Attendance and Absence Verification College Level Examination Program (CLEP) Tests Course Auditing Pass/Fail Option Course Challenging Course Load Limit Repeating a Course Course Changes Course Deletions Dropping Courses Course Numbers Required Course Prerequisites Credit for Elementary-Level French and Spanish Language Courses Foreign Language Placement Tests, Exemption and Credit for Undergraduate Students Military or Extra-Institutional Experience and Credit Withdrawal from Courses
The Vice President for Student Affairs does not certify the legitimacy of any absences. However, under the circumstances outlined below, the Office of Student Care and Outreach may certify the legitimacy of absences.
The Office of Student Care and Outreach does not excuse or verify routine absences. The decision to excuse an absence, allow make-up work, or reschedule or make up an exam is entirely at the discretion of each faculty member or instructor.
Students who miss a significant amount of class (generally more than one week) and have documentation that helps provide verification of the legitimacy of the absences may provide that documentation to the instructor. If there are compelling privacy concerns, Student Care and Outreach will review the documentation at the request of the student and/or instructor. If the documentation appears sufficient to establish verification of the legitimacy of the absences, Student Care and Outreach will send a memo to the student’s instructor(s) notifying the instructor(s) that the student has provided sufficient documentation of legitimate reasons for the absence. This memo will inform the instructor’s decisions regarding whether to and/or how to accommodate or excuse any absences. The decision to excuse an absence, allow make-up work, or reschedule or make up an exam is entirely at the discretion of each faculty member or instructor.
All students challenging a course must: (1) not be currently enrolled in or withdrawn from the course to be challenged, nor have previously completed the course at any institution; (2) be currently enrolled in the University as a degree-seeking student; and (3) complete and file an official Course Challenge Form with the Registrar of the University prior to taking the examination.
Following the examination, the instructor of record must record a grade with the Registrar. Based upon the results of the examination, regular grades of A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D, or F are assigned for the challenged course, unless the course is not one authorized to receive these grades, in which case the appropriate grade will be assigned from among those available for the course.
Hours earned using course challenge do not count in the determination of full- and part-time status.
Students are expected to attend classes on a regular basis during the drop/add period. A student who incurs an
excessive number of absences may be withdrawn from the class at the discretion of the professor. Students who find it
necessary to make adjustments in their class schedules during the drop/add period must follow the procedures and adhere
to the deadlines.
No course may be added to a student's schedule after the applicable drop/add deadline, with the exception of
a research, dissertation, or thesis course at the graduate level. Exceptions to this policy require the approval of the
instructor of the course,
the department head/program director, and the student's dean.
Fee Adjustments—Tuition is charged on a per semester hour basis for up to 12 hours.
Full tuition is charged for 12 or more semester hours. If a schedule change results in an
additional fee being due, the student should report to the Bursar's Office to pay
additional fees. No academic credit will be given unless all fees are paid by the end of the
designated fee payment deadline.
Course deletion requires a written student petition followed by the review and approval of the instructor of the
course, the department head/program director, and the dean. Questions concerning course deletion should be directed to
the dean's office of the student's school or college.
This process is for the current term only. Requests for retroactive course deletions must be submitted to and approved by the Educational Affairs Committee.
No refund is available for a reduction in hours due to individual course withdrawals except when accomplished during the drop/add period.
Students should be aware that a reduction in their hours may affect their Student Financial Aid, the HOPE scholarship, athletic and ticket eligibility, University housing accommodations, use of University resources and access to University facilities, immigration status for international students, Veterans Educational Benefits (if applicable), and the loss of full-time student status, which can lead to health insurance cancellation. Students should contact the appropriate office with questions about the impact of a reduction in their hours. Students who are returning from academic dismissal are advised to consult with their academic advisor prior to dropping or withdrawing from a course. Veterans and dependents of veterans who receive educational benefits must notify the Veterans Education Benefits Area in the Office of the Registrar of any course load reductions.
If a drop or a withdrawal is initiated by someone other than the instructor, the instructor and the student will be notified by the Office of the Registrar of the drop/withdrawal.
No instructional unit shall drop a student for lack of a prerequisite after the end of one calendar week from the beginning of the term.
Courses numbered between 3000-5999 must include a prerequisite. The following prerequisite restrictions are acceptable:
Students admitted to the University are expected to have met the College Preparatory
Curriculum (CPC) requirement of two units of one foreign language. Students who have
not met the CPC requirement may register for the elementary-level course to satisfy
the requirement with the understanding that 1) the course will not satisfy degree
requirements, 2) the course and grade will appear on the student's transcript, and
3) the grade awarded will be included in all grade point averages calculated.
