Add/Drop/Withdrawal

Natural Sciences uses the UT calendar for purposes of registration, adding and dropping courses, and withdrawing from the university. The general schedule is as follows:

• Day 1 – 4, add online
• Day 5 – 12, add in the departments (at their discretion)
• Day 1 – 12, drop online
• Day 13 on, come to WCH 1.106

Dropping a class up to the 12th class day results in tuition money refunded if the drop is to a different level on the flat-rate tuition scale and classes do not appear on the permanent record. Not attending does not automatically drop you from classes or withdraw you from UT; you need to do that yourself through the CNS online form HERE Always double-check your final schedule before the 12th class day.

Withdrawal from The University is done after a student has competed registration for a semester or summer session, and then decides not to attend any classes that semester or session. 

After Day 12 transactions can be initiated in the CNS Dean’s Office (WCH 1.106) or in the student’s assigned major advising center.

On Day 13 through the 10th week of classes (exact dates are on the university calendar in the Course Schedule), students may drop for any reason by coming to WCH 1.106 or an assigned advising center. A “Q” appears on the record to indicate a drop with a passing grade and with no refund. This is considered to be “without a possible academic penalty.”  International students must have the written consent from the International Office to drop a class.

You can withdraw online. You can request a withdrawal online HERE. During the first four weeks of class there is a pro-rated refund for withdrawing from school. A full refund, less $15.00, is ONLY given if a student withdraws prior to the first day of class. Failure to properly withdraw results in failing grades in all semester coursework. Leaving UT without a formal withdrawal is the same as failing all classes and has the same consequences.

After the final deadline, students may not drop or withdraw unless there are serious non-academic circumstances, which occurred after the Q deadline date. Appeals will only be considered for documented, non-academic reasons. Contact the CNS Dean’s Office, WCH 1.106, (512) 471-4536 for non-academic issues or refer to our non-academic counselor webpage HERE for more information on how to schedule an appointment and/or eligibility criteria.

Please refer to the Texas One Stop page which details the criteria for withdrawing from the University HERE  

One Time Exception (OTE) Policy

Undergraduate students who may not have urgent, substantiated, nonacademic reasons will be allowed to drop a single class or withdraw from the University after the deadline to drop or withdraw for academic reasons under the provisions of the One-Time-Exception (OTE). The OTE may be invoked only once during the student's entire undergraduate career regardless of college the student was enrolled in at the time the exception was allowed. The OTE and the former CNS One-time drop are considered to be separate drops. The provisions of the OTE are as follows:

General Provisions

1. The OTE does not apply to students in the Graduate School, the College of Pharmacy, the LBJ School of Public Affairs, the School of Law, or the School of Information. 
2. A student must request the OTE from the student's dean's office by the last class day.  Request must be submitted via e-mail to CNSInfo@austin.utexas.edu by 11:59 p.m. on the last class day. Include your name, UT EID and request to withdraw, course number and unique number with the subject: UT EID, Request to drop by 11:59 p.m. on the last class day.
3. Any drop or withdrawal allowed under the OTE will be subject to the same academic and financial aid rules governing other drops or withdrawals taken during the semester.

Provisions for Drops

1. A student may not drop a class in which a final grade has been assigned. This will be verified by the student’s dean’s office.
2. A student may not drop a class if there are any pending investigations of scholastic dishonesty for the class in question. Any drop assigned will not be considered final until any investigations of scholastic dishonesty for the class in question are resolved.
3. Drops allowed under the provisions of the OTE will be considered academic drops and will count toward the six-drop limit. Students who have reached the six-drop limit are not eligible to use the OTE to drop a course.

Provisions for Withdrawals

1. Students who are requesting to use the OTE for a withdrawal will be allowed to withdraw regardless of current grades in classes.
2. No instructors' signatures will be required on the form.
3. Pending scholastic dishonesty will be verified by the student's dean's office with the Dean of Students Office.  Withdrawal will not be approved if there is a pending scholastic dishonesty case.
4. Per University policy, withdrawals require a meeting with a non-academic counselor in the CNS Dean’s Office. Call 512-471-3796 to schedule an appointment with a non-academic counselor.

REPeTITION OF A COURSE

No student may enroll in any course offered in the College of Natural Sciences more than twice, even if the course is needed to meet degree requirements, without first obtaining the written consent of the major advisor and the department that offers the course; students in colleges other than the College of Natural Sciences need only departmental approval. A symbol of Q or W counts as enrollment in a course unless it has been approved by the Dean's office for nonacademic reasons. Some departments in the College of Natural Sciences may have additional restrictions for students who repeat courses.

Grade Replacement

There is no grade replacement policy at The University of Texas at Austin. If a student repeats a course, both grades will appear on the student’s transcript and both will be calculated into the student’s overall GPA.

