Students at the University of Virginia are subject to the University's academic, financial, and non-academic rules and regulations. In addition, students are subject to the academic policies of the school in which they are enrolled. The information contained herein and any other information conveyed to students is subject to change at any time by the authorities responsible for making these rules and regulations.
The University reserves the right to suspend, enforce the withdrawal of, or expel a student whose academic standing is in its judgment unsatisfactory or who violates the University's Standards of Conduct. In addition, the University will automatically enforce the dismissal of a student certified by the Honor Committee to be guilty of a breach of the honor system.
The six undergraduate schools of the University have different definitions of what constitutes satisfactory academic progress. Students are advised to consult their school's section of this catalog to determine the definition appropriate to their school and any applicable sanction.
Suspension Students who have been on probation or warning and who continue to make less than satisfactory progress toward their degrees will be suspended from the University. A suspended student may apply for readmission to the University after one calendar year in most schools. Applications for readmission must be made in writing to the student's dean. Students who are readmitted after being suspended are considered to be on probation and must meet specified academic objectives. Failure to meet those objectives will result in a second academic suspension. A second suspension for academic reasons is considered final.
Requests should be supported by appropriate documentation of the relevant disability filed with the Learning Needs and Evaluation Center. Personnel at the Center are available to counsel students in preparing their requests for academic accommodations and to help them get other necessary support services. Assistance in preparing requests for reasonable academic accommodation is also available through the University's "504 Network" which includes a representative from each of the University's schools. Deaf and hearing impaired students may dial 982-HEAR to receive telecommunications accessibility.
Students who have disabilities that may interfere with their performance in a course or require special and reasonable accommodation in the conduct of the course are encouraged to inform the instructor of that fact at the beginning of the course. Any questions concerning the propriety of particular accommodations should be referred to the student's dean's office and/or the Director of the Learning Needs and Evaluation Center, (924-3139 or 982-HEAR).
Students in the School of Architecture may not audit any course. Students in the College and Commerce must elect the AU option before the add deadline; they may cancel this option only until the drop deadline, in which case the course is to be deleted from the transcript. A grade of "W" will be recorded for any student who discontinues the audit after the drop deadline or who fails to meet the instructor's standards.
Dean's List Full-time students are eligible for the dean's list of their school at the end of each semester by demonstrating superior academic achievement. Students must take a minimum of 12 credits (15 credits in Architecture, Commerce and Engineering) for graded credit, e.g., no courses taken on a credit/no-credit basis may be counted toward the minimum of 12 credits necessary to be on the dean's list. Any student receiving an F, NC or NG during a semester is ineligible to be on the dean's list. The minimum grade point average necessary for the dean's list for each of the schools is listed below.
| School | GPA |
|---|---|
| Architecture | 3.400 |
| Arts and Sciences | 3.400 |
| Commerce | Top 20% of school |
| Education | 3.400 |
| Engineering | 3.400 |
| Nursing | 3.400 |
Intermediate Honors Students who enter the University directly from high school or preparatory school and who, after four regular semesters meet the requirements stipulated below, are awarded a Certificate of Intermediate Honors. Students who receive this honor will have the notation "Intermediate Honors" placed on their official academic record. In the College, students need to have completed a minimum of fifty-nine credits at the University (no more than twelve credits of which have been earned on a credit/no credit basis). Further, they need to have remained in Good Standing and their cumulative GPA must be at least 3.4. Advanced Placement, Summer Session and transfer credits do not count toward the required credits.
| School | Credits | Cum. GPA |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | 56 | 3.400 |
| Arts and Sciences | 59 | 3.400 |
| Engineering | 60 | 3.400 |
| Nursing | 58 | 3.400 |
| School and Designation | GPA |
|---|---|
| Architecture | |
| 3.60 | |
| 3.75 | |
| 3.90 | Commerce |
| Top 15% of graduating class | Education |
| 3.600 | |
| 3.750 | |
| 3.900 | Engineering |
| 3.400 | |
| 3.600 | |
| 3.800 | Nursing |
| 3.500 | |
| 3.750 | |
The submission of a thesis is not required in the Schools of Commerce, Education, or Nursing. All students in the School of Engineering and Applied Science, whether satisfying requirements for Honors or not, are required to complete a senior thesis, taking TCC 401 and TCC 402, a six-credit thesis course. A thesis is also required for the completion of a concentration in Architectural Studies in the School of Architecture.
