Advising FAQs

Many students have similar questions throughout their academic experience at Arizona State University. We have prepared general answers to some of our most frequent questions from students. If you do not find the information you are seeking, please do not hesitate to contact our office directly.

Important to know as a Freshmen Exploratory student

Important to know as a sophomore exploratory student (prior to 45 credit hours)

Important to know as a sophomore exploratory student (at 45 credit hours)

What do I need to do to change my major?

1) Why should I attend orientation?
Orientation programs are designed to help new students transition into ASU. Students and family members will be made aware of those university policies and procedures that new students should understand. You can not register for classes without first being advised, and these orientation programs are often your best opportunity to meet your academic success specialist (advisor) for the first time.

2) What does University College Academic Advising provide?
University College Academic Advising Services provides academic advising to students regarding major exploration options, General Studies and overviews of ASU major requirements. All exploratory students are required to meet with an academic success specialist (advisor) before they can register for each semester. Academic advising consists of planning your class sequences, clarifying academic policies and procedures, reviewing academic and career goals, and making students aware of various resources available on the ASU campus.

University College Academic Advising academic success specialists are available to meet with students in small groups, one-on-one appointments, or phone advising for students outside of the Phoenix metropolitan area.

3) Who is advised by University College Academic Advising?
University College Academic Advising provides academic advising for exploratory students at Arizona State University. The mission of University College Academic Advising is to promote student development and success by helping students to identify, clarify and achieve their academic goals. Through individualized professional advising and teaching practices, University College academic success specialists challenge and support students in their process of becoming self-directed lifelong learners.

Exploratory students are assigned to a specific professional academic success specialist. Transfer students entering ASU as an exploratory student will receive their assigned academic success specialist upon scheduling their initial advising appointment. ASU students who choose to change their major may also meet with a University College academic success specialist to explore their academic and career goals.

4) What is a Major Map?
A Major Map outlines:

What classes you need (degree requirements).
When you need to take them (course sequences).
And what grades you need to get (GPA and course grade requirements) in order to graduate.

ASU recommends that full-time students earn an average of 15 hours each semester in order to graduate in four years.

5) What is the ASU 101 course?
ASU 101 is a required one-credit course designed to introduce all new first-time ASU freshmen to the unique elements, culture, challenges and opportunities of being a college student at ASU. The course focuses on providing students skills and information to promote student success. The course is an essential part of the unique experience of being an ASU student. The course connects all ASU students and introduces them to the benefits and opportunities of being part of a large metropolitan research university. First-time exploratory freshmen will enroll in ASU 101 and UNI 150 together for a total of two credits.

6) What is the UNI 150 Career and Major Exploration course?
This one-credit student development course will actively engage students in their educational and career planning process. The classes (limited to 19 students or fewer) are 5 weeks long. First-time exploratory freshmen will enroll in ASU 101 and UNI 150 together for a total of two credits.

At the end of the course, students will:

Have completed assessments and clarified their understanding of their personality, interests, skills and values.
Have developed skills to research the major(s) or career(s) they are considering.
Know how to use information they gather to make a good decision.
Have an understanding of cultural diversity that improves success in today’s workplace.

Students will create an action plan for their academic and career achievement in this class.

While the course is practical and applied, it also addresses the broader view of work in our lives. The course will include discussion of the trends that affect our careers today such as globalization, decentralization, the knowledge worker and the need for lifelong learning.

7) What are General Studies?
General Studies are 35 credit hours that ALL ASU student must complete to graduate, regardless of their chosen major. General Studies information can be found at http://catalog.asu.edu/ug_gsr.

8) What is a DARS Report or a degree audit?
Degree Audit Reporting System (DARS) is a computerized program that allows students and academic success specialists (advisors) to evaluate all courses taken against any major requirements at ASU. DARS reports can be utilized for checking General Studies requirements as well as major and minor/certificate requirements. Students transferring in credits from another school must have those credits evaluated by an academic academic success specialist before they will be included in the DARS report. Students may run their own DARS report from My ASU.

9) What is drop/add?
DROP/ADD is a limited-time offer. During DROP/ADD, which is typically the first week of each fall and spring semester, you may drop any class you are registered for, get a full refund of tuition and fees (if appropriate), and have no record on your transcript that you were ever in the course. Similarly, space and prerequisites permitting, you may add courses up to 18 hours. After this deadline, you can no longer add a course, and the only way out of a course is through withdrawal. Withdrawals should be conserved to cover unanticipated changes in your circumstances.

