Academic Policies and Procedures

Registration

Students may participate in a course only after officially registering and paying through the proper procedures. The Office of the Registrar officially notifies an instructor of the names of the students enrolled in a course utilizing the Orion class roster. Students will not receive credit for courses for which they are not registered.

Administrative Drop

An administrative drop may occur due to the following reasons:

• The student has not satisfied the pre-requisites for the course.
• The student has not satisfied probationary requirements resulting in suspension.
• Judicial affairs request.
• The student has not made appropriate tuition and fee payments.
• The student's enrollment is in violation of academic policy.
• The student was not admitted for the term in which they registered.

Auditing a Class

(See the "Courses" section at catalog.utdallas.edu/2012/undergraduate/policies/course-policies#auditing).

Classification of Students

Freshmen and sophomores are lower-division students. Juniors and seniors are upper-division students.

• Freshman: A student who has successfully completed fewer than 30 semester credit hours (SCH).
• Sophomore: A student who has successfully completed 30-53 SCH.
• Junior: A student who has successfully completed 54-89 SCH.
• Senior: A student who has successfully completed 90 or more SCH.

Concurrent Enrollment Tuition

A concurrent enrollment agreement is in place between The University of Texas at Dallas, The University of Texas at Arlington and The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Branch. This agreement allows any student enrolled concurrently between these institutions to receive a waiver of certain fees. Students must be enrolled in at least one hour at their home institution to be considered concurrently enrolled. Students must apply for concurrent enrollment with The Office of the Registrar in the Student Services Building, first floor customer service area.

In addition, Texas Education Code 54.011 states that when students register at more than one public institution of higher education at the same time, their tuition charges shall be determined in the following manner:

• The student shall pay the full tuition charge to the first institution at which s/he registered; and in any event the student shall pay an amount at least equal to the minimum tuition specified in this code.
• If the minimum tuition specified in this code for the first institution at which the student is registered is equal to or greater than the minimum tuition specified in this code for the second institution at which the student is registered concurrently, the student shall not be required to pay the specified minimum tuition charge to the second institution in addition to the tuition charge paid to the first institution, but shall pay only the hourly rates, as provided in this code, to the second institution.
• If the minimum tuition specified in this code for the first institution at which the student is registered is less than the specified minimum tuition charge at the second institution (that is, if the second institution has a higher minimum tuition charge specified in this code), then the student shall first register at the institution having the lower minimum tuition and shall pay to the second institution only the amount equal to the difference between the total tuition charge at the second institution and the total tuition charge at the first institution, but in no case shall the student pay to the second institution less than the hourly rates as provided in this code.
• If a student is considered to be a Texas resident and therefore qualified to pay Texas resident tuition rates by one institution at which s/he is registered, that student shall be considered a Texas resident at each of the institutions at which s/he is concurrently registered for the purposes of determining the proper tuition charges. Nothing in this subdivision shall be so construed as to allow a nonresident to pay resident tuition except at institutions covered by Section 54.060 of this code.

Dates for Registration

Registration dates are listed online in the Academic Calendar or Comet Calendar. All dates and formal procedures for registration and late registration are listed: www.utdallas.edu/student/registrar/lookup/dropadd.html.

Continuing students will receive an enrollment appointment to register during the early registration period. Early registration helps to ensure enrollment in classes needed to fulfill degree requirements. All freshmen, undeclared continuing students, and students who changed their major must meet with their academic advisor prior to registering for classes.

Newly admitted students for the semester will have an opportunity to register at orientation. All newly admitted students must meet with their academic advisor prior to registering for classes.

Deadlines for Adding or Dropping a Class

NOTE: Students should retain copies of all add and drop forms for at least one year following the end of the semester in which the student initiates a drop or add course action.

Deadlines vary during the shorter summer sessions. It is the student's responsibility to review the Comet Calendar or the online Academic Calendar for specific summer deadlines.

Deadlines for dropping a course are based upon the course and not the student. For example, when an undergraduate student takes a graduate course, the drop procedures for graduate courses take effect.

Add

Beginning the first (1st) day of class through the sixth (6th) class day, students may add a class without the instructor's or advisor's signature. However, students in the following categories must still meet with an academic advisor before adding classes:

• Students newly admitted to The University of Texas at Dallas (including transfer students and freshmen),
• Students without declared majors and those students who are not in good academic standing. Please see the Comet Calendar's academic section for specific deadlines.

Drop

Courses dropped on or before Census Day will not appear on the student's transcript.

Students may drop a class without any permission required until the end of business on Census Day.

After Census Day, permissions to drop are required from the school or college in which the student is admitted.

W Period

Through the sixth (6th) class week of a long semester, students may withdraw from courses by completing a drop form and having it signed by their academic advisor and course instructor. A grade of 'W' (withdrawn from course) will appear on the student's transcript.

