/Institutions/University-of-Texas-Rio-Grande-Valley/json/2022-2023/Student-Policies-local.json

/Institutions/University-of-Texas-Rio-Grande-Valley/json/2022-2023/Student-Policies.json

Undergraduate Registration and Enrollment

REGISTRATION PRIORITY

Registration priority is given according to classification, and the university reserves the right to grant access to early registration to segments of the student population as deemed appropriate.

The following identifies classifications based on earned semester credit hours (SCH) from UTRGV and institutions previously attended for which official transcripts were provided by the student:

• Freshmen 0-29 SCH
• Sophomores 30-59 SCH
• Juniors 60-89 SCH
• Seniors 90 or more SCH

SIX-DROP POLICY

In accordance with Texas Education Code, 51.907, undergraduate students who first entered college in the Fall 2007 semester, or later, may not drop more than a total of six courses during their undergraduate career. Courses dropped at other Texas public higher education institutions will count toward the six-course drop limit. A student may appeal a drop if s/he shows good cause. Contact the Office of the Registrar for details concerning the appeals process or visit UCentral.

SELECTION OF COURSES

During the freshman and sophomore years, students should plan to satisfy not only the university core curriculum requirements for a bachelor’s degree, but also any introductory or prerequisite courses in the major and minor field, as specified by the departments. Although each of the departments of the university list many of the specific courses required in the major and minor areas, usually some choice of courses is permitted at the lower level, the advanced level or at both levels. Choice is permitted when hours are specified as elective hours.
The student should follow the list of required courses found in according to the degree plan. These can be found online and in Degree Works via ASSIST (See also Programs of Study in the Undergraduate Catalog.)

Many courses listed in the catalog are not offered every semester. This is particularly the case with upper-level courses. In planning a program, the student should ascertain whether a particular course will be offered during the semester the student plans to take the course, and that prerequisites for the course will be satisfied prior to enrollment for the course.

When students enter this University with the expectation of subsequently transferring to another institution, they should be certain to obtain a copy of the catalog from that other institution and use it as a guide to select which UTRGV courses to register for. It is the student's responsibility to check the requirements and determine transferability and degree applicability at another institution.

Students who plan to graduate from UTRGV should consult DegreeWorks as well as the catalog sections concerning graduation and the specific requirements listed under their respective colleges and departments to ensure that all graduation requirements are met. The student’s academic advisor, department chair, and dean can help clarify matters if the student has questions.

Prior to registering, students are encouraged to contact the Academic Advising Center to discuss the best selection of courses to complete their degrees in a timely manner. Doing so also helps students departments to ensure that all graduation requirements are met. The student’s academic advisor, department chair, and Dean can help clarify matters if the student has questions.

Prior to registering, students are encouraged to contact the Academic Advising Center to discuss the best selection of courses to complete their degrees in a timely manner. Doing so also helps students avoid financial penalties associated with registering in an excess number of hours and helps maximize students’ options for financial aid. Students who have not met the Texas Success Initiative (TSI) requirement are advised at the Academic Advising Center. See section below for more information on the TSI.

As all undergraduate students are encouraged to schedule a visit with an advisor in the Academic Advising Center,  some student populations are required to meet with an academic advisor for additional support, such as student athletes. Students may consult the Academic Advising Center’s website, to determine if an advising session is required before registration.

TEXAS SUCCESS INITIATIVE (TSI)

The Texas Success Initiative (TSI) is a program designed to ensure college readiness of students entering Texas public institutions of higher education. Entering undergraduate students, unless exempt, must take the Texas Success Initiative Assessment to determine their readiness to enroll in entry-level academic coursework at the university. For those students who are not yet ready to enroll in that coursework, the University must provide advising and educational support necessary to assist them in achieving college success.

UTRGV students who are TSI deficient must enroll and participate in in continuous developmental education until they fulfill both state and institutional TSI requirements. UTRGV provides Course-based Developmental Education (CBDE) and Non-Course-Based Developmental Education (NCBDE). Developmental education courses cannot be used for degree credit. All developmental education courses are graded on a credit/no-credit basis and will not be included in the student’s grade point average.