10) What does Course Withdrawal mean?
During the second week through the 10th week of a fall or spring semester, or the third day through the third week of a summer session, a student may withdraw from any course with a mark of “W.” See the Registration and Tuition Payment Guide or the Summer Sessions Bulletin for dates of the withdrawal period.

11) What happens if I just stop attending class?
DON’T DO THIS! Some students think that what happens is that the professor just “drops” them for nonattendance. That is not what happens. Instead, the professor gives you an E at the end of the semester. So, process the withdrawal.

12) What is an academic status report?
It’s likely one of your instructors sent you a warning that you were not doing well in his or her class. This communication effort occurs at the 5^th and 9^th week of the semester. The good news, however, is that you have time to address these issues if you act now.

First things first, if you haven’t done so already, go talk to your instructor. He or she wants you to succeed and is your best resource. Your syllabus will list office hours and contact information, but you have to make that next step. Prepare for your meeting by listing the issues you want to address. You might ask:

Where do I currently stand in the class?
What can I do to perform better in class?
What am I missing and how can I get caught up?
Am I studying the best way possible for this class?
What scores do I need on future tests and assignments to get an A, B or C?

13) What is an enrollment appointment?
An enrollment appointment is assigned to you each registration cycle. This is your first opportunity to sign up for classes for the following semester. Check your assigned date at My ASU.

14) Can I take a course without the prerequisites?
Yes, but you will need to request an override for a class in which you do not meet the prerequisites, please go to the department that is offering the course. For example, if it is psychology, go to the psychology department. Even if that department is willing to issue the override, carefully consider whether or not it is a good idea to take a class that you may be unprepared to take.

15) What are the rules for repeating courses?
An Undergraduate student may repeat a course once if the initial grade was D or E. This repeated course must be taken at ASU. Classes completed with grades of A, B or C cannot be repeated.

If they have taken the course twice at ASU and received grades of D or E both times, the student must petition to repeat the course a third time.

Please visit http://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/usi/usi203-06.html to review the policies and procedures regarding deletion of D or E grades.

16) Do I need to see an academic success specialist (advisor) every semester to register?
All University College exploratory students are required to meet with an academic success specialist prior to registration for each semester. Once a student declares a major, advising requirements will vary by college or department. Failure to meet with an academic success specialist will result in your registration request being denied. You are encouraged to meet with an academic success specialist any time you have questions regarding your academic success, including your registration of appropriate classes.

17) How many credits do I need to graduate?
120 total credit hours (minimum) are required to graduate from Arizona State University. These 120 credit hours must consist of:

35 hours in General Studies (minimum)
3-6 hours for English composition
Major requirements
45 hours of upper-division courses (300-400 level classes) are required to be part of the 120 graduation credits

18) What can I do with this degree?
The office of Career Services will assist students in setting career and professional goals. Resources are also available to help students in determining possible careers with specific majors. Additional information is available at uc.asu.edu/majorexploration.

19) How long will it take to finish a degree?
The amount of time required to complete 120 credit hours (the minimum required for graduation; different majors may require more hours) is variable depending upon each student’s situation. Generally, students can complete a degree in four years by completing 30 credit hours each academic year (15 per semester). It is crucial to consult with your academic success specialist (advisor) when planning class sequences to maximize your academic strategies.

20) What do “good standing” and “probation” mean?
Academic good standing for degree-seeking students is defined as shown in the table below.

Academic Good Standing
Total Earned Hours	Minimum Cumulative GPA to be in Academic Good Standing
24 or fewer	1.60
25-55	1.75
56 or more	2.00

A student who does not maintain the minimum GPA standard is placed on academic probation or is disqualified. A student on academic probation is permitted to register for classes. A student who has been disqualified is not permitted to register for classes for fall or spring semesters.

Students on probation may remain on continuing probation as long as their semester GPA is above or meets the GPA required for academic good standing noted above. Failure to do so will result in disqualification from the university.

Your cumulative GPA is reviewed twice each year, in May and December (after spring and fall semester). Therefore, grades earned during summer session or academic grade changes (such as incompletes) are not considered until the next review period. This means that even if your summer grades, for example, improve your GPA to above 2.0, you will remain on probation until after your fall grades are posted and reviewed. Check out our disqualification and low GPA page for more information.

