Dallas College
The following policies apply beginning Fall 2019. Policies may be subject to change to meet federal, state, district or college policy updates.
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At Dallas College, our Advising team works side by side with you in (1) picking the right career path, (2) enrolling in the right classes and (3) finishing on time. Degree planning is critical as you prepare to be successful in the workforce and/or to transfer to other institutions.
If you are a first-time-in-college student, you are required to meet with an advisor and are encouraged to file a degree plan. If you are a continuing student, you are also encouraged to meet with available advisors, faculty and program coordinators to ensure your continued success in maintaining a quality educational pathway.
Note: If you wish to graduate with a degree or certificate from Dallas College, at least 25 percent of your credit hours must have been successfully completed through Dallas College.
Dallas College understands that to be successful in the classroom and at college, you may need help with challenges outside the classroom. If you don’t have enough food to eat, need a safe place to live, don’t have reliable transportation or have other personal problems, these things make it hard to concentrate on school. Dallas College provides a variety of ways to access the help you may need.
Live Chat or Email: The college has staff available to help. The
Dallas College Student Care Coordinators provide students with one-on-one assistance and can offer guidance and referrals to college and community resources. You can contact them by phone (972-669-6400) or email (Advising@DallasCollege.edu).
dallascollege.edu/studentcare
Self-Service Support: Dallas College provides a self-help website called
My Community Services. You can use this website to find college and community resources available to our students and their families. This online directory lets you search for free and reduced-cost services like medical care, food, job training and more. Many resources are available to help you when you encounter life barriers that may seem to stand in the way of your success.
dallascollege.edu/MyCommunityServices
Walk-In Services: Dallas College provides personal counseling services through its
Counseling Center. Counseling can help equip you with the tools, life skills and social service resources to help you get back or stay on track.
dallascollege.edu/Counseling
Online Outreach: Additionally, you can refer a peer or yourself to the
CARE Team. The CARE Team was created to help people in distress, struggling with basic needs, experiencing unexpected crises or whose behavior raises concerns about their well-being or that of others.
dallascollege.edu/CAREteam
Emergency aid funds are available on a limited basis for students in need. You can
apply for emergency aid funds using the Edquity mobile app or
Edquity website.
If you are enrolled in a course at Dallas College that is longer than four weeks, you will receive one or two notices from your instructor providing a Student Progress Report. These reports are designed to inform you of your progress/performance in the class. When your Student Progress Report is available, you will receive an email notification with directions on how to access your report via eConnect.
All students are eligible for free, convenient tutoring in a wide range of subjects in addition to study skills coaching.
If you are a student with a disability and/or special needs who requires accommodations, please contact the
Accessibility Services Office at Dallas College. The office reviews each student’s request for accommodations on a case-by-case basis, assessing the request and any relevant documentation. Disability-related documentation may include assessments, reports and/or letters from qualified evaluators, professionals or institutions. Documentation should provide information on the impact of the disability so that appropriate accommodations can be identified. Please note that all communication with the Accessibility Services Office is confidential.
It may take up to four weeks for a request to be reviewed and accommodations put in place. New students are encouraged to contact the
Accessibility Services Office at least four weeks before classes begin. Returning students are encouraged to contact the Accessibility Services Office at least three weeks before classes begin to resume services.
Dallas College has a
designated ADA/504 coordinator to serve as a resource to those with disabilities who believe that they are not receiving appropriate accommodations or are being treated in a discriminatory manner.
Scholastic dishonesty is a violation of the Code of Student Conduct and Hazing. Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating on a test, plagiarism and collusion.
Cheating includes copying from another student’s test or homework paper; using materials not authorized; collaborating with or seeking aid from another student during a test; knowingly using, buying, selling, stealing or soliciting (asking for) the contents of an un-administered test; and substituting for another person to take a test.
Plagiarism is the appropriating (taking in a way that is illegal or unfair), buying, receiving as a gift or obtaining by any means another’s work and the unacknowledged submission or incorporation of it in one’s own written work.
Collusion is the unauthorized collaboration with another person in preparing written work for fulfillment of course requirements. Academic dishonesty is a serious offense in college. You can be given a failing grade on an assignment or test, can be failed for the class or you can even be suspended from college.
Your enrollment indicates acceptance of the
Dallas College Code of Student Conduct and Hazing.
