The following are the policies related to academics and immigration. Some related topics are under "Placement Criteria & Student Achievement".
(reviewed April 2024)
New Student Arrival Policy:
New students are expected to arrive for the beginning of the term orientation which is usually on the Wednesday of the first week of the term.
New students who arrive late and up to fourteen days after the first day of classes may be accepted IF they bring documentation that they were delayed by immigration paperwork or flight cancellation or delay.
New students who arrive later than fourteen days after the first week of classes, must have made special arrangements ahead of time and for academic or once-in-a-lifetime events. These are very rare. Usually if the student is going to arrive later than fourteen days after the first day of classes, they are encouraged to defer to the next available term.
New students are not counted absent until after they have completed registration. Thus, missing classes due to travel or immigration delays are not counted against the student’s attendance record.
Returning Student Arrival Policy:
Returning EPI students must complete registration and, if necessary, testing for the term by registration day before schedules are distributed and classes begin.
Students must complete registration by paying their full tuition and university fees by registration day. A student who fails to complete registration on time will not receive a class schedule and, therefore, will not be allowed to attend classes. Students who do not register on time will be charged a late registration fee.
Students who plan to travel outside the U.S. during the break will be required to show round-trip flight itineraries prior to their departure and to pay a tuition deposit for the upcoming term. Failure to do so will result in the denial of the travel signature on their I-20 form.
Returning students are counted absent from the first day of classes unless they can show documentation of unexpected delays which were beyond the student’s control.
Returning Students’ Testing Policy:
Students who miss end-of-term testing for any reason must take the beginning-of- term tests with new students. No other late testing options are available.
Students who return to EPI after skipping one term may be allowed to return to their previous schedule of classes without testing. However, EPI recommends retesting.
Students who return to EPI after skipping two or more terms must be retested and placed according to those test scores.
(reviewed April 2024)
New Transfer-In Students:
New students who wish to transfer to EPI from another program must complete the application process required of all new students.
In addition, transfer-in students must take their acceptance letter from EPI to their current program to request a transfer of their I-20 to EPI.
Returning Transfer-In Students:
Former EPI students who transferred from EPI in good standing will be accepted to return to EPI under the same standards as the New Student Transfer-In Policy.
Students Returning after 2 or More Terms:
Former EPI students who left EPI in good standing and have been out of the country or studying in another program for 2 or more terms may be accepted as new students with no restrictions. However, returning former students MUST be retested and placed according to the latest placement test scores, not according to data from previous terms at EPI.
EPI students who transferred from EPI in good standing to another English program where they have maintained their F-1 student visa status for 2 or more terms may be accepted as new students with no restrictions. However, returning former students MUST be retested and placed according to the latest placement test scores, not according to data from previous terms at EPI.
Transferring Student Status:
EPI will not accept students who attempt to transfer to EPI ‘out of status.’
Other Returning Student Policy:
Former EPI students who left EPI in good standing and have been out of the country for 2 or more terms may be accepted as new students. However, they will be retested and placed according to the latest placement test scores, not on previous terms’ data. Additionally, prior study in EPI will continue to factor into students' EPI grade point average (GPA), which will factor into decisions regarding eligibility for admission to the University of South Carolina.
(reviewed September 2023)
Present in class:
Students are expected to attend 100% of class sessions. We want students to progress as quickly as possible and this will happen when students attend classes. This requirement means the following:
If students attend less than 80% of the class sessions, they will be on probation.
If students attend less than 50% of the class sessions in ANY of their EPI classes,
their I-20 will be terminated.
If a student arrives 15 minutes late or more, s/he will be counted absent for the day.
If a student leaves a class to go to the restroom or any other reason and misses 15 minutes or more, s/he will be counted absent for the day.
Each class is expected to begin at the posted time. If a student arrives after this time, s/he will be counted tardy. If a student is tardy three times, the three tardies together will be counted as one absence.
If a student is on probation for poor attendance AND they miss more than 20% of the class sessions in any of their courses, the student must meet with the Assistant Director or the Director and their I-20 may be terminated.
Leaving class:
Students who leave class during class time may be counted tardy and if gone longer than 15 minutes, may be counted absent. Students who have a temporary illness/ medical issue should talk to the teacher ahead of class and inform the instructor of the situation. This situation should not be normal.
Students who may have an ongoing medical condition should present documented medical verification from their doctor. Otherwise, they are expected to be in class, on time for the entire length of the class.
Medical issues and Attendance:
Please note: If you become sick or have a medical problem, this must be documented by a medical doctor and communicated to the EPI office and your EPI teachers as soon as possible. If you are not in class, you are absent. However, if ALL of your absences are due to sickness or a medical condition documented by a doctor, you should bring your medical records to the EPI office as soon as possible to discuss what you need to do. .