21) What does “disqualification” mean?
It means that you have not met ASU’s academic standards and are no longer eligible to take classes at ASU.

If you are disqualified, you will be notified by mail.

You can request reinstatement if you are disqualified. To do so, visit the following link: disqualification and low GPA.

22) What is an “incomplete”?
If a student experiences difficulties at the very end of the semester, generally the instructor may make arrangements with you to allow you to complete the work later. If additional time is required past the end of the semester, a grade of incomplete or I may be arranged. This requires the completion of a form, signed by the student, the instructor and the department chair, that specifies what work is left undone, what the circumstances are that prevent the work from being completed on time and a schedule for the completion of the work.

The grade of “I” will appear on the transcript, and while the “I” stands as the grade of record, the course plays no role in the GPA computation and cannot be used to fulfill a graduation requirement. If the work is not done within one calendar year, the “I” grade reverts to a grade of E. The student does not need to reregister for the course or to pay any additional fees in order to complete the work.

Students should note that the grade of incomplete and medical/compassionate withdrawals are not intended to cover bad planning by a student. The emphasis is on circumstances that are beyond a student’s control. A student controls how many credits they take and how many hours per week of outside activity, including employment, enter their lives. Generally speaking, transportation difficulties and scheduling conflicts with outside activities that a student could decline without threat of imprisonment are not grounds for incompletes and compassionate withdrawals.

23) What is a medical/compassionate withdrawal? Am I eligible?
If difficulties beyond your control prevented you from completing the work in classes during the previous semester or will prevent you from completing classes this semester, then Medical or Compassionate withdrawals may be possible. A student seeking such withdrawals should contact the appropriate University College Academic Advising Office.

Tempe	Downtown Phoenix	Polytechnic	West
Undergraduate Academic Services Building (UASB), Room 129 Phone: (480) 965-4464	University Center (UCENT) Third Floor, Suite 300 Phone: (602) 496-0358	Santa Catalina Hall (SANCA) Room 233L Phone: (480) 727-1526	University Center Building (UCB) Room 201 Phone: (602) 543-9222

Medical and Compassionate withdrawals differ from other withdrawals in several important ways. First, the grade received will be a “W” even if the student was not passing at the time of withdrawal. Secondly, a larger refund of tuition and fees may sometimes be arranged. Lastly, this process can occur after the completion of the semester of interest.

Students should note that medical/compassionate withdrawals are not intended to cover bad planning by a student. The emphasis is on circumstances that are beyond a student’s control. A student controls how many credits they take and how many hours per week of outside activity, including employment, enter their lives. Generally speaking, transportation difficulties and scheduling conflicts with outside activities that a student could decline without threat of imprisonment are not grounds for incompletes and compassionate withdrawals.

24) What is a petition? Why is it used?
A petition is used in instances where the approval of the standards committee is needed for a given transaction or request. A copy of the petition may be downloaded from the Forms section of the University College website. You may wish to consult with an advisor before you complete your petition. Completed petitions should be returned to the appropriate advising office.

Petitions are often denied. A common reason is insufficient justification or lack of documentation. Petitions are typically used in asking for a favor in saying that we should not apply the rules to you. What is special about your circumstances? Please note that the mere fact that you “need” something in order to graduate by a certain date is NOT a special circumstance.

25) What happens if I repeat a course at the community college that I received a “D” or “E” in at ASU?
The credit transfers back to ASU but not the grade. So, if you received an E in calculus at ASU and then received an A in it later at a community college, ASU will not force you to repeat calculus here. However, your ASU GPA will be based on only the E at ASU. You can still retake the course at ASU to improve your GPA, but you will only get credit for the course once.

26) What do I need to do to change my major?
Students who need assistance searching for major options at ASU may meet with a University College Academic Advising Services academic success specialist (advisor). We can help students explore different major requirements and how your current and/or completed college credits will apply to different majors.

If you already have one specific major in mind, it would benefit you to speak directly with an academic success specialist in that major department. Please visit our ASU Academic Advising Directory to locate the appropriate academic success specialist/office who can assist you with your new major.

Total Earned Hours	Minimum Cumulative GPA to be in Academic Good Standing
24 or fewer	1.60
25-55	1.75
56 or more	2.00

Some departments may require higher grade point averages or have other restrictions for students hoping to change their major.

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