Theses and Commencement Honors in the College of Arts and Sciences Degrees with distinction, high distinction, and highest distinction are awarded by the Committee on Special Programs to students who have at least a 3.4 grade point average and who have been recommended by the departments or interdepartmental programs in which they have completed a "Distinguished Majors Program" or the equivalent. Distinguished majors programs require that students submit a written thesis. All degree programs in the College of Arts and Sciences offer a distinguished majors program except African-American Studies, Astronomy, Cognitive Sciences, Drama and Medieval Studies. Where a thesis course is present, there may be opportunity for other majors in the department to write a thesis. Information on this should be sought from individual departments. The Committee also awards distinction, but not high or highest distinction, to students who have not enrolled in (or who have discontinued) a DMP but who complete their degree with a grade point average of at least 3.6.
Honors Program in the College of Arts and Sciences Diplomas inscribed With Honors, With High Honors, or With Highest Honors are awarded to students receiving the Bachelor of Arts degree who have completed with a high degree of excellence a program of independent work under tutorial guidance in one or more academic departments. The departments of Government and Foreign Affairs and Philosophy currently offer such programs, for which no thesis is required. The procedures and rules governing honors work are described under degree requirements for the College of Arts and Sciences.
Phi Beta Kappa To be eligible for election to Phi Beta Kappa, students must have done distinguished work in advanced courses in several Arts and Sciences departments. While no set grade point average is established for election, successful nominees have usually earned at least a 3.7, taken upper-level work in several departments in the College, and carried more than the minimum permitted 12 credits course load.
After the deadline for dropping courses has passed, a grade will be assigned by the instructor of the course depending on the policies of the school in which the student is enrolled. The W, WP, or WF will appear on the official academic record.
In the College of Arts and Sciences students may withdraw (W, WP, or WF), if the instructor concurs, until the tenth class day before the final day of instruction. After this cutoff, students must either complete the course or, with the instructor's endorsement, submit a request for an Incomplete to the office of the dean. Students who discontinue a course at any point without complying with the proper procedure will receive a failing grade.
Year-long courses (College): the deadlines to add and to drop are those from the first semester; a student may withdraw until the withdrawal date from the second semester.
Architecture Special permission is required to register for fewer than 12 credits or more than 19 credits each semester.
Arts and Sciences Special permission is required to register for fewer than 12 credits or more than 19 credits each semester. Any student who completes fewer than 12 credits receives an Academic Warning (see Chapter 6).
Commerce Students are normally expected to register for 15 credits. Special permission is required for registering for 12 to 14 credits. Special permission is also required to register for more than 17 credits except that a student may register for three more credits than were passed the preceding semester, up to 21 total credits. Requests for exceptions must be received and granted by the Academic Performance (Rules) Committee prior to the end of the add/drop period.
Education Special permission of the advisor and the dean is required to register for fewer than 12 credits or more than 18 credits.
Engineering Special permission of the advisor and the dean's office is required for registration of fewer than 15 (not counting CR/NC courses) or more than 20 credits. A GPA of 3.6 or higher is required to register for 21 or more credits. Permission of the advisor and a GPA of 3.0 are required for registration of 19 to 20 credits.
Nursing Special permission of the Associate Dean is required to register for fewer than 12 credits or more than 18 credits each semester.
Persons receiving diplomas must be registered at the University during the semester in which they receive the degree. Those not carrying any courses must register as non-residents and pay the non-resident fee in order to graduate from the University.
Students may earn a degree from only one school in a semester. Students may not earn two degrees simultaneously from the University. Those who complete the requirements for more than one degree program will be awarded a double major. This notation is placed on the transcript, but not on the diploma.