For classes requiring the use of campus computers, review the district’s
Computer Use Policy.
We use the End of Course Survey (ECA) to find out how students perceive the quality of courses, faculty and instruction and to get feedback for improvement. In order to minimize the disruption in the classroom, the ECA is available online through eConnect and becomes available each semester immediately after the last withdrawal date for a course. If you receive a request to complete the ECA, please do so as soon as possible. By completing this questionnaire, you will help the college and your instructors find out how we might improve your educational experiences. Your identity and responses will remain anonymous and confidential.
Final grade reports are not mailed to students. You may view your final grades via eConnect at
econnect.dcccd.edu. From the Current Credit Student menu, select “My Grades” under “My Personal Information.” If you are not already logged in, you will be prompted to do so. Select the grade type you wish to review. Press the submit button, and all grades for the selected grade type will be shown.
Dallas College honors the right of each student to observe the practices of their belief system. It is your responsibility to provide your instructors a written justification for a religious accommodation promptly after the course begins. It is the responsibility of the instructor and student to negotiate completion of all missed assignments before the absence, if possible.
We are committed to assure all community members learn and work in a welcoming and inclusive environment. Title VII, Title IX and Dallas College policy prohibit harassment, discrimination and sexual misconduct. If you encounter harassment, sexual misconduct (sexual harassment, sexual assault, stalking, dating violence) or retaliation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, age, national origin, disability, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, parenting, gender identity and/or gender expression, please contact your college Title IX coordinator or the Office of Institutional Equity. We treat this information with the greatest degree of confidentiality possible while also ensuring student welfare and college safety.
We are concerned about the well-being and development of our students and are available to discuss any concerns. There are both confidential and nonconfidential resources and reporting options available to you. If you wish to keep the information confidential, please contact college Counseling or Student Health Services. As required by Dallas College policy, incidents of discrimination and/or sexual misconduct shared with faculty will be reported to the college Title IX coordinator or district Title IX coordinator. The Title IX coordinator will contact you and determine if further investigation is needed. For more information about policies, resources or reporting options, please contact your college Title IX coordinator or visit
dallascollege.edu/TitleIX.
Dallas College has a
designated Title IX coordinator.
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) gives students certain rights regarding their education records.
Information about FERPA guidelines is available online in the college catalog.
There are many perks to being a student at Dallas College. Free DART passes (for those who qualify), free Microsoft Office 365 and fitness centers are just a few. But there are many other benefits, including special events, scholarships, internships and the chance to study abroad.
You can find a complete list on our
Services & Resources webpage.
If you do not attend classes, you could lose your financial aid. You must attend and participate in your on-campus or online course(s) before the course certification date and continue beyond the course withdrawal date.
Your instructor is also required by law to validate/certify your attendance in your on-campus or online course(s) in order for you to receive financial aid. To meet this attendance requirement in an online course, you must demonstrate academic activity to establish eligibility for federal student aid with activities such as, but not limited to, the following examples: initiating contact with your instructor to ask a question about the academic subject studied in the course, submitting an academic assignment, taking an exam, completing an interactive tutorial, participating in computer-assisted instruction, attending a study group that is assigned by the instructor, or participating in an online discussion about academic matters relating to the course.
In an online class, simply logging in is not enough to demonstrate academic purpose. You are required to participate in your online class by taking part in an academically related activity as described above.
If you are receiving any form of financial aid, you should check with the Financial Aid Office before withdrawing from classes. If you withdraw, it may affect your eligibility to receive aid in the future and could require repayment of funds you received for the current semester. Failing to attend or participate after the drop date will also affect you. To speak with someone, please contact the Financial Aid Call Center at 972-587-2599 or visit one of our campus Financial Aid Offices (dallascollege.edu/FinancialAidOffices).
If you are unable to complete this course, it is your responsibility to officially withdraw by the official drop date for this course. Failure to do so will result in a performance grade, usually an F. If you drop a class or withdraw from the college before the official drop deadline, you will receive a W (withdraw). Students sometimes drop a course when help is available that would enable them to continue. Before you make the decision to drop this course, please contact the instructor by email. If you are receiving any form of financial aid, check with the Financial Aid Office before withdrawing from classes. International students on an F-1 visa cannot withdraw from classes without jeopardizing their official status. For more information, visit the
Dropping or Withdrawing From Classes webpage.
