Registration Policies

Change of Major Policies

UTRGV students with 60 or more hours will be 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 the Census Date published on the academic calendar, the change takes effect for the subsequent semester. Students nearing graduation are encouraged to carefully consider impacts on degree completion and possible delays in graduating as a result of changing or adding a major, minor, or concentration. The process for changing a major is outlined on the Office of the Registrar website.

Core Complete Status

Once a UTRGV student has been certified as “core complete,” the student remains core complete even if s/he subsequently changes degree plans. Students will 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.

General Education Core Courses Toward Major and Minor Requirements

General education courses may count toward both the general education core requirements and the major and minor requirements. Students may take electives to complete the 120-hour requirement for a bachelor’s degree provided their respective degree plans allow for it.

Dropping a Course

A student is “dropping” a class or classes if he or she remains enrolled in a minimum of one credit hour after all class drops have been completed. Students who drop all classes for which they are enrolled are considered to have withdrawn from the university for that semester. (For more information on Withdrawal, see the section below on Withdrawal from the University.)

To drop a class or classes after the official census date published in the academic calendar, a student must log in to ASSIST and request the drop by the deadline as listed in the university’s academic calendar.

All class drops must be completed during the first 75% of the semester or term (refer to the University Academic Calendar in this catalog or online for deadline dates). Students dropping during this time will receive a grade of DR, and the drop will count again the six-course drop limit. After the deadline for drops and withdrawals, the student remains on the class roster and will receive the letter grade he/she earns.

Withdrawal from the University

To withdraw from the university (drop all classes), a student must complete a formal withdrawal process through UCentral by the deadline for drops and withdrawals posted on the academic calendar.

A student withdrawing during the first 75% of the semester or term will receive grades of W in the classes s/he was registered for in that term. After the deadline the student remains on the class roster and receives the letter grade s/he earns. Refer to the UCentral website for refund periods. Grades of W do not count toward the six-course drop limit.

Students receiving any form of financial aid should contact U Central in Brownsville or Edinburg to determine the financial impacts of dropping or withdrawing from classes.

Transfer Student

Transfer students with 30 or more hours but without the University College-approved courses, or courses deemed comparable by The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, 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.

Auditing Classes

Students must obtain special permission from the instructor of record to audit or visit a class. Students who wish to audit graduate classes (5000-9000 level) must be eligible to enroll in the course for credit before they will be allowed to audit. Students auditing classes do not receive academic credit. One may enroll as an auditor no later than the Census Day of the term by:

1. Obtaining a “Class Audit” Form from the Student Services Center,
2. Having it approved by the instructor of the class to be audited,
3. Paying the required fee at the Office of Payments and Collections on or by the Census Day, and
4. Using the receipt as an admission card to the class.

Such approval may be granted only if space is available and if the instructor permits the student to audit the class. Instructors reserve the right to refuse any request to audit or visit a course. Enrollment as an auditor does not permit the enrollee to take examinations, to have tests or other papers checked by the instructor, or to participate in the class discussion. Audit fees ($50 per course) are nonrefundable and may not be appealed. Individuals who are not regularly enrolled students at the university are also eligible to audit classes subject to the regulations stated above, although there will be no official transcript available that documents the individual auditing the class.

A person 65 years of age or older may enroll as an auditor without credit and without payment of an audit fee.

Residency for Tuition Purposes

Residency for tuition purposes is determined by regulations set forth by the state of Texas. Students may be required to sign an oath of residency as part of the application process. Residency for tuition purposes will be based on this oath/or and other information submitted by the student through the admissions process or subsequent completion of the Core Residency Questionnaire. Residency determinations are made by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions for applicants who have not yet started classes. Current students’ residency determinations are evaluated by the Office of the University Registrar based on students’ requests as submitted via the Core Residency Questionnaire and required documentation subject to review by university officials. Texas residency requirements may be found in the Fiscal Policies section of this catalog.