Defining the Active Student: A Comprehensive Overview
The term "active student" might seem straightforward, but within the context of higher education, it carries specific implications related to enrollment status, access to services, and institutional policies. This article aims to provide a comprehensive definition of an active student, exploring the various criteria and considerations that determine this status across different institutions. Understanding the definition of an active student is crucial for students themselves, as it impacts their eligibility for resources and their standing within the academic community. It is also important for faculty, staff, and administrators who need to understand the criteria for student status.
Core Criteria for Active Student Status
At its core, an active student is an individual currently engaged in academic pursuits at an educational institution. This engagement is typically defined by enrollment in courses and progress towards a degree or certificate. Several factors contribute to determining whether a student is considered active.
- Current Enrollment: The most fundamental criterion is current enrollment in a college class, course, or program. An individual who is eligible to register for classes in a credit-bearing term, subject to any holds restricting registration, is generally considered an active student. This means the student has met the necessary admission requirements and is officially registered for the current academic term.
- Recent Academic Activity: Even if not currently enrolled, a student may still be considered active if they have demonstrated recent academic engagement. For instance, Wright State University defines an active student as someone eligible to register for classes for the given term, having been admitted for the same term, and/or having had registration activity or earned grades within the prior three terms.
- Good Standing: Active student status often requires the student to be in good academic standing. An Active Student is defined as a currently registered HCC credit student who is not on academic or disciplinary probation or a currently registered HCC non-credit student who has satisfactorily completed a course.
Implications of Active Student Status
Being classified as an active student carries several important implications, affecting a student's rights, responsibilities, and access to resources.
- Access to Services: Active students are typically eligible for a wide range of college services, including academic advising, library resources, career services, and access to campus facilities. For example, students are eligible for services if the student meets one of the criteria listed above in items 1, 2, or 3, or at its discretion, the College determines the provision or continuation of services is in the best interests of the student and the College community.
- Student Conduct Policies: Active students are subject to the institution's student standards of conduct and other policies. For purposes of enforcement of the Student Standards of Conduct policy and procedures, or student conduct investigated under other College policy, including policies prohibiting discrimination and harassment, an individual is considered a student if the conduct reported occurred at the time he or she met one of the criteria listed above in items 1, 2, and 3.
- Enrollment Verification: Active student status is often used for enrollment verification purposes, which may be required for scholarships, financial aid, or other external benefits.
- Course Access: A current student, also known as an active student, is a unique student who has unexpired access to a course.
Defining Inactive Student Status
Conversely, a student who does not meet the criteria for active status is typically considered inactive. The specific criteria for determining inactive status vary by institution, but common factors include:
- Lapsed Enrollment: A significant period of non-enrollment is a primary indicator of inactive status. Any student who has not registered for a College class, course, or program for 12 months since the last day of the last course enrolled will be deemed inactive and will be required to either complete a new online application or update an existing application.
- Withdrawal: Students who officially withdraw from the institution are generally considered inactive.
- Graduation: Upon graduation, a student's status typically changes from active to alumni. Graduated student is an individual who has successfully completed all academic requirements and earned a degree or post-secondary credential from Wright State University.
Nuances and Special Cases
While the core criteria for active student status are generally consistent, there are several nuances and special cases to consider.
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- Leave of Absence: Some institutions offer students the option to take a formal leave of absence, which allows them to temporarily interrupt their studies without losing their active status. (MD program only)A individual in the MD program within the Boonshoft Schoool of Medicine on an approved break from studies for academic, medical, personal, or parental reasons. Most leaves are limited to one year. Longer leaves require additional approval. An approved leave of absence maintains a student’s active and matriculated status while not taking Purchase College classes from campus.
- Stop-Out Students: Students who temporarily disenroll from an institution are sometimes referred to as "stop-out" students. Stop-out student is an individual who has temporarily disenrolled from Wright State University for a period of time. The policies regarding their reinstatement as active students vary.
