Registration and Academic Policies

This is an archived copy of the 2020-2021 catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit http://catalog.uoregon.edu.

http://registrar.uoregon.edu

Julia Pomerenk, University Registrar
541-346-2935
541-346-6682 fax
234 Oregon Hall
info@uoregon.College

Student Records Policy

In compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, the University of Oregon has formulated the Student Records Policy to outline the proper handling and release of student educational records. The following is a summary of that policy.

The university maintains only student records relevant to the educational or related purposes of the university. Students enrolled in the university generally have the right to inspect educational records maintained by the university that directly affect them. Those records are not released to anyone other than the student without the signed, written consent of the student, with the following exceptions:

  1. University personnel who have legitimate interests
  2. Officials at another school where the student seeks to enroll or is already enrolled
  3. At the direction of a court
  4. In situations of health or safety emergency
  5. The disclosure is information designated as directory information

Upon request, the university releases directory information about the student, but the student may request, in writing, that such information not be released. Contact the Office of the Registrar for details about making a request for nonrelease.

The full text of the Student Records Policy is available from the Office of the Registrar and on the registrar’s website.

Academic Year

The university divides the academic year into three terms of approximately 11 weeks each (except for the School of Law, which uses a semester calendar).

The summer session supplements the work of the fall, winter, and spring terms; announcements are issued for that session.

Students may enter the university at the beginning of any term, with the exception of architecture students, who should see Application Deadlines under Admissions. The university’s new-student orientation, IntroDUCKtion, is held in July and August for freshman and transfer students who enter fall term. All new students are urged to attend; students who do not attend IntroDUCKtion are oriented and register for classes during the Week of Welcome. See the Academic Calendar for other important dates during the current academic year.

Students are held responsible for familiarity with university requirements governing such matters as registration, add/drop deadlines, academic standards, student activities, student conduct, and organizations. Academic regulations are listed on the registrar’s website.

About the UO Catalog

This publication, the 2020–21 University of Oregon Catalog, is a statement of university rules, regulations, and calendars that goes into effect at the opening of fall term 2020. Changes to the university curriculum that were made through winter term 2020 are reflected in the academic sections of the catalog. Bachelor’s Degree Requirements, in this section of the catalog, have been updated to reflect curriculum changes that were made through spring term 2020.

A student who is admitted and enrolls at the university during any academic year may graduate under the general requirement provisions of the catalog in effect that year, provided the catalog has not expired. A student may choose to graduate under the general requirements of a subsequent catalog, provided he or she completes all of those requirements. Major requirements are determined by the academic departments and programs; requirements are subject to change for students who are not continuously enrolled. See Catalog Expiration and Requirements Policies in the Reader's Guide to the Catalog section for more information.

Undergraduate and graduate degrees and certificates are listed in the Degrees, Majors, Minors, and Certificates section of this catalog. For details about graduate degrees, see the Graduate School section.

Grading Systems

The university has two grading systems. When regulations permit, a student may elect to be evaluated for a course with a letter grade or pass/no pass (P/N). Letter-graded work is designated A, B, C, D, or F. Pass/no pass work is designated P or N. An asterisk after the P or N indicates that the course is offered P/N only. See Bachelor’s Degree Requirements for regulations on graded credits.

Each department, school, or special program establishes regulations on pass/no pass courses for its majors. Before exercising the P/N option, students should confer with advisors.

Students must choose their grading option at the time of registration and are permitted to change it only within the period allowed.

Students who register and never attend or participate in a course and students who attend and participate in part of the course but do not complete the course requirements will receive a grade of F or N, based on the grading option in registration.

Graded

Student work is graded as follows: A, excellent; B, good; C, satisfactory; D, inferior; F, unsatisfactory (no credit awarded). Instructors may affix + or – to the grades A, B, C, and D.

Pass/No Pass

Courses that are offered pass/no pass only are assigned P* or N* grades. Courses offered for letter grades or pass/no pass use P or N grades without an asterisk.

Student work may be graded as follows: P (pass), satisfactory performance (C– or better for undergraduate course work, B– or better for graduate course work), or N (no pass), unsatisfactory performance, no credit awarded (D+ or worse for undergraduate course work, C+ or worse for graduate course work). The class schedule designates courses that are offered only pass/no pass. Passing credits are also awarded for advanced placement and College-Level Examination Program work and for work taken at another collegiate institution when that institution has already recorded a pass/no pass mark or if the registrar's staff cannot equate the quality of the work to the UO grading system.