WL Period

During the seventh (7th) through ninth (9th) class weeks of a long semester, students who submit a completed drop form will receive a grade of 'WL' (withdrawn late). The student must obtain the instructor's and advisor's signatures on the form.

After the ninth (9th) class week of a long semester, a student may only withdraw from a class for non-academic reasons.

Dropping and Withdrawing

The University makes a distinction between dropping a class prior to the 12th class day (Census Day - Fall/Spring), an academic action that is not posted to the student's permanent record, and withdrawing from a class (following Census Day) at which point the academic action becomes a part of the student's transcript.

Texas law mandates that a student who enrolls in a Texas public institution as a first-time freshman in fall 2007 or later, not be allowed to withdraw from more than six courses over his or her entire undergraduate career including all courses taken at any Texas public institution of higher education. Legislatively-mandated reasons for withdrawing from a class that do not count toward the six-class limit include, among others, a severe illness or other debilitating condition that affects the student's ability to complete the course; the student's need to care for a sick, injured, or needy person if the care affects the student's ability to complete the course; the death of the student's family member or of a person considered to have a sufficiently close relationship to the student; the active duty service as a member of the Texas National Guard or the armed forces of the United States of the student, a family member, or a person considered to have a sufficiently close relationship to the student; or a change in the student's work schedule that is beyond the control of the student and that affects the student's ability to complete the course.

The University has an appeal process by which students can request exemption for a specific withdraw. Students should contact the Director of Academic Advising for more information.

As always, students may drop classes without penalty prior to the 12th class day (Census Day) in any semester.

Students who drop all courses in a given semester must officially withdraw from the University. (See "Withdrawal/Resignation from the University" at catalog.utdallas.edu/2012/undergraduate/policies/registration#university-withdrawal).

Students who habitually drop a significant fraction of their schedules may lose the right to drop or may be dismissed from the University for failure to make adequate academic progress (See "Academic Progress" at catalog.utdallas.edu/2012/undergraduate/policies/academic#progress).

Drop Appeal Procedures

Students, who believe they have dropped a course, but receive a grade for that course at the end of the semester, have one calendar year in which to provide documented proof of the processed drop to the Dean of Undergraduate Education to appeal the posted grade.

In Absentia Registration

In absentia registration provides an opportunity for a degree candidate to register for the semester in which the degree is to be completed without taking formal course work. In absentia registration is permissible for a degree candidate who is removing an incomplete grade (I) or for a degree candidate who has left the University and is transferring authorized and approved credit to qualify for completion of a degree. In absentia registration requires a nonrefundable/nontransferable fee.

Non-academic Withdrawals

To withdraw from a course for non-academic reasons, students must complete a written petition detailing the nature of the request and include supporting documentation. Grounds on which such requests may be granted include but are not limited to documented serious medical conditions and exigent family circumstances. Non-academic withdrawal petitions are to be obtained from the Undergraduate Student Advising Office. The Director of Academic Advising will distribute the petition to a committee whose members will independently review the petition and either approve or deny the request to withdraw. The Director will inform the student of the outcome.

NOTE: It is extremely important that students petitioning to withdraw from a class for non-academic reasons continue to attend and participate in the class, if possible, until the petition request is resolved. If the petition is approved, the student will receive a withdrawal designation commensurate with the request (see "Grading Scale" in "Academic Policies and Procedures") for the course. If the petition is denied, the student will receive the grade earned in the course.

Non-academic withdrawal petitions may be submitted at any time during the semester. However, students wishing to withdraw from classes may only do so for non-academic reasons after the ninth (9th) class week of a long semester. Please refer to the Comet Calendar or the online Academic Calendar for the summer semester since deadlines vary.

In general, a request for non-academic withdrawal must apply to all courses in which a student is enrolled. Selective withdrawal, which is a request for non-academic withdrawal from a sub-set of courses in a given semester, will be permitted only under exceptional circumstances and by appeal to the Dean of Undergraduate Education.

Visiting UT System Students Program

The Visiting UT System Students Program is designed to allow upper-level and graduate or professional students enrolled in an institution of the UT System to take courses or engage in research at another institution within the UT System during a regular semester or summer session. Each campus must appoint an individual designated to coordinate the visiting student program at both the home and host institution. Every campus has the responsibility to determine the academic qualifications necessary for their students to participate in the visiting program. Approval of a student's proposed visitation will be contingent upon space and desired courses being readily available in the proposed visitation program and, for participation in a research laboratory, upon approval of the director of the laboratory (Regent's Rules 50701).

Withdrawal/Resignation from the University

A student who wishes to withdraw entirely from the University must obtain a "Registration, Drop/Add and Withdrawal Form" at www.utdallas.edu/student/registrar/forms. The student must complete the appropriate section of the form to withdraw from the University. The student submits the completed "Registration, Drop/Add and Withdrawal Form" in person to The Office of the Registrar in the Student Services Building, first floor customer service area. Students must withdraw on or before the last 'WL' withdrawal day for that semester.