Click on a topic below to learn more.
The College of Liberal Arts uses The University of Texas at Austin academic calendar for purposes of registration, adding and dropping courses, and withdrawing from the university.
The general schedule is as follows for each long semester:
| Adds | Drops | ||
| Days 1 – 4: | Add via ROSE | Days 1 – 12: | Drop via ROSE |
| Days 5 – 12: | Add in the departments (at their discretion) | Day 13 on: | Come to the Liberal Arts Student Division in GEB 2.200 |
Dropping a class before the 13th class day may result in a refund of tuition money. Students are eligible if the drop places them in a different level on the flat-rate tuition scale. Classes dropped before the 13th class day will not appear on a student’s permanent record.
Students who do not attend class are NOT automatically dropped from classes or withdrawn from the university; students must withdraw themselves through the Liberal Arts Student Division in GEB 2.200. Students should always double-check their final schedule before the 12th class day. A withdrawal from the university is for students who have competed registration for a semester or summer session, and then decided not to attend any classes that semester or session.
From the thirteenth class day through the deadline (aka the mid-semester deadline) to drop a class for academic reasons in a long-session semester, and from the fifth through the last class day in a summer term (exact dates are on the university calendar in the Registrar's Course Schedule), a student may drop a class only with the approval of his or her dean. Students must pick up a drop form, Add-Drop for Undergraduate Students, in the Liberal Arts Student Division (GEB 2.200) before 5 p.m. on Deadline Day. Students will be given no more than five business days to complete the process from the date that the form is picked up (except if picked up on the last class day in a summer session when there is no extra time given because the drop deadline is the last class day instead of the mid-semester deadline such as in fall and spring).
The student must bring the form to the instructor who provides a signature and indicates the student’s current grade in the course and the basis for calculating the grade. This step of the process allows the instructor to acknowledge that he/she has been informed of the students decision to drop and that the student has been told their current grade by signing the form. However, the grade will not be used against the student to determine whether the student can drop. Instructor approval is no longer required. The signature does not indicate approval, only that the conversation between the student and the instructor happened. The grade indicated on the form will NOT be recorded anywhere and, if approved by the dean’s office, will be processed as a Q drop regardless of the grade indicated on the form.
For graduating seniors and students on scholastic probation, consultation with the student’s advisor is also required. In addition, the student’s dean determines whether the student is dropping the class for an academic or a nonacademic reason. If the dean determines that the reason is academic, the drop is counted toward the six-drop limit. Any drop whether academic or non-academic during this period is considered a Q-Drop; a “Q” identifies the drop on a student's academic record. The number of Q-Drops a student can take may be limited, depending on the student’s first semester enrolled in a Texas public institution.
After Deadline Day, students may not drop or withdraw unless there are serious non-academic circumstances that occurred after the deadline date. Appeals will only be considered for urgent, substantiated, and non-academic reasons. Contact the Liberal Arts Student Division in GEB 2.200, or at 512-471-4271, for non-academic issues.
Students within the College of Liberal Arts may change their majors by making an appointment with an academic advisor in the department where they want to declare as their new major. Students transferring to another college should go to the dean’s office of that college by the 8th class day in a long session, or the 4th class day in summer, for the change to be in effect for the current semester. Some colleges may have a specific grade point average and/or other requirements in order to transfer.
Concurrent, or dual, enrollment refers to being simultaneously enrolled at The University of Texas at Austin and another educational institution or University Extension. The College of Liberal Arts permits concurrent enrollment with certain restrictions. A student concurrently enrolled during their final semester may not be eligible for graduation. Please talk to an academic advisor for more information.
E-mail is the official mechanism for university communications to students. The university expects that e-mail communications will be received and read in a timely manner. College of Liberal Arts students are directed to obtain a free university e-mail address and check it a minimum of twice per week. Students should be aware that many outside e-mail providers (e.g. Hotmail, Yahoo) treat university communications as spam messages. It is all students’ responsibility to regularly read e-mails sent by the university, the college, and their academic advisor.
Your tuition and fee bill will be calculated based on a 14-hour semester course load. The policy was implemented to encourage an increase in the four-year graduation rate. Four-year degree plans are available on-line or in the departments, and usually require 15-16 hours per semester. Please see an academic advisor for more information.
To be a full-time student, you must register for, and be enrolled in, a minimum of 12 hours at The University of Texas at Austin. Full-time status is usually necessary to receive financial aid, live in on-campus housing, compete on a university athletic team, be covered under parents’ health or car insurance, or be an international student.
There is no grade replacement policy at The University of Texas at Austin. If a student repeats a course, both grades will appear on the student’s transcript and both grades will be calculated into the student’s overall GPA.
Students who are unable to complete a class because of non-academic reasons should discuss this situation with their professor or contact a Liberal Arts academic advisor. Under certain situations, an incomplete grade (or an “X”) may be given at the discretion of the instructor and if it meets the university criteria for an incomplete. However, note that the class must be completed by the end of the following long semester or a grade of “F” is automatically assigned. An incomplete does not allow a student to repeat an entire course.