Students who lose their diplomas may have them replaced upon payment of $10 plus a mailing fee. The University reserves the right to withhold the diplomas of financially delinquent students.
In a typical entering class at the University, 25-33 percent of all students have earned 12 to 15 credits of Advanced Placement and are thus eligible to shorten their time to degree if they wish. Most students now either reduce their course loads or graduate with extra credits. No regulation prohibits students from graduating early, but early graduation from the five undergraduate schools other than the College is rare because the sequencing of courses required for professional degrees commonly requires four full years.
Students are not permitted to take a final examination before the regularly scheduled examination. When genuinely serious conditions exist, students, with the consent of the course instructor, may be allowed to postpone a final examination until after the regular examination period. When the instructor concurs, a student must submit a request on a form provided in the student's dean's office. Students will then take the examination at the instructor's convenience, usually within four weeks of the last day of the examination period.
Unexcused absence from a final examination results in an automatic grade of F in the course.
Educational Leaves of Absence Students who wish to take a leave of absence to pursue educational interests elsewhere (e.g., study abroad or study at another educational institution) must apply for a leave of absence at their dean's office. While on such an approved leave, students must register at the University of Virginia as a non-resident and pay a non-resident fee which indicates that they are on an approved leave of absence pursuing educational interests elsewhere. Students registered for an approved leave may preregister for courses and do not have to apply for readmission to the University, although they must notify their dean's office when they intend to return.
Exclusion From Courses A student who is making no real progress in a course or whose behavior is detracting from the course may be excluded from the course by the Dean with a grade of WF or F. Students have five calendar days following written notification of this exclusion in which to appeal. Until the final disposition of the appeal, the student is considered to be enrolled in the course.
Enforced Withdrawal Students may be forced to withdraw from the University for habitual delinquency in class, habitual idleness, or any other fault which prevents the student from fulfilling the purpose implied by registration at the University. Students who are forced to withdraw during a given term will have the notation Enforced Withdrawal (date) entered on their permanent academic record following the semester in which the action occurred. Grades of W (withdrawal) will be entered for each of the courses in which the students were registered. Students who have been forced to withdraw must apply for readmission to their dean's office in the same manner as a suspended student.
Medical Withdrawal Students who withdraw for reasons of health must obtain permission from the Department of Student Health. Grades of "W" (withdrawal) will be entered for each of the courses in which the students were registered. Subsequent medical clearance from the Department of Student Health is required for readmission.
Voluntary Withdrawal Students may withdraw from the University before the conclusion of a semester under the following conditions:
A late registration fee of $25 is charged to students who register after regular registration through the end of the 10th class meeting day of the semester. After the 10th class meeting day, a $50 late registration fee is charged.
Payment of tuition and fees is considered to be part of the registration process. Failure to pay tuition and fees by the dates established by the University Bursar will result in suspension from the University. See the section of this catalog on tuition and fees. Any student who registers assumes thereby an obligation to pay for that semester's tuition and fees.
All suspensions -- financial, disciplinary, or academic -- must be cleared before a student will be permitted to register at the University. Students who are terminated for non-academic reasons during the semester and who seek reinstatement in the same semester will be readmitted and reregistered by the University Registrar in coordination with the student's dean's office. The student is required to present the termination clearance form approved by the termination authority to the University Registrar prior to the tenth class day before the last day of scheduled classes. Students will not be allowed to be readmitted or re-registered after this deadline and will not be allowed to receive credit for that semester or to receive a degree in that semester.
Students who fail to register are not considered to be students at the University and will not be certified as being enrolled at the University for any purpose. Students who register must enroll in at least the minimum of credits required by the pertinent school or have the registration cancelled.
Full-Time Students Registration for twelve or more credits in a semester constitutes full-time status for the purpose of loan deferments and enrollment certification.