More information regarding implementation of the Texas Success Initiative, including exemptions, may be found by visiting the student’s assigned academic advisor to discuss TSI Advising and online at U Central (TSI site) and

FIRST-YEAR UNIVERSITY REQUIREMENT: ENROLLMENT IN UNIV 1301 OR UNIV 1101

As part of UTRGV’s retention and graduation initiatives, entering freshmen and transfer students with fewer than 24 credit hours of college coursework will enroll in either the UNIV 1301 or the UNIV 1101 during the first year as follows:

• Mandatory Status: Entering Freshmen (EF) who are TSI deficient with fewer than 24 hours or TSI complete with 0 credit hours of college coursework and a high school (HS) class rank below the top 50% will enroll in UNIV 1301 during the fall semester of their first year at UTRGV.
• Vaquero's Innovator's Program (VIP) Status: A number of factors are utilized to determine VIP student status, including but not limited to entering Freshmen (EF) who are TSI deficient with 0 credit hours of college coursework or have not declared a major, will enroll in Vaquero's Innovator Program during the fall semester of their first year at UTRGV.
• Provisional Status: Entering Freshmen (EF) will not be required to enroll in UNIV 1301 during their first full term (fall for Fall EFs and spring for Spring EFs) if they have 24 hours or more credit hours of college coursework.
• Continued Provisional Status: Provisional status will be evaluated after the completion of the first full term (fall or spring). A student who earns 12+ credit hours and a 2.25 GPA during the first full term will not need to take UNIV 1301 during the next full term. Students who do not complete 12 credit hours and a 2.25 GPA during their first full term will need to enroll in the course during the next full term (or summer term) and/or before the end of the first year of enrollment.
• Waiver: All students with Provisional Status will be re-evaluated at the end of the second full term. A student who has earned 24 credit hours and a 2.25 total GPA during the first two full terms will not need to take UNIV 1301.
• Part-Time Students: The same criteria will apply to part-time students, with the following exception: The student must earn the same number of credit hours as attempted, rather than 12 credit hours required of full-time students.

Enrollment in the UNIV 1301 course is open to all undergraduate students. Students may choose to take the course at their discretion, even when they are not required to do so. Please contact University College.

CHANGE OF MAJOR

UTRGV students with 60 or more hours will be required to receive approval from an academic advisor to ensure that students are well informed of the implications of changing their major. If a change is requested after the Census Date published on the academic calendar, the change takes effect for the subsequent semester. Students nearing graduation are encouraged to carefully consider impacts on degree completion and possible delays in graduating as a result of changing or adding a major, minor, or concentration. The process for changing a major is outlined on the Office of the University Registrar .

CORE COMPLETE STATUS

Once a UTRGV student has been certified as “core complete,” the student remains core complete even if s/he subsequently changes degree plans. Students will have to meet all the course-specific requirements of the new degree plan which may include courses that are typically taken to satisfy core requirements.

TRANSFER STUDENT REQUIREMENTS

Transfer students with 30 or more hours but without the University College-approved courses, or courses deemed comparable by The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, may take upper-division courses if otherwise qualified. Transfer students must also complete all University core curriculum requirements before graduation. Transfer students who lack six hours of freshman English or the equivalent and three hours of mathematics with a grade of at least C in each course should complete these requirements within their first two semesters at UTRGV. Students will be required to complete the Texas state-mandated coursework in U.S. history and political science if this has not already been completed at their prior institutions.

ENROLLMENT IN GRADUATE COURSES BY UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

It is possible for undergraduate students to enroll in graduate courses in their last semester under the following conditions:

• The undergraduate student must lack no more than 12 hours to complete all requirements for his or her first bachelor’s degree.

• These 12 hours (or less) must be completed in the same semester, or in two consecutive summer sessions, in which the student is taking the graduate courses.

• Total enrollment, including undergraduate and graduate courses, must not exceed 15 hours in a regular semester, or 12 hours in two consecutive summer sessions.
• The student has a minimum Graduate Admission GPA Calculation of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) on all work completed to date. (For information on the Graduate Admission GPA Calculation, see Graduate Catalog.)
• The application for such graduate work is submitted to the Graduate College. Undergraduates cannot count their work in graduate courses toward the bachelor’s degree. Such work will be reserved for credit toward a graduate degree.