"Academic Policies and Procedures" is published as several files. Use the links above to see the table of
contents for the whole chapter, or other files within the chapter.
Semester reports from the registrar. Grade reports are sent to all
students, except students in the School of Law, at the end of each semester and
summer session. Reports are mailed to the student's permanent address on file
in the Office of the Registrar.
Intrasemester reports from the deans.[1] About the middle of each semester (but not
in the summer session), the faculty report undergraduate students doing work
below the passing grade (D) to the deans, and the offices of the deans
forward the reports to each student.
Scholastic probation and dismissal regulations apply to all undergraduate
students except provisionally admitted freshmen until they have met the
requirements for regular admission.
A student must maintain a minimum grade point average (GPA) at the University
of Texas at Austin to remain academically eligible to register for the
subsequent semester or summer session. The minimum average required varies with
the total number of college credit hours attempted at the University of Texas
at Austin and at other institutions.
Table of scholastic standards for continuance. The cumulative University
grade point average is calculated on the basis of all work undertaken at the
University of Texas at Austin, including credit by examination, correspondence,
and extension, for which a letter grade is given. (The symbols Q, S, U, X,
W, CR, and NC are not considered in calculating the grade point
average.) Grades earned at any institution other than the University are not
used in calculating the University grade point average, but semester hours of
transfer credit accepted by the University are added to hours taken at the
University to determine the total college hours undertaken.
Table of Scholastic Standards
Total College Hours
Undertaken | | UT Austin GPA for
Scholastic Probation | |
UT Austin GPA for
Scholastic Dismissal
|
|
| Below 15 | | less than 2.00 | | less than 1.50
|
| 15 - 44 | | less than 2.00 | | less than 1.70
|
| 45 - 59 | | less than 2.00 | | less than 1.85
|
| 60 or more | | less than 2.00 | | less than 2.00 |
Probation and dismissal. Rules governing scholastic probation and
dismissal, as well as exceptions permitting continuance and special college
regulations, are given below.
- Change of scholastic status. Scholastic status is determined when
grades are reported at the end of each fall and spring semester and at the end
of the entire summer session. Although a student's cumulative grade point
average may change between these grade-reporting periods (e.g., by recording a
final grade in place of an X), the student's scholastic status is not
changed until the next official grade-reporting period during which the student
is enrolled at the University.
- Effect of grades in courses repeated. All grades earned in University
courses, whether repeated or not, count in a student's grade point average.
However, in counting grade points for any semester, a student who earned a
grade of at least C in a course taken in a previous semester may not use
grade points earned in that same course in the current semester to meet minimum
requirements for continuance without written permission from the dean.
- Scholastic probation. (a) A student whose cumulative University grade
point average falls below 2.00 at the end of a grade-reporting period is placed
on scholastic probation. Probationary status is reflected on the student's
permanent academic record. (b) Any student returning to the University after a
period of scholastic dismissal is on scholastic probation. (c) Under
exceptional circumstances, the director of admissions may admit a student to
the University on scholastic probation.
- Quantity of work while on scholastic probation. A student on
scholastic probation must maintain at least twelve semester hours in a
long-session semester unless the student's dean approves a reduced course load
in writing before the student registers. Permission to take fewer than twelve
hours is based on extenuating circumstances and is not routinely granted.
- Removal from scholastic probation. A student on scholastic probation
who achieves a cumulative University grade point average of at least 2.00 at
the end of a grade-reporting period during which he or she is registered at the
University is removed from scholastic probation. Removal from probation is
reflected on the student's permanent academic record.
- Effect of summer school on probationary status. No minimum course load
is required of a student in the summer session. A student on scholastic
probation who achieves a University grade point average of at least 2.00 at the
end of the summer grade-reporting period is removed from probationary status.
No student will be placed on scholastic dismissal at the end of a summer
session unless the dismissal is the result of a previous condition prescribed
by the student's academic dean.
- Scholastic dismissal. Under the conditions noted in items a, b, and c,
a student is subject to scholastic dismissal at the end of a long-session
semester. A student is not placed on scholastic dismissal at the end of a
summer session unless the dismissal is the result of a previous condition
prescribed by his or her academic dean. Scholastic dismissal is reflected on
the student's permanent academic record.