Under a Texas law (TEC Section 51.907), if you drop too many classes without having an acceptable reason, your GPA could be affected. Be sure you understand how this law may affect you before you drop a class. The law applies to students who enroll in a Texas public institution of higher education (including the colleges of Dallas College) for the first time in fall 2007 or later. You may drop no more than six courses during your entire undergraduate career unless the drop qualifies as an exception. Your campus advising center will give you more information on the allowable exceptions. Remember that once you have accumulated six non-exempt drops, you cannot drop any other courses with a W. For more information, visit
dallascollege.edu/SixDrop.
Dallas College charge additional tuition to students registering the third or subsequent time for a course taken at any of the Dallas College colleges since the Fall 2002 semester. All third and subsequent attempts of the majority of credit and continuing education/workforce training courses will result in an additional tuition charge. Developmental Education and some other courses will not be charged a higher tuition rate. See Third Attempt to Enroll in a Course at
dallascollege.edu/ThirdCourseAttempt.
Beginning April 1, 2019, all students will be required to visibly wear a Dallas College ID issued by any of its colleges while on district property or at district-sponsored or related activities. The purpose of the ID is to verify the identity and personnel or student status of the card holder.
Students enrolled in and attending any of the colleges are eligible to be issued an ID.
Student ID cards are issued by each college's Student Life/Student Services Office.
Sign up for Dallas College Emergency Alerts to receive a text message, email and/or phone call when there is an unscheduled evacuation or closure of a Dallas College campus or office because of weather, utility outages or police or other emergencies. Subscribing is free, but standard text message charges from your cell phone provider will apply. For more information, see
dallascollege.edu/Alerts.
Any person who holds a license to carry may carry a concealed handgun on college district property as permitted by law and college district policy. A license holder who carries a handgun on college district property must keep it concealed and on or about their person at all times. The open carry of a handgun (i.e., completely or partially visible) is prohibited on college district property, including any public driveway, street, sidewalk, walkway, parking lot, parking garage or other parking area.
The use, possession or display of a weapon in violation of law and college district policy is strictly prohibited. This prohibition applies to firearms, knives, clubs, fireworks of any kind, incendiary devices, razors, chains, throwing stars and any other device designed to expel a projectile or to inflict bodily harm.
Violations may result in disciplinary action and/or criminal penalties.
Instructors reserve the right to amend a syllabus as necessary.
International Students
Students on an F-1 visa cannot withdraw from classes without jeopardizing their official status. If you are on an F-1 visa, you must not withdraw from any class without the permission of an international student advisor in the Multicultural Center — Room S-124 or 972-860-4192.
There is no additional campus-specific information for Cedar Valley Campus right now.
Grievance Procedures
Students are expected to follow established procedures of the appropriate division in handling academic issues, such as grade appeals. Additional grievance procedures are outlined in the
Student Grievance Procedure section of the El Centro College catalog.
Formal complaints and grievances must be submitted in writing to Vice President of Student Services and Enrollment Management Karen Stills (kstills@dallascollege.edu).
Informal complaints or suggestions can be submitted using this online form:
Informal Complaints and Suggestions.
There is no additional campus-specific information for Eastfield Campus right now.
There is no additional campus-specific information for Mountain View Campus right now.
There is no additional college-specific information for North Lake Campus right now.
International Students
Students on an F-1 visa cannot withdraw from classes without jeopardizing (risking) their official immigration status. If you are on an F-1 visa, you must not withdraw from any class without the permission of an international student advisor (ISA). Please visit the Multicultural Center, located in Thunderduck Hall, T150 to meet with an ISA.
Texas Success Initiative Assessment Requirements and Course Placement Guidelines
The Texas Success Initiative Assessment (TSIA) was designed to ensure that students enrolled in Texas public colleges and universities have the basic academic skills needed to be successful in college-level course work. The TSIA requires assessment, remediation (if necessary) and advising of students who attend a public college or university in the state of Texas. Passing the TSIA is a prerequisite for enrollment in many college-level classes such as English 1301/1302, History 1301/1302 and Math 1414. If you do not meet assessment standards, you must complete developmental courses in the deficient area with a grade of C or higher. Additional information is available from the TSI Office in T170T or T170S (972-238-6115 or 972-238-3787) or the
Texas Success Initiative Assessment webpage.