Students may register for and receive degree credit for the first elementary French or Spanish
language course, numbered 1001, if they are not using the course to satisfy the CPC
requirement and have not taken, or have taken only one year of, this language in
high school.
Four hours of credit may be awarded from an American Council on Education (ACE) Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Services. Any additional credit may be authorized by the appropriate department.
Inquiries concerning in-service training are directed to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, and evaluations of such training are not made until such time as the student is accepted for study on the University campus. Veterans who have served 180 days or more may receive one hour of Physical Education credit based on their military service. To establish credit, veterans are required to present a copy of their DD214 form. Students may also receive four hours of credit for a Joint Service Transcript (JST), ACE (American Council on Education Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Services), or SMART (Sailor/Marine American Council on Education Registry Transcript) credit report. Credit awarded may include one credit hour of Basic Training, one credit hour of First Aid, and up to two credit hours of Military Science. Students wishing to receive credit for additional military experience may contact the UGA Department that controls the subject.
Students may drop one, some, or all of their classes during the drop/add period. Courses dropped in this manner do not appear on a student’s transcript and are not considered as hours attempted for financial aid purposes. No grade is assigned for such courses. However, a student who wishes to withdraw from a course after the last day of the drop period for a term must withdraw through ATHENA (Online Student Information System).
If the student withdraws before the semester’s withdrawal deadline, the student will receive a grade of W. An instructor may withdraw a student from a course due to excessive absences as defined in the course syllabus, and the student will receive a grade of W.
If the student does not initiate the withdrawal, the Registrar will notify the instructor and the student of the withdrawal.
If a student experiences significant personal hardship (e.g., medical or family emergency, prolonged illness), SCO can approve a hardship withdrawal from all courses in the term for which a student is currently registered or in previous semesters (retroactive hardship withdrawals). In the case of an approved hardship withdrawal from all courses, the Registrar will assign grades of W for those classes. The instructor must be informed of the assignment of the W grade.
Retroactive hardship withdrawals are rarely granted if it has been more than two years since the last day of class for which the withdrawal is sought. Extraordinary justification must be shown. In the case of approved retroactive hardship withdrawals, the Registrar will assign a grade of W. The instructor who originally assigned the grade must be informed of the change of grade.
A hardship withdrawal cannot ordinarily be used to withdraw selectively from some courses while remaining enrolled in other courses. Selective withdrawal will be permitted only under exceptional circumstances. In these cases, SCO will document the hardship and work with the Registrar’s Office to assign a withdrawal grade for each course.
Each year during the fall semester, SCO will submit a written report to the Educational Affairs Committee summarizing the number of hardship withdrawals granted (both complete and partial) within the past year and, in the case of partial hardship withdrawals, the circumstances justifying the use of a partial withdrawal.
If a student is suspended by the Office of Student Conduct following a violation of the University’s Code of Conduct not related to academic dishonesty, the Office of Student Conduct may facilitate a University-initiated withdrawal from courses for which a student is registered for the term. The Registrar will assign grades of W for those classes. The instructor must be informed of the assignment of the W grade.
All probation and exclusion rules apply regardless of the circumstances of the withdrawal. For more information, see General Academic Regulations related to Academic Probation and Academic Dismissal.
No student shall be withdrawn from a course for lack of a prerequisite after the end of one calendar week from the beginning of the term.
No refund is available for a reduction in hours due to individual course withdrawals that occur after the drop/add period.
Students should be aware that a reduction in their hours might result in the loss of full-time student status and thus affect their financial aid, scholarships, athletic and ticket eligibility, University housing accommodations, use of University resources and access to University facilities, immigration status for international students, Veterans Educational Benefits.
Students should contact the appropriate office and their academic advisor with questions about the impact of their withdrawal from a course before initiating a withdrawal. Students who are returning from academic dismissal are advised to consult with their academic advisor prior to withdrawal because violation of the minimum enrollment requirements can lead to a second dismissal from the University. Veterans and dependents of veterans who receive educational benefits must notify the Veterans Education Benefits Area in the Office of the Registrar of any course load reductions.
College Level Examination Program (CLEP) Tests
The University of Georgia academic departments do not accept CLEP scores for initial course credit or placement for students enrolling at UGA. Course work credit, based on CLEP scores and reflected on transcripts submitted by the applicant for transferable course work, may be accepted at UGA. CLEP Transfer credit is not counted towards minimum requirements for admission.
