Frequently Asked Questions
This section covers the frequently asked questions
regarding UT Dallas classes, change of major, graduation,
etc. If you have any specific question that is not covered
on this page, contact the Office
of the Registrar. If you have a question related
to tuition and fees, contact the Bursar's
Office.
HOW TO AUDIT A COURSE
Auditing allows a student to observe the instruction
of a course without earning credit. Computer
Science & Engineering courses, Geoscience courses,
Physical Education courses, Foreign Language courses,
and any course(s) that charges a lab fee may not be
audited.
- Take the Application to Audit Course form to the instructor for written
approval.
NOTE: The application
will not be distributed until classes begin.
- Take the Application to Audit Course form to the Bursar’s Office
and pay the non-refundable audit fee. Please visit the Bursar's website for information on fees.
- Return the signed and stamped application form to the Office of the Registrar for processing before Census Day for the full-term session for the semester. Census day may be found in the Comet Calendar.
- Purchase mandatory non-refundable parking decal.
NOTE: The application will not
be distributed until classes begin.
QUESTIONS ABOUT HOLDS
HOLDS are a computerized mechanism to prevent registration
or transcript processing. You will be notified via your
UT Dallas e-mail if there has been a hold placed on your account.
In any event, when there is a hold on your record, you
need to take steps to resolve the problem. You can check
your holds online.
QUESTIONS ABOUT
REENTRY
If you completely withdrew from the previous semester
before the 20th class day, the Office of the Registrar
strongly recommends that you review your academic record
online, ie,
update address, transfer credit from another institution. All reentry requests for a semester must be received 10-days prior to the first day of the semester (full-term).
If you have not attended UT Dallas in three long semesters,
you must apply for readmission.
QUESTIONS ABOUT
READMITS/DEFERMENT
You must be formally readmitted if you have not taken
any classes for three "long terms." A long
term is a Spring or Fall semester. If you are readmitted,
you will be bound by ALL conditions of the current catalog.
To defer your admission, please complete the deferment
form, print and fax it to 972-883-6803. To reapply
for admission:
- Domestic and International students must complete
a new application for admission no later than the
published deadline
and pay an application fee. Incomplete applications
or late applications will be required to register
late and pay a late registration fee.
HOW TO REQUEST CONFIDENTIALITY
ON YOUR RECORD
Please review the FERPA portion
of this website. Students may ensure their directory
information is not shared with outside sources by completing
a Request for Confidentiality
form (Registrar - Forms webpage click on "FERPA Packet"-
(Requires Adobe Reader).
HOW TO CHANGE YOUR
MAJOR
Undergraduate students wishing to change majors should
complete a Change
of Major Request Form
(Registrar - Forms webpage click on "Undergraduate Change of Major..."
-
(Requires Adobe Reader)
with the academic advisor of the new program.
If the change is approved, the student will then be responsible
for meeting all program requirements and course prerequisites
of the catalog in effect at the time of the change. Student's
must be in good academic standing to change majors/degree
programs.
Graduate students wishing to change a major within
their same department must meet with an advisor and
complete an Interdepartmental Graduate Change of Program
Request. Graduate students wishing to change their major
to a different department must complete a new application
(no application fee is required) for the new program
(see academic calendar
for application deadlines).
NOTE: It is imperative that any change
to your major and/or degree program be received in the
Office of the Registrar by the close of business day
on the first day of classes for a semester/term. Change
of Major/Degree program forms received after the first
day of class become effective the following semester.
HOW TO ELECT
PASS/FAIL GRADING (GRADUATES)
Subject to the constraints stated below, graduate students
may elect to take certain courses for a letter grade
or pass/fail grade (P/F). Any student wishing
to take a course on a pass/fail basis must obtain the
approval of the instructor and his/her graduate advisor
on the pass/fail form, which must be turned in to Office
of the Registrar no later than Census Day (full-term).
A student may not take the following courses on a pass/fail
basis: core courses and their prerequisites required
for the degree, and elective courses in the student’s
major area. No more than 20% of a master’s
degree may be taken pass/fail. This 20% excludes
casebook, internship, practicum, independent study,
research, readings, thesis or dissertation, which are
always taught pass/fail.
HOW TO ELECT "CREDIT/NO
CREDIT" GRADING (UNDERGRADUATES)
Undergraduate Students may elect Credit/No Credit grading
for up to 20% of the total number of upper-division
course work taken at UT Dallas. Courses taught for Credit/No
Credit only will not count in the 20% maximum.
You may not take your major and related courses, courses with Core Curriculum designation, program
prerequisites, General Education Core courses, or required
Interdisciplinary Studies courses on a Credit/No Credit
basis. You may file a Credit/No Credit request,
approved by your advisor, at the Office of the Registrar
by Census Day (full-term). No change can be made in grading
options after census day.
HOW TO COMPLETE
AN "INCOMPLETE"
If you are completing work for a previous semester
in which a grade of incomplete (I) was received (except
thesis and dissertation courses), do not officially
register for the course again. An incomplete
course grade (grade of I) must be completed within the
time period specified by the instructor, not to exceed
eight weeks from the first day of the subsequent long
semester. If the work is not completed within
the limit, the grade will be changed to "F".
Once you have completed and submitted any outstanding
work to the instructor, your grade will be brought to
the Office of the Registrar by your instructor for processing.
HOW MANY CREDIT
HOURS A NON-DEGREE STUDENT CAN TRANSFER TO A DEGREE
PROGRAM
No more than fifteen hours of applicable non-degree
credit may be transferred to a degree program at the
University. However, acceptance of credit is at the
discretion of the Associate Dean or program head and
the University Registrar.