Part-Time Students Any student carrying fewer than twelve credits (or fewer than nine credits in the College of Arts and Sciences) is considered to be enrolled part-time. Registration for fewer than twelve credits is permitted only under extraordinary circumstances and only with the permission of the dean's office. (See section on course loads.) Students wishing to carry fewer than twelve credits may transfer to the Division of Continuing Education with the permission of their dean. Undergraduate students who have obtained permission to register through Continuing Education are restricted to taking a maximum of two courses each semester. Each may have a corequisite lab or a credit-bearing discussion section. College students are limited to a maximum of 16 credits taken in the School of Continuing Education.
Access to student records is protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. Any student attempting to gain access to or gain possession of another student's record will be subject to disciplinary proceedings and suspension from the University.
Credit is allowed only for those courses in which a grade of C or better has been earned. Some programs may require a grade of B or better. In the College, courses in which a grade of "Pass" is received must be certified to be the equivalent of a C or higher level to be accepted. Only credits are accepted in transfer. Grades do not transfer and do not affect the student's cumulative grade point average at the University of Virginia. Credit from institutions on a system other than the semester hour system will be converted to semester hours. Students will receive no more than the number of credits earned at the host institution.
Undergraduate students must take at least fifty-four credits of course work in residence at the University of Virginia to be granted their degree. In some cases, the student will have to earn more than sixty credits to satisfy degree requirements. Each academic unit determines this requirement.
A maximum of sixty-six credits may be transferred to the University from a combination of testing programs and academic institutions. A maximum of sixty-three credits may be transferred to the McIntire School of Commerce.
Credit From Foreign Institutions The University of Virginia grants credit for courses taken at recognized foreign tertiary level institutions. Foreign institutions that are chartered and authorized by their respective national governments (generally through the Ministry of Education) are considered "recognized". Credit is awarded for courses judged to have been completed at a C level or above. The amount of credit granted will not exceed that given for the comparable University of Virginia course. The University of Virginia recognizes the general guidelines for awarding credit given by the National Council on the Evaluation of Foreign Student Credentials and the National Association for Foreign Student Affairs.
Credit By Examination The University of Virginia participates in the Advanced Placement Examinations program of the Educational Testing Services and the International Baccalaureate Examination Program. Students who receive grades deemed satisfactory by the academic unit to which they seek admission may receive academic credit. The University does not participate in the College Level Examination Program, the College Proficiency Exam, or the USAFI and DANTES programs of the United States Military Forces.
Admission From Another Undergraduate Institution Transfer credit taken before matriculation may be used for fulfilling area requirements, not for fulfilling major requirements. Students in the College of Arts and Sciences must take the second writing requirement in the College and earn a grade of at least C-.
Additional Information for Newly Admitted Transfer Students Official transcripts submitted with an application are referred by the Admissions Office to the academic unit to which students seek admission. Each academic unit evaluates the transcripts and notifies students which credits have been accepted for transfer.
Students seeking admission are responsible for sending, at the earliest possible date, official transcripts from each institution attended and grades for each advanced placement examination taken which were not submitted at the time of application to the Admission Office. Credit can be granted only on the basis of official transcripts sent directly from the educational institution to the Admission Office, or on the basis of test scores sent directly from the Educational Testing Services to the Admissions Office. Students completing courses at foreign institutions must submit course descriptions and/or syllabi to determine comparability to University of Virginia courses. Students will be notified if further information is required.
Transfer credit is evaluated only for the degree program to which students are admitted and is subject to change if students change degree programs. The amount of credit awarded determines class standing. Thus, if credit is not granted for all previous work, the class standing of students at the University of Virginia may differ from what it had been at previous institutions.
Enrolled Students Taking Coursework at Other Institutions Students who are already enrolled at the University of Virginia must secure the prior permission of their dean's office to enroll in coursework at another institution and to have academic credit transferred back to the University of Virginia to apply to their degree program. After completing coursework, students must have official transcripts sent from the institutions in which the courses were taken to the appropriate dean's office. Approval to take courses on a pass/fail basis must also be obtained prior to taking the courses. In the College, courses in which "pass" or "credit" grades are received must be certified as equivalent of a "C" or higher to be accepted. Transfer courses will only be used as elective credit. They may not be used to fulfill area or major requirements.