Records & Transcripts

Full-time students are defined as those who are enrolled in 12 or more credits (6 or more credits for summer);

Three-quarter time students are enrolled in 9-11 credits;

Half-time students are enrolled in 6-8 credits (3-5 credits for summer)

The National Student Clearinghouse is the authorized agent for WNC for providing enrollment and degree verifications.

• Students may obtain enrollment verifications by accessing the Clearinghouse through wnc.edu/anywhere.
  • Login with your student identification number and password
  • Select Enrollment Verification  (This will take you to the National Student Clearinghouse website)
  • Select "Current enrollment" or "All enrollment" and then click the "Obtain an enrollment certificate" link.
  • Print your official enrollment verification certificate

• Employers or background screening firms requesting enrollment and/or degree verifications may obtain a verification through the Clearinghouse at www.degreeverify.com. 

Students are encouraged to read the college catalog and schedule for important policy, procedure, and deadline information. Students are required to add and drop courses through myWNC, ensure they have fulfilled all course prerequisites, verify the accuracy of their enrollment, keep their address, phone number and email address current in myWNC, and pay for classes by the published deadline. Unpaid students may be removed from class rosters throughout the semester and will not receive a final grade or credits regardless of attendance and completion of course work.

The policy for retention of records is outlined in Title IV, Chapter 1, of the Board of Regents Handbook.

WNC follows the Nevada System of Higher Education's Record Retention Policy.

Educational records are kept by Admissions and Records permanently:

• Final grade rosters and grade change forms
• Schedule of classes
• Files of student graduates

The following records are kept for a minimum of five years for students who attend WNC:

• Admission applications
• Incoming transcripts or other credit sources
• Personal identification data change forms
• Residency applications
• Enrollment forms

Students may view their grades online at myWNC. Final grades are available no later than approximately two weeks after the end of the semester. Check the dates and deadlines page for more information.

The college does not send grade mailers; students may view grades through myWNC.

Instructions for checking grades using myWNC

• Log in to your account through myWNC by entering your student ID number as your user name and password
• Click on the line in the center box, myWNC Student Information Center
• Click on Other Academic under the Academics section.
• Select Official Grades for final grades.

Grading Scale:

A     Superior 4.0
A-   3.7
B+   3.3
B     Above Average 3.0
B-    2.7
C+   2.3
C     Average 2.0
C-    1.7
D+   1.3
D     Below Average 1.0
D-   0.7
F     Failure 0.0
P     Pass
I      Incomplete
R    Repeat
AD Audit
W   Withdrawal
S     Satisfactory
U    Unsatisfactory

The following grading policies apply to WNC:

• It is at the discretion of individual faculty to use the Plus and Minus grading scale.
• All grades are awarded according to faculty members judgments. Students may repeat failed courses.
• Withdrawal "W" Grade:  Withdrawal indicates the student withdrew from the course and did not complete it.  Classes dropped after the 100 percent refund period that are not even exchanged will remain on a student transcript with a grade of W.
• The course syllabus shall contain a clear explanation of the grading scale to be used by the instructor. Students may not appeal the format an instructor chooses.
• Incomplete "I" Grade:  An Incomplete grade may be given by the instructor when a student has completed 75 % of the course with a grade of at least C, but where there is some verifiable, compelling reason for the lack of completion. College regulations limit the amount of time the student has to make up assignments or examinations. The I (Incomplete) must be made up within 120 days of the end of the semester. Failure to do so will result in the I grade being changed to an F. A student seeking to complete the work for a course in which he/she received an Incomplete must make arrangements with the instructor who issued the incomplete grade. A grade change from the instructor is due to Admissions and Records within 120 days of the end of the applicable semester.
• Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory S/U Grades:  Although most classes are set up for a letter grade (A,B,C,D,F), some classes are set up for a satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade. Students may not choose their grading option.  S/U grades do not affect student grade point averages (GPAs). An S grade is considered passing, a U grade is not passing.  Students will be able to utilize the repeat adjustment policy regardless of letter or S/U grade.  Contact Financial Aid for guidance related to Financial Aid & Veteran Benefits implications.  775-445-3264

A grade appeal is the process for students who believe the grade that they received for a course is incorrect. A grade appeal must be initiated no later than 30 instructional days into the following regular semester and must follow the following process:

Policy 3-5-1: Grade Appeal

Section 1: Activation

1. Prior to activation of the formal grade appeal process it is recommended that the student discuss his/her complaint with the faculty member who issued the grade.
2. If the student cannot reach the faculty member or if the grade is not resolved by the faculty member then the student must file a written intent to appeal the grade with the faculty members division office within 2 weeks of the grades posting.

