dishonesty.

Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) Grading:
S/U grading declarations must be approved by the academic advisor and filed with the Registrar’s office by the deadline specified on the Critical Dates and Deadlines calendar. They may be revoked by the deadline found on the same calendar. Only electives and no more than 16 credits total may be taken S/U. A grade of C- or better is required for an “S” grade and earned credit.

Transfer Credits:
All credits to be transferred toward a Colby degree must be approved in advance by the appropriate office:

  1. Foreign study or domestic exchange during a semester or full year: Off-Campus Study Office (Eustis 105)
  2. Other courses (leave of absence, summer school, foreign study during Jan Plan or summer): Registrar’s Office (Eustis 201)

Student’s Responsibility:
Students must be aware of official deadlines and progress toward degree requirements. Refer to Critical Dates and Deadlines calendar and Requirements section of the Catalogue.