Undergraduate Policies and Procedures

Academic Policies

Academic Advising

The University of Texas at Dallas values its students and is committed to the success of each and every one. Professional academic advising is an important tool to help our students reach their goals. School advisors guide students through an impressive offering of degree plans. These advisors are familiar with the specific departmental emphases and faculty research interests. They help students access and communicate with faculty and instructors. Advisors assist students on issues including class suitability, degree requirements, university policies and procedures, study skills, time management, campus involvement and limited personal issues. Students will learn about required and elective options. Advisors apply credit by examination and transfer credits and assist students in ensuring their degree and graduation requirements are met. Students have access to advisors at any time but should plan to visit with them at least once each semester. UT Dallas Professional Academic Advising is an outstanding resource to help our students achieve their goals.

In addition to School based advising, the Student Outreach and Academic Retention (SOAR) office is dedicated to providing academic advising to students who are at-risk for Academic Suspension. Students not in good standing are required to meet with a SOAR advisor and follow a prescribed advising plan. The individualized plan will be designed to help each student improve their academic standing by addressing their specific needs including but not limited to study skills, time management skills, personal issues, and appropriate campus office referrals. SOAR office advising is available to all students though not required of students in good standing.

While advisors confer with students about courses and educational experiences, students themselves are responsible for defining the content of their academic program and making progress toward an academic degree. Advisors will assist students in designing an appropriate course of study that will satisfy requirements for graduation (see "Academic Degree Requirements," located at catalog.utdallas.edu/2015/undergraduate/curriculum) as well as offer information on particular courses and university rules and procedures. All students must verify their class schedule each semester, must see that necessary transactions are completed, and are responsible for all documentation related to schedule changes and other transactions.

Students who have chosen a major should meet with an academic advisor in the appropriate school regularly and in a timely manner prior to semester drop deadlines and course registration. All freshmen are required to meet with their advisor in order to register for classes (see "Registration" at catalog.utdallas.edu/2015/undergraduate/policies/registration). Students admitted to UT Dallas as freshmen or as sophomores who have not declared a major are advised by the Undergraduate Student Advising Office, an integral part of the Office of Undergraduate Education. Students remain the responsibility of Undergraduate Education until they declare a major, at which time advising will be undertaken by an advisor in the student's program. Students must declare a major by the time they become juniors in order to have their program advising conducted by the advisors in the school in which they are registered.

All students admitted to UT Dallas as freshmen, effective fall semester 2012, are required to file degree plans no later than the end of the second semester following the semester in which the student earned 45 or more semester credit hours in accordance with Texas Education Code, Section 51.9685.

Students are strongly encouraged to meet with their academic advisor, especially when they have earned 75 semester credit hours to establish and/or review their degree plan.

Academic Grievances

A student having a grievance regarding academic concerns may have the issue considered. Procedures for appeals of academic decisions can be found at catalog.utdallas.edu/2015/undergraduate/policies/appendices/appendix1#academic-grievances.

Academic Progress

A student is considered to be making satisfactory scholastic progress when he or she is carrying an approved schedule of classes, is not on probation, and has a GPA (grade point average) of at least 2.000 (C average) in the major and overall. Students who habitually drop a significant fraction of their schedule may lose the right to drop or may be dismissed from the University for failure to make adequate academic progress.

Dean's List

The Dean's List recognizes students whose grades for the fall or spring semester represent the top ten percent of all students within each school who complete 12 or more UT Dallas semester credit hours within that semester. These students will be recognized as members of the Dean's List of their respective schools. Students without a declared major are eligible for the Office of Undergraduate Education Dean's List. Students pursuing a second baccalaureate degree, enrolled as transient and/or non-degree seeking, and graduate students enrolled in undergraduate courses are not eligible for Dean's List. Only graded courses contributing to a student's grade point average are included in the calculation of semester credit hours.

Final Examinations

Final exams are integral components of the curriculum for all courses and must be given at the places and times for such exams published by the Office of the Registrar in each semester's official listing of class schedules. When a final exam is given in a course, it must be given at the time scheduled by the Office of the Registrar during the final examination period. Final exams will not be scheduled during reading days. A final exam must not last more than 2 hours and 45 minutes. Students for whom three or more final exams are scheduled in one day may petition to take the additional final exams on different days.

