Records & Registration

Academic Calendar

Add Policy & Drop Policy

Change of Program

Registration Information

Refund Policy

Statute of Limitations

Withdrawal from a Course

Withdrawal from College

Record Retention & Disposal Policy

Academic Calendar

2023 Fall Semester

2024 Spring Semester

Add & Drop Policy

Add Policy

1. Students may add classes or make changes to their schedule through the MyBC3 Student Portal or in person at any BC3 location.
2. Students can add a class in course sessions up to 11:59 p.m. the day after the first class meeting. If a course is not full, exceptions may be permitted with the approval of the dean to add the class after the deadline.
3. Students can add a class in Fast Track sessions up to 11:59 p.m. the first day the class meets.

Drop Policy

1. Students may drop classes or make changes to their schedule through the MyBC3 Student Portal or in person at any BC3 location.
2. Each semester, course sessions will have variable drop/withdrawal and refund deadlines. Please see the semester Enrollment Guide or visit bc3.edu for the schedule.

Change of Program

Students who desire to change their program may do so at any time by submitting a Program Change Form to the Records and Registration Office. Students who elect to change programs should consult their academic advisor to confirm course requirements in the new program. Continuing students complete the program requirements defined in the catalog year assigned when they applied to Butler County Community College (BC3). If a change of program in a student’s assigned catalog year presents a hardship to continuing students, their academic dean may submit a written request to change the student’s catalog year. 

Changing to a Program that May Lead to Licensure

Professional licensure and/or certification requirements may vary from state to state. There may be a need for additional education requirements and/or special authorization from the professional licensing/certification agency in that state. Before applying, please visit this webpage to view important information regarding professional licensures: https://www.bc3.edu/programs-classes/online-distance-education/professional-licensure-information.html

Registration Information

All students, new and returning, have several opportunities to register for classes and receive academic advising.

• New students can schedule an individual or group advising session to discuss their educational objectives with a College counselor and to plan their course work for the first semester. Information about these sessions is provided to new students when they submit their application for admission.
• An early registration period is conducted to give returning students the opportunity to meet with their advisors and plan their schedules in advance. Students are notified of early registration dates by email.
• Additional registration periods are scheduled prior to the start of the academic semester. The College will publish the dates and times for additional registration sessions.

Students may register in person at Butler Main Campus, BC3 @ Cranberry, BC3 @ Lawrence Crossing, BC3 @ LindenPointe, BC3 @ Brockway, BC3 @ Armstrong or by logging onto the website at bc3.edu.

All students are encouraged to register as early as possible since many classes fill to capacity well before the start of each term.

Only four of the College’s educational programs require special admissions procedures. Students interested in the Massage Therapy, Medical Assistant, Nursing or Physical Therapist Assistant programs should consult those sections of the catalog for application and admission procedures or call the Admissions Office at 724-284-8501.

Refund Policy

1. If you notify the College of complete withdrawal during the first five (5) work days of the semester, your tuition and fees will be refunded (see note below). In the first five (5) College work days, there will be no penalty for partial withdrawal.

2. If you withdraw completely or partially from the sixth through the tenth College work days, 60 percent of the applicable tuition and fees will be refunded.

3. If you withdraw completely or partially from the eleventh through the fifteenth College work days, 10 percent of the applicable tuition and fees will be refunded. There will be no refund after the fifteenth College work day.

4. The application for admission fee and the application for graduation fee are non-refundable.

5. Refunds for financial aid recipients must be calculated according to federal and/or state refund regulations.

6. To request a Medical Withdrawal, submit a completed Medical Withdrawal form before the week of final exams. Your refund will be 50 percent for Medical Withdrawal between the eleventh class day and midterm. There will be no refund for Medical Withdrawal after midterm. All Medical Withdrawals must be submitted before the last class day of the semester. The Medical Withdrawal form must be returned to the Dean of Admissions and College Registrar.

7. If you are a member of the Armed Forces of the United States and your military unit is called to active duty for deployment, you may request a full refund of tuition and refundable fees. You must provide a copy of your deployment orders to the Office of Records and Registration.

8. If you believe that your circumstances may warrant an exception from these rules, submit a written appeal with appropriate documentation to the Office of Records and Registration during the semester in question.

