Frequently Asked Questions

Freshmen, sophomore and junior students who are enrolled in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences who have not formally declared their major or are pre-professional (pre-business, pre-education, pre-journalism, etc.) are advised by the University Advising Center (UAC). The UAC notifies new students of their advisor assignments one to two weeks after they have attended New Student Orientation. During your first semester, you are asked to attend advising meetings to meet your advisor and learn academic and enrollment procedures. You will receive important information from your advisor via email throughout the semester. If you do not receive this information or have forgotten the name of your advisor, please contact the UAC, 126 Strong Hall, 785-864-2834. Exceptions to this include students who have been admitted to one of the freshman-entry programs such as Engineering, Architecture and Fine Arts or the Honors Program. Students in freshman-entry programs and Honors will be assigned to advisors and notified by those programs.

Once a student has formally declared a major in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, he or she is advised by the academic department. Once a student is admitted to a professional school, he or she is advised by the school. Students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences who are still undeclared at 90 hours must meet with advisors in Student Academic Services in the College (Strong Hall 109, 785-864-3500).

Yes, being undecided about your major is very common for new students. Unless you are very sure on what you wish to major in, we encourage you to remain undecided during your freshman year. In fact, most students will change their majors 3 to 5 times! If you are unsure of what you want to major in please take advantage of the many outstanding academic programs and resources at KU. Advisors in the UAC can help you explore your options – that is a primary function of our office! Check out the Majors Fair on September 25th.

Although several contacts are required, you should meet regularly with your advisor in order to build an effective advising relationship. You are always welcome to meet with your advisor anytime during the semester, but you must meet with your advisor to prepare your schedule for the upcoming semester.

There are consequences to doing poorly in your classes. Issues such as progress toward graduation, financial aid and living group status can all be effected by a low GPA. Students with GPA's below a 2.0 are often placed on academic probation or subject to dismissal.

KU has an abundance of advisors and campus resources specifically designed to help students overcome academic obstacles. Do not hesitate to take advantage of KU's campus resources. Advisors can talk to you about these services and help you outline a plan for academic success.

You may be eligible for a refund depending on the day that you drop. Refer to the Timetable for all applicable dates. Somethings that are influenced if you drop below full-time status (12 credit hours) include: international student status, financial aid, student housing, scholarships, athletics, and health insurance.

A student may elect to be graded on a scale of CR (credit) or NC (no credit) instead of on a scale of A, B, C, D, or F. Students seeking the credit/no credit option in a semester-long course must register their choice in their dean's office during the fifth and sixth weeks of the semester. Contact your college (CLAS) or department to determine whether this option is available for your major. You have this choice for only one course per semester. After the close of the option period, you cannot alter your option. The grade of CR (credit) will be received for grades of A, B, and C. The grade of NC (no credit) will be received for grades of D and F. The instructor will assign a conventional letter grade, which will then be converted by the University Registrar to CR or NC as appropriate. Courses graded CR or NC will not count in computing grade point average. Courses graded CR will be included in the total hours counted toward graduation; courses graded NC will not count as hours earned.
* In order to be on the honor roll, you must complete at least 12 graded hours per semester.

Click here for an on-line GPA calculator. Here is an example:
A = 4
B = 3
C = 2
D = 1
F = 0

	Grade	x (times)	Credit Hour	= (equals)	Number of Grade Points
Composition I	(B) 3		3		9
Algebra	(C) 2		3		6
Intro to Biology	(D) 1		3		3
Psychology	(A) 4		3		12
The Amer. People	(F) 0		3		0
Totals			15		30

Divide the number of points by the number of credit hours.
30 ÷ 15 = 2.0 grade point average

To determine what classes are needed to complete a specific major please refer to the Undergraduate Catalog. The UAC has checklists for each major, and BA, BGS, and BS degrees. We recommend that you meet with your advisor to discuss GPA requirements, credit requirements, course planning, etc. for each major.

With online enrollment, comes online add/drop! Opportunities for add/drop are abundant prior to the first day of class. Once the semester has started, policies for add/drop vary based on the date and you may need a professors signature and/or a Dean's Stamp. Please consult the academic calendar in the timetable or with your college/department for more specific information.

You may use Enroll & Pay to determine if the class you would like is still available. If you do not have access to a computer, you may use the computers in the Budig computer lab.

You should try to speak with the instructor because only the professor can give permission to add the course. You may also consult Enroll & Pay to determine if any students have dropped the course, and add the class based on the Add/Drop schedule in the timetable.

Visiting KU's Online Service at Academic Computing Services will allow you to retrieve information regarding your KU email account.