- Any beginning student, freshman or transfer, who has not earned previous
credit in residence at the University of Texas at Austin and who fails twelve
or more semester hours of coursework in a long-session semester is subject to
scholastic dismissal without a prior probationary period.
- To be subject to scholastic dismissal a student, except those beginning
students described above, must first be placed on scholastic probation. A
student on scholastic probation is subject to scholastic dismissal under either
of the following conditions:
- At the end of a long-session semester, a student on scholastic probation
who fails to attain the required cumulative grade point average as shown in the
"Table of Scholastic Standards" will be dismissed from the University.
- A student on scholastic probation who withdraws from the University
after the first four weeks of classes in a long-session semester will be placed
on scholastic dismissal, unless the withdrawal is under exceptional conditions
approved by the student's dean.
- When a student who has been dismissed from the University returns, he or
she reenters on scholastic probation and may be subject to dismissal under the
policies stated above in items (b)(i) and (ii).
- Student
responsibility. A student who is dismissed from the University after
completing registration for the next semester will have his or her registration
canceled and may not attend classes. The student is responsible for knowing his
or her scholastic status and may not appeal the cancellation of registration
based on lack of such knowledge.
- Length of scholastic dismissal.
- First dismissal--one long-session semester and any intervening summer
session.
- Second (and subsequent) dismissal--three calendar years, and readmission
must be approved by the student's dean. A student dismissed for the third time
will not normally be readmitted. A student dismissed for the fourth time is not
eligible to apply for readmission.
- Effect of scholastic dismissal on
correspondence courses or registration in another institution. A student
who is dismissed from the University for scholastic reasons is not prohibited
from taking courses by correspondence or from enrolling in another institution.
The period of dismissal will not be decreased as a result of coursework
completed while on dismissal.
- Exceptions permitting continuance in the University. Normally, a
student subject to dismissal will be dismissed; however, each college and
school within the University has an appeals procedure administered by the
Office of the Dean. A student who wishes to appeal should contact the office of
his or her academic dean for procedures and deadlines. In unusual circumstances
a student may be allowed to continue subject to conditions prescribed by the
dean. Approval to continue will not be given, regardless of the circumstances,
unless the dean believes that the student has a reasonable chance of attaining
a degree.
- Special college regulations. Each college and school in the
University determines its own policies regarding the minimum academic standards
required of its students. Any college or school may require a higher minimum
grade point average than is required to avoid scholastic probation under
University-wide rules. In addition, a college or school may restrict enrollment
because of the limitation of instructional resources. A student may be
ineligible to continue in a particular college or school while remaining
eligible to transfer to another; however, no student on scholastic dismissal
from the University may be enrolled in any academic program of the
University.
Registration in the Graduate School beyond the first semester or summer session
depends on two factors: (1) satisfactory progress in absolving any admission
conditions and (2) maintenance of a grade point average of at least 3.00. A
graduate student whose overall grade point average falls below 3.00 at the end
of any semester or summer session will be warned by the Office of Graduate
Studies that continuance in the Graduate School is in jeopardy. The student
must attain an overall average of at least 3.00 during the next semester or
summer session he or she is enrolled or be subject to dismissal; during this
period the student may not drop a course or withdraw from the University
without the approval of the graduate adviser and the graduate dean.
A graduate student who has been dismissed may be readmitted for further
graduate study only by petition of the Graduate Studies Committee in the
student's major area or by the Graduate Studies Committee of another program
that will accept the student. The petition must be approved by the dean of
graduate studies.
Academic dismissal is reflected on the student's permanent record.
Except as noted, the following programs, scholarships, and organizations are
open to all qualified undergraduates. Honors available through the colleges and
schools are described in chapters 2 through 12 of The Undergraduate
Catalog.
Alpha Lambda Delta and Phi Eta Sigma are national honor societies that
recognize scholastic attainment during the freshman year. New members are
selected each fall and spring. Membership is offered to students who earn a
grade point average of at least 3.50 during the first semester of their
freshman year while completing at least twelve semester hours of coursework.
Students who do not qualify during the first semester may become eligible by
earning a grade point average of at least 3.50 for the first two semesters of
work combined.
