Gaetz Aerospace Career Academy: Student Policies

Students must meet the 2.5 unweighted minimum GPA requirement and be in grades 10-12 to participate. Any exception to these requirements must be approved in advance by ERAU and the high school administration.

Parent/guardian signature is required on the Consent Form.

Students are held to the GAI Aerospace Institute academic calendar and deadlines. Any schedule changes must be made by the published deadlines. It is the student’s responsibility to notify ERAU’s GAI office if they change schools or withdraw from high school.

Students who earn a “D” grade may retake that one class.

Courses may only be repeated once. Students who earn an “F” grade in a course are no longer eligible to enroll in GAI courses.

GAI students who withdraw two times are no longer eligible to participate in the program.

Regardless of meeting student eligibility requirements for continued enrollment, a student may lose the opportunity to participate in a course if the student is disruptive to the learning process such that the progress of other students or the efficient administration of the course is hindered. In addition, a student will be sanctioned accordingly if found to violate any of the ERAU student code of conduct standards as outlined in the ERAU Student Handbook. This could include a sanction ranging from a warning to permanent dismissal from ERAU.

As you might expect, university courses differ from high school courses in significant ways. As a concurrent enrolled student, you will:

  • Move from teacher-supported to student-directed learning. This means you need to take on more personal responsibility for time management, effective study skills, and content knowledge.
  • Apply university-level study skills. Strategic learning skills that you need to apply include note taking; active reading; active listening; writing with purpose (including planning, drafting, revision, and editing); effective presentation and speaking; content synthesis and application; time management; and memorizing and mnemonics.
  • Read, understand, and synthesize at a university level. The number of textbook pages assigned increases from what you are accustomed to, and concepts and vocabulary are more challenging.
  • Think conceptually. Don’t just report information. Engage; think about diverse perspectives and ideas.
  • Read assigned material even if it is not covered in class. Professors often use textbook chapters to complement and amplify their lectures and seminars. Even if the reading assignment is not raised in class, content from it may still be part of an assignment or test. Use your technology, i.e. Facebook and Twitter, to connect with other students along with Google Scholar and YouTube for supplemental materials.
  • Take extensive and competent class notes. Because much of the course material will be transmitted via lecture and seminar discussion, the notes you take in class are as crucial as the material in your textbook. Don’t let your notes sit – you need to actively engage with your notes; ideas include creating outlines, graphic organizers, and other summaries.
  • Keep pace with the course. University courses – especially survey courses – move swiftly through content, covering many concepts and time periods over a semester.
  • Study an appropriate number of hours outside of class. Typically a university student is expected to study, during a three-credit course, three to five hours outside class per week.
  • Be prepared for different kinds of assessment. University courses can use a combination of class participation, pop quizzes, short tests, long exams, long research papers, short papers, portfolios, group assignments, and presentations as forms of assessment.
  • Understand that quality will count more than quantity. Although effort is appreciated at the university-level, the majority of your grade will be based on an assessment of your grasp of a course’s concepts and materials and your ability to apply them at a university-level.
  • Show integrity. Academic integrity is expected of all students doing University work. You must commit to the values of honesty, trustworthiness, fairness, and respect. Cheating, plagiarism, and other forms of academic dishonesty are not tolerated. See the Academic Integrity section below for more information.
  • Form peer groups for mutual support. Teamwork is a highly valued skill, so consider forming a peer group to support your note-taking, test-reviewing, brainstorming, and proofreading of essays.
  • Take advantage of support materials and structures. For instance, your textbook might come with a CD-ROM/DVD, websites, self-tests, or checklists. Learn to use all of these as study aids. In addition, learn to use the Hunt Library database and other scholarly websites that support your subject. If your instructor holds office hours, take advantage and go to them armed with intelligent questions.
  • Get organized. If you do not yet keep a planner – hard copy or electronic – start one to help you manage your time effectively as you juggle studying, extracurricular activities, jobs, family commitments, and socializing.
  • Seek balance. Remember that too much studying can be detrimental to your health and your ability to do good work. Organize your time so that you balance work with stress-reducing activities such as athletics/fitness, friends, and hobbies.

When a student signs up for a course requiring a pre- and/or co-requisite, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University’s registration system automatically identifies the course requirements, as well as whether or not the student has met the requirements. Students that do not meet Embry Riddle Aeronautical University’s pre- and/or co-requisite requirements will not be permitted to enroll in the course.

Dual Enrollment students may drop a course, with no transcript course indicators, during the drop period. Please refer to our website for current registration and Add/Drop dates. It is the responsibility of the high school guidance counselor AND Faculty member to provide ERAU with the appropriate documentation for any dropped courses for registered Dual Enrollment students.

Requests to drop a course will not be considered after the posted Add/Drop dates.

Special considerations are made for cases outside of the student’s control.

