Policies/Procedures

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Related Policies

Eligibility for Financial Aid offered by the Office of Financial Aid

Graduate students are eligible for continuing financial aid if: a) they complete, with grades of C or better, 67% of graduate courses attempted at the University; and b) they have not yet completed more than 150% of the graduate credits required for their degree. Students wishing to continue receiving financial aid who do not meet these requirements must petition the Student Aid Committee and be approved by the Office of Financial Aid.

Course Grades

Courses for which students have received a grade of “D” or “F” will not be accepted as meeting degree requirements.

Grade Forgiveness and Repeated Courses

There is no grade forgiveness policy at the graduate level. If a student repeats a course, both the original and repeated course grade will be computed in the cumulative grade point average. The only exception to this policy is for students who have had no enrollment in the Graduate School for a minimum of five years and who has elected to take academic bankruptcy. Please see the section on our website about Readmission to the Graduate School.

Additional Courses Above Requirements

Students in master’s programs may take only 6 hours in addition to degree requirements in an effort to raise the grade point average necessary to graduate. If a student first encounters academic difficulty after they have already completed 6 credit hours for the degree beyond the minimum degree requirements, no additional courses may be taken.

Program Requirements

Individual degree programs may impose more stringent requirements than the Graduate School.

Annual Graduate Student Academic Review

It will be a policy of the Graduate Council that every master’s, specialist, and doctoral student will be reviewed annually by his/her degree program for progress toward the degree. At a minimum, the review will cover progress in the following:

1. ) completing courses with an adequate grade-point average;
2. ) completing the thesis/dissertation/project requirements;
3. ) completing all of the required examinations;
4. ) completing other requirements for the degree. When the review of each student is completed, the review form will be signed by the graduate student and the department/program head/chair, as well as other appropriate individuals as designated in the program review policy. This review will be forwarded to the Graduate School, to be included in the student’s file.

Academic Probation Policy for Graduate Students

Academic Probation Policy for Graduate Students can be found on the Academic Dismissal, Academic Probation and Annual Review page in the Objectives and Regulations section of The Graduate catalog.

Graduate School Registration and Leave of Absence Policy

The Graduate School has no requirement of registration for non-degree, certificate, master's, or pre-candidacy doctoral students. Graduate students in those categories may pause