Academic Regulations

Class Standing

Class standing is determined based on the total credits you've earned. Classifications are:

Class standing	Credits
Freshman	0 - 29
Sophomore	30 - 59
Junior	60 - 89
Senior	90

Transfer students are given class standing based on the number of transfer credits accepted by UAF. Non-degree students are registered without class standing. Graduate students are given the class standing of "graduate" only after being officially admitted to master's or doctoral programs.

Course Classifications

The Baccalaureate Core

Courses that may be used to satisfy general baccalaureate core requirements have course numbers ending with "X." For example, English 111X, Communication 141X and other "X" courses meet specific core requirements. See the requirements for the baccalaureate core for a listing of other specific core courses. Courses meeting the upper division writing intensive and oral communication intensive requirements for the baccalaureate core are identified in the course description of the catalog with the following designators:

O -- oral communication intensive course

W -- writing intensive course

Two courses designated "O/2" are required to complete the oral communication intensive requirement.

 

Specific Degree Requirements

Courses that may be used to satisfy specific degree requirements (e.g., humanities elective for the B.A. degree, or natural science elective for the B.S. degree) are identified in the course description section of the catalog by the following designators:

h -- humanities

n -- natural science

m -- mathematics

s -- social science

For example, you may use ANTH 309, Arctic Prehistory (3+0)s to satisfy the "social science elective" requirement for the Bachelor of Arts degree. Some courses, including all special topics and individual study courses, are not given course classifications.

 

Full- or Part-time Status/Study Load

If you're an undergraduate student registered for 12 or more semester credits, you are classified as a full-time student. In order to complete an undergraduate program in four years, you must earn 16 or 17 credits each semester. You may enroll in up to 18 credits per semester without special permission. To enroll in 19 credits or more, you need a 3.0 cumulative grade point average and an overload approval by your advisor.

Credits carried at any UAF unit are considered in determining study load hours and full-time or part-time classification. Courses that are audited or taken for credit by examination are not included in the study load computation. Only semester-based correspondence study courses count in the study load.

Grading System and Grade Point Average Computation

All course grades are letter grades unless otherwise specified in the class schedule. The method of grading (letter or pass/fail) is an integral part of the course structure and is included in the course description. It is the same for all students taking the course. Instructors are expected to state their grading policies in writing at the beginning of each course. Grades appearing on academic records are as follows:

A An honor grade, indicates originality and independent work, a thorough mastery of the subject and the satisfactory completion of more work than is regularly required.

B Indicates outstanding ability above the average level of performance.

C Indicates a satisfactory or average level of performance.

D The lowest passing grade, indicates work of below-average quality and performance.

F Indicates failure. All F grades, including those earned in pass/fail courses, are included in the GPA calculations.

P Pass -- The pass grade indicates satisfactory completion of course requirements at either the undergraduate or graduate level. A pass grade does not affect your grade point average but credits earned with pass grades may meet degree requirements and may be used as a measure of satisfactory progress. Satisfactory performance is the equivalent of a C grade or better in undergraduate coursework and B grade or better in graduate courses. The entire class must be graded pass/fail and the grading system is noted in the class schedule.

Cr Indicates credit was given under the credit-no-credit option.

DF Deferred -- Indicates that the course requirements cannot be completed by the end of the semester, that credit may be withheld without penalty until the course requirements are met within an approved time. This designation will be used for courses such as theses, special projects, etc., that require more than one semester to complete.

AU Audit -- A registration status indicating that you've enrolled for informational instruction only. No academic credit is granted. You may be given a W if you don't attend a course you are auditing. See AU Audit.

W Withdrawn -- Indicates withdrawal from a course after the first two weeks of a semester.

I Incomplete -- A grade used to indicate that you haven't been able to complete the course during the scheduled course time.

When the I grade is given, the instructor will include a statement of the work required of you to complete the course and the time limit you have to complete the work. The maximum time to be allowed is one year. At the end of the defined time limit, the instructor may issue a grade based on the work turned in. If the instructor does not change the I grade, it becomes permanent at the end of one year. The I grade is not computed in your GPA. You can't graduate with an I grade in any required course.

Computing Your GPA

Your grade point average (GPA) is a weighted numerical average of the grades you earn in your courses at UAF. To compute your GPA, the total number of credits you have attempted is divided into the total number of grade points you have earned. Grade points are calculated by multiplying the number of grade points awarded, according to the chart below, by the number of credits attempted for the course. The following grades are figured in your GPA: A, B, C, D and F. Grades of I, DF, W, P, AU and CR don't carry grade points and don't affect your GPA.

Grade	Grade Points per Credit
A	4.0
B	3.0
C	2.0
D	1.0
F	0.0

Non-credit courses, transfer credits and credit by examination do not affect the GPA calculations. Once you complete your bachelor's degree, your GPA in future work is calculated only on the credits and grades earned since your degree was awarded. An exception to this is made if you're officially admitted to a second bachelor's degree program.

All grades (original and retakes) for a course completed at UAF are included on your academic record, but only the last grade earned for a course is computed in your GPA unless the course is one that can be repeated for credit.