Academic policies

A complete list of all academic policies can be found in the University of Arizona Catalog. See the information below about common academic policies to be aware of. If you have questions regarding any of the University policies, please make an appointment with your academic advisor.

Common academic policies

Academic eligibility is the ability to enroll in courses at the University of Arizona; it is automatically calculated at the end of each fall and spring semester. In order to maintain academic eligibility, students need to earn at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA each semester. This policy is designed to help undergraduates stay on track for degree completion at the University of Arizona.

There are five (5) academic statuses related to a student’s eligibility to enroll in courses.

Eligible

  • All new undergraduate students begin with a status of Eligible (i.e., good academic standing);
  • Students must earn and maintain a 2.00 or higher cumulative GPA to continue in Eligible status;
  • Students with a status of Eligible may enroll in courses.

Academic Review

  • Review status occurs when a student earns a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or above (i.e., good academic standing), but has a semester GPA of less than a 2.00.
  • Students with a status of Academic Review will be contacted by their college or school to determine if they need assistance to improve their GPA.

Academic Warning

  • Warning status occurs when an undergraduate who was previously Eligible does not earn a 2.00 or higher cumulative GPA;
  • Students with a status of Academic Warning may enroll in courses; however, they will be contacted by their college or school and required to complete an intervention;
  • Students who begin a semester/term with a status of Academic Warning and earn a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or above at the end of the semester/term will return to Eligible status.

Academic Probation

  • Probation status occurs when a student who begins a semester/term on Academic Warning does not earn a 2.00 or higher cumulative GPA at the end of the semester/term;
  • Students with a status of Academic Probation may enroll in courses; however, they will be required to participate in an intervention developed in partnership with each college or school and the University’s Student Success & Retention Innovation program;
  • Students who begin a semester/term with a status of Academic Probation and earn a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or above at the end of the semester/term will return to Eligible status.

Ineligible

  • Ineligible status occurs when an undergraduate student who begins a semester/term on Academic Probation does not earn a 2.00 or higher cumulative GPA at the end of the semester/term;
  • Students with a status of Ineligible may not enroll in courses; however, they may submit an appeal (usually for extenuating circumstances) requesting an additional semester/term of Academic Probation status;
  • If an appeal is granted, a student may enroll in courses but must complete requirements stipulated in the appeal decision, such as taking fewer units, using specific campus resources, and/or creating an academic action plan.

These five academic statuses determine eligibility to enroll in courses at the University; however, they do not determine eligibility to enroll in specific programs, schools or colleges.

Standards for specific programs, schools, and colleges are determined by each program, school or college. Students should connect with college general academic advisors at CALES Career & Academic Services, Forbes 203, for support and guidance.

An undergraduate student’s eligibility to enroll in courses does not ensure satisfactory academic progress for financial aid purposes. Students who receive financial aid should consult directly with the Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid.

CALES and the University recognize students for various academic achievements every year, including:

  • University Academic Honors
  • Dean's List
  • Academic Distinction
  • Graduation with Academic Distinction
  • Graduation with Honors

We encourage you to stay up to date on University Academic Distinction policies as they are subject to change. 

  1. Your academic status can be found in your UAccess Student Center
  2. After you log in, on your Student Center home page, click on the drop-down menu for ‘Other Academic’ and select ‘Grades’
  3. Click the small blue arrow button
  4. Click 'Change Term' and select the most recent fall or spring term for which you earned grades
  5. You status is listed at the bottom of the page

A Grade Replacement Opportunity (GRO) offers students the ability to replace grades of C, D and E by repeating a course.  Only the grade from the repeat attempt will be used to calculate the grade point average. For details, see the undergraduate GRO policy in the catalog.  A separate policy exists for Law students; see the Law College dean's office for details. For more information, review the Registrar's website.

GRO requests need to be submitted through UAccess Student during the appropriate filing period each semester.  A GRO tab has been added to UAccess Student Center for undergraduate students only. Students who wish to file a GRO will access this tab to submit a GRO request during the GRO filing period for each eligible course. The process is the same for both Regular Dated Classes and Dynamically Dated Classes. Please see GRO Filing Deadlines.

 Steps for filing GRO Requests

  1. Register and enroll in the course you are planning to re-take. It must be the same course number and title you previously completed and earned a final grade of C, D or E.
  2. From your UAccess Student Center on the 'Enroll' page, click on the 'GRO' tab.
  3. Read and accept the GRO Policy terms and click 'Submit'.
  4. Select the course you would like to file a GRO for. You can only select one course at a time and you must wait until the first day of that class to begin the filing process.
  5. Complete the GRO request and be sure to click 'Submit' to finalize the process.
  6. If  you have more than one GRO to file, repeat the steps above for each GRO/course.

 Examples of why GRO requests will not be processed

  • You have already earned more than 59 units at the University of Arizona.
  • The original course is still graded as Incomplete ("I").
  • The repeat course is not equivalent to the original course (e.g. titles and/or subtitles must match).
  • You have already completed the maximum of three courses under the GRO option.
  • You have exceeded the maximum of 10 semester hours allowed under the GRO option.
  • You have already received a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, thus, are ineligible for the GRO option.
  • The course was already repeated under GRO in a previous semester.
  • You have missed the deadline to file the GRO.

Separate policies exist for Law students. The dean of Law College can provide examples of why GRO request will not be processed.

Recalculation of cumulative GPA as result of GRO

As a result of GRO, a student's cumulative GPA is typically recalculated at the end of each terms' grade processing -- this is when final grades are available.

See the Dates & Deadlines page for more information on when final grades are available for each term.

