Policies & Procedures

Catalog of Graduation

This is the catalog under which you first entered at UTSA.  This catalog expires 6 years from the date you first enrolled under that catalog.  Your catalog lists the degree requirements and rules for graduation.  According to if/when you enrolled at a Texas Junior College, you may be eligible to move back to an earlier catalog.  Before choosing to do this, you should compare eligible catalogs to see how the transfer courses fit and if any requirements have changed.

Course Prerequisites

The course prerequisites are listed with the course description in the current catalog. They are set up by the departments to ensure that you have the necessary background knowledge to do well in that course.  To view current course information/pre-requisites, visit the following link: http://catalog.utsa.edu/undergraduate/. 

Minimum Grade Requirements

Students are expected to maintain a level of scholastic achievement that allows them to meet the grade requirements for graduation. Students remain in good standing when they maintain a UTSA grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 or higher. Students who fail to maintain the minimum required GPA of 2.0 in all work attempted at UTSA will be placed on academic warning, academic probation, or academic dismissal as appropriate. Students seeking degrees in the College of Architecture, the College of Business, the College of Engineering, or planning to major in Biology, should refer to the UTSA Undergraduate Catalog for additional minimum grade requirements.

Repeating Courses

If a grade of “D+,” “D,” “D-,” or “F” is earned in the first attempt, the grade may be replaced in the UTSA GPA if the same course is repeated at UTSA. An individual course may be repeated only once to replace the grade in the UTSA GPA. A grade of W" does not count as an attempt for purposes of grade replacement. Grades in subsequent retakes will be averaged. A student will be allowed to replace up to four grades in their UTSA GPA. Replacement grades will be figured into the UTSA GPA, however all grades will remain on the student’s official academic record.

Three-Attempt Policy

Should a student attempt a class three or more times (including W grades), the student will be assessed an additional fee above normal tuition.

Dropping an Individual Course

Students who wish to drop an individual course after the Census Date may do so online (regardless of holds), unless the course is part of a Learning Community, is a developmental class, or is restricted from online dropping for another reason. It will be necessary to meet with an advisor to drop a restricted course. Undergraduate students will be allowed to drop no later than the third class day preceding the first day of final examinations. 

Six-Drop Policy

Effective Fall 2007, the legislated and enacted six-drop policy limits each student to drop no more than six courses throughout his or her undergraduate college career at Texas public institutions of higher education. Under Section 51.907 of the Texas Education Code, “an institution of higher education may not permit a student to drop more than six courses, including any course a transfer student has dropped at another institution of higher education.”

The statute applies to students who enroll in a public institution of higher education as first-time undergraduates in Fall 2007 or later. Any course that a student drops is counted toward the six-course limit if:

1. the student was able to drop the course without receiving a grade or incurring an academic penalty
   (for courses taken at UTSA, this means the student was able to drop the course without receiving a grade of “A+,” “A,” “A-,” “B+,” “B,” “B-,” “C+,” “C,” “C-,” “D+,” “D,” “D-,” “F,” “CR,” “NC,” or “IN,” but did receive a grade of “W” for the course which results in no academic penalty);
2. the student’s transcript indicates or will indicate that the student was enrolled in the course; and
3. the student is not dropping the course in order to withdraw from the institution.

This would not include courses dropped before the semester begins or before the Census Date.

Withdrawal from University

Undergraduate students, other than athletes, international students, and students on financial aid who find it necessary to withdraw from the University may do so via your myUTSA Account during long Fall and Spring semesters. During Summer terms, all students must submit a withdrawal form to the One Stop Enrollment Center. The withdrawal form is available on the Office of the Registrar website.

Change of Major

Undergraduate students requesting to change majors or degree program are advised to meet with an academic advisor for the program they intend to declare. The change is not official until the advisor approves the request and makes the change in the Student Information System. Note: Some majors have specific requirements for admission to their programs.

Students may change their program of study, including majors, minors, concentrations, and degree type, up to the completion of 75 semester credit hours earned (not including dual credit, Advanced Placement (AP) credit, or other college credits earned while in high school). After earning 75 or more credit hours, students may make changes only if the changes will not delay graduation by adding additional hours or semesters to those already needed under the current program of study. For any changes that will increase the number of hours or time needed to graduate, students must petition the appropriate dean through their assigned academic advisor.

For more information on changing majors, please view the Change of Major Appointment Request Form.

Gateway Courses

Many UTSA majors have designated certain courses as Gateway Courses. Gateway Courses are generally courses that are necessary for students to progress through their chosen major. Gateway Courses must be passed with a grade of “C-” or better in no more than two attempts. A student who is unable to successfully complete this course within two attempts, including dropping the course with a grade of “W” or taking an equivalent course at another institution, will be required to change his or her major outside of the originally intended major. 

Gateway are usually those courses which contain material in which a student needs a clear-cut comprehension in order to be successful in completing other course requirements for the major. That is, Gateway Courses often determine whether a student is a suitable candidate to pursue the indicated major. The Gateway courses for each major are listed in this catalog under the program requirements.