(reviewed April 2024)
Academic Integrity:
Students at the English Programs for Internationals are expected to be truthful and honest. Plagiarism or cheating of any type is unacceptable. There are severe penalties for any student who cheats or plagiarizes (takes text or ideas from another source and presents them as his or her own).
Penalties:
In each case, faculty will evaluate the circumstances and determine if the honesty
violation is accidental or deliberate.
If the faculty member determines the incident is accidental:
- The student will be instructed in proper conduct to avoid future violations.
- A report will be made and placed in the student’s file.
A minor plagiarism violation could be one or two sentences being copied, lack of proper citation, a second “accidental” violation, etc.
If a faculty member determines the incident is deliberate, but minor:
- The student will be instructed in proper conduct to avoid future violations.
- Student will be required to redo the assignment/paper, however, a grade penalty of -20% will be imposed.
- A report will be made and placed in the student’s file.
A major pliigarism violation could be whole paragraphs or more, a second “minor” violation, etc.
If a faculty member determines the incident is deliberate, but major:
- Student will automatically fail the assignment.
- Student will be required to redo the assignment properly and will fail the course if the assignment is not completed.
- A letter of warning will be given to the student.
- A report is made and placed in the student’s file.
Second major violation
- Student will automatically fail the course.
- The student’s file will be updated and the future university will be notified of the violations when the student transfers.
- The student is given a referral to the USC Office of Academic ntegrity.
Third major violation
- Student will be suspended from EPI at the end of the term; i.e., must transfer to another program.
- New program may be notified of the reasons for the transfer.
Academic integrity violations on assessments, such as quizzes, tests, and placement/proficiency testing may take many forms, including - but not limited to - copying, plagiarizing, unauthorized consultation of notes or other sources (e.g., mobile phones, textbooks, translation applications, etc.), and unauthorized communication with classmates. The penalties for academic integrity violations follow:
- Cheating or plagiarizing on in-class assessments (tests/quizzes) is a major violation and will result in a zero grade on the assessment with, at the teacher’s discretion, no possibility of retaking the assessment.
- Plagiarism or cheating of any kind during EPI final exams is a major violation and will result in failure of the course, a recommendation to repeat the course (level), and referral to the UofSC Office of Student Conduct & Academic Integrity.
AI policy background:
Artificial Intelligence programs are an exciting development that will greatly impact education and the world for some time. EPI is constantly exploring new ways to help students learn and improve their English and this will include some use of AI in the language learning process. However, in order for YOU to learn English YOU have to do the work. You cannot make progress in English quickly if you have someone or something (AI) write your papers for you. AI cannot learn English for you! Therefore, EPI has the following policy for AI usage:
Artificial Intelligence Policy:
Writing a paper or completing other assignments with the aid of any AI program such
as ChatGPT without an instructor’s explicit direction and then submitting the assignment
as your own academic work is plagiarism which is considered an act of cheating. Penalties for using AI resources will follow
the same procedures as those for plagiarism above.
In all other cases, EPI follows the USC policies concerning Student Conduct and Academic
Integrity which are found here:
https://sc.edu/about/offices_and_divisions/student_conduct_and_academic_integrity/
Cell Phones and other Devices Policy:
Cell phones and other devices can be a huge distraction which could slow your improvement in English proficiency. In addition, studies have shown that trying to do two things at once makes your worse – at BOTH. So cell phones must be silenced and stored in your backpack, purse, or location provided by your teacher during class unless otherwise directed by your instructor. If you are expecting an important call from a relative, doctor’s office, or childcare provider, tell your teacher in advance.
Student Conduct:
On the first day of the term at the time of registration, EPI students sign:
3. Agreements: for the duration of my stay at EPI I agree to:
a. follow all University regulations including the Code of Student Academic Responsibility and the Code of Student Conduct.
All the USC policies concerning Student Conduct and Academic Integrity are found here:
https://sc.edu/about/offices_and_divisions/student_conduct_and_academic_integrity/
The university summarizes the code of conduct and academic integrity in the Carolinian Creed:
As a Carolinian ...
I will practice personal and academic integrity;
I will respect the dignity of all persons;
I will respect the rights and property of others;
I will discourage bigotry, while striving to learn from differences in people, ideas,
and opinions;
I will demonstrate concern for others, their feelings, and their need for conditions
which support their work and development.
EPI faculty and staff and the ISSS staff and interns support students if there is any inadvertent violation of the Code of Conduct by providing language support and if needed translation.
(reviewed April 2024)
Background:
U.S. immigration requires students studying in the U.S. to attend and make satisfactory
progress in their program.
