University Catalog

Academic standing is determined by students meeting departmental and University standards as described in the following sections. 

• Undergraduate Academic Standing
• Graduate Academic Standing

Good Academic Standing is defined differently for graduate and undergraduate students and may affect a student's ability to register for a subsequent term, ability to receive scholarships, fellowships or assistantships, and eligibility for graduation.

Classification

Students at UT Arlington are classified in accordance with the number of hours earned. Hours earned are interpreted as hours passed at UT Arlington plus hours accepted in transfer from other institutions and/or credit by examination.

• Freshman: One who has earned fewer than 30 hours.
• Sophomore: One who has earned 30 hours but fewer than 60 hours.
• Junior: One who has earned 60 hours but fewer than 90 hours.
• Senior: One who has earned 90 hours or more.
• Degreed: One who has earned a bachelor’s degree or higher and is enrolled as an undergraduate.
• Masters Student: One who is enrolled in a master's degree program.
• Doctoral Student: One who is enrolled in Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree program.

Academic standing regulations apply to all undergraduate students.  Additional regulations may apply to provisionally- and conditionally-admitted students until they have met the requirements for regular admission.

Academic standing is determined when grades are reported at the end of each fall and spring term and at the end of the entire summer session. A student’s cumulative grade point average may change between these grade-reporting periods (e.g., by recording a final grade in place of an incomplete, or another grade change), and the student’s academic standing status may change when the grade change is processed.

Academic standing is differentiated from Satisfactory Academic Progress, and from Scholastic Dishonesty which are discussed elsewhere in this catalog.

Good Standing

Academic good standing for undergraduates studying at UT Arlington is defined as a cumulative University grade point average of 2.00 or higher.  A University GPA of at least 2.00 is necessary for satisfactory progress toward a degree.

Table of Academic Standards for Continuance

An undergraduate student must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) at UT Arlington to remain academically eligible to register for the subsequent term or session. The minimum average required varies with the total number of college credit hours attempted and is shown in the Table of Academic Standards.

Academic Probation

See the Table of Academic Standards column “UTA GPA for Academic Probation” above.  Undergraduate students on academic probation may not take more than 14 semester hours without permission of their college/school dean, or if they are an undeclared or freshman student, the Director of the University Advising Center. Academic advisors may further limit the number of hours and overall difficulty of the students’ schedules, require students to take specific courses deemed necessary to their education, prevent students from taking unsuitable courses, require students to attend advising sessions, and take other actions approved by the dean of their college/school or the Director of the University Advising Center to assure the students’ attention to their academic deficiencies.  Students on academic probation cannot hold office in any club or organization, represent UT Arlington at any official or social event, or make any University trip without the permission of the appropriate dean or the University Advising Center.

Removal from Academic Probation

Students on academic probation who achieve a 2.0 or higher cumulative GPA at the end of a grade-reporting period during which they are registered at the University will be removed from academic probation. Removal from probation will be reflected on the student’s permanent academic record.

Academic Warning

See the Table of Academic Standards column “UTA GPA for Academic Warning and Dismissal” above.  Before an undergraduate student is dismissed from the University, the student is on academic warning. At the end of the warning term, the student must earn a cumulative GPA that meets or exceeds the appropriate values in the Table of Academic Standards or a term GPA of at least 2.5 to avoid dismissal.  Students on academic warning may not take more than 14 semester hours without permission of their college/school dean, or if they are an undeclared or freshman student, the Director of the University Advising Center. Academic advisors may further limit the number of hours and overall difficulty of the students’ schedules, require students to take specific courses deemed necessary to their education, prevent students from taking unsuitable courses, require students to attend advising sessions, and take other actions approved by the dean of their college/school or the Director of the University Advising Center to assure the students’ attention to their academic deficiencies.  Students on academic warning cannot hold office in any club or organization, represent UT Arlington at any official or social event, or make any University trip without the permission of the appropriate dean or the University Advising Center.

Academic Continuance

After receiving an academic warning, undergraduate students who earn a GPA of 2.5 or higher on a minimum of three semester credit hours each subsequent term are given a one-semester continuance.

Academic Dismissal

See the Table of Academic Standards column “UTA GPA for Academic Warning and Dismissal” above.  Any student who registers to attend classes at UT Arlington and is ineligible to attend for academic or disciplinary reasons will be dropped automatically from the rolls of the University.  Undergraduate students placed on academic dismissal for the first time are eligible to continue enrollment after not having attended UT Arlington for one regular term (fall or spring).  Students placed on academic dismissal for a second or subsequent time are eligible to apply for readmission after having not attended UT Arlington for a minimum 12-month period. After this time period, students may be required to petition for reinstatement from the University College Readmission Committee administered through the University Advising Center.  The appeal deadline is 10 business days prior to the start of each semester.  If the petition for reinstatement is disapproved, a student may not file another petition until the following term. Appeal of a denial for reinstatement may be made to the Office of the Vice Provost for Academic Analytics and Operations within two weeks after the notice of the denial is emailed. The decision of the Office of the Vice Provost is final.  After returning from a one- or a two-semester dismissal, students who fail to continuously earn a semester GPA of 2.5 or higher and/or reach appropriate Table of Standards values are dismissed for a 12-month period.  Appeals for academic continuance and financial aid continuance are handled separately, and one appeal being approved does not insure that the other will, or that enrollment is guaranteed in the event the student has been dismissed.  Refer to the University College website for additional information.  Academic dismissal is reflected on the student’s permanent academic record.