- Readmitted Students: A student who was previously enrolled as a Matriculated Student, and is returning as a matriculated student to complete a degree after at least one term with an inactive Student Status. Readmitted Student is a student who has stopped out and re-enrolled at Wright State University for a given semester. Readmitted students may need to reapply or update their application to regain active status.
- Cross-Registered Students: A student who is participating in a cooperative arrangement between another institution and Purchase College that allows our student to register for a course at the other institution (outbound) or vice versa (inbound). Inbound Cross-Registered Students will count in the official Headcount enrollment at his or her Home Institution only.
- Visiting Students: A Visiting Student for whom Purchase College is not the Home Institution.
Metrics Related to Student Activity and Success
Several metrics are used to track student activity and success, providing insights into the overall student population and its progress. These metrics often rely on the definition of an active student as a baseline.
- Full-time Equivalent (FTE) Student: FTE student is derived by dividing student credit hours by the full-time equivalent for a given level and given time period. FTE student is a unit of measure applicable to an academic year (fall and spring terms only) and derived from student credit hours. For undergraduate students, one AAFTE is equivalent to 30 student credit hours.
- Graduation Rate: The rate at which a group of students successfully complete their programs within 100% of the traditional time required for completion, based on program length and full-time enrollment. The 150% Graduation Rate is the rate at which a group of students successfully complete their programs within the 150% of the traditional time required for completion, based on program length and full-time enrollment.
- Retention Rate: The retention rate is the percentage of a cohort of students returning and enrolling to continue their education at UAMS from a specific time period to a specified time period (as defined by UAMS).
- Completion Rate: The completion rate is the cumulative number of students in a given cohort graduating from a specified time period in a specified academic plan (as defined by UAMS).
- DFW Rate: The percentage of students who received a D grade, F grade, or withdrew from a given course (or course section).
- Success Rate: A success rate is a student’s completion of an academic plan or continuous active enrollment, attempting to complete their academic plan. The rate is expressed as a percent (as defined by UAMS).
Other Relevant Definitions
To fully understand the context of "active student," it is helpful to define related terms commonly used in higher education:
- Student: An individual pursuing a credential or other form of academic study at Wright State University. The student life cycle includes multiple temporal states.
- Continuing Student: A student who is not first-time or transfer-in for a given semester but one who has been been continuously enrolled at Wright State University.
- First-time Student: A student entering Wright State University for the first time at a specific level. For the fall term this includes students who attended Wright State University for the first time in the prior summer term. A student who has no prior postsecondary experience (except as noted below) attending Wright State University for the first time at the undergraduate level.
- Transfer-in Undergraduate Student: A student entering Wright State University for the first time but known to have previously attended a postsecondary institution after high school at the undergraduate level. This includes new students enrolled in the fall term who transferred into Wright State University the prior summer term.
- Undergraduate: A level associated with students, courses, and programs that are below the graduate/professional (master's and doctoral degree) level. population.
- Graduate: A level associated with students, courses, and programs that are at the master's and doctoral degree level. population.
- Matriculated Student: A student who is formally admitted to a degree or certificate program.
- Non-Degree Seeking Student: A student who is taking courses for credit but is not enrolled in a degree or certificate program. A student who is registered for at least one credit bearing course, but is not seeking a degree at Purchase College and is not enrolled in an Academic Program. This does not include Senior Auditors.
- Full-time Student: An enrollment status assigned to students for a given semester. Full-time is defined as being at least 12 credit hours for undergraduate students or at least 9 credit hours for graduate students.
- Part-time Student: An enrollment status assigned to students for a given semester.
- International Student: A student who is not a citizen of the US. Students recognized as Undocumented Aliens are not considered international students. Student who hold an F1 student visa.
- First Generation Student: A student for whom the highest level of education completed by either parent/guardian is less than college.
- Student Attribute: Student attributes are used to track special characteristics of a student that are not part of their academic record. They are term-specific and may change frequently based on the student's status or conditions.
- Student Cohort: A cohort is a way of grouping students into populations that typically span most, if not all, of the time a student is enrolled in a specific academic program. While cohorts may change during the course of a student's course of study, they usually remain consistent. Cohorts are term-specific in Banner.
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