Undergraduate Policies

Academic Records

Transfer Credit and External Exams:
UMBC follows established policies and guidelines mandated by Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) and the University System of Maryland (USM) in awarding credit from Maryland public institutions. UMBC awards credit for the following external exams: Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), and College Level Examination Program (CLEP). For more information on MHEC transfer policies and external exam visit the Undergraduate Catalog.

For more information about general transfer credit policies and procedures visit Transfer Credits/Articulation page.

Graduation Requirements for Undergraduate Degrees
UMBC confers Bachelors degrees on undergraduate students who successfully complete a major course of study and designated general education and graduation requirements. For more information, visit Academic/Degree Requirements – Undergraduates.

Grading System
UMBC uses a letter grading system to indicate academic performance. Each letter grade is assigned numerical quality points for the purpose of calculating grade point average.

Institutional Credit
Physical education courses and courses that are remedial in nature are awarded institutional credit. Institutional credit is used to determine semester credit loads (full-time/part-time) but are not calculated into the cumulative gpa or the minimum 120 credits required for graduation.

Pass/Fail Grading
Eligible students may opt to take select courses as pass/fail. Please note: This grading option may have implications for completion of major and degree requirements. Students considering pass/fail option should consult with their academic advisor.

Repeating Courses
For courses repeated, only the highest grade is used in the computation of the cumulative grade point average, however, all grades earned remain on the permanent record. For most repeated courses credit will only be counted once toward graduation requirements. Some courses are repeatable for additional credit as specified in the catalog course description. Some limitations apply to repeated courses.

Auditing Courses
Students who wish to participate in selected courses but are not seeking academic credit may opt to enroll on an audit basis. Students must pay tuition and fees for audited courses whether enrolled full-time or part-time.

Incomplete Grades
Under exceptional circumstances a grade of incomplete may be given for coursework that is qualitatively satisfactory but reasons beyond the students control can not be completed. All incomplete work must be completed before a date specified by the instructor which under no circumstances will be later than last day scheduled for final examinations during the next regular semester.

Grade Changes
An instructor may change a grade already submitted on written certification and approval by the department chairperson and the appropriate dean. Once a degree is awarded, no changes will be made to a student’s record.

Credit By Examination
Degree-seeking undergraduates may establish as much as 60 credits towards the bachelor’s degree through UMBC administered examinations, College Level Examination Program (CLEP), Advanced Placement (AP) or the International Baccacalaureate (IB). Students should consult with their advisor regarding applicability of internal or external examination credit toward degree requirements. Detailed information on external exams is available in Appendix II of the Undergraduate Catalog.

Transcripts
Upon request, the Office of the Registrar issues official transcripts for students and alumni. Transcripts are not furnished for any student or alumnus who has outstanding financial obligations to the university.

Confidentiality and Disclosure of Records
UMBC maintains records of matters relevant to the educational process of each student. These records can not be disclosed to individuals other than the student except by written consent of the student, by legal order or in carefully circumscribed instances based on the University System of Maryland’s policy, which conforms with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974. The full-text USM policy is available in Appendix VII of the Undergraduate Catalog.

Outstanding academic performance is recognized through the awarding of various academic honors including graduation honors, Dean’s List, semester honors, general honors and department honors.

Minimum Standards for Continued Enrollment
All undergraduates with a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 or above are academically eligible to return for subsequent semesters. Students who fall below the minimum requirement are placed in academic jeorpardy or on probation, suspension or dismissal based upon cumulative grade point average and attempted credits.

Academic Forgiveness (Clemency and Non-Applicable Semester)
Students who are reinstated to the University after a lapse of five years or more may request to have up to 16 credits of failing grades excluded from the calculation of their cumulative grade point average. In addition, students with a minimum of 90 credits, at least 45 of which were earned at UMBC, may request to declare a particular single semester in which at least 9 credits were attempted, non-applicable to their record. The quality of the work must be clearly out of line with the rest of the student’s record. Petitions must be made in writing to the Office of the Registrar and approval are neither automatic or guaranteed.

Registration

Course Load (full-time/part-time status)
If students register for fewer than 12 credits in any fall or spring semester, the University considers them part-time students. Twelve or more credits during a regular semester is considered full-time. Note: Full/part-time status may carry implications for eligibility for financial aid and other external benefits program. Also, part-time status may be defined differently by outside agencies and by some financial aid programs.

Classification of Student (Class standing)
Students are classified according to the number of earned credits as follows: freshman (0-29); sophomore (30-59); junior (60-89), senior (90+).

Enrollment at Other Institutions
UMBC students interested in enrolling in courses at other institutions should complete a Verification of Transferability form in the Office of the Registrar prior to registration. Generally, UMBC will consider for transfer credit academic courses taken at other regionally accredited institutions in subject areas that are considered part of a student’s university program in which he or she has earned a grade of C- or better. For more information, see transfer credit policy.

Cooperative programs between UMBC and other University System of Maryland institutions and programs with Baltimore area institutions exist to facilitate enrollment and transfer of credit for eligible students. For more information visit (link to BSEP and Inter-institutional Enrollment).

Registration for Graduate Courses
With prior approval from the Graduate School and the department sponsoring the course, eligible undergraduate students may register for graduate-level courses to apply either toward undergraduate or graduate program requirements.

Changes in Registration (Add/Drop)
Students may add courses through the first two weeks of class (fall/spring). Students may drop courses during the first 10 weeks of the semester. After the end of the fourth week of the semester, dropped courses will be reflected on the student’s transcript with a grade of “W”. After the 10 week period, students will receive a grade for all remaining courses. If you fail to attend class without having dropped the course, you will receive a grade of “F”, unless you have officially withdrawn from the university. You must follow all registration procedures as outlined in each semester’s Schedule of Classes.

Withdrawal from UMBC
If you wish to withdraw from all courses for which you have registered, you must notify the Office of the Registrar by filing a withdrawal form no later than the last scheduled day of classes prior to final exams. Transcripts will have a notation of “Semester Withdrawal” for the semester if the withdrawal occurs after classes have begun. The effective date of withdrawal, for refunds and grades, is the date on which the form is filed in the Office of the Registrar.

Retention of Registration Records
While transcript records are permanently held by the Office of the Registrar, documentation pertaining to the registration for each semester is held for a period of five years. If any questions should arise regarding documentation of enrollment more than five years beyond registration for a course, it is the student’s responsibility to produce proper documentation to support any claim for change in records. Students are urged to resolve any question regarding academic records as quickly as possible.

Other:

In-State Classification for Tuition Purposes
It is the policy of the board of regents of the University System of Maryland (USM) to recognize the categories of in-state and out-of-state students for the purpose of admission, tuition and charge differentials at those institutions where such differential has been established. The complete University System of Maryland Policy for Student Classification for Admission, Tuition and Charge-Differential Purposes is available in the Undergraduate Catalog (Appendix II).
Students seeking to petition for in-state residency status must submit a Petition For Change in Residency Status form by the last day of late registration for the semester for which you are seeking in-state status.

Satisfactory Academic Progress Requirements (For Financial Aid Eligibility)
To receive Federal Title IV Financial Aid, students must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average and make steady progress toward the completion of their degree. The academic standards and other stipulations for meeting this requirement are outline in the Undergraduate Catalog (see Appendix IV).

Academic Integrity
Dishonesty, cheating, plagiarism and other irregularities in academic work are causes for appropriate disciplinary action. Note: Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to the submission of purchased term papers. For more information on academic integrity visit the Provost website at http://www.umbc.edu/provost/integrity/overview.html.