Grade Changes

Faculty Initiated

After a final grade has been recorded by the Office of the Registrar, faculty may change grades only to correct a clerical error or replace a grade of "incomplete." A faculty initiated change of a final grade requires the written approval of the instructor, the department or program head, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education, and the School Dean. Grade changes must be submitted by the end of the eighth week of the following long semester after the grade was awarded. Any grade change initiated after the eighth week of the long semester requires the written approval of the instructor, the department or program head, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education, the School Dean, and the Dean of Undergraduate Education.

Student Request

A student has the right to request a review of the grades received in any class.

The only grounds for considering a grade to be incorrect are either clerical error or that the grade is arbitrary or capricious. Examples of clerical error would include, but are not limited to, a mistake in adding component grades, a mistake in recording grades, or attributing a paper or examination to the wrong student. "Arbitrary or capricious" means that the grade cannot be considered reasonable given the material of the course, the overall performance of the class, and the individual performance of the student. The University assumes that coursework is best evaluated by the instructor in the immediate context of the course activity. Requests for reconsideration must show with clear and convincing evidence why this assumption should be set aside.

If a student believes he or she has been assigned a grade on the basis of a clerical error or that the grade is arbitrary or capricious, the student should first seek to discuss the grade with the instructor. If this does not lead to satisfactory understanding, the student may file a formal appeal following the procedures described for academic grievances in the Rules, Regulations, and Statutory Requirements Section C. (See "Academic Grievances" in Appendix I).

Students must petition for a grade review by the end of the eighth week of the following long semester after the grade was received. The request must be submitted in writing to the appropriate faculty member who then has the remainder of that semester to take action.

Grade Point Average

Grade points are computed by multiplying the points for each grade by the number of semester credit hours; for example, 4.000 (A) x 3 (semester credit hours) = 12 grade points. A student's grade point average (GPA) is determined by dividing the total number of grade points earned by the number of semester credit hours for which a grade other than I, NC, or CR is received. All GPAs, term and cumulative, are rounded from the fourth to the third digit, and three decimal places are displayed in this catalog, Galaxy, unofficial and official transcripts.

NOTE: Only grades earned at The University of Texas at Dallas are used in calculating the student's GPA.

An undergraduate student is limited to three grade-bearing enrollment attempts for any specific class. With regard to repeats, the grade from the first repeat will substitute for the original grade to determine a student's grade point average and to satisfy degree requirements. A second repeat will result in both repeats being included when computing the student's cumulative grade point average. (See "Repeating Coursework" at catalog.utdallas.edu/2015/undergraduate/policies/course-policies#repeat).

Grading Scale

UT Dallas uses the following grade scale for all undergraduate students.

Incomplete Grades (I)

A grade of Incomplete may be given, at the discretion of the instructor of record for a course, when a student has completed at least 70% of the required course material but cannot complete all requirements by the end of the semester. An incomplete course grade (grade of 'I') must be completed within the time period specified by the instructor, not to exceed eight weeks from the first day of the subsequent long semester. Upon completion of the required work, the symbol 'I' may be converted into a letter grade (A through F) by the instructor. If the grade of Incomplete is not removed by the end of the specified period, it will automatically be changed to F.

Extension beyond the specified limit can be made only with the permission of the instructor, the student's Associate Dean and the Undergraduate Dean. A student may not re-enroll in a course in which a grade of 'I' remains.

Students may obtain a petition/documentation form for an Incomplete in the office of the student's Undergraduate Associate Dean. The form is to be submitted to the instructor from whom the Incomplete is sought. If a significant fraction of a semester is missed with cause, see the section on "Dropping and Withdrawing" at catalog.utdallas.edu/2015/undergraduate/policies/registration#dropadd.

An instructor assigning an Incomplete ('I') must submit the petition/documentation form containing a description of the work required to complete the course to the Undergraduate Associate Dean of the school offering the course. Upon approval, a copy of the petition will be forwarded to the student's Undergraduate Associate Dean to be retained with the student's academic record. The instructor alone will be responsible for determining whether the requirements for completion are met and for assigning a grade in the course.