Course Auditing
Students may audit courses with the approval of the instructor teaching the course. Information about the registration process is available on the Registrar's Office website at
https://reg.uga.edu/general-information/policies/auditing-a-course/. Fees for audited courses are the same as those for students registered for credit.
Pass/Fail Option
The pass/fail option is intended to reward students who wish to take courses outside their
majors and who are making satisfactory progress in their studies. Students who were classified as full-time during the preceding academic year, who have
a cumulative grade point average of 2.0, and who have the approval of their advisors may enroll in
elective courses outside their majors on a pass/fail basis.
During the semester they enroll in a pass/fail course, students must also take a minimum of 12 additional hours (6 hours during summer) of graded (A-F) coursework at the University. Pass/fail courses will appear on
the official transcript with a grade of "S" or "U." These grades do not count in the
computation of the grade point average. No more than three pass/fail courses may be counted towards an
undergraduate degree. Courses taken on a pass/fail basis beyond this limit will earn institutional credit but will not count
toward graduation. Once the drop/add period is over, a student who has registered for a course on the pass/fail option
may not, for any reason, change to A-F grading or vice versa. Students enrolled in pass/fail courses shall receive a “U”
if withdrawn from the course after the midpoint of the academic term, except in those cases in which the student is doing
satisfactory work and the withdrawal is recommended by the Office of Student Affairs because of emergency or health
reasons. A student who earns a “U” in a pass/fail course is not eligible for Presidential Scholar or Dean’s List in the term in
which the grade is assigned and also is not eligible to graduate with First Honor Graduate status.
Course Challenging
Under some circumstances, the University allows a student the opportunity to receive resident credit for courses by examination without attending the regular classes.
Not all courses can be challenged; each academic department determines the standards of eligibility for students requesting to challenge a course. Students should check with the department regarding the procedure for course challenging. An online Course Challenging form can be found on the Office of the Registrar’s website.
Course Load Limit
Undergraduate students may register for a maximum of 18 hours during the fall, spring, and summer semesters. Professional students and graduate students should refer to their respective bulletins for minimum/maximum course load policies. Students may request a change in credit limit by obtaining approval from their advisor.
Repeating a Course
By registering for and receiving a grade in a course for which credit hours
have already been granted, either by work at the University or by transfer,
a student forfeits the previous credits in that course. All grades, however,
will be included in the student's UGA cumulative average, if UGA credit, and
the overall average.
Course Changes
It is the responsibility of students to select the appropriate courses for their degree program. If students are uncertain as to their degree requirements, they should consult with their academic advisor/dean prior to scheduling.
Course Deletions
A course deletion refers to an administrative process whereby the course is removed from the student's record after
the designated drop/add period and, if appropriate, a refund is generated. In order to have a course deleted from the
student's record, it must be determined that the University is responsible for the student being in the course in error.
Dropping Courses
Students may drop one, some, or all of their classes through the drop/add period without receiving any grade. However, students who fail to drop a course or wish to withdraw from a course after the designated drop/add period for a term (or the last day of drop/add for the related summer session), but before the designated withdrawal deadline, must withdraw through Athena.
Course Numbers
Courses numbered from 1000 to 2999 are considered lower-level courses. Courses numbered 3000 to 4999 are considered upper-level courses. Courses numbered 5000 to 5999 are considered professional-level courses. Courses numbered 6000 and above are considered graduate-level courses.
Required Course Prerequisites
Effective Fall 2024
Credit for Elementary-Level French and Spanish Language Courses
University of Georgia students who have taken two years of a language in high school
may not receive degree credit for the first elementary French or Spanish language
courses, numbered 1001, in that language.
Foreign Language Placement Tests, Exemption and Credit for Undergraduate Students
For information regarding the policy for foreign language placement tests, exemption and credit, please see
Section 2.02-6 in the Academic Affairs Policy Manual.
Military or Extra-Institutional Experience and Credit
United States Armed Forces Institute (USAFI) courses are not recognized by the University unless they are completed through an accredited institution which grants recognized college credit for same. Such courses are regular correspondence courses and are administered under the Cooperating College Program of USAFI.
Withdrawal from Courses
Students who withdraw from courses before the withdrawal deadline (two weeks after the midpoint, as specified by the official calendar) will receive a grade of W. Withdrawals from courses will not be permitted after the withdrawal deadline except in cases of hardship as determined by Student Care and Outreach (SCO) within the Division of Student
Affairs. Students with an active financial or registration hold on their record must clear that hold before being able to withdraw from their coursework.