CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY SAN MARCOS STUDENT CONSUMER INFORMATION
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Federal regulations require all campuses to provide specified information to prospective and current students, staff and the general public. Listed below are those items that must be available for review per federal regulation. In addition, the University has listed other policies and procedures that are of importance to students.
Students are expected to know and comply with all policies and regulations of this University. Most general University policy is disclosed in the California State University San Marcos catalog. Other policies are reported each term in the class schedule. Both documents can be accessed via the web at http://www.csusm.edu/academic_programs/catalog/ for the class catalog and http://sweb.csusm.edu/schedule/ for the most recent term course schedule. Other policies can be found under the specific programs' websites and copies of all policies that affect students can be obtained in the Office of the Dean of Students located in Craven Hall, Room 3600.
The federal Higher Education Act, the federal Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act (EADA), and regulatory guidance provided in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) require direct individual notices of prescribed information to certain target audiences including prospective students; currently enrolled students; current employees; parents, coaches and counselors of prospective student athletes; and the general public. Disclosures are to include crime/security statistics, student completion/graduation/transfer rates, FERPA privacy/security rights, financial aid program information, and gender-specific information on athletic participation and financial support.
Additionally, the following policies and procedures are included for your information: Policy on Academic Honesty; Policy on Alcohol Beverage Use on Campus; Executive Order 970; Code of Student Conduct; Federal Drug Free Schools and Communities Act; Americans with Disabilities Act; Policy on Nondiscrimination; Sexual Harassment Policy; Student Grievance Policy, and the Withdrawal Policy.
GENERAL INFORMATION
About California State University San Marcos
Accreditation: California State University San Marcos is fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). WASC is the official accrediting body for institutions of higher learning in the west. Students wishing to receive a copy for review of California State University San Marcos' accreditation may do so by notifying the Associate Vice President for Student Affairs/Dean of Students in Craven Hall, Room 5306.
Information on Academic Programs: Details about academic programs offered at California State University San Marcos can be found in the University Catalog and also at the following links:
Information about Degree Programs offered at California State University San Marcos, please click here.
Faculty & Staff Listings: Page 359, for listing of faculty and other instructional personnel.
STUDENT INFORMATION
Financial Information for Students
Cost of Attendance: The current class schedule indicates cost of mandatory fees, tuition and other user fees.
Other anticipated expenses such as living costs and books is listed in the Financial Aid Handbook under financial aid cost of attendance.
On campus housing costs are listed under University Housing.
Financial Aid: For Financial Aid information, please contact the Financial Aid and Scholarship Office at (760) 750-4850, Craven Hall Room 3700.
Study Abroad and Financial Aid: For students interested in studying overseas, please contact our Global Education Office at (760) 750-4090. For information on financial aid for studying overseas, go to page 9 of the financial aid award handbook.
Withdrawal and Return of Aid Policies: Explanation of the policies regarding full withdrawal from classes, any refund eligibility and the potential impact on financial aid can be found in the Financial Aid Handbook and at the following link - Financial Aid Refunds (page 25 of handbook).
Disabled Student Services: Students with documented disabilities who will require reasonable accommodations to take part in University sponsored programs and activities will need to contact Disabled Student Services at (760) 750-4905 or (760) 750-4909 (TTY)
Student Right-To-Know and Campus Security Act/Clery Disclosure Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act Details campus crime statistics as mandated by federal regulation.
Teacher Preparation Programs – Annual State and Institutional Report Card. The Higher Education Amendments of 1998 (P.L. 105-244) mandated in Title II that all states receiving funds under that chapter annually prepare and submit to the Secretary of Education a state report card on the quality of teacher preparation in the state. This comprehensive report includes data on all teacher preparation programs in the state. The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CCTC) compiles the report for California, and the annual reports, including program information by institution, are available at http://www.ctc.ca.gov/default.html. Institutions must provide their annual reports to CCTC in April and the state must provide its annual report to the Secretary in October.
The reports must contain information on the pass rate on teacher certification exams of Students in each program and how that pass rate compares with the average pass rate for programs in the state; the number of students in the program, the average number of hours of supervised practice teaching, and the faculty-student ratio in supervised practice teaching; a statement of whether the program is approved by the state, if the state has such a program; and a statement of whether the program has been designated as low performing by the state.
Graduation/Completion/Transfer-Out Rates for all students and student-athletes: According to the CSU Chancellor's Office and California State University San Marcos Analytic Studies, graduation rates are calculated at six years from entry for the first time freshman and at three years from entry for the transfer students. The intercollegiate athletics program at California State University San Marcos commenced in fall 1999 with 6 sport teams: men and women's golf, cross country, and track and field. Consequently, the graduation/completion/transfer-out rates will be available upon completion of the 2004-05 academic year.
Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act: The Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act requires co-educational institutions of postsecondary education that participate in a Title IV, federal student financial assistance program, and have an intercollegiate athletic program, to prepare an annual report to the Department of Education on athletic participation, staffing, and revenues and expenses, by men's and women's teams.
