Policies and Practices
One of the goals of advising is to help students become responsible individuals capable of making informed decision about their personal, academic, and professional lives. To achieve this goal, the university provides the information needed for them to make sound decisions about their academic plans and the implementation of their plans during their time at UP. The university believes that making students responsible for their academic journeys will help them in the future as they are asked to make informed decisions throughout their lives.
Auditing a course Current students who wish to attend classes but who do not desire credit may audit a course with the approval of their respective dean. They are not required to perform any of the work assigned in the course nor may they take the examinations. Courses taken by audit are entered on the student's permanent record and indicated with the symbol AD.
Declaring/changing/dropping a major or minor As students continue to evaluate their educational and career goals, they may decide to add a second major or minor, change their major, or drop one of their majors. Students should discuss their plans with their advisor, academic program counselor, or associate dean in order to understand the implications of their choices.
The process for adding, changing, or dropping a major or minor is simple. Go to the Registrar-Students page in Pilots UP and click on the Curriculum Change tab. Select the link for the Electronic Curriculum Change Form. All Curriculum Changes should be made through this form, except for a Transfer Within the University. If a student desires to transfer within the University, they should use the form linked on the Curriculum Change tab in Pilots UP.
Declaring a dual major Students seeking to graduate with a second major must successfully complete at least 120 semester hours, and fulfill the requirement for both majors.
Dual degree Students seeking a second baccalaureate degree from the university are required to complete an additional 30 semester hours at the university and fulfill the course requirements of the college or school in which the second degree is sought.
Incompletes The symbol "I" denoting an incomplete may be given only when no further formal instruction is needed in the course and, due to circumstances beyond the student's control or anticipation, the student is prevented from completing a requirement of the course. The instructor must indicate in writing the agreed upon date for completion of the requirement, but the date cannot exceed one year.
The Authorization for Grade of Incomplete Form is filled out by the instructor and signed by the student and instructor for final approval by the Dean's Office.
Medical leave of absence Medical leaves of absence are designed to allow an undergraduate or graduate student to pursue treatment for medical or psychiatric conditions or to accommodate students too ill to complete the semester. A granted medical leave allows a student to leave school for not more than one year without subsequent financial or academic penalty. The student will have grades of W recorded for the semester. A medical leave of absence is granted at the discretion of the Office of the Provost. Additional information and how to apply is available on the Medical Leave of Absence website.
Overload Students may not register for more than 18 credit hours in the fall and spring semesters or 6 credit hours in each of the two summer sessions without permission from their associate dean.
Pass/no pass Courses that are required by the university core, college curriculum, or departmental program may not be taken pass/no pass. To fulfill the remaining credit hours for graduation, three courses may be taken pass/no pass. Students must have the approval of their academic advisor and dean.
Courses attempted under the pass/no pass system and completed successfully will carry academic credit, while unsuccessful performance will carry no credit but will be listed on a student's transcript. However, neither result will be included in the computation of the grade point average. Grades assigned will include P for performance ranging from D- to A and NP for F. The instructor will not be made aware that a student is enrolled under the system. Within the parameters above, one change in registration from regular status to pass/no pass or vice versa will be allowed in a given course up to two weeks after the midpoint in each semester.
Repeating courses Only courses in which a grade of C-, D+, D, D-, F, or NP has been received may be repeated at the University of Portland for academic credit. A course may be repeated only once and only the latest grade is included in the computation of the G.P.A. and the total number of credit hours required for graduation. Both courses and grades will remain on the permanent academic record, with the original course denoted by an asterisk.
Although a repeated course is entered and checked on a registration form, a Repeat Petition Course form must also be submitted. This form is not required for registration into courses for which a W was received.
While courses repeated at the University of Portland may change one's grade point average, equivalent courses taken at another institution, even when fulfilling university requirements, cannot be used to replace any course or grade entered on the permanent academic record, or to change ones University of Portland grade point average.
ROTC ROTC students attending the University of Portland will need to have an authorized person fill out and sign a 104R Form (Army) or Form 48 (Air Force) which lays out the student's four year plan for degree completion. Faculty advisors are not permitted to sign either of these forms. Only the associate dean or dean of their college or school is authorized to do so.
Summer Session Students may take a maximum of six semester credit hours during each of the two summer sessions. To take more than six hours for any session, students need to obtain their dean's approval for an overload.
Transfer credit If, after enrolling in a degree program at the University of Portland, a student wishes to take a course at another accredited institution and use it toward the degree, prior approval of the student's associate dean should be obtained. To earn credit for the course, the student must receive a grade of C or better.
Normally, students will complete all of the upper division courses in their major on-campus. However, the deans of the college or schools may accept up to twenty-five percent of the upper-division course requirements in transfer from other accredited institutions.
Official transcripts of credits earned at other institutions (community college, college, or university) must come directly from the school to the Registrar's Office.
Transfer within the University Transfers from one college or school within the University to another may be made only with the approval of the dean in each program.
The Request for Transfer Within the University form is initiated and signed by the student. The student obtains the signature of release by the present Associate Dean, Academic Program Counselor, or the Dean and then presents it to the Dean of the school or college to which they wish to transfer. After reviewing the academic background of the student, the Associate Dean or the Dean will act upon the transfer request. The completed form is forwarded to the Registrar and copies are sent to the student and the dean of the college or school of origin.
Withdrawal from all classes Students may withdraw from all their courses at any time during the school year, but they must complete the Withdrawal form available on the Office of the Registrar's PilotsUP site. Failure to do so will result in responsibility for grades submitted by the instructors.