Phi Beta Kappa, the oldest and best known honorary society in America, was
founded by students at the College of William and Mary in 1776. The Alpha of
Texas chapter was organized at the University in 1904. Eligibility is limited
to upper-division students of the Colleges of Fine Arts, Liberal Arts, and
Natural Sciences who achieve distinguished scholastic records while taking the
Bachelor of Arts; the Bachelor of Arts in Art with a major in art history; the
Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Dance; or the Bachelor of Science in
Biochemistry, Biology, Botany, Chemistry, Computer Sciences, Geological
Sciences, Mathematics, Microbiology, Physics, or Zoology. The student must have
completed at least sixty semester hours of coursework at the University.
Elections to Phi Beta Kappa are held in the fall and spring each year. Alumni
members are occasionally selected from among graduates of at least five years'
standing who have won appropriate distinction since graduation; honorary
members are selected for special merit.
Phi Kappa Phi is a national honor society recognizing academic achievement in
all fields. Members are selected twice a year. Upper-division undergraduates
are eligible for membership if they have completed at least one year of
coursework at the University and have a University grade point average of at
least 3.70. Juniors must have completed at least seventy-five semester hours of
college coursework and must be in the top 5 percent of their class; seniors
must have completed at least ninety semester hours of college coursework and
must be in the top 7 percent of their class. Graduate students are also
eligible for membership.
Mortar Board and Omicron Delta Kappa recognize and encourage scholarship,
leadership, and service. Members of Mortar Board are chosen each spring;
members of Omicron Delta Kappa are selected in the fall and in the spring.
British Marshall scholarships are for single United States citizens under the
age of twenty-six on October 1 of the year of participation. Each scholarship
offers two years or more of postgraduate study at any British university.
Applications are due to the College of Liberal Arts in early September.
Rhodes scholarships are for single United States citizens between the ages of
eighteen and twenty-four on October 1 of the year of application. Each
scholarship offers two years or more of postgraduate study at the University of
Oxford. Applications are due to the College of Liberal Arts in early
September.
Harry S Truman Scholarships are awarded on merit to students who will be
seniors the following academic year. Candidates must plan to pursue a career in
public service. Each scholarship covers tuition, fees, books, and room and
board, to a maximum of $3,000 for the student's senior year. In addition,
Truman Scholars will receive $13,500 yearly if enrolled in a two-year graduate
program or $9,000 yearly if enrolled in a three-year graduate program.
Applications are due to the College of Liberal Arts in late October.
The Junior Fellows Program provides recognition for outstanding students who
have completed four semesters, or approximately sixty semester hours of
coursework. Chosen annually from about the top 1 percent of the student body,
junior fellows are given the opportunity to do independent study and research
with distinguished professors of their choice and to have that research
supported by small grants, if necessary. The program is administered by the
College of Liberal Arts, but undergraduates in all colleges and schools are
eligible to take part. Students who wish to be considered should apply in
February. Application forms are available in the office of Liberal Arts
Interdisciplinary Programs.
On Honors Day each spring, the University designates outstanding students as
College Scholars. To be designated a College Scholar a student must meet the
following requirements:
- The student must be registered as an undergraduate for at least nine semester
hours of coursework, unless he or she lacks fewer than nine hours to complete
degree requirements. Students who hold an undergraduate degree are not
eligible.
- The student must have been registered at the University at least once during
the preceding calendar year.
- The student must have completed at least thirty semester hours of coursework
at the University, excluding credit by examination, and at least sixty semester
hours of college coursework, including transferred work and credit by
examination.
- The student must have a University grade point average of at least 3.50.
Students eligible for recognition receive invitations to the Honors Day
convocation approximately three weeks before Honors Day.
Each semester, undergraduates who complete a full course load and earn
outstanding grades are recognized by inclusion on the University Honors list.
Each time a student is included on the list, his or her official record also
shows the award of University Honors for that semester. The list is compiled at
the end of the fall and spring semesters but not at the end of the summer
session. To be included, a student must earn at least forty-five grade points
and a grade point average of at least 3.50 and must have no incomplete grades
(symbol X).
Students are notified on the semester grade report of their inclusion on the
list.
