Registrar

To ensure accuracy of records, BFA students who have had a recent name change or change address should complete the Change of Address form HERE.

BFA students wishing to add or drop a class from their schedule can complete the Add/Drop form, available HERE. The completed Add/Drop form must be turned in to the Registrar. Each semester, students wishing to add or drop a class may do so without monetary or academic penalty during the add/drop period, identified in the academic calendar. 

A student who has suffered serious personal illness or other emergency circumstances during the academic term should notify the Registrar as soon as possible. If the student is unable to complete all assignments by the end of the term, he or she may request a grade of incomplete through the Registrar before the end of the quarter, explaining the reason and attaching documentary evidence of the illness or emergency circumstance. Application for Incomplete Grade is available HERE. 

BFA students who wish to take a leave of absence or withdraw completely from Southwest School of Art should complete the withdrawal form found HERE. Students who are considering withdrawing from the School should seek the guidance of their academic advisor before making a final decision. A leave of absence of up to one (1) full academic year may be granted to a requesting student. An approved leave of absence does not change a student’s status or scholarship. After one year, students who do not return to the School from a leave of absence automatically forfeit their scholarship and must re-apply to the BFA program in order to be readmitted. 

BFA students can pick up course credits outside of SSA during the summer, or while on leave of absence. Courses intended for transfer back to the Southwest School of Art BFA Program must be approved by the Vice President of Academic Affairs before the course is taken. The Transfer Credit Approval Form is available HERE.

After initial enrollment in our BFA Program, a student may transfer no more than 12 semester credits to SSA from another accredited institution.

IMPORTANT: The final 30 BFA Degree credits must be taken at Southwest School of Art.

Students requiring a copy of their official transcript should complete the Transcript Request Form available HERE. BFA students may request from the Office of the Registrar official transcripts of all coursework completed in the BFA Program at SSA. Transcripts and portfolios submitted to SSA as part of the application process become part of the permanent record of the student and cannot be returned to the student.

Transcript requests are accepted by email only from an official SSA-issued email address; however, SSA does not email or scan transcripts.

Student records, including academic transcripts, are protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (20 U. S. C. 1232[g]). Only the student may request a copy of his or her academic record. Family or friends are not permitted access to student records without the written consent of the student.

Southwest School of Art charges BFA students a Lifetime Transcript Fee. This fee, part of the student life fee, allows students to order transcripts at no additional cost. Requests for transcripts must be in writing and must include the name of the student, all former names (if any), social security number, years of attendance, home address, the address to which the transcript should be mailed, and the student’s signature. A transcript request form may be printed from the web or picked up at the Office of the Registrar. Transcripts are processed and mailed within 3-5 business days after the written request has been received.

The Office of the Registrar will not prepare transcripts for any student who has an outstanding financial obligation to the college. The office will notify the student of a financial “hold” and keep the request until the hold is released by the originating office or for 60 days, whichever comes first. If a hold is released within this time, the transcript will be sent. If the hold is not cleared within 60 days, the request will be voided. A new request will be honored only after all holds are released.

Students can access their unofficial transcript in their student portal, NetClassroom.

FERPA Students who wish to grant a third party access to private information should complete the FERPA Release Form found HERE. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords students certain rights with respect to their education records. They are:

• The right to inspect and review the student’s education records, within 45 days of the date SSA receives a request for access. Students should submit to the Office of the Registrar written requests that identify the record(s) they wish to inspect. The registrar will make arrangements for access and notifies the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected. If the records are not maintained by the registrar, the registrar shall advise the student of the correct official to whom the request should be addressed. That official will make arrangements for access and notify the student of when and where the records may be inspected;
• The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the student believes are inaccurate or misleading. A student who believes records are inaccurate or misleading should write to the Office of the Registrar, clearly identify the part of the record he or she wants changed, and document why he/she feels the information is inaccurate or misleading. If SSA decides not to amend the record as requested by the student, SSA will notify the student of the decision and advise the student of his or her right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding hearing procedures will be provided to the student at that time;
• The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student’s education records, except to the extent that the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act authorizes disclosure without consent. One exception, which permits disclosure without consent, is disclosure to School officials with legitimate educational interests. A School official is a person employed by the School in a supervisory, administrative, academic, research, or support staff position (including law enforcement personnel and health staff); a person or company with whom the School has contracted (such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent); a person serving on the board of trustees; or a student serving on an official committee, such as disciplinary or grievance committees, or assisting another School official in performing his or her tasks. A School official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility. Upon request, the School discloses a student’s education records to officials of another school in which a student seeks or intends to enroll without the student’s prior consent. The School also discloses directory information in a student’s education record unless written notice is received from the student that the student does not wish to be included in the disclosure of directory information. Written notice should be sent to the Office of the Registrar. Directory information includes the student’s name, major field of study, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, dates of attendance, degrees and awards received, most recent previous educational agency or institution attended, SSA e-mail address, and photograph; and
• The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures of the School to comply with the requirements of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.  The name and address of the office that administers the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act is as follows:

Family Policy and Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
600 Independence Avenue S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20202-4605