Marks

AU (Audit)

Student-initiated mark. Audit enrollments are recorded on the student’s academic record, but no credit is earned by audit. Audited classes do not satisfy degree requirements, nor do they count toward the Graduate School’s continuous enrollment requirement.

I (Incomplete). Instructor-Initiated Mark

A mark of I may be issued when the quality of work is satisfactory but a minor yet essential requirement of the course has not been completed for reasons acceptable to the instructor. Faculty and students should develop a contract outlining the requirements and specific deadlines for making up the incomplete. Contracts should be filed in the faculty member’s departmental office. Students should not reregister or attend the same course to make up an incomplete.

Incompletes Assigned to Undergraduate Students Prior to Winter Term 2005

Incompletes assigned prior to winter term 2005 will remain on the academic record and cannot be removed.

Incompletes Assigned to Undergraduate Students Beginning Winter Term 2005

Effective winter term 2005, undergraduate students have one calendar year to make up an incomplete mark assigned by a UO faculty member. Earlier deadlines may be set by the instructor, dean, or department head. Failure to make up the incomplete by the end of one calendar year will result in the mark of I automatically changing to a grade of F or N. Exception: students approved to reserve credit for a graduate degree follow the graduate student policy for those courses.

For students graduating, removal of incompletes awarded must be submitted on DuckWeb no later than the Friday following exam week of the graduating term. Incompletes awarded will be automatically changed to a grade of F or N prior to conferral of the degree. Grade changes must be submitted no later than thirty days after the degree is awarded. Grades of F or N will remain on the academic record after the degree is awarded and cannot be removed.

Incompletes Assigned to Graduate Students

Graduate students must convert incompletes within one calendar year of the assignment of the incomplete. Students may request additional time for the removal of the incomplete by submitting a petition stating the course requirements that were not initially completed, with the instructor’s signature, to the dean of the Graduate School for review. This policy does not apply to incompletes routinely assigned to courses applying to the completion of research (601) and terminal or master's projects (609, 709, AAAP 611, ARCH 619, BA 740, CRES 611, IARC 611, LA 699, and LT 611).

Accumulation of more than 7 credits of Incomplete is considered unsatisfactory. More information about satisfactory academic progress requirements is available on the Graduate School website.

For students graduating, removal of incompletes awarded must be submitted on DuckWeb no later than the Friday following exam week of the graduating term. Grade changes must be submitted no later than 30 days after the degree is awarded. Incompletes will remain on the academic record after the degree is awarded and cannot be removed.

W (Withdrawal)

Student-initiated mark. Students may withdraw from a course through web registration. See the online class schedule for deadlines.

X (No Grade Reported)

Registrar-initiated mark. The instructor did not report a grade for the student.

Y (No Basis for Grade)

Instructor-initiated mark used prior to fall 2017. There is no basis for evaluating the student's performance.

Effective fall 2017, the Y mark is no longer used. Instructors issue a grade of F or N, as indicated by the grading option, to students who register and never attend or participate in the course, and to students who attend and participate in part of the course but do not complete all course requirements.

First-term Grade Forgiveness

Effective fall 2020, the grading option for first-term students who receive an F in a course will automatically be converted from graded to pass/no pass.  First-term students who receive a D will have until the end of the following term (defined as 11:59 pm PT Friday of the 10th week for Fall, Winter, Spring and 11:59 pm PT Friday of the 11th week of the final 12-week summer session) to request that their grading option be converted from graded to pass/no pass. Students are required to meet with an advisor designated by the Office of Academic Advising before submitting a request to have D grades change to N and are encouraged to connect with a Financial Aid counselor.

Eligible students whose F is converted to N may, at their discretion, opt out of the policy and request that the Office of the Registrar convert the grade back to F by the end of the following term. Academic standing will be based on the F grade.

This policy applies to:

  • All matriculated first-term admitted undergraduate students pursuing their first bachelor degree, including transfer students.
  • All undergraduate classes taken by those students that allow the Pass/No Pass grading option. Classes where the student's grade is associated with a conduct case where the student was found responsible will not be eligible to change to an N under this policy.


For students who receive a D, academic standing will initially be calculated using the letter grade but will be recalculated using the P/NP grade if the student requests the grading option change before the end of the following term.
For students who receive an F, academic standing will be calculated using the P/NP grading option.