To be eligible to graduate with University honors, an undergraduate must have
completed at least sixty semester hours at the University of Texas at Austin.
Graduation with University honors is based on the average of all grades earned
in courses taken at the University, whether the courses were passed, failed, or
repeated. Courses taken pass/fail are counted in the sixty-hour minimum, but
only letter grades (including Fs in pass/fail courses) are used to
determine the grade point average.
The faculty of each college or school determines the percentage of the
graduating class of that division to receive honors, high honors, and highest
honors and the minimum grade point average for each category, subject to the
following requirements:
- No more than 20 percent of the May graduating class of each college or school
may receive honors, high honors, and highest honors. No more than 10 percent of
the class may receive high honors and highest honors. No more than 4 percent
may receive highest honors.
- Honors graduates must have a University grade point average of at least
3.30.
The faculty may adopt college- or school-wide standards or may designate grade
point average and percentage requirements for each program within the college
or school, but the percentage of the college or school class receiving honors,
high honors, and highest honors may not exceed those above.
Percentage requirements are not applied to August and December graduating
classes. The grade point averages established for May graduates are applied to
the following August and December classes to determine honors, high honors, and
highest honors.
| Honors |
High Honors | Highest Honors
|
| College or School | Rank | Min. GPA[2]
|
Rank | Min. GPA[2] | Rank |
Min. GPA[2]
|
|
| School of Architecture | top 20% | 3.30 | top 10% | 3.30 | top 4% |
3.30
|
| College of Business Administration | top 20% | 3.50 | top 10% | 3.65 | top 4% | 3.80
|
| College of Communication[3] | top 20% | 3.465 |
top 10% | 3.665 | top 4% | 3.865
|
| College of Education | top 20% | 3.50 | top 10% | 3.65 | top 4% | 3.80
|
| College of Engineering[4] | top 20% | 3.50 | top
10% | 3.70 | top 4% | 3.85
|
| College of Fine Arts[5] | top 15% | 3.30 | top
10% | 3.60 | top 2% | 3.85
|
| College of Liberal Arts | top 20% | 3.30 | top 10% | 3.667 | top 4% | 3.867
|
| College of Natural Sciences | top 20% | 3.30 | top 10% | 3.667 | top 4% | 3.867
|
| School of Nursing | top 20% | 3.30 | top 10% | 3.30 | top 4% | 3.30
|
| College of Pharmacy | top 20% | 3.30 | top 10% | 3.30 | top 4% | 3.30
|
| School of Social Work | top 20% | 3.30 | top 10% | 3.30 | top 4% | 3.30
|
Students who complete teacher certification programs must meet the requirements
enacted by the Seventieth Legislature and recorded in sections 13.036 through
13.039 of the Texas Education Code.
To be recommended for a certificate to teach in elementary or secondary
schools, an undergraduate student must earn a degree as well as complete an
approved teacher certification program. The following requirements for approved
programs are to be completed in conjunction with degree requirements: (1)
Enrollment. Students seeking secondary certification must earn a degree
from the college or school that houses the academic program in their
prospective teaching field. Students should be advised by the teacher
preparation adviser in their academic department and should confirm that the
courses for which they register are applicable to their certification program.
Students seeking certification to teach at the elementary school level must
register in the College of Education and major in an interdisciplinary program,
Applied Learning and Development. (2) Admission to the professional
sequence. Approval of a formal application, due by a specific deadline, is
required before a student may take professional education courses. Admission
requirements include the completion of seventy-two semester hours of college
credit including certain prerequisite courses, a University grade point average
of at least 2.50 and a cumulative grade point average on work taken at other
institutions of at least 2.50, a passing score on the Texas Academic Skills
Program (TASP) Test (unless exempt on the basis of SAT, ACT, or TAAS Test
scores), and the submission of a complete application, including an essay.
Applicants with a University grade point average of 3.00 or higher receive
priority in selection. (3) Exit test. An individual seeking
certification, including one who holds a valid out-of-state certificate, is
required to achieve a satisfactory level of performance on the Examination for
the Certification of Educators in Texas (ExCET) to be approved for the
provisional or professional teacher's certificate, for additional teaching
fields or areas of specialization, or for endorsements. (4) Legal
questions. In accordance with article 6252-13c, Texas Civil Statutes, the
commissioner of education may suspend or revoke a teaching certificate, or
refuse to issue a teaching certificate for a person who has been convicted of a
felony or misdemeanor for a crime that directly relates to the duties and
responsibilities of the teaching profession. Information about other legal
questions and about approved programs in teacher certification may be obtained
from the teacher certification officer, Sanchez Building 216, (512) 471-3223.