Undergraduate students who may not have urgent, substantiated, nonacademic reasons will be allowed to drop a single class or withdraw from the University after the deadline to drop or withdraw for academic reasons under the provisions of the One-Time-Exception (OTE). The OTE may be invoked only once during the studentʼs entire undergraduate college career regardless of the college the student was enrolled in at the time the exception was allowed. Students who have completed two long semesters or more at UT must meet specific grade conditions to be eligible to use the OTE to drop a class (not necessary for withdrawal). Additionally, students who are on scholastic probation who use the OTE to withdraw would not be exempt from scholastic dismissal. Please consult the official OTE undergraduate catalog policy and/or an academic advisor for clarification on criteria.
Students may take a maximum of 17 credit hours in one semester. If a student wishes to take more than 17 hours, approval is required in the Liberal Arts Student Division in GEB 2.200. During summer sessions a student can take up to 14 hours with no more than 8 hours in either summer session.
Candidates for all undergraduate degrees must complete at least 60 semester hours of coursework in residence at the university. Transfer students who have completed a substantial amount of transferable, degree-applicable coursework may be obliged to take more courses at the university than their degree program requires, simply to meet the residence requirement. University Extension online (correspondence) courses and University Extension courses do not count as in residence coursework.
Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to: cheating, plagiarism, collusion, falsifying academic records, and misrepresenting facts. Some examples of scholastic dishonesty are: using, buying, stealing, and/or divulging the contents of an examination; removing a test from the examination room; substituting for another person; having someone take a test for you; misplacing or damaging property of the university; destroying information so another student may not have materials; falsifying research data; providing false grades or resumes; or presenting someone else’s work as one’s own academic work.
A full and comprehensive statement about what constitutes academic dishonesty can be found in Appendix C, section 11-802, in the General Information Catalog. Student Judicial Services in the Office of the Dean of Students is responsible for investigating alleged violations and implementing the discipline process.
Students whose GPA’s are less than 2.00 are placed on scholastic probation by the university. In the College of Liberal Arts, students on probation must do a Liberal Arts SUCCESS Agreement every long semester their GPA is less than 2.00. Students who meet the terms of their SUCCESS agreements will be automatically continued by the college. Students who do not meet the grade requirements will be dismissed from the university. The exception to this policy is when students earn 12 hours of failing grades in their first semester at the university - this results in an automatic dismissal.
First Dismissal
Students dismissed for the first time are automatically eligible to return to the university after being away for one long semester; however, if they attended another college or university while on dismissal, they must show a grade point average of at least a 2.50 on a 4.00 scale on all transferable coursework taken since leaving university.
Second Dismissal
A second dismissal requires permission from the Liberal Arts Dean’s Office to return to the university. Second dismissals last for three calendar years.
Third Dismissal
A third dismissal is final and students may not apply for readmission.
For more information on Dismissal policies and appeals, see Policies and Appeals.
Placement tests can be taken at The University of Texas at Austin through the Division of Instructional Assessment and Evaluation. Test schedules and other information are available at http://www.utexas.edu/academic/mec/.
In order to receive credit for testing, a student must complete an online petition. Students should not claim credit until they have talked with an academic advisor. Students can claim credit for an exam any time prior to their senior year; students may also elect not to claim any credit. Placement credit could affect eligibility for Tuition Rebate.
Many students transfer academic credit from other colleges. Students who plan to take courses at another institution should talk to their academic advisor about how the credit will transfer. Information about how coursework transfers to The University of Texas at Austin from schools in Texas can be found on the Office of Admissions Web site at http://www.utexas.edu/student/admissions/ate/.
Students who are transferring courses from out-of-state schools should go to the Office of Admissions, MAI 7. Any courses completed at another educational institution MUST be transferred to the university.
Undergraduates may be eligible for a tuition rebate of up to $1,000 if, at graduation, they have attempted no more than three semester hours beyond the minimum number of hours required for the degree. Credit-by-exam hours could make a student ineligible. Discuss this with an advisor before claiming credit. For more information, see the Tuition Rebate page.
ROSE will not permit students to withdraw; students must do this in the Liberal Arts Student Division in GEB 2.200. If it is not possible to come to the office, students should call 512-471-4271. During the first four weeks of class there is a pro-rated refund for withdrawing from school. A full refund, less $15, is ONLY given if a student withdraws prior to the first day of class. Failure to properly withdraw will result in failing grades in all semester coursework. Leaving the university without a formal withdrawal is the same as failing all classes and has the same consequences.
After Deadline Day, students may not drop or withdraw unless there are serious non-academic circumstances that occurred after the deadline date. Appeals will only be considered for urgent, substantiated, and non-academic reasons; for more information on these reasons, contact the Liberal Arts Student Division in GEB 2.200, or at 512-471-4271, or see Withdrawals.
