Retroactive Graduate Credit

Graduate students fully admitted into a degree program at the University of Arkansas may request that up to 12 hours of courses taken in the final 12-month period of their undergraduate degree count toward their graduate degree, if these courses were taken on the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville campus. These courses may not have been used for the undergraduate degree (unless the student is in a program where this has been approved by the Graduate Council), must be approved by the student’s advisory committee, and must be at the 5000 level or above. Petition will be by the student’s advisory committee or major professor to the Graduate School.

Sometimes students have completed their undergraduate degrees elsewhere, but have then taken course work as undergraduate students at the University of Arkansas after completing their undergraduate degree, but before being admitted to the Graduate School. Such students may request that up to six hours of courses taken for undergraduate credit in the final twelve months prior to admission to the Graduate School count toward their degrees. All of the rules stated in this policy are also applicable to this type of situation.

If the graduate student’s advisory committee wishes to accept courses at the 4000 level towards the graduate degree, when those courses were taken in the last semester of a student’s undergraduate degree at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, the committee may petition the Graduate School. The petition must include an explanation of why the committee considers these courses to meet graduate degree requirements and expectations for graduate-level work. The instructors for these courses must have had graduate faculty status, and these courses may not have been used for the undergraduate degree.

Courses at the 3000 level taken before the student is fully admitted to the Graduate School may not be used to fulfill graduate degree requirements.

Courses offered by institutions other than the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, may not be counted toward the graduate degree requirements in this way.

If a graduate program wishes to place a senior-level undergraduate student on a graduate assistantship, the Graduate Dean will consider these appointments on a case-by-case basis. The program must stipulate that the student will be entering one of its graduate programs as soon as the undergraduate degree is completed, and the student must be within six hours of completing the undergraduate degree. An undergraduate student may not hold a graduate assistantship, even under these conditions, for more than one semester.

Complete the Retroactive Graduate Credit form (PDF) or Graduate Credit for 3000-4000 Level Courses (Word document) .