/Institutions/University-of-Texas-Rio-Grande-Valley/json/2025-2026/Student-Policies-local.json

/Institutions/University-of-Texas-Rio-Grande-Valley/json/2025-2026/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 or after the Fall 2007 semester may not drop more than a total of six courses during their undergraduate careers. Courses dropped at other Texas public higher education institutions count toward the six-course drop limit. A student may appeal a drop if the student can demonstrate good cause. Information about the formal appeal process can be found here.

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, specified by the departments. Although each department identifies 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 the published 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 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 in ASSIST 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 they support students' timely pursuit of graduation requirements. The student’s academic advisor, department chair, and Dean can help clarify matters if the student has questions.

Degree planning 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.

Although 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 State of Texas requires all incoming undergraduate students to demonstrate college readiness in reading, writing, and mathematics as defined by the Texas Success Initiative (TSI) program. All non-exempt students must take the Texas Success Initiative Assessment (TSIA2) before they are allowed to enroll in academic coursework at the university. Students who do not meet TSI requirements in one or more areas will be provided the advising and academic support necessary to ensure their success at UTRGV.

Students who have not yet met TSI requirements must be enrolled in developmental courses each semester until they clear the requirement. UTRGV gives students two long semesters (fall and spring) to clear this requirement. If they do not clear the requirement in that time, they will not be allowed to continue at UTRGV until they have met TSI requirements through another means (re-testing, clearing TSI requirements at another institution, etc.). Exceptions to this policy are handled on a case-by-case basis. Entering freshmen who require developmental education are required to participate in the 5-week Jumpstart Summer Bridge program. Each Jumpstart student is enrolled in developmental coursework based on their area(s) of need. Students are also enrolled in a corresponding ENGL 1301 and/or math course that is directly connected to their Jumpstart summer course. Requests for a waiver of the Jumpstart requirement are handled on a case-by-case basis. Any entering freshman who is granted a Jumpstart waiver is required to participate in the Vaqueros Innovators Program (VIP).

Developmental courses cannot be used for degree credit but are eligible for financial aid. They are graded on a pass/no pass 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 academic advisor and online at U Central (TSI site).

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 have not met TSI standards 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. EFs who are TSI complete, have 0 credit hours of college coursework and a high school (HS) class rank in the top 50% will enroll in UNIV 1301 during the spring semester of their first year at UTRGV. EFs who are TSI complete and have 1-23 credit hours of college coursework will enroll in UNIV 1101 during the spring semester of their first year at UTRGV.
• Vaquero's Innovator's Program (VIP) Status: Entering freshman are holistically reviewed to determine required participation in the Vaquero’s Innovator’s Program (VIP).  Criteria include TSI scores, class rank, prior college hours including dual credit, AP, and IB courses, high school course work, and more.  Students selected for VIP will enroll for the first time in the Fall semester of their freshmen year and be required to take UNIV 1001. Additional entering freshmen granted a JumpStart waiver will be required to participate in VIP.  As part of their requirements the UNIV 1300 course is required to be taken in the Spring semester of their first year.
• 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 enter UTRGV with 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 at least a 2.25 GPA or above 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/or earn at least a 2.25 GPA during their first full term will need to enroll in UNIV 1301 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. Students on provisional status for the first two full terms who do not earn at least 24 credit hours and/or at least a total 2.25 GPA during those terms will be required to take UNIV 1301 before the end of their first year of enrollment.
• Part-Time Students: The same criteria will apply to part-time students, with the following exception: Students who do not complete 100% of courses they attempt will be required to enroll in UNIV 1301.

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. However, this course may not count towards students’ degree plans for financial aid purposes if students are not required to take it according to the criteria above. Please contact University College. 

CHANGE OF MAJOR

Students with 60 or more hours are 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 Census Day as published on the academic calendar, the change takes effect for the subsequent semester. Students nearing graduation are encouraged to carefully consider impacts on financial aid repayments, degree completion, and possible delays in graduating as a result of changing or adding a major, minor, or concentration. More information regarding changes of major can be found on the U Central website.

CORE COMPLETE STATUS

Once a UTRGV student has been certified as “core complete,” the student remains core complete even if the student subsequently changes degree plans. Students will still 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 UTRGV, 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 of the undergraduate degree plan 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 (Summer I and Summer II), 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 Undergraduate Admission GPA Calculation of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) on all work completed to date. Visit Undergraduate Admission GPA Calculation for more information.
• The application for such graduate work is submitted to Graduate Admissions. Undergraduates cannot apply their work in graduate courses toward the bachelor’s degree. Such work will be reserved for credit toward a graduate degree.