Students who receive an F will have the change to Pass/No Pass made by the Office of the Registrar before calculation of academic standing for the term. Any other changes to grading mode made under this policy will result in a recalculation of academic standing for the term if the Office of the Registrar receives the request from the student prior to the end of the following term. That recalculation will be be based on grades recorded for the student at the time the change takes place irrespective of whether any other grade changes were related to this policy.

F grades that are recorded after the grading deadline will not automatically convert to an N; students who wish to request such a change will need to submit a petition for a late grade option change.

A student's record (grades, grade option, academic standing) will not be altered under this policy after the end of the following term. A student whose grade changes for other reasons (petitions to change grade option, instructor change, etc.) will not have their academic standing recalculated.

Students whose grade is updated as a result of this policy will be required to meet with an advisor designated by the Office of Academic Advising before the end of the following term. It is strongly recommended that if students are receiving veteran's benefits, they also meet with a veteran's certifying official in the Office of the Registrar.

Grade Point Average

For terms prior to fall 2016, grades for courses taken at the University of Oregon appear on both the official and unofficial transcript and are included in the term and cumulative GPA calculation. 

Effective fall 2016 through summer 2019, for undergraduate courses not designated as repeatable for credit, only the second grade earned of a repeated course is calculated into the cumulative GPA.

Effective fall 2019, all graded attempts of courses taken at the University of Oregon are calculated into the term and cumulative GPAs. 

Grades for undergraduate courses taken at the University of Oregon appear on both the official and unofficial transcript. However, credit for nonrepeatable courses is given only once.

Grades recorded as a result of sanctions and/or academic misconduct are included in the cumulative GPA and will not be excluded in any event of repetition. Conduct grades may not be petitioned.

Four points are assigned for each credit of A, three points for each credit of B, two points for each credit of C, one point for each credit of D, and zero points for each credit of F. The plus sign increases the points assigned the letter grade by 0.3 per credit, and the minus sign decreases the points assigned the letter grade by 0.3 per credit. The grade point average is calculated by dividing total points by total credits of A, B, C, D, and F. Marks of AU, I, W, X, Y, and the grades of P and N are disregarded in the computation of the grade point average.

Academic Standing

When there is evidence of lack of satisfactory progress toward meeting graduation requirements, the Scholastic Review Committee may place students on academic probation or disqualify them from attendance at the university. For information and assistance, students should inquire at the Office of Academic Advising, 101 Oregon Hall.

After grades are processed at the end of each term, term and cumulative UO GPAs are calculated for each undergraduate student, admitted or nonadmitted. A student’s academic standing is based on attempted and earned hours and on the term and cumulative UO GPAs.

If a grade change affects the student’s term and cumulative UO GPAs and academic standing, the student should ask the instructor to submit the grade change through DuckWeb immediately. Retroactive changes to a term’s academic standing are made only to remove probation from the term record and only if grade changes are submitted by the last day to register and add classes for the following term. If grade changes that affect GPAs and academic standing are submitted later than this, the student’s probation standing for the previous term is not amended.

Academic Warning

Students receive an academic warning when the UO term GPA is between 0.00 and 1.99, inclusive, even if the UO cumulative GPA is 2.00 or higher. This notation is not recorded on the student’s official academic transcript, but does appear on the unofficial transcript. Terms with marks resulting in no GPA are considered to be below 2.00 unless all attempted credits for that term were passed. Students who completely withdraw from a term with W marks receive a 0.00 term GPA, and are thus subject to academic warning, probation, and/or disqualification.

Academic warning is given as a courtesy to advise students of potential academic difficulty. Academic probation does not depend on the student receiving prior notice of academic warning.

Academic Probation

Academic probation is earned and the notation "Academic Probation" is recorded on the student’s academic transcript whenever the following conditions exist:

  1. When the UO cumulative GPA is lower than 2.00. Students who have earned 44 or fewer credits are allowed two terms of probation before they are subject to disqualification. Students with more than 44 credits are only allowed one term of probation before they are subject to disqualification. Students on academic probation whose UO cumulative GPA is lower than 2.00 and whose UO term GPA is 2.00 or higher remain on academic probation
  2. When students have received academic warning for two consecutive terms and their subsequent UO term GPAs are between 0.00 and 1.99, inclusive, even if the UO cumulative GPA is above a 2.00. Terms with marks resulting in no GPA are considered to be below 2.00 unless all attempted credits for that term were passed. Students who completely withdraw from a term with W marks receive a 0.00 term GPA, and are thus subject to academic warning, probation, and/or disqualification

Students on academic probation are limited to a study load of no more than 15 credits. Incoming students may be admitted on academic probation and are notified when such action has been taken; these students may be subject to disqualification after a single term of probation.

