Academics and Regulations
Attendance
UAF is committed to student success and academic integrity. UAF faculty expect that students are committed to academic achievement. You are expected to adhere to the class attendance policies set by your instructors.
General Absences: If you miss class, you are responsible for conferring with your instructor as soon as possible concerning your absence, and to discuss the possibilities for arranging alternative learning opportunities. Note that some departments drop students who miss the first day of class and who fail to obtain their instructor's prior approval for the absence.
UAF-Sanctioned Absences: If you are scheduled to miss class for an academic requirement or to represent UAF in an official capacity (e.g., NCAA athletic competition, music performance), you must notify your instructor in writing by the first Wednesday of the semester in which the absences will occur. The notification should list all scheduled absences and bear the signature of a UAF school official.
Instructors are encouraged to make reasonable accommodations for students who miss class to participate in these official, UAF-recognized activities. However, it is your responsibility to follow up the notification of absence by discussing alternative learning opportunities with your instructors before the end of the drop/add period (typically the second Friday of the semester). Doing so will allow you to drop the class and to add another if, after a good faith effort, you and your instructor cannot arrange for comparable learning opportunities that would enable you to be successful in the class.
Academic Progress
Freshman progress reports help students gauge their class performance and, if necessary, seek assistance early in the term. Instructors are responsible for ensuring that students are aware of the grading policy for a course and that homework, exams and other assignments are returned to students in a timely manner. Instructors who have freshmen enrolled in their classes are expected to submit freshman progress reports early in each semester.
UAF's scholastic standards are designed to help students take action before their academic record deteriorates to the point that readmission to UAF or another institution is difficult. In all cases involving poor scholarship, students are encouraged to consult with their advisor, instructors or dean.
Undergraduate and certificate students are subject to scholastic action if they fail to earn a GPA of 2.0 at the end of the semester. Scholastic action may result in probation or disqualification from the university.
Undergraduate students -- You are in good standing if your cumulative GPA and most recent semester GPA are 2.0 or better.
Graduate students -- To maintain good academic standing in UAF graduate programs, students must:
- Maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 in courses taken since admission to graduate school. Before advancing to candidacy, however, a cumulative GPA of 3.0 is required. You must earn at least a B grade in 400-level courses.
- Be registered at UAF with a minimum of 6 graduate or 400-level credits per year unless on approved leave of absence.
- Abide by all parts of the Student Code of Conduct.
- Have a current graduate study plan or an advancement to candidacy submitted and approved unless you are within the first year of graduate study.
- Have on file with the Graduate School by May 15 of each year an annual report from the graduate advisory committee certifying satisfactory progress. This is the responsibility of the student. Students starting in January need not submit an annual report until May of the next academic year. If a satisfactory annual report is not filed as specified, the student may be placed on probation.
- Pass any required qualifying exams or comprehensive exams. Departments may set the number of times a student may retake an exam.
Undergraduate and certificate students -- To be eligible for academic honors at the end of a semester, you must be a full-time student in a UAF undergraduate degree or certificate program who has completed at least 12 UA institutional credits graded with the letter grades A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D- or F. If you have received an incomplete or deferred grade, your academic honors cannot be determined until those grades have been changed to permanent grades. Academic honors are recorded on your permanent record. You will make the chancellor's list with a semester GPA of 3.9 or better, or the dean's list with a GPA of 3.5-3.89. UAF announces the students who have earned honors each semester. Students with incompletes or deferred grades that are changed after publication of honors will not be announced separately. If you've requested that information not be released about you (under FERPA), your name will not be released to the media.
Undergraduate students -- Students whose semester and/or cumulative GPA falls below 2.0 after any semester, including the summer session, will be put on academic probation. Students on probation may not enroll in more than 13 credits a semester unless an exception is granted by the appropriate dean. Probation may include additional conditions as determined by the dean of the college or school in which the student's major is located. Students on probation will be referred for developmental advising/education and/or to an advising or support counseling center. The student should work with an academic advisor to prepare an academic plan for achieving a higher GPA. Removal from probation requires the student's cumulative and semester GPAs to be at least 2.0.
Graduate students -- Probationary status indicates a student is not in good standing. When a student is placed on probation, the dean of the school or college and the advisory committee will tell the student what requirements are necessary to return to good standing. If a student does not return to good standing by the end of two semesters, he or she may be dismissed from the degree program.
Undergraduate students -- Undergraduate students on probation whose semester and cumulative GPA fall below a 2.0 for two consecutive regular (fall/spring or spring/fall) semesters will be placed on academic disqualification. Academically disqualified students may continue their enrollment at UAF only as non-degree students, are limited to 10 credits per semester and are ineligible for most types of financial aid.
To be eligible for readmission to an academic degree program, the student must:
- Achieve a 2.0 cumulative grade point average by repeating courses previously failed at UAF and reapply for admission,
or - Complete 9 credits for a baccalaureate or associate program, or 6 credits for a certificate program, with a GPA of 2.0 or higher. The courses may be completed at UAF and/or another regionally accredited institution and must be letter-graded. Grades of P or CR will not be considered. In considering students for readmission, deans will look for coursework taken that relates to the student's intended program.
Students seeking readmission into an occupational endorsement program must have a 2.0 GPA.
Readmission to a degree program is not automatic or guaranteed. The student must reapply and the application must be approved by the dean. The student may apply to the same program from which they were disqualified, or to a different program or level (e.g. baccalaureate, associate or certificate). Readmission may be granted with a status of probation or with other conditions as specified by the dean. It is vitally important for academically disqualified students to work closely with their academic advisor in developing a realistic and timely educational plan.
Graduate students -- If recommended by the department chair, graduate advisory committee and dean of the college or school, and approved by the dean of the Graduate School, a student will be dismissed because of unsatisfactory performance. Unsatisfactory performance is deemed as one or more of the following:
- Exceeding maximum time limit for degree.
- Not being registered at UAF for a minimum of 6 credits per year unless on approved leave of absence.
- Having less than a 3.0 cumulative GPA for courses taken since admission to graduate school.
- Being on probationary status for more than two consecutive semesters.
- Violating the Student Code of Conduct.
- Lacking progress as judged by the advisory committee and documented on the student's annual report.
- Having substantive inaccuracies in the original application for admission.
If the student does not have a graduate advisory committee, dismissal can occur upon the recommendation of the department chair and the dean of the college or school, with approval from the dean of the Graduate School.