The academic year consists of three semesters: fall, spring, and summer. Fall and spring semesters are each made up of 15 weeks of class work and one week for final exams. The summer semester is 14 weeks in length; most classes are offered in one of two seven-week blocks. The time in classes is adjusted to equal the class time of fall and spring semesters, but there is no final exam period during summer.
UVU reserves the right to cancel any course at any time. Reasons for course cancellations include, but are not limited to, low enrollment in the course, space unavailability, instructor change, loss of instructor, and/or program changes. Students enrolled in the course will be contacted as soon as possible by the appropriate school or college when the university decides to cancel a course.
All credit hours are computed in semester hours. Three hours of work per week are, on average, expected to earn one semester credit hour; however, one credit hour may include any of the following combinations of work:
All transfer courses taken on a quarter system will be converted to semester hours using a three to two credit ratio. For example, a three credit hour course from a quarter calendar institution transfers to UVU as two semester credits.
UVU considers graduate students registered for 9 credits or more per semester or summer to be full-time graduate students. A 9 credit hour minimum load is generally accepted by sponsoring agencies for certifying full-time status.
UVU considers students registered for 12 credits or more per semester or summer to be full-time students. A 12 credit hour minimum load is generally accepted by sponsoring agencies for certifying full-time status. Financial aid recipients receiving full benefits and students on scholarships are required to carry a minimum of 12 credits per semester.
For students attending only the fall and spring semesters, 15 to 18 credits per semester is generally required to complete associate degree programs within two academic years or bachelors degrees within four academic years , assuming all prerequisites are satisfied (See individual major requirements for exceptions).
Students who enroll in 21 or more credit hours in a semester must have approval from the deans of the appropriate schools and/or colleges.
Freshman: 0-29 credit hours
Sophomore: 30-59 credit hours
Junior: 60-89 credit hours
Senior: 90 or more credit hours
Grades are determined by instructors, based upon measures determined by the instructor and department and may include: evaluation of responses, written exercises and examinations, performance exercises and examinations, classroom/laboratory contributions, mastery of pertinent skills, etc. The letter grade “A” is an exceptional grade indicating superior achievement; “B” is a grade indicating commendable mastery; “C” indicates satisfactory mastery and is considered an average grade; “D” indicates substandard progress and insufficient evidence of ability to succeed in sequential courses; “E” (failing) indicates inadequate mastery of pertinent skills or repeated absences from class; “UW” indicates unofficial withdrawal from class.
The following table indicates each grade variant and the equivalent grade points for that variation.
Equals grade points:
The following grades are not computed in the GPA:
No Credit Granted
Noncredit—Continuing Education Unit
In Progress (Temporary Status)
The GPA is determined by dividing the total grade points earned (credit hours times grade in points above) by the number of semester hours attempted.
Students may view final grades electronically on the myUVU system after the end of the semester. All financial obligations to the Institution and “holds” on academic records must be resolved before college transcripts are issued.
Students are required to complete all courses for which they are registered by the end of the semester. In some cases, a student may be unable to complete all of the course work because of extenuating circumstances. The term “extenuating circumstances” includes: (1) incapacitating illness which prevents a student from attending classes (usually more than five consecutive class days); (2) a death in the immediate family; (3) change in work schedule as required by employer; or (4) other emergencies deemed acceptable by the instructor.
If circumstances are deemed appropriate, the student may petition the instructor for time beyond the end of the semester to finish the work. If the instructor agrees, an “I” grade will be given. An Incomplete Grade Form indicating work completed and work to be completed must be signed by the student, instructor, and the department chairperson, and turned into the Registrar’s Office at the end of the semester.
“I” grades should not be requested nor given for lack of completion of work because of procrastination or dissatisfaction with the grade earned. Per policy, students must be passing the course and have completed 70% or more of the course work in order to qualify for an incomplete.
Specific arrangements to remove an “I” grade must be made between the student and the instructor. In most circumstances, work to be completed should be finished in the first two or three weeks following the end of the semester in which the “I” was given. Failing to complete the “I” and replace it with the appropriate letter grade may negatively affect any financial aid.
Incomplete work cannot be completed by retaking the class. If such an option is preferred, the student must take the grade earned and then retake the class for a better grade. The grade for the later class will be calculated in the GPA. In all cases, the “I” grade must be made up within one year. If it is not, the “I” grade will change to an “E” on the transcript. “I” grades are not computed in the GPA.
No additional credit is allowed for repeating a course in which the initial grade was passing unless the course number for the course ends in the letter suffix “R” or “Z” (a course designed to be repeatable for credit). For other repeated courses, the most recent grade will be used in the calculation of the GPA. Upon successful completion of the repeated course, the repeat is indicated on the student’s transcript (E=Exclude, I=Include). All work will remain on the records, ensuring a true and accurate academic history. (Note: Although not used in computing the UVU overall GPA for UVU purposes, many graduate programs, such as law or dental school, include ALL grades in calculating an overall GPA for admissions criteria.)
Courses are not accepted from other institutions for the purpose of posting a repeat of a course already taken at UVU.
Board of Regents policy requires that students shall be charged at the full cost of the instruction tuition for repeating a course more than once, unless the institution determines that the repetition is a result of illness, accident or other cause beyond the student’s control or unless the course is prescribed by the student’s program of study. This affects all courses beginning January of 2003.