Academic Disqualification

Academic disqualification is earned and the notation "Disqualification" is recorded on the student’s academic transcript whenever the following conditions exist:

  1. Students on academic probation for having a UO cumulative GPA lower than 2.00 who earn a UO term GPA lower than 2.00 in their next term
  2. Students on academic probation for having a term GPA below 2.00 after two consecutive terms on academic warning and who earn less than a 2.00 term GPA for the fourth consecutive term. Terms with marks resulting in no GPA are considered to be below 2.00 unless all attempted credits for that term were passed. Students who completely withdraw from a term with W marks receive a 0.00 term GPA, and are thus subject to academic warning, probation, and/or disqualification

Students may apply for reinstatement after disqualification by contacting the Office of Academic Advising. Petitions are reviewed to determine the probability that a student can satisfactorily complete the requirements of a degree program. The student may enroll during the academic year only if the Scholastic Review Committee allows the student to continue on probationary status. Students may enroll for summer classes without being reinstated. Students who have been disqualified must petition for reinstatement to graduate.

Exceptions to Academic Regulations

  1. Two standing university committees review requests in writing for exceptions to university rules, regulations, deadlines, policies, and requirements: the Academic Requirements Committee and the Scholastic Review Committee. For information about how to submit a petition to the Academic Requirements Committee, inquire at the Office of the Registrar, 234 Oregon Hall; call 541-346-2935. For information about how to submit a petition to the Scholastic Review Committee, inquire at the Office of Academic Advising, 101 Oregon Hall; call 541-346-3211
  2. For information about removal from academic probation and academic reinstatement options, inquire at the Office of Academic Advising

Registering for Classes

Class Schedule

The class schedule is published online two weeks prior to priority registration each term. The schedule lists courses offered for the term. Dates, deadlines, procedures, and information about tuition and fees can be found on the registrar’s website.

Registration

A registration period takes place before the start of classes each term; the dates are published in advance. Students are not officially registered and are not entitled to attend classes until they have completed the prescribed registration procedures. Students must minimally be registered for "audit" to sit in on classes.

Once registered, students are academically and financially responsible for their course enrollments until they officially withdraw. Withdrawal after the term begins results in some financial liability. Appropriate withdrawal procedures are explained on the registrar’s website.

New Student Registration

Entering undergraduate students should plan to attend IntroDUCKtion, offered during the summer. After being notified of admission to the University of Oregon for fall term, new students receive information about this program. Space is limited, so sign up early. IntroDUCKtion is a requirement for all new students. Students admitted in terms other than fall term will attend an orientation session specific to the term for which they are admitted. Additional information is available on the Student Orientation website.

Reenrollment

Admitted undergraduate students who plan to register any time during an academic year after an absence of four or more terms, not including summer session, must notify the Office of the Registrar by filing a reenrollment form, available on the registrar’s website.

Reenrollment procedures for graduate students are described in the Graduate School section of this catalog.

Summer Session

Nonadmitted students planning to register for summer session should file the registration eligibility form, which is provided on the Community Education Program website. The form is also available from the Continuing and Professional Education office or the Office of the Registrar. Nonadmitted students who were enrolled spring term one year earlier or after that term will not need to submit this form. Admitted undergraduate or graduate students may register without making any special request, subject to the normal reenrollment policies for their student level. Disqualified undergraduate students must file a reenrollment form if they have not enrolled during the preceding academic year.

Transcripts

Students are required to send official transcripts to the Office of the Registrar for any academic work taken at other institutions while completing their baccalaureate degree program. A student’s official UO academic record must be kept complete at all times. Exceptions are made only for special and provisional students who are formally admitted under individual arrangements, and for summer transient and community education students who are not formally admitted. Failure to file required records can result in the cancellation of admission or registration; disciplinary action may be initiated and sanctions may be imposed by the university.