Students in Degree Programs

Students on academic probation, continuance or warning who have been accepted into a degree program are subject to all additional rules governing the definition and terms of admission and enrollment established by the program in which they are enrolled. Students dismissed from a degree program or leaving a degree program voluntarily may transfer to another major or pre-major with the permission of the dean of the receiving college/school, or to undeclared status or the University Studies degree program with the approval of the Executive Director of University College.

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

Federal regulations require that the University of Texas at Arlington establish policies to monitor the academic progress of students who apply for and/or receive financial aid. To retain eligibility, undergraduate recipients must show satisfactory progress toward a degree based on the following requirements. There are two areas specifically addressed in these requirements. The first is cumulative grade point average (qualitative standard) and the other is a comparison of the number of credit hours annually and a review of the maximum number of hours attempted (quantitative standard).  The cumulative grade point average required to meet this portion of the SAP standards mirrors the grade point average required to remain in good academic standing at the University.  Information regarding the calculation of the quantitative standard as well as the notification and appeal process may be found on the Financial Aid website.  Click on the Satisfactory Academic Progress tab.

Good Standing and Satisfactory Scholastic Progress

Graduate students are considered to be in good academic standing and making satisfactory progress in a degree or certificate program if they 1) meet all admission conditions within the time required 2) have a B (3.0) or better grade point average on all coursework undertaken while enrolled as a graduate student at UT Arlington and 3) have a B (3.0) or better grade point average in courses needed to satisfy degree requirements by the end of the semester in which they intend to graduate. Departments may specify additional requirements that students must meet in order to be in good standing or to be considered to be making satisfactory progress. Students should understand and follow those requirements because failure to meet them may lead to dismissal (see Dismissal, below). Students must be in good academic standing by the end of their final semester in order to receive an advanced degree or certificate from UT Arlington. Refer to the section Courses That Do Not Provide Graduate Credit for an explanation of courses that do not provide graduate credit and will not be used to determine academic standing or to satisfy degree requirements.

Academic Probation

A graduate student whose cumulative grade point average falls below a 3.00 in all graduate courses, be they graduate or undergraduate level taken while enrolled as a UT Arlington graduate student, will be placed on academic probation. The student must attain a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.00 in the next semester he or she is enrolled or be subject to dismissal. Undergraduate courses or graduate courses graded P, R, I or W or courses that do not provide graduate credit (see Courses That Do Not Provide Graduate Credit) cannot be used to remove the condition of academic probation.

Dismissal

Students have the initial responsibility to recognize when they are having academic difficulties and are expected to initiate steps to resolve the problem. When a student is in academic difficulty, and dependent upon the severity of the problem, the student may receive an oral warning and/or written statement of the problem and required corrective actions from his or her program. Failure to take these corrective actions can result in termination from the degree program.

Graduate courses or undergraduate graduate courses graded P, R, I or W or courses that do not provide graduate credit (see Courses That Do Not Provide Graduate Credit) cannot be used to remove the condition of academic probation.  If a student is on academic probation and earns only grades that do not provide graduate credit, he or she will be dismissed.

A student who has been dismissed from their program for failure to remove the condition of academic probation by meeting the 3.0 grade-point average requirement may be readmitted for further graduate study in the same or in a different program only if a petition has been approved by the appropriate Committee on Graduate Studies and the academic dean of the college or school in which the student was enrolled.

A student can be dismissed from a degree program not only for failure to maintain an adequate grade point average, but also for such reasons as unsatisfactory progress toward a degree as defined by the department or program, inability to pass a comprehensive examination, failure to prepare or to defend a thesis or dissertation in a satisfactory manner or complete thesis or dissertation work in an acceptable amount of time. Termination due to inadequate academic progress is a decision made by the program's or department's graduate advisor and Graduate Studies Committee. A student's thesis/dissertation committee may recommend termination for failure to prepare a thesis/dissertation proposal, prospectus or final draft in a satisfactory manner or failure to complete work in an acceptable amount of time to the program's graduate advisor and Graduate Studies Committee. Such decisions to terminate a student must be communicated to the academic dean by the Chairman of the Graduate Studies Committee with required justification. The academic dean will review the case make the final decision. The student may continue enrollment until the dean finalizes the termination decision.

Students failing to pass a comprehensive examination or thesis/dissertation defense may be terminated upon the recommendation of the examining committee. Such decisions are indicated on the Comprehensive Examination Report or Final Defense Report which are returned to the academic dean and the Office of the Registrar. The academic dean will notify the student formally of the program's or department's decision.

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

Federal regulations require that the University of Texas at Arlington establish policies to monitor the academic progress of students who apply for and/or receive financial aid. To retain eligibility, recipients must show satisfactory progress toward a degree based on the following requirements. There are two areas specifically addressed in these requirements. The first is cumulative grade point average (qualitative standard) and the other is a comparison of the number of credit hours annually and a review of the maximum number of hours attempted (quantitative standard).  The cumulative grade point average required to meet this portion of the SAP standards mirrors the grade point average required to remain in good academic standing at the University.  Information regarding the calculation of the quantitative standard as well as the notification and appeal process may be found on the Financial Aid website.  Click on the Satisfactory Academic Progress tab.