Section 2: Written Notice

1. Once the written notice is filed, the student has until 5 p.m. on February 1st or 5 p.m. on September 1st (whichever occurs immediately after the grading period in which the grade was issued) to contact the Academic Director who will set up a meeting between the student, and faculty member if they have not met before).

Section 3: Unresolved Grade Appeal

1. If the grade appeal is still unresolved, the student must submit details in writing to the Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs within 10 days of the meeting with the Academic Director and faculty member.
2. The vice president in return will notify the faculty member, student, Academic Director and the Academic Standards Committee by certified U.S. mail (or by WNC email) of the formal grade appeal.

Section 4: Hearing Committee

1. Within 15 days of the receipt of the written certified letter, the Academic Standards Committee will meet to hear the grade appeal.
2. The faculty member and the student who is appealing his/her grade will be invited to be present when the Academic Standards Committee meets.
3. Hearings shall be recorded or transcribed. These records are maintained for a seven-year time-period.

Section 5: Final Action on Grade Appeal

1. The written recommendation of the Academic Standards Committee will be forwarded to the Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs who will act on the grade appeal within 15 days of being notified.

Degree/certificate seeking students who have a cumulative grade point average (GPA) less than a 2.0 are placed on academic probation and must meet with a WNC Counselor before they can enroll for classes. Students will continue to be an academic probation until their GPA reaches a 2.0 or higher.

A student may repeat a course and have only the highest grade counted as part of his/her total grade point average; all grades will remain on the student transcript. Students will not receive duplicate credit for repeated courses unless the course is designated as repeatable for credit. Students may repeat courses provided they have fulfilled current course prerequisites and met criteria established for courses with selective readmissions criteria.

Students may petition to repeat up to 12 units with an adjustment to the previous grade(s). If approved, the original grade will be reflected as an R for repeat. The R will only be used as a replacement if the repeated course earns a grade higher than the grade originally earned. Repeat adjustment may not be applied to W or AD grades.

A repeat adjustment request must be submitted to Admissions and Records no later than four weeks past the published date on which grades are posted, for the semester in which the course was repeated.

If a student requests a repeat adjustment for a course that is designated as repeatable for credit, he/she will not receive additional units for the repeated course.

Students may petition to have an entire semester of course work be disregarded in all calculations regarding academic standing and grade point average. Eligibility for academic renewal is subject to the following conditions:

1. At the time the petition is filed, at least one year must have elapsed since the most recent course work to be disregarded was completed.
2. In the interval between the completion of the most recent course work to be disregarded and the filing of the petition, students shall have completed at least 12 acceptable units of course work at a regionally accredited institution of higher education with a grade-point average of at least 2.5 on all work completed during that interval. Courses taken during the interval may be repeats of previously attempted college work.
3. The students filed petition must specify the semester to be disregarded. A semester with only W grades may not be considered for academic renewal. 
4. Academic renewal can occur only once during a students academic career.
5. Academic renewal can only be applied prior to graduation from the first degree or certificate. Once a student graduates, academic renewal cannot be retroactively applied.

If the petition is approved under this policy, the students permanent academic record will be suitably marked to indicate that no work taken during the disregarded semester, even if satisfactory, may apply toward graduation requirements, and the grades will not be calculated into the students grade point average.  However, all course work will remain on the academic record, ensuring a true and accurate academic history. The original grades earned will be calculated toward satisfactory academic progress for financial aid.

Students are eligible for the Dean's List if:

1. At least 12 units (6 units for the summer semester), excluding developmental course units, have been completed during the semester on the A, B,C, D scale, and
2. The semester grade point average is 3.50 or higher.

Students must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements for all federal, state, and institutional grant, work study and loan programs. S/U grades may impact Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress GPA requirements. S grades will not have a positive or negative impact on the GPA calculation.

S/U grades are still considered attempted credits and will be used in the calculation towards the maximum units attempted. A U grade is not a passing grade and will affect Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress semester and cumulative completion rate requirements.

S/U grades may affect Veteran Benefits GPA requirements.

S/U grades may affect the GPA and credit completion requirement for certain scholarships, including the Governor Guinn Millennium Scholarship and certain WNC Foundation Scholarships.

