Students are encouraged to adopt a serious attitude toward their academics and strive to achieve the highest possible academic grades. In order to receive a degree and take the next step towards a career in funeral service, students must complete the following:

The Worsham College AS Program consists of four semesters periods; each semester is comprised of 15 weeks.

Students need a cumulative GPA of 2.0. Progress will be evaluated each semester. Students who meet the 67% attendance standard and the 2.0 GPA academic standard will be considered to be making satisfactory progress until the next evaluation. If it is determined that a student failed to meet either of the two progress standards, the student may be placed on probation until the next semester. During periods of probation, a student is considered to be making satisfactory academic progress. The student will then be advised regarding their progress, and will be required to bring their cumulative GPA above a 2.0 at the next evaluation period. A student will be eligible for a maximum of two consecutive probationary periods during which he or she must improve attendance, or academics or both in order to meet the college’s minimum standards.

After the second consecutive probation, a student will not be eligible for additional consecutive probation periods. Further, if at the end of the second consecutive probationary period the student has still failed to meet either or both of the progress standards, the student will be considered not making satisfactory progress. Students considered not making satisfactory progress will lose eligibility for federal financial assistance and will have one of two options:

Should the student decide on the first option, he or she is only able to repeat the first and second semesters, after waiting one year. If the student selects to appeal the decision of the Program Director regarding their Satisfactory Academic Progress, the student should submit a written appeal to the Board of Directors of the College. The Board in turn shall review the appeal within a week from receipt of the written appeal.

It is imperative that the College has the correct mailing and email address, as well as a telephone number for each matriculated student. Any changes should be noted with the office immediately.

Credit for previous education and training experience must be evaluated and may be granted. Such a grant of credit is at the discretion of Worsham College. The school is required to maintain a written record of previous education and training experiences which indicates that credit has been given, where appropriate, by the school for noted experiences and provide evidence of the evaluation.

Students need to present appropriate documentation to Worsham College prior to the start of class to receive credit for prior education and training.

Federal regulations require colleges to establish and apply reasonable standards of satisfactory academic progress (SAP) for the purpose of receipt of financial assistance under the programs authorized by Title IV of the Higher Education Act. Each institution must design criteria which outlines the definition of student progress towards a degree and the consequences to the student if progress is not achieved. Therefore, students receiving Federal Student Financial aid must maintain “Satisfactory Academic Progress” at Worsham College in order to remain eligible for Federal aid consideration.

The Worsham College SAP policy is applied consistently for all Worsham students, at the end of each term. In order to achieve satisfactory academic progress, a student needs to meet attendance, GPA, Timeframe, and Pace Requirements, which are explained below.

If a student is absent for two consecutive weeks or does not access Canvas for two consecutive weeks the student is immediately withdrawn from the program.

Worsham College students must maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.0. Additionally, students must achieve a grade of ‘C’ (72) or better in all core courses, including Cremation, Embalming I and II, Restorative Art I and II, Funeral Service Law, Funeral Directing, and Marketing, to successfully progress through the program

GPA is the total number of Worsham College grade points acquired, divided by the total number of credit hours taken at Worsham College that carry grade points.

Worsham College’s Curriculum is structured by program rather than individual classes. As such when a student withdraws, they are withdrawing from the entire program, not a course. Worsham College assigns a grade of “W” for each course attempted that term in which the student withdrew from the program. When a course with a “W” is repeated, only the last grade is used in the computation of the cumulative grade point average.

Transfer hours accepted toward a student’s degree program at Worsham College will be treated as hours attempted and completed for all SAP evaluations. Worsham College assigns a grade of “T” for transfer hours. “T” hours do not count in the GPA calculation.

If a student receives an “incomplete” (“I”) for a course, it is considered credits attempted but not earned. When the incomplete is replaced by a passing grade, then those credits are considered to be completed. The completed grade will replace the “I”.

The minimum GPA at each SAP evaluation is 2.0. SAP Evaluation is conducted at the end of each term. If, when SAP is reviewed, a student falls below the 2.0 GPA, the student will be placed on warning status.

Worsham College utilizes the following grading scale:

All students must complete their degree within 150% of the credit hours required for their officially declared credential (150% rule). The average timeframe to complete the AS at Worsham College is 63 semester credit hours, making the 150% maximum timeframe 95 “attempted” semester credit hours.

Students must successfully complete 67% of their attempted courses as recorded and documented by the Registrar’s Office. Attempted hours are defined as the hours for which the student is enrolled in a term. Earned hours are defined as the sum of hours for which a student has earned a grade of A, B, or C. Grades of F, W, I, and T are considered attempted hours but not earned grades. If, when SAP is reviewed, a student falls below the 67% cumulative standard, the student will be placed on warning status until next term.

If it is determined that a student failed to meet the progress standards, the student will be placed on warning status. The student will receive written notification via email regarding their warning status and the specific requirements they must fulfill to resolve the warning status. A student will be placed on warning status for one term. If at the end of the term the student has still failed to meet the requirements, the student will be considered not making satisfactory progress and will lose eligibility for federal financial assistance.

Students who are returning to the institution after a temporary interruption are reinstated under the same Satisfactory Academic Progress status as they had prior to their departure. A temporary interruption is an interruption in training of not more than 180 days, including but not limited to, approved leaves of absence. A leave of absence is granted only to students who wish to temporarily interrupt their training for personal reasons. A request for leave must be made in advance in writing. The Veteran’s Administration and higher education funding agencies will be notified immediately when students are granted a leave of absence.

Federal student financial aid is interrupted when a student fails to make satisfactory progress. Aid will be reinstated when the student improves their attendance or academics to a level such that minimum standards have been met. Federal aid for any term that occurs with a period of unsatisfactory progress will be permanently forfeited.

When a student becomes ineligible for financial aid due to failure to meet SAP standards, an opportunity is given to appeal for further financial aid consideration. A student may file an SAP Appeal on the basis of:

Appeals are considered on an individual basis. Documentation is required to support the basis of the appeal. Appeal documentation must be submitted either via email or in person to the program director. Depending on the nature of the appeal, and/or the student’s academic record, additional documentation may be required of the student before the appeal can be accepted. For example, the student may be asked to provide supporting documentation from a doctor, counselor, etc. The student must also document what changes have occurred to remedy the special circumstance that led to inadequate academic progress. The student must demonstrate that the special circumstance directly contributed to poor academic progress in the term that they did not meet standards. A student is allowed only one appeal.

Completed SAP appeals will be reviewed within 15 business days. The student will be notified by email if the appeal is accepted or denied. If the email is returned undeliverable, a letter will be mailed to the student’s current residence at the address listed in their application. Students should keep email and addresses of residence up to date.

Please note: Per federal financial aid regulations, appeals are not automatically accepted and may be denied based on failure to maintain the Satisfactory Academic Progress standards set forth at Worsham College.

A student may appeal a denial decision by the Program Director to the Board of Directors. If a student elects to do so, a written appeal must be submitted, via email or in person to the Academic Dean of Worsham College. The board in turn shall review the appeal within seven calendar days of receipt.

A student is placed on probationary status after a SAP appeal has been filed and approved. Probation terms are one term in length. The student is given specific requirements that must be met in order to maintain financial aid eligibility. If the requirements are not met by the end of probation term, the student will become ineligible for financial aid.

Payments

You must be current with your tuition payment at the end of each semester to continue to the next one.

Financial Aid

You may not receive financial aid from any other school or institution while enrolled at Worsham.

Refunds and Withdrawals

If for any reason it becomes necessary for a student to voluntarily withdraw from Worsham College, a letter must be submitted to the Program Director indicating this intent. The effective date of the withdrawal becomes the letter’s date of receipt. If a student chooses not to inform the College of their withdrawal, they forfeit eligibility for a refund of tuition according to the refund schedule below. Non-attendance does not constitute official withdrawal.

Further, all outstanding balances on a student account may be subject to a monthly finance charge of 1.5% of the balance due.

Repeated Course or Semester Policy

Worsham College is committed to supporting student success and ensuring that all graduates meet the high academic and professional standards of the funeral service profession. To provide a fair opportunity for improvement while maintaining program quality, the following policy applies:

*Important Note:
This policy is designed to ensure that students have the opportunity to learn, improve, and succeed, while also maintaining the integrity of the program. Limiting the number of repeats helps ensure that graduates are fully prepared to meet the academic and professional demands of the funeral service profession. Students are encouraged to seek academic support early and often to maximize their success.

Worsham College, the Associate of Applied Science, the Associate of Science and Diploma degree programs are accredited by the American Board of Funeral Service Education. Credits earned at Worsham College may be transferable to other colleges and schools. The determination will be made by the transferring institution.

Students should advise Worsham College about the state in which they intend to work so the registrar can best advise students about the educational requirements. Students can also access this information on the website and by contacting the state licensing boards. The AS program is designed and approved to meet the licensure requirement of “graduation from an accredited mortuary science program” in accordance with state licensing boards.

Worsham College maintains all student records of grades for three years and transcripts in perpetuity. To request a transcript please follow instructions on the website or call 847-808- 8444.

Students are not able to freely transfer between modalities. A student may request to move into a different program but must understand they will likely have to complete additional coursework. The student can speak to the program director or registrar for more information.

Updated October 2025