Graduation Honors for Students Under Teach-Out Agreements Policy

Policy Statement

SUNY Oneonta students typically become eligible for honors designation at graduation by satisfying two criteria:

• meeting the University’s residency requirement of 45 credits of Oneonta coursework (in this case, A – E graded); and
• earning a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or higher.

Transfer students who came to SUNY Oneonta as part of a teach-out agreement—and who received waivers of Oneonta’s residency requirement—may be eligible for graduation with honors. All other students under teach-out agreements who seek to graduate from Oneonta (i.e., those with more than 45 credits to complete in residence) will be subject to all Oneonta requirements for the degree with honors.

Rationale

Through this policy, SUNY Oneonta articulates its way of supporting and recognizing the achievement of students who transfer under teach-out agreements with fewer than 45 credits left for degree completion.

Applicability of the Policy

This policy applies to all SUNY Oneonta students who transferred into the university under a teach-out agreement formed in response to a campus closure and who received a waiver of Oneonta’s residency requirement (minimum 45 Oneonta credits for degree completion).

Definitions

Teach-Out Agreement: an agreement between two institutions that ensures support and equitable treatment for students to complete their programs of study at one of the institutions when the other institution plans to close or closes.

Residency Requirement: the (credit hour) residency requirement is an academic requirement that students fulfill by taking courses offered by that institution (e.g. SUNY Oneonta requires a minimum of 45 credits of courses delivered by SUNY Oneonta faculty).

Graduation Honors: honors designations earned by students who achieve a 3.5 grade point average or higher. There are three levels of honors are Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude, and Summa Cum Laude.

Procedures

Transfer students under Teach-Out Agreements who have their residency requirement waived will have their transfer institution’s GPA considered in calculating their eligibility for and level of honors.

Contacts

Questions related to the daily operational interpretation of this policy should be directed to:

Provost Office

(607) 436-2517

provost@oneonta.edu

Related Documents/Policies

• University Honors Degrees

Effective Dates

Approved by the President’s Executive Staff on May 2025