Nonrepeatable Courses

Undergraduate students may not (without prior approval by the Academic Requirements Committee) register for nonrepeatable courses in which they are currently enrolled or for which they have already earned a Pass or C or better at the UO or from a transferring institution. Students may register for a nonrepeatable course for which they have already earned a No Pass or C– or less at the UO or from a transferring institution without prior approval, but not more that three times in total. All attempts are counted toward this limit. Credits for nonrepeatable courses are awarded only one time. All graded attempts of repeated courses taken at the UO are calculated into the term and cumulative GPAs. Additional information is available on the registrar’s website.

Alternate Ways to Earn Credit

The university has established programs through which students may earn credit toward graduation and, at the same time, decrease the cost and time required for standard undergraduate study. Brief descriptions of these programs appear below. Additional information is available from the Office of the Registrar.

Advanced Placement

Students who receive satisfactory grades in advanced placement examinations administered by the College Board may, on admission to the university, be granted credit toward a bachelor’s degree in comparable university courses. Information about credit awarded and scores required is available from the registrar’s website.

College-Level Examination Program

For some courses, departments have authorized the use of subject examinations prepared by the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP). Examinations are available, for example, in calculus, chemistry, economics, French, German, literature, Spanish, and sociology. Once a student is admitted to the university, it accepts as transfer credit the successful completion of CLEP subject examinations by students. More information is available online on the registrar's website and at testing.uoregon.edu.

Community Education Program

Individuals who want to enroll for 8 credits or fewer per term in university courses without formally applying for admission may do so through the Community Education Program. Part-time students of all ages choose from a variety of courses. More information is available at the Academic Extension office located at the Baker Downtown Center, 975 High St., Suite 110, 541-346-5614.

Credit by Examination

Credit by examination allows formally admitted undergraduate students to challenge undergraduate university courses by successful completion of the exam.  Course registration is not needed.  Students seeking to receive credit by examination must be registered for the term in which the exam is given.  Credit by examination may be earned only in courses whose content is identified by the title in the University of Oregon catalog. Students should first contact their department or advisor to determine the eligibility for credit by examination. Students must obtain faculty and department approvals before the exam can be scheduled.  If eligible, the department approval form and instructor results form are available on the Office of the Registrar’s website.  Students are billed an examination fee of $25 per credit hour..

Successful credit by examination is shown as transfer credit on the UO transcript and may be recorded as a pass (P) or graded (A, B, C, D), consistent with the options listed in the class schedule. Credit by examination may not be counted toward the satisfaction of the graduation residency requirement or for fulfillment of the requirement to complete 45 credits graded A, B, C, D at the University of Oregon. However, credit by examination may be counted toward the requirement to complete 168 credits graded A, B, C, D, P* from all institutions attended.

The following are not available for credit by examination:

  • Courses numbered 0–99; Field Studies (196); Workshop, Laboratory Projects, or Colloquium (198); Special Studies (199); courses numbered 200 or 399–410
  • First-year second-language courses
  • 100-level mathematics courses and MATH 211, MATH 212, MATH 213
  • English composition courses (WR 121, WR 122, WR 123)
  • An elementary language course taught in the student’s native language
  • A course for which a CLEP examination is available
  • A course that substantially duplicates credit already earned
  • A course that is more elementary in nature than credit already earned
  • A course in which the student is already enrolled for credit
  • A course for which the student has received a grade of A, B, C, D, P, P*, I, X, or Y
  • A course for which the student has already taken and failed an examination for credit

Contact the Office of the Registrar for more information.

International Baccalaureate

Students who receive satisfactory grades in International Baccalaureate examinations may, on admission to the university, be granted credit in comparable university courses toward a bachelor’s degree. Credit can be earned, for example, in art, biology, business, chemistry, Chinese, computer science, economics, English, French, German, history, geography, Japanese, Chinese, mathematics, music, physics, psychology, social and cultural anthropology, Spanish, Swedish, and theater arts. A complete list of university credit earned by International Baccalaureate examinations is available from the registrar’s website.

Military Credit

The university generally grants credit for military education experiences as recommended by the American Council on Education’s Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Services, and in accordance with University of Oregon policies regarding transfer credits. Students may request evaluation of credits earned through the Community College of the Air Force, Defense Language Institute, or military education. Students must submit official copies of college transcripts or a Certificate of Completion from the Defense Language Institute. An official copy of the student’s DD Form 214, DD Form 295, or a Joint Services Transcript (JST) is required for military credit.