There is no centralized placement service at the University, but placement
offices have been established in the Colleges of Business Administration,
Communication, Education, Engineering, Liberal Arts, Natural Sciences, and
Pharmacy; the Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Geological
Sciences; the School of Law; the Graduate School of Library and Information
Science; and the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs. The College of
Fine Arts provides career services through the Office of the Dean; the School
of Nursing, through the Student Affairs Office. In addition, a number of
departments have placement advisers.
With proper identification, a student may purchase an official transcript in
person or by mail for $5 a copy. A transcript may be ordered by telephone,
provided the caller's identification can be established, for $10 a copy. The
transcript includes only the academic record accumulated at the University of
Texas at Austin. Unofficial copies of transcripts from other institutions are
furnished by the registrar in accordance with the Texas Open Records Act, for a
fee of $5. A transcript is a comprehensive record of an individual's academic
progress at the University; it contains all the significant facts about a
student's admission, academic level, and scholarship. No partial or incomplete
record (e.g., with grades of F omitted) will be issued. A student who
owes a debt to the University may not be able to obtain an official transcript
until the debt is paid.
V.T.C.A., Education Code Section 4.29 provides for a fine up to $1000 and
confinement in county jail for up to one year for conviction of fraudulent
acquisition or attempted fraudulent acquisition or alteration or fraudulent use
of a transcript or similar document.
A graduate of the University may purchase a diploma to replace one that has
been lost or destroyed. If purchased more than one year after the original
diploma was issued, the replacement will bear the reissue date below the date
the degree was awarded. The signatures of University and University of Texas
System officials may not be the same as those on the original diploma since the
signatures of former officials are not maintained on file. Additional copies of
an original diploma also may be purchased at the time of issue. Orders should
be submitted to the Office of the Registrar with a $10 fee for each diploma.
A student who requests a new diploma based on a change of name must pay the fee
unless the name change was submitted by the deadline set by the registrar or a
postponement of the deadline was granted.
Name change. University policy is to maintain educational records under
the student's full, legal name. Official documents such as diplomas and
transcripts will not be issued bearing any other name.
A currently enrolled student may change the name on his or her permanent
academic record by presenting a certified copy of the appropriate documentation
to the registrar. To correct the spelling or the proper sequence of the name
requires a copy of the student's birth certificate. To change the name, the
student must present a notarized request and a copy of the signed court order
showing the new legal name. To assume the spouse's name by repute following
marriage, a student must present a notarized request and a copy of the marriage
certificate. A student who wishes to discontinue use of the married name and
resume use of the original family name, or another name, must present a divorce
decree or signed court order showing restoration of the original, or other,
name.
The University maintains student records under the name the student had when
last enrolled. A former student may not change the name on his or her permanent
academic record except by presenting a notarized request and a certified copy
of the signed court order showing the authorized name change.
Change of address and/or telephone. The student must give correct local
and permanent addresses and telephone numbers to the Office of the Registrar
and to the office of the student's dean and must notify these offices
immediately of any changes in address or telephone number. Official
correspondence is sent to the address last given to the registrar; if the
student has moved and failed to correct this address, he or she will not be
relieved of responsibility on the grounds that the correspondence was not
delivered.
A summons to the office of any administrative officer must be observed. Failure
to respond to a summons may result in suspension from the University. In most
colleges and schools a summons to the dean is sent by mail, so it is important
that the student keep both the dean and the registrar informed of current
address information.
Students are expected to attend to business matters with the University during
regular working hours, Monday through Friday. A student who is unable to
conduct business personally should contact the appropriate office by mail or
telephone. For purposes of proper identification and clarity, written
communications should include the student's name, social security number, and
local address (if applicable).
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28 August 1996. Registrar's Web Team
Comments to rgcat@utxdp.dp.utexas.edu