In accordance with institutional policy and the U.S. Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), Western Nevada College vigorously protects the privacy of student educational records. FERPA was enacted to protect the privacy of educational records and to provide guidelines for the correction of inaccurate or misleading data.

No one shall have access to, nor will WNC disclose any non-directory information from a students educational records without the written consent of the student except to:

a) School officials including college staff, student employees, volunteers, contractors, consultants, etc. performing an assigned college function, b) Officials of other institutions in which the student seeks to enroll, c) Authorized representatives from federal and state agencies, d) Accrediting agencies carrying out their accreditation functions, e) Military recruiters as specified in the Soloman Amendment, f) A student serving on an official committee such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, g) Persons in compliance with a judicial order, h) Officials providing student financial aid, i) The audit firm retained by the Nevada System of Higher Education, j) The data warehouse for NSHE or designated institutional research personnel, k) A person or company with whom the institution has contracted as its agent to provide a service instead of using institutional employees or officials (such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent), and l) Persons in an emergency to protect the health/and/or safety of students, or other persons.

WNC does not release information to parents of students regardless of dependence status without prior written consent of the student. A student is defined as an individual who has applied to WNC and who is or has been in attendance at WNC.

The institution does not release the records of individual students, such as grades and class schedules, without prior written consent of the student.

As permitted under federal law, an exception to the above practice is the release of directory information considered to be public in nature and not general deemed to be an invasion of privacy.

At Western Nevada College, the following categories are defined as directory information: student name, address including city and state, telephone number, Email address, full-time/part-time status, graduation date, major/field of study, degrees, honors and awards received, dates of attendance and whether currently enrolled, most recent educational agency or institutions attended, weight and height of members of athletic teams, and photographs from college sanctioned events.

Students have the right to request non-disclosure of directory information. If they do not restrict release of this information, the information may be released or disclosed. WNC assumes that failure to specifically request the withholding of directory information indicates individual approval for disclosure. Directory information may be provided for commercial purposes to businesses affiliated with the institution, honor societies, the alumni association and foundation, or other individuals for purposes that may be beneficial to students. WNC exercises discretion in responding to requests for directory information and may or may not provide such information when requested, depending on the intended purpose of the request. The institution does not sell or rent student information for a fee.

It is important for students to consider carefully the potential consequences of restricting the release of directory information. If a student restricts release for non-commercial purpose, the institution will be unable to place the students name in publications such as honors and graduation programs; to confirm graduation and dates of attendance to potential employers, to verify enrollment with organizations such as insurance companies; or to send notifications about specialized scholarships without the express written authorization of the student.

If, after due consideration, a student wishes to restrict the release of directory information, he/she may request this through myWNC or submit a Request for Confidential Status of Directory Information form and submit to Admissions and Records. A request for non-disclosure submitted to WNC or any NSHE institution will apply to all NSHE institutions. This directive will apply permanently to a students record, even after graduation, until the student reverses it by submitting a written authorization to Admissions and Records or changing the restriction in myWNC. 

FERPA provides a student with the following rights:

1) The right to inspect and review information in his/her education records within 45 days of the day the institution receives a request for access.

WNC is not required to provide copies of such records to students

2) The right to seek to amend education records that the student believes to be inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the students privacy rights under FERPA.

If a student disagrees with some information in his/her educational records, he/she may challenge that information. If the situation is not resolved to the students satisfaction, the student may request a hearing. Contact Admissions and Records for additional information.

3) The right to provide written consent before the institution discloses personally identifiable information from the students educational records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.

Request for Non-Disclosure of Directory Information

WNC Protects Student Privacy

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law that protects student privacy.  Personally identifiable information is not released without student consent and signature. To review or pick up academic records in person, a valid government or WNC issued photo ID that includes signature is mandatory. The colleges registration system requires students to create a password to access their WNC account. The password is considered the equivalent of a signature.

Students have a right to:

• Inspect and review information in his/her education records,
• Seek to amend education records, and
• Have some control over the disclosure of information from education records.

WNC is not required to provide copies of such records to students.

If a student disagrees with some information in his/her educational records, he/she may challenge that information.

If the situation is not resolved to the student’s satisfaction, the student may request a hearing.  If the student disagrees with the results of that hearing, he/she may submit explanation statements for inclusions in his/her file.

Contact Admissions and Records for additional information.