However, if the instructor who has signed the Incomplete ('I') is no longer associated with UT Dallas and the work is completed within the time allowed before the Incomplete lapses to an F, the Associate Dean of the instructor's college may assign a committee of appropriate faculty to evaluate the material and/or obtain any other information that may be required to assign a grade in the course.

Mid-Term Grades

Students are issued mid-term grades to apprise them of their progress within the semester. Mid-term grades are important for advising and retention purposes, therefore it is vital that the grades accurately reflect academic progress. These grades are not a part of the permanent record and will not appear on academic transcripts. Some classes will only issue a grade of credit or no credit at mid-term.

'MN' grade is used for midterm grading only. It signifies that the instructor does not have enough information on a particular student to determine a midterm grade. It may not be used for final grading purposes.

Non-attending Failure Grades (NF)

It is the responsibility of each student to register for and drop a course if necessary. The 'NF' grade is an indication that a student never attended or participated in a course for the semester in question. If an 'NF' grade is used, its grade point value equals zero (0), and it will be calculated into the GPA in the same manner as a grade of 'F.'

Scholastic Status

A student is required to maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) as specified for the student's major to remain academically eligible to enroll for subsequent semesters. Only grades received in UT Dallas classes are used to compute the GPA while transfer credit from other institutions accepted by the University is calculated in the number of semester credit hours required for graduation. Scholastic status is determined at the end of each academic semester. While grade point averages may change within a semester (such as when a student completes a class that previously had a grade of incomplete), scholastic status remains the same until the next grade reporting period.

Transcripts

Students may request copies of their official transcripts from The Office of the Registrar online via Galaxy or through www.utdallas.edu/registrar/transcripts. All university holds must be cleared before requesting a transcript. Transcripts will reflect the individual's complete academic record. Undergraduate and graduate transcripts are issued together. Given seasonal time constraints, it is important that students request official transcripts in an appropriate time period to allow for processing and mailing. Please see www.utdallas.edu/registrar/transcripts for further details.

Falsifying or omitting information may result in withdrawal of any offer of admission, in cancellation of enrollment, and/or in disciplinary action.

Transfer Credit

The Office of the Registrar evaluates an applicant's completed file to determine which credits earned at another college or university will transfer to UT Dallas. Once a student is admitted the student's record will be articulated for all transfer work and will reflect those credits that have been accepted by UT Dallas. UT Dallas does not offer credit for nonacademic coursework such as vocational, developmental, or remedial studies, nor does it grant credit for prior experiential learning. Coursework that is accepted for transfer credit is applicable toward satisfying requirements for a specific UT Dallas major according to the same criteria as those used for equivalent UT Dallas courses. Information about resolution of transfer disputes involving lower-division courses can be found in Appendix II.

The application of transfer credit to degree plans must be completed within the first semester of enrollment. An undergraduate advisor in the student's major, in consultation with the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education, will determine how the transfer credits apply towards UT Dallas degree requirements. The faculty, acting through the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education, has the ultimate responsibility for applying transfer credit to their specific major requirements. Students are urged to contact their advising office after transferring courses.

Transfer students who begin their first semester with 45 or more semester credit hours are required to file a degree plan with UT Dallas no later than the end of the student's first long semester in accordance with Texas Education Code, Section 51.9685, subsection C.

Students may not transfer to UT Dallas more than six of the final thirty (30) semester credit hours required for their degree.

To ensure that credit earned elsewhere will be applied toward your degree, continuing UT Dallas students who wish to take courses elsewhere must meet with their academic advisor for approval. Transcripts must be received prior to the first day of classes in the graduating semester.

Reverse Transfer Transcripts

Pursuant to the "credit transfer for associate degree" statute, Texas Education Code, Section 61.833, when a transfer student completes at least 90 semester credit hours at UT Dallas, and 30 of these semester credit hours were taken at a Texas community college, UT Dallas will review the student's record and request the transcript to be sent to the Texas community college. Upon authorization from the student, UT Dallas will release the transcript to the community college. The Texas community college will review the UT Dallas transcript for possible completion of associate degree.