Academic Dishonesty

Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, collusion, using, buying, stealing, and/or divulging the contents of an examination, removing a test from the examination room, substituting for another person, having someone take a test for you, misplacing or damaging property of the University or destroying information so another student may not have materials, falsifying research data, misrepresenting facts including providing false grades or resumes, presenting someone else’s work as one’s own academic work and falsifying academic records. A full and comprehensive statement about what constitutes academic dishonesty can be found in Appendix C, section 11-802 in the General Information bulletin. The Student Judicial Services office in the Office of the Dean of Students has the responsibility for following up and making the final determination.

Change Of Major

Concurrent/Dual Enrollment

Concurrent enrollment refers to being simultaneously enrolled at UT-Austin and another educational institution or UT Extension. The College of Natural Sciences permits concurrent enrollment with certain restrictions. Math or science courses cannot be taken concurrently and counted toward a degree unless specifically approved in advance by the college. Students must see their academic advisor to obtain more information or to file an online petition requesting permission to be concurrently enrolled.

Full-Time Student Status

To be a full-time student, you must register for, and be enrolled in, a minimum of 12 hours at UT. Full-time status is usually necessary to receive financial aid, live in on-campus housing, compete on a University athletic team, be covered under parents’ health or car insurance or be an international student. If full-time status becomes a hardship for non-academic reasons, please see your academic advisor or contact the CNS Dean’s Office for a CNS counselor.

Flat-Rate Tuition & Four-Year Graduation Rates

Your tuition and fee bill will be calculated based on a 14-hour semester courseload. The policy was implemented to encourage an increase in the four-year graduation rate. Four year degree plans are available on-line and in the advising centers, but usually require 15-16 hours per semester. Please see your academic advisor for more information.

Incompletes (X’s)

Students who are unable to complete the semester because of non-academic reasons should discuss this situation with their professors or contact a CNS counselor. Under certain situations an incomplete grade (X) may be given at the discretion of the instructor, and if it meets The University criteria for incomplete. However, note that it must be completed by the end of the following long semester or a grade of “F” is automatically assigned. An incomplete does not allow a student to repeat an entire course.

Maximum Semester Hours

Students may take a maximum of 17 credit hours in one semester. If a student wishes to carry more than 17 hours, approval is required. You can email your assigned academic advisor for assitance with this. During summer a student can take up to 14 hours with no more than 8 hours in either summer session. Students should visit their advising office to complete the appropriate paperwork for approval.

SCHOLASTIC PROBATION, CNS GRADE CONTRACT, AND DISMISSAL

Students whose GPA is less than 2.00 are placed on scholastic probation by The University. In the CNS, a student on probation must do a CNS Grade Contract – https://utdirect.utexas.edu/ns/ - every long (Fall/Spring) semester his/her GPA is less than 2.00. A student who completes the requirements of the Contract will be continued by the College. If a student does not meet the requirements, he/she will be dismissed from The University. The exception to this policy is when a student earns 12 hours of failing grades in his/her first semester. This results in an automatic dismissal after the first semester.

 Students dismissed for the first time are automatically eligible to return to The University after being away for one long semester. However, if attending another college or university, students should contact the Office of Admissions at UT about the GPA requirement to be able to return to UT. A second dismissal requires permission from the CNS Dean’s Office to return to The University. A student dismissed for the third time may not apply for readmission.

Testing

Placement tests can be taken at UT Austin through Instructional Assessment and Evaluation. Test Schedules and other information are available at Student Testing Services. 

In order to receive credit for testing, a student must complete an online petition. Do not claim credit until you have been at UT for at least one semester and have talked with an academic advisor. A student can claim credit for an exam at any time prior to his/her senior year. A student may also elect not to claim any credit. Placement credit could affect eligibility for Tuition Rebate (see below).

Transfer Courses

Many students transfer academic credit from other colleges. Speak to your advisor if you plan to take courses at another institution. Information about how coursework transfers to UT from schools in Texas can be found on the Office of Admission's Automated Transfer Equivalency System website. Students transferring courses from out-of-state schools should go to the Office of Admissions, MAI 7. Any courses completed at another educational institution MUST be transferred to UT.

Tuition Rebate

An undergraduate may be eligible for a tuition rebate of up to $1,000 if, at graduation, he or she has attempted no more than three semester hours beyond the minimum number of hours required for the degree. Credit by exam hours could make you ineligible. Discuss this with your advisor before claiming credit.

Residency Requirements

Candidates for all undergraduate degrees must complete at least 60 semester hours of coursework in residence at The University. A transfer student who has completed a substantial amount of transferable, degree-applicable coursework may be obliged to take more courses at the University than his or her degree program requires, simply to meet the residence requirement. UT Austin Distance Education (Correspondence) courses and UT Austin Extension courses do not count as in residence coursework.

E-Mail

E-mail is a mechanism for official University communications to students. The University expects that e-mail communications will be received and read in a timely manner. CNS Students are directed to obtain a free UT e-mail address and check it at minimum twice per week. Many outside e-mail providers (ex. Hotmail, Yahoo) treat university communications as spam messages. It is the student’s responsibility to regularly read e-mails sent by the University, the College and his or her academic advisor.