Academic Advisor FAQs

Questions and answers to academic advising and student success questions will be posted for future reference by academic advisors.

Are you an academic advisor with a question related to academic advising, a university process/procedure, or to guide in student success? Ask your question through Advisors Asking Advisors! Please allow for a 1-2 business day response to your question. If immediate assistance is needed, call the Office of Academic Advising at 319-273-3406.

Are you a student seeking academic advising assistance?

Undergraduates: Contact your assigned academic advisor or complete this form from the Office of Academic Advising.
Graduate Students: Contact your assigned academic advisor or visit the Graduate College webpage for information/resources.

Scheduling & Registration

How to Identify Half Semester Classes

A student can check if they are registered for a second half-semester class by:

In Student Center in MyUNIverse look for:
- Course sections of 8X (i.e. 80, 91...) for first-half semester and 9X (i.e. 90, 91…) for second-half semester courses
- “Meeting Start Dates" representing the first-half or second-half of the semester

To view their schedule a student should look under:
- “My Class Schedule,” go to “Show Enrolled Classes” (if necessary filter out “Dropped” and "Wait listed” classes).
- Use the “Weekly Schedule” link to verify that the first week of the first-half or second-half of the semester is selected
  - Note: On the student's home page of Student Center, "This Week's Schedule" will only show those classes scheduled for that week of the semester at the time of the student's viewing.

Student Success

Questions/Considerations for a Student When Dropping a Course

What is the reason(s) for dropping the class?
- Managing current course load or balancing time demands with work and/or other activities
- Anticipated success in the course (i.e. grade)
- Interest or motivation in the class (e.g. student is considering changing their major?)
- Personal / health / family reasons
At what point in the semester (dates to observe) would the class be dropped?
- With no record? With a withdraw (“W”) notation? An “F” grade on the student’s transcript?
Has the student discussed their situation with the instructor?
Can the student improve their grade in the course?
- What is the current earned grade?
  - If the current grade, in unknown, how can they find out (e.g. eLearning or talking with instructor)?
- How is the final grade determined (e.g. tests, papers, assignments, projects, attendance…)?
- What grade-based elements are still to be completed?
- Will remaining in the course impact the achievement in other classes for the semester?
- Has the appropriate university support resources been utilzied (e.g. The Learning Center or Student Accessibility Services)
What academic requirements and policies need to be considered?
- Is the course meeting a requirement for UNIFI (new General Education program) or Liberal Arts Core (old program)? Major? Minor/certificate? University elective?
- Is the course required for admissions into a major?
- Are there specific grade requirements for the course for the major/minor/certificate?
- Is the course required (i.e. a pre-requisite) for a future class?
- When will the course be offered next?
- What is the undergraduate academic standing (academic alert or probation) of the student?
- Was this class taken previously (is it being repeated)?
- Will Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress be an issue?
Does minimum load requirements need to be met for…
- Financial Aid / Scholarships
- Athletic Eligibility
- International Student - VISA
- Veterans Benefits
- Insurance
- Vocational Rehabilitation
What are the alternatives (if any)?
- Adding a second-half semester course
- Changing from graded to credit no credit option
  - Note: Ungraded credit may not be applied to work required for a major, minor, or certificate except with the consent of the head of the department in which the course is offered.
- Guided Independent Study (separate tuition and fees will be charged/does not count towards financial aid)
- Completing the course at UNI or a direct equivalent course at another institution
- Complete a student request to be withdrawn for extenuating circumstances

Undergraduate Academic Standing Policy

View the Undergraduate Academic Standing Policy in the University Catalog.

Excerpts below from the Office of the Registrar Undergraduate Academic Standing Policy webpage:

Undergraduate students at the University of Northern Iowa are expected to meet academic standards set by the university and to demonstrate satisfactory academic progress towards earning a degree. Academic Alert and Academic Probation serve to warn students that unless their academic performance improves, they may be placed on Academic Suspension. No students in their first-semester in attendance at the University of Northern Iowa will be placed on Academic Suspension.

First-semester students (freshman and transfer students) at the University of Northern Iowa placed on Academic Alert or Academic Probation may be subject to conditions designed to increase academic success. A student who does not agree to these conditions may have their course schedule canceled for the semester.
All continuing students (students who are in their second semester or beyond at UNI) who are placed on Academic Probation should also seek assistance for academic improvement from academic advisors, The Learning Center, or the Counseling Center.
Academic Standing after the summer term is only considered for positive changes to academic standing. Students cannot lower in academic standing status at the conclusion of summer term.

Flowchart of the undergraduate academic standing policy.

Additional Resources:

Readmission After Supsension
- Application for Early Readmission from Academic Suspension - To request early readmission prior to sitting out a semester
- Application for Readmission from Academic Suspension - To request readmission after sitting out a semester (for first-time suspension) or two regular semesters (after a second academic supsension).
Committee on Admission and Retention

How to calculate GPA?

There are two ways for an academic advisor (or a student) to calculate a GPA:

Online GPA Calculator (see the suggestions for use and additional informational help with this tool on this page)
By "paper and pencil" using quality points

GPA is calculated in terms of quality points. For each hour of a letter grade earned, a set amount of "points" is awarded.

Grade	Quality Points	Grade	Quality Points	Grade	Quality Points	Grade	Quality Points	Grade	Quality Points
A	4.00	B +	3.33	C +	2.33	D +	1.33	F	0.00
A -	3.67	B	3.00	C	2.00	D	1.00
		B -	2.67	C-	1.67	D -	0.67

Note: One third of a quality point is added for every hour in which a plus (+) is earned. One third of a quality point is subtracted for every hour in which a minus (-) grade is earned. Grades of A+, F+, or F- are not assigned.

The grade point average is determined by dividing the number of grade points by the number of hours of earned (either total or for the semester). Hours of credit/no credit, withdrawal, or incomplete are not used in determining grade point average. For example:

Class	Hours	Grade	Grade Points (Hours x Grade Points)
Visual Perceptions	3	C +	6.99 (3 x 2.33)
Making the Modern World	3	B	9.00 (3 x 3.00)
Introduction to Psychology	3	A	12.00 (3 x 4.00)
Calculus I	4	B -	10.68 (4 x 2.67)
TOTAL	13		38.67

In this example, the GPA is 2.97 (38.67 divided by 13).