Any student who has reason to believe that a grade assigned in a specific course was not justified has the right to appeal that grade.
Grades may be appealed within one year of issuance in the following manner:
First, the student shall approach the instructor of the course as soon as possible after receiving the final grade. They have the right to discuss the merits of their appeal in an informal and non-threatening environment.
Second, after obtaining feedback from the instructor regarding the rationale for assigning the original grade, and assuming dissatisfaction still exists at the conclusion of the first step, or if the original instructor is no longer available, the student has a right to submit a written appeal to the department chair, in a consultation setting.
Finally, if a mutual understanding cannot be reached in the second step, the student has the right to submit a formal written appeal through the Office of the Registrar to the University Academic Standards Committee, which exercises final authority in adjudicating the appeal.
During the first year after the issuance of a grade, an instructor for a specific class may submit a grade change form with proper documentation directly to the Records Office.
During the second through fifth years, the grade change form must be accompanied by an Academic Standards Petition filled out by the student and submitted by the course instructor or department chair directly to the registrar. If a grade change is requested and the faculty member who gave the original grade is no longer employed by UVU, the appropriate department chair may make the change if it is warranted.
After five years, a grade change may be considered only where evidence exists to prove that an error occurred in the recording of the original grade or extreme extenuating circumstances existed. In the latter case, an Academic Standards Petition with appropriate documentation may be submitted to the Office of the Registrar for possible consideration by the University Academic Standards Committee.
When the Records Office receives a signed change of grade form from an instructor, the new grade(s) are entered into the computer. An explanation of the transaction is entered into the student’s record, including what the old and new grades are.
Students may drop and withdraw from classes according to the dates and deadlines posted on the Semester Student Timetable. Classes may be dropped and not appear on the transcript through the drop deadline. After the last day to drop noted on the Semester Student Timetable, a grade of “W” will appear on the transcript for all official withdrawals and students will be responsible for tuition and fees. A “W” grade could impact a student’s satisfactory academic progress with the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office.
Withdrawing from a course after the last day to withdraw deadline may only be for extenuating circumstances and not solely for academic difficulty, and requires the signature of the department chair with a department approval stamp. Such changes to a student’s schedule may adversely affect current and future financial aid, scholarships and/or refunds. Students are cautioned to see a financial aid advisor before attempting to completely withdraw from school.
If a student stops attending (but does not officially withdraw) before the last day to withdraw, they should receive a “UW.”
If a student stops attending (but does not officially withdraw) beyond the last day to withdraw, they may receive the grade earned up to that point, or an “E”, at the instructor’s discretion.
“UW’s” are calculated into the grade point average (GPA) as 0.00, the same as “E’s” (failing grades).
Students may be dropped or withdrawn from classes by the administration if they: 1. register, but do not attend courses within the first three class periods of a semester; 2. register for courses for which they have not completed prerequisites; 3. neglect to pay tuition and fees for any given semester by the deadline published in the Student Timetable; or 4. other administrative reasons. Such changes to a student’s schedule could affect financial aid, scholarships, and/or refunds.
It is the responsibility of the student who withdraws from school to complete the online Leave of Absence process. If withdrawing (Leave of Absence) after the refund period noted in the Semester Student Timetable, a grade of “W” will appear on the transcript for all official withdrawals and students will be responsible for tuition and fees. A “W” (official withdrawal) grade could impact a student’s satisfactory academic progress with the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office. Complete withdrawal from college may adversely affect financial aid and/or Veterans’ benefits.
Simply stopping attendance does not qualify as an official withdrawal, and a student who does so may receive a failing grade.
Students who withdraw from UVU and then desire to be reinstated during the same academic semester may do so by obtaining clearance from the Registrar’s Office and completing the late registration process.
Students activated into military service during an academic semester for which they are currently enrolled have the following options to choose from, in addition to other alternatives provided by existing policy and regulation. The student is responsible to notify appropriate Institution officials regarding the implementation of the selected option.
In all cases, the student activated into military service is eligible for readmission.
Noncredit or Continuing Education Students are taking courses to pursue personal or professional interest, gain general knowledge, learn a new skill, upgrade existing skills, or enrich their personal understanding of a wide variety of topics. These courses do not offer college credit, but in some cases noncredit or continuing education students can earn continuing education units, certification or other evidence of class completion to meet personal or professional requirements. Noncredit course work cannot be substituted for a credit requirement or any required course on a degree pathway.
College credit at UVU may be obtained through the following methods: 1. UVU Credit (includes Cooperative Education); 2. Transfer Credit; 3. Challenge Credit; 4. Foreign Language Challenge Credit; 5. Advanced Placement Credit; and 6. CLEP (College Level Examination Program).
UVU credit is obtained through admittance to UVU, registering for classes, and satisfactorily completing all required course work. Courses completed through this method will receive a letter grade that will be used in calculating Grade Point Average (GPA).
Cooperative Education (Coop) offers another avenue for students to obtain UVU college credit. Students enrolled in cooperative education work as paid employees of a business, agency, or institution while enrolled at UVU in classes related to their career. Academic credit for cooperative work experience is granted according to the number of hours a student works during the semester using the following formula:
