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Academic Handbook

CLAS

Academic
Policies Handbook

In this academic policies handbook, we describe the policies that apply to undergraduate students enrolled in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Graduate students are governed by the policies of the Graduate College. The University reserves the right to change the policies, procedures, and other information in this manual.



  1. Student Rights and Responsibilities
    1. Student rights
    2. Student responsibilities
  2. Requirements for a Bachelor's Degree
    1. Completing a major
    2. Meeting the College's academic standards
    3. Completing the requirements of the General Education Program
      1. Gen Ed Requirements
      2. General Education Policies
    4. Satisfying the UI and CLAS Residence Requirements
      1. The University of Iowa Residence Requirement
      2. The CLAS Residence Requirement
    5. Graduation
  3. Registration Policies
    1. How and when to register
    2. Taking courses for credit or variable credit
    3. Auditing courses
    4. Registering for S/F courses
    5. Registering for the P/N grading option
    6. Cross-enrolling and taking cross-listed courses
    7. Prerequisites
    8. Adding courses
      1. Adding courses after the deadline
      2. Maximum course load
    9. Dropping courses
      1. Dropping courses after the deadline
      2. Mark of "W"
      3. Instructors' option to drop for nonattendance
    10. Withdrawal of entire semester registration
  4. Credit Hour Requirements and Policies
    1. Maximum and minimum credit hours
    2. Courses without degree credit
    3. Duplication
    4. Regression
    5. Credit or exemptions earned through other sources
      1. Transfer credit
      2. Credit by examination
      3. Credit for military service
      4. Validation of credit
      5. Undergraduate use of graduate course credit
  5. Grading System
    1. Grade point average (GPA)
    2. Mid-semester reports
    3. Pass/Nonpass (P/N)
    4. Satisfactory/Fail (S/F) and Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U)
    5. Registered/Withdrawn (R/W)
    6. Incomplete (I)
    7. No grade reported (O)
    8. Second-grade-only option (#)
      1. Second-grade-only FAQ
  6. Majors, Minors, and Certificates
    1. Declaring or changing a major
    2. Four-year graduation plan
    3. Undergraduate majors and minors offered by CLAS
      1. The "open" major
      2. Declaring a "pre-" major
      3. Earning two or more majors
      4. Selective or limited admission majors or programs
      5. Declaring "interest" before you apply to a program
      6. Returning to earn additional majors
    4. Certificates
    5. Minors
  7. Academic Probation
    1. Dismissal from the College
    2. Appealing a dismissal
    3. Reinstatement
    4. ReStart
  8. Attendance and Absences
    1. Class attendance
    2. Examinations
  9. Recognition for Academic Achievement
  10. Code of Academic Honesty
  11. Miscellaneous
    1. High school course requirements
    2. Student classification
    3. Academic advising and the degree audit
    4. Earning multiple undergraduate degrees