Use the online change of schedule form to drop or add classes when UAccess is no longer available for those changes. 

  • Refer to the registration dates and deadlines that determine when schedule changes are allowed. Note that 5-week courses, 7-week courses, dynamically-dated courses or those with non-standard start and end dates have different deadlines for adding and dropping.  
  • For regular term courses, withdrawals filed before the first deadline (at the end of the 2nd week of classes) will result in the course being deleted from the student's permanent record and no "W" grade will be assessed.
  • For course withdrawals filed between the first and second withdrawal deadlines (between the 2nd and 10th week of classes) the grade of "W" is awarded.
  • After the second withdrawal deadline (between the 10th and 13th week of classes), students must have an extraordinary reason for not being able to complete the course, and it must be approved by the student's college dean via Late Change Petition. Students requesting to drop one or more classes (but not to drop to 0 units) after the 10th week MUST file a late change petition.

If you are seeking to withdraw from a single course after the withdrawal deadline has passed and there are extreme extenuating circumstances, you may be able to file a late change petition. The late change petitions are available online through the Registrar's website here. 

The petition process is fully online but should be started as soon as possible to avoid missing the final submission deadline.

  1. Necessary documentation: 
    • For non-medical petitions, students must  provide a personal statement explaining extraordinary circumstances beyond the student's control that are preventing participation and completion of the course(s). 
  2. Once submitted, the petition requires instructor review of the online form AND review by the student’s college. 
  3. Submit by the deadline: The online late change petition forms will be reviewed by CALES  by the deadline posted each term. After this deadline, students are required to stay enrolled in their classes unless they are intending to withdraw completely (from all classes). See #4 below.
    • Note: Students who have circumstances that arise after the petition deadline but before the last day of the semester and do not have an option for an "Incomplete" in their course may still make a request to withdraw, however they must discuss this with their major advisor first, followed by Senior Director of CALES Advising & Student Services. Students must call 520-621-3616 to make an appointment and provide documentation of an extraordinary situation that is preventing further participation in the class. Please know that these exceptions are extremely rare.
  4. Complete Withdrawal: Students expecting to drop all classes for the term (withdraw to zero units) may do so by following the online process for complete withdrawal.  Students are strongly encouraged to discuss these options with their academic advisors. 

Information on the University of Arizona's grade appeal policy can be found in the General Catalog. It is strongly suggested that students make an attempt to resolve the matter within the department offering the course.

Undergraduate students in CALES may petition the University General Petitions Committee for relief if they believe they deserve redress or an exception to university rules, regulations or policies regarding academic affairs. Click here for more information on the general petition process. 

  • Students filing a general petition for extenuating circumstances (non-medical and non-discrimination cases only) can obtain form information from their college academic advisor in CALES Career & Academic Services in Forbes 203 or online from the Registrar's Office.
  • Any student who violates the Student Code of Conduct when preparing their petition packet for submission may lose the opportunity to resubmit their packet for consideration.
  • Students have one academic year to file their petition.
  • Petitions are collected until the last official day of classes (not finals) for the term. After this deadline, students may still submit petitions; however, they must wait until the next semester for it to undergo review. Exceptions to the one year deadline are rare.

For the entire policy please visit the Catalog.

Visit Catalog

Note: New academic statuses, defined in the Academic Eligibility Policy, are effective in Fall 2019 for all undergraduates, as approved by the Faculty Senate, 5/6/19. Policy language updated for clarity, 2/18/20.

Application for readmission is not required for the following students:

Students who have previously attended the University in a non-degree-seeking status must apply for admission to a degree-seeking program through the Freshman or Transfer admission applications, if now seeking a degree. Students who would like to return as a non-degree seeking student must complete that process. Application should be made through the Office of Admissions.

NOTE: All students who have attended other institutions during their absence from the University must submit official transcripts to the Office of the Registrar.

Students who should apply for readmission:

Students required to apply for readmission must submit official transcripts of all course work completed elsewhere in order to be reviewed for readmission. College transcripts should be sent to the Office of the Registrar.

NOTE: Students who withdraw from the University and do not enroll for more than two consecutive regular semesters (Fall, Spring) must meet degree requirements as outlined in the Catalog at their re-enrollment or during their registration.

Readmission Requirements:

  • Students on Academic Eligible status or Academic Review status who have attended another post-secondary institution must submit an official transcript of all course work. A minimum cumulative grade-point-average (GPA) of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale is required for course work completed at other institutions. If the student's interim coursework GPA is below 2.0 the readmission application will be referred to the college for review. The Office of Admissions will process the application for readmission according to the written recommendation of the dean.
  • Students seeking readmission who left the University on Academic Probation status, Academic Ineligible status, or Academic Warning status, but are not eligible for Back2UA, will be referred to the college for review. Students will be required to submit a personal statement and post-secondary transcripts if they attend another college during their absence. A minimum cumulative grade-point-average (GPA) of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale is required for course work completed at other institutions.

Readmission Deadlines:

The last dates for receipt in the Admissions Office of all official transcripts and application forms for readmission to the University are as follows:

For students in Eligible Status:

  • For Fall semester: August 1
  • For Spring semester: November 1
  • For Summer I and II: June 1

For students who are on Academic Probation or Ineligible Status:

  • For Fall semester: Domestic students, June 1; International students, May 1
  • For Spring semester: October 1
  • For Summer I and II: April 1

For further information contact:

Office of Admissions
The University of Arizona
PO Box 210040
Tucson, AZ 85721-0040

Phone: (520) 621-3237
Email:appinfo@arizona.edu

CALES Career & Academic Services
College Advising
Forbes 203
520-621-3616
advising@cals.arizona.edu