Athletic Program Participation Rates and Financial Support Data
Drug Free Campus Policy and Procedure
Student Contact: For general student issues, please contact the Office of the Dean of Students at (760) 750-4935, Craven Hall Room 3600.
Voter Registration: The Higher Education Amendments of 1998, P.L. 104-244, added a provision to the Higher Education Act (HEA) requiring that institutions of higher education participating in federal Title IV financial aid programs make a good faith effort to distribute mail voter registration forms to each student enrolled in a degree or certificate program and to make such forms widely available to students at the institution. Reference to this provision was added to the Program Participation Agreement (PPA) that institutions execute with the Department of Education. (Note: The statute specifically prohibits any officer of the executive branch from instructing an institution in the manner in which this provision is carried out, therefore not regulations governing this provision have been issued.) The statute requires institutions to request mail voter registration forms from the state 120 days prior to the deadline for registering to vote within the state. If the campus does not receive a sufficient quantity of forms from the state within 60 days prior to the deadline for registering to vote, the campus will not be held liable for failing to meet the requirements during that election year.
The Office of the Secretary of State (see website information below) makes voter registration forms available electronically and facilitates on-line registration. The Federal Election Commission makes available a National Mail Voter Registration Form that can be used for many states.
STUDENT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
Privacy Rights of Students in Education Records (FERPA): For the complete policy, please refer to http://www.ed.gov/
The federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (20 U.S.C. 1232g) and regulations adopted thereunder (34 C.F.R. 99) and California Education Code Section 67100 et seq., set out requirements designed to protect the privacy of students concerning their records maintained by the campus. Specifically, the statute and regulations govern access to student records maintained by the campus and the release of such records. In brief, the law provides that the campus must provide students access to records directly related to the student and an opportunity for a hearing to challenge such records on the grounds that they are inaccurate, misleading or otherwise inappropriate. The right to a hearing under the law does not include any right to challenge the appropriateness of a grade as determined by the instructor. The law generally requires that written consent of the student be received before releasing personally identifiable data about the student from records to other than a specified list of exceptions. The institution has adopted a set of policies and procedures concerning implementation of the statutes and the regulations on the campus. Copies of these policies and procedures may be obtained at the Office of the Director of Enrollment Services. Among the types of information included in the campus statement of policies and procedures are: (1) the types of student records and the information contained therein; (2) the official responsible for the maintenance of each type of record; (3) the location of access lists which indicate persons requesting or receiving information from the record; (4) policies for reviewing and expunging records; (5) the access rights of students; (6) the procedures for challenging the content of student records; (7) the cost which will be charged for reproducing copies of records; and (8) the right of the student to file a compliant with the Department of Education. An office and review board have been established by the Department to investigate and adjudicate violations and complaints. The office designated for this purpose if: The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act Office (FERPA), U.S. Department of Education, 330 "C" Street, Room 4511, Washington, D.C. 20202.
The campus is authorized under the Act to release "directory information" concerning students. "Directory information" includes the student’s name, address, telephone listing, date and place of birth, major field of study, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, dates of attendance, degrees and awards received, and the most recent previous educational agency or institution attended by the student. The above designated information is subject to release by the campus at any time unless the campus has received prior written notice from the student specifying information which the student requests not to be released. Written objections should be sent to the Office of the Director of Enrollment Services, CSU San Marcos, San Marcos, CA 92096-0001.
The campus is authorized to provide access to student records to campus officials and employees who have legitimate educational interests in such access. These persons are those who have responsibilities in connection with the campus’ academic, administrative or service functions and who have reason for using student records connected with their campus or other related academic responsibilities. Disclosure may also be made to other persons or organizations under certain conditions (e.g., as part of accreditation or program evaluation; in response to a court order or subpoena; in connection with financial aid; to other institutions to which the student is transferring).
Privacy Rights of Students in Education Records (FERPA) Policy and Procedure
Alcohol Beverage Use on Campus
Americans with Disabilities Act
Executive Order No. 970 Student disciplinary procedures for the California State University.
Discrimination & Sexual Harassment
Policy on Academic Honesty
Student Discipline Policy
Student Grievance Policy
Student Grade Appeals Policy
Drug Free Campus Information and Distribution Policy
HIV/AIDS Policy and Guidelines
Use of Social Security Number: Section 7 of the federal Privacy Act of 1974 provides that social security numbers may not be required unless pursuant to a state of federal law existing prior to January 1, 1975. The Act further provides that at the time a social security number is requested, the governmental agency must disclose to the applicant whether disclosure of the number is mandatory or voluntary, by what statutory or other authority the number is solicited, and what uses will be made of it.
Title 5, California Code of Regulations Section 41201 (effective January, 1971) authorized CSU campuses to require an applicant for admission to “furnish the campus with his or her social security number”. The CSU discloses the use of the social security number with statements in Mandatory Catalog Copy and the Application for Admission, both paper and electronic versions.
More Student Consumer Information (PDF)
Student Affairs
Craven Hall 3600
PHONE: 760-750-4056
FAX: 760-750-3387