Dual Enrollment students shall be registered initially in the high school system and then in the ERAU student information system. STUDENTS WILL NOT BE REGISTERED WITHOUT A COMPLETED, SIGNED CONSENT FORM ON FILE. Registration of the Dual Enrollment student in the ERAU student information system should occur within the first 14 days of the start of the high school course. Students will register online for their courses and it is the responsibility of the faculty member to ensure all students are enrolled by monitoring their class rosters.

Students are not permitted to register for any Dual Enrollment course after the add/drop period.

The Gaetz Aerospace Career Academy Office shall review all registration requests received after the last day of add/drop on a case-by-case basis. Documentation submitted for add/drop requests after the posted deadline should include justification for the late add/drop.

The authorized administrative withdrawal period extends to the midpoint of the term (unless otherwise established by any contract or MOU/agreement currently in effect). Students attempting to withdraw from a course after the term midpoint must provide a written petition, along with third-party documentation, explaining their extenuating circumstances (such as parent/guardian military assignment that results in a location change, medical emergency, etc.) to the high school guidance counselor/faculty member who will then submit the completed request to ERAU.

Each petition is considered individually; the submission of a petition does not guarantee approval. If the Dual Enrollment student fails to complete the formal withdrawal process during the allowed withdrawal period, a grade of “F” will be assigned for the course. Students are not permitted to drop (or withdraw from) a course while a charge of academic dishonesty is pending. It is the responsibility of the high school guidance counselor/faculty member to provide ERAU with the appropriate documentation for any administrative withdrawal requests.

The classroom instructor is responsible for reviewing each withdrawal request prior to sending it to ERAU. ERAU will render the final decision. The final decision should be indicated in the student information system, and the Registrar’s office should be notified.

Students who are unable to complete course requirements, due to extenuating circumstances, may complete and submit a written request for an incomplete grade through the high school guidance counselor/faculty. The high school guidance counselor will then submit the request to ERAU for processing. An incomplete grade must be completed no later than 7 working days after the end of the high school semester in which the course was taken. The high school faculty member may require a student to complete the course requirements earlier than seven (7) working days following the end of the high school semester. Students not completing their courses within the time limit will receive a failing grade (F) in the course.

The high school faculty member shall be responsible for supplying a copy of the incomplete grade approval to ERAU.

NOTE: Incomplete grades are issued in exceptional circumstances (medical/family emergency). The high school guidance counselor, faculty or officials in Enrollment Management may restrict the enrollment of Dual Enrollment students who have an outstanding incomplete grade or a history of incompletes.

Each course taken through concurrent enrollment will count toward the student’s total attempted hours once they are out of high school. If the student takes unnecessary course work, it could impact Federal Financial aid and university excess hour fees in the future.

Students who take concurrent enrollment classes are in actual college classes. They are not easier because the student is still in high school. The college’s accreditation agency requires all students to be held to the same requirements. Concurrent enrollment requires students to be self-motivated. College is a very different environment than high school. Students must:

Make sure you are on time for class, stay the entire class, and attend all sessions. College instructors have attendance policies and missing class may negatively impact student’s grade (regardless of the reason for the absence or tardiness).

Maintain regular communication with an instructor.   If there is an absence, it is the student’s responsibility to ask the instructor about the missed lecture and/or assignments. Realize that college instructors do not necessarily allow make-up work for assignments or tests missed. Missed work may mean a “0” for that assignment. Very few instructors provide opportunities for make-up work and if they do, it usually comes with a penalty (i.e. ½ credit for the assignment or test). Additionally, FAA courses have required attendance policies that will affect student grades.

Read your syllabus and follow the instructions.

This is the document that contains information about what is expected in the class. Keep a copy of it in your binder so you can refer back to it when needed.

Read the material assigned by the instructor.

Make sure you have enough time to study. National statistics show that successful students study 2- 3 hours per week for every one credit hour of the course. That means 4-6 hours of homework/reading/study time per week besides class time. Some classes may take more time and some may take less time.

Complete your homework and turn it in ON TIME. Most college instructors do not accept late assignments.

Pay attention! Do not talk with your friends, text, surf the internet, etc. during class.

If you need help, ask! All instructors have office hours and students can meet with the instructor during their office hours.

Students attending one of our concurrent enrollment programs may print their unofficial transcripts from their student center in Campus Solutions.

Request official transcripts. 

Embry‑Riddle wants you to get credit for courses and exams that you’ve previously taken. Students who plan to attend their local community college before transferring to Embry‑Riddle can use the Transfer Portal to get a free, unofficial estimate of how your credits, AP, CLEP and IB exams will transfer to different ERAU degree programs.  

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) is a federal law designed to protect the privacy of and limit access to student educational records. FERPA grants students certain rights, privileges, and protections relative to the identifiable information contained in their educational records maintained by the University.

Each year, the University catalog contains annual disclosure information about FERPA. Students may request additional information regarding FERPA, or a copy of the University document describing the regulations implementing this act, by contacting their campus Registrar/Records and Registration Office. Click here to review Embry‑Riddle’s FERPA Policy.