Note: For six, eight, or ten week sessions, you must notify the College of complete withdrawal during the first three College work days of the session for a 100 percent refund. If you withdraw completely or partially from the fourth through the sixth College work days, 60 percent of the applicable tuition will be refunded. If you withdraw completely or partially from the seventh through the ninth College work days, 10 percent of the applicable tuition will be refunded.  There will be no refund after the ninth College work day.

For three week sessions, if you withdraw completely before the second College work day, you will receive a 100 percent refund. If you withdraw completely or partially during the second College work day, 60 percent of the applicable tuition will be refunded. If you withdraw completely or partially during the third College work day, 10 percent of the applicable tuition will be refunded. There will be no refund after the third College work day.

Statute of Limitations

The Dean responsible for the program, as well as the Dean of Admissions and College Registrar, must review and approve courses specific to the particular program taken at Butler County Community College more than ten (10) years before the date of the intended degree.

Application of transfer credits specific to the program that were completed more than ten (10) years before completion of the intended degree program shall be reviewed by the Dean responsible for the program and by the Dean of Admissions and College Registrar.

Withdrawal From a Course

A student may withdraw from a course up to and including the first week of a semester without a penalty or any statement appearing on their record. A student may withdraw from a course after the first week period up to and including the ninth week of the semester with a “W” grade on their record. “W” grades do not affect the student’s GPA.

Withdrawal From College

1. All withdrawals from the College must be processed through the Office of Records & Registration. Failure to do so will result in a student receiving “F” grades in all courses pursued at the time the student discontinues class attendance, and the “F” grades will become part of the student’s permanent record.
2. Medical Withdrawal-A student may request a medical withdrawal by submitting a Medical Withdrawal Form completed by a physician. The form must be submitted to the Office of Records and Registration by the last class day of the semester before the week of final exams. The Vice-President for Student Services will review each medical withdrawal request on a case-by-case basis. A 50% refund will be issued if the Medical Withdrawal Form is returned by mid-term of the semester.

Record Retention & Disposal Policy

Butler County Community College requires that College records, as defined herein, regardless of format, be retained for specific periods of time and be disposed of in accordance with legal or other institutional requirements, or for historical value. The College has designated official repositories (see the “Repository” section of this document) to manage the retention and disposal of these records according to procedures outlined in this document. This policy should be reviewed annually and must be followed systematically by all individuals, departments, and divisions.

Duplicate records should be destroyed and disposed of as early as practical once no longer necessary to the operation of the office maintaining the duplicate record.

Purpose

The College is committed to effective and secure record management to meet legal and regulatory standards, preserve its history, optimize the use of space, and minimize the cost of record retention.

Definitions

Active Record is a record with current administrative use by the College. A record remains active for varying retention periods depending on the purpose for which it was created.

Archival Record is a record that is inactive, not required to be retained in the department in which it originated or was received, but is required by law, regulations, or by virtue of the importance of the contents and has lasting business value or historic value. Archival records are retained and preserved indefinitely.

College Archives is the repository housed in the Heaton Family Learning Commons, for permanent, non-current records of lasting business value or historic value.

Confidential Information is information and data that must be protected from unauthorized disclosure or public release based on state or federal law (e.g., FERPA, HIPAA, ADA, etc.). Examples of confidential information include but are not limited to social security numbers, financial account numbers, medical records, passwords, and student education records.

Duplicate Record is a copy of a record maintained by a college office other than the repository.

Inactive Record is a record with no current administrative use by the College and has not yet reached the end of its retention period.

Record is any form of information or data that is created, received, recorded or legally filed in the course of the college business or in the college’s legal obligations whether in hard-copy form (e.g., paper, magnetic tape, film, etc.) or electronic form (e.g., email, cloud-based documents, portal and share sites, etc.). All records are subject to the approved retention schedule.

College Records are the sole property of the College. Official repositories for these records are defined in the Record Retention & Disposal Procedures.

Record Preservation is the process of modifying retention periods for selected records that may be increased for various reasons including government regulation, judicial or administrative orders, contracts, pending or threatened litigation or audit requirements. Such changes supersede the requirements listed in the approved retention schedule.

Repository is a department or division designated as having responsibility for ensuring the retention and timely destruction of particular college records based on the approved retention schedule.

Retention Schedule is a guideline that sets forth the length of time records shall be retained.

Transitory Record is a document of short-term interest that has no lasting business value.