In EPI ‘satisfactory progress’ means that most students should take no more than two
terms to complete a level. If a student does not make satisfactory progress, EPI will
give a warning to the student on their transcript. This warning indicates that any
student who is repeating a class for the third time should progress to the next level
by the end of their third term in that level. If a student fails after their third
attempt in that course, they may be required to either return to their country, transfer
to another program where they can be more successful, or with a recommendation of
the EPI faculty, they may be allowed to return at a lower level to fill-in gaps in
language skills which may be preventing progress.
Policy:
After one term, students who have mastered each of the English skills on the checklist for the appropriate course progress to the next level. However, it is not unusual for students to take two terms to master all the skills in a particular course before they progress. If a student repeats a course a third time, EPI gives a warning through a letter of probation that the student must progress at the end of the third term. If after three attempts a student does not progress to the next level, the student may be required to transfer to another program, return to his/her country, or may be required to move down one level.
(reviewed April 2024)
Promotion:
Promotion to a higher level is determined by mastery of student learning outcomes (see the Student Achievement Scale [pdf]) as evidenced by a student's end-of-term grade. More specifically, to be promoted from one level to the next in any course, a student must:
Earn a grade of 'A' or 'B,' and;
Receipt of the instructor's recommendation of readiness to progress, which is based
upon the mastery of SLOs outlined in the Student Achievement Scale.
If a student earns a grade of 'A' or 'B' and demonstrates mastery of the student learning outcomes for the course but does not meet the minimum placement score required for placement in the next level, the faculty may recommend that the student retest.
The EOT Grade Policy is used to determine the final grade for each class.
(reviewed April 2024)
Repeat Policy Background:
The EPI curriculum has a set of goals which a student must master in order to be considered ready to move to the next level. These goals (student learning outcomes – SLOs) are identified as a ‘checklist.’ The checklist is made available to students at the midterm and the end of the term if not before by the instructor. If a student does not have proficiency in one of those skills at the end of the term, the instructor evaluates that skill with a 0. If the student has begun to develop that skill but has not yet mastered it, the instructor evaluates that skill with a 1. When the student has achieved mastery of that skill (able to correctly use that skill 80% of the time or better), the instructor evaluates that skill with a 2. If a student has not mastered all the skills on the checklist appropriate for his/her course and level, that student will repeat that course.
Teachers will complete the checklist at Mid-term as a check on the direction and plans for the course materials. At the end of the term-students will receive a transcript with the final grades and recommendations as well as a copy of the end-of-term checklist.
Repeat Policy:
Each course in EPI has a set of goals (SLOs) which at the end of the term are summarized in a checklist. Mastery of each of these goals is considered essential to success at the next level. Students who do not master each of these goals will repeat the course.
(reviewed April 2024)
Standard Criteria:
University of South Carolina (USC) Undergraduate Admissions will admit EPI students
according to the following criteria:
Satisfactory grades and coursework at the student’s previous school (high school for
entering freshmen and high school and university for transfer students). Note that
“satisfactory grades and coursework” are determined by Undergraduate Admissions.
AND
An iBT score of 77 – 80 with a minimum score of 17 in each section or an IELTS score
of 6.5 with a minimum score of 6.0 in each section, regardless of which EPI level
the student has completed.
Alternative Criteria for EPI Students:
The following alternative criteria refer only to full-time, full-term EPI students. A student who is not eligible to receive an EPI end-of-term certificate is not considered to have completed an EPI term.
1) A minimum iBT score of 61 with a minimum score of 14 in each section
OR
An absolute minimum Accuplacer score of 295 with a minimum score of 82 in each of
the three subsections of the Accuplacer
AND
Successful completion of all 3 level 6 core courses (WG, RV, SL)
AND
Successful completion of the student’s last term in EPI. “Successful completion” is
defined as a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.8. ** The student must earn this
2.8 GPA in his/her last term in EPI.
2) A minimum iBT score of 71 with a minimum score of 15 in each section
OR
An absolute minimum Accuplacer score of 305 with a minimum score of 85 in each of
the three subsections of the Accuplacer.
AND
Successful completion of all 3 level 5 core courses (WG, RV, SL or SS)
AND
Successful completion of the student’s last term in EPI. “Successful completion” is
defined as a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.8. ** The student must earn this
2.8 GPA in his/her last term in EPI.
Any EPI student who earns an I (incomplete), F, or U (unsatisfactory) will not be considered as having successfully completed a term and is not eligible for USC admission at the end of an EPI term unless the student has earned an iBT score of 77 – 80/IELTS 6.5.
**To calculate GPA, USC converts the following letter grades to the numerical values
below:
A = 4
B+ =3 .5
B = 3
C+ = 2.5
C = 2
D+ = 1.5
D = 1