COURSE LOAD
POLICY FOR ALL SESSIONS
To exceed the maximum hours, you must obtain permission
from your academic advisor and it must be specifically
noted on the registration form.
HOW DO I GET MY SEMESTER
GRADES?
Semester grades can be viewed online,
or kiosks across campus. Semester grades are
not mailed or given out to students in the Office of
the Registrar.
HOW TO CHANGE NAME AND
ADDRESS
For name changes, you must complete the name change
form in the Office of the Registrar. You must
also bring a copy of your driver's license and your
marriage certificate for proof of name. Complete
an address change online.
SB 1231 - COURSE DROP LIMITATIONS
Certain students enrolled in Texas public colleges and universities will not be allowed to withdraw from more than six courses over their entire undergraduate career as a result of a new Texas law. This includes all classes taken at any Texas public institution of higher education. This legislation applies ONLY to students who enroll in a Texas public institution of higher education as a first-time freshman in Fall 2007 or later.
Note:First-time freshmen are free to drop classes without penalty through close of business on census day (August 31, 2008). Beginning September 1, 2008, these students may only withdraw from classes which may be subject to the new rule described above. Our best advice for now is to set your course schedule by Census Day and stick to it.
The Office of the Registrar will monitor all transfer credit from other Texas public institutions of higher education to determine (count) any withdrawals affecting students impacted by this legislation. Students will be notified of their status of withdrawals at the time of transfer evaluation.
The Office of the Registrar will exclude any transcribed course withdrawals from independent/private Texas institutions or from out-of-state colleges and universities from counting against the student's 6-drop limit.
UT Dallas recognizes courses with separate lecture and lab/discussion/recitation sections listed as co-requisites which will be treated as a single course for purposes of the limitation.
NON-ACADEMIC DROPS
To drop a course for non-academic reasons, students must complete a written petition detailing the nature of the request and include supporting documentation. Non-academic drop petitions are to be obtained from the Undergraduate Student Advising Office. The Director of Undergraduate Advising will distribute the petition to a committee whose members will independently review the petition and either approve or deny the request or drop. The Director will inform the student of the outcome.
Note: It is extremely important that students petitioning to drop a class for non-academic reasons continue to attend and perform in the class if possible, until the petition request is resolved. If the petition is approved, the student will receive a grade of "W" for the course. Otherwise, the student will receive the grade earned in the course.
Non-academic drop petitions may be submitted anytime during the semester. Please contact the Undergraduate Advising Office, 972-883-6805, for the petition form and for additional information.
Students approved to withdraw under the exception subsections of SB 1231 - Course Drop Limitations (6 Drop), or for other administrative non-academic reasons, will receive a special withdrawal grade(s) designated as exclusions from the student's 6-drop limit. The Office of the Registrar will transcribe said grade(s) to the student's academic record. The traditional grades of "W", "WP", and "WF" at UT Dallas (grades assigned to students withdrawing without exception) will be counted toward the 6-drop limit and will be transcribed on the student's academic record in accordance with preliminary agreements with higher education professional organizations and the State's reporting board.
FAMILY EDUCATIONAL
RIGHTS TO PRIVACY ACT (FERPA)
The student’s university record is established
and maintained to provide both the student and university
with information regarding the student’s progress
while enrolled at the university. Any student enrolled
in the university has access to and may inspect those
records relating to his or her academic progress, to
the extent allowed by the Family Educational Rights
to Privacy Act and the Texas Public Informational Act.
The record is considered to be confidential and may
be released only within the limitations clearly defined
by university regulations and state and federal statutes
or with the student’s written permission.
The university may release directory information which
is defined as public information and includes the following:
student’s name, local and permanent address, telephone
number, e-mail address, date and place of birth, major
field of study, participation in officially recognized
activities and sports, weight and height of members
of athletic teams, dates of attendance, degrees, awards
and honors received, and the most recent educational
agency or institution attended by the student. This
information may be printed in various publications of
the university such as the student directory, honors
list, athletic programs, list of graduating students,
or similar documents. Additionally, this information
may be released upon request. A student may request
the university not to release directory information
by completing the Request for Confidentiality
form (Registrar - Forms webpage click on "FERPA Packet"-
(Requires Adobe Reader)
.
Records which the university maintains include official
university academic and personal records relating to
scholastic, disciplinary and fiscal matters as well
as records maintained by university agencies and agencies
providing services sought voluntarily by students. Students
may challenge the contents of educational records and
request corrections to inaccurate or misleading information.
Any request for correction or explanation of record
contents should be presented in writing to the person
in charge of the office where the record is maintained.
Detailed information pertaining to the content of and
handling of Office of the Registrar is contained in
Title V, Rules on Student Services and Activities of
the University's Handbook of Operating Procedures. Students
wishing more information about their rights established
under the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act should
contact the Office of Student Life.
CAMPUS SEX CRIMES
PREVENTION ACT
The "Campus Sex Crimes Prevention Act" (also known
as the Wetterling Act) is a federal law enacted on October
28, 2000 that provides for the tracking of convicted,
registered sex offenders enrolled as students at institutions
of higher education, or working or volunteering on campus.
This act amends the Family Educational Rights and Privacy
Act of 1974 to clarify that nothing in that Act may
be construed to prohibit an educational institution
from disclosing information provided to the institution
concerning registered sex offenders and requires the
Secretary of Education to take appropriate steps to
notify educational institutions that disclosure of this
information is permitted. Information about registered
sex offenders may be found on:
The web page for The University of Texas at Dallas
The web page for the City
of Richardson
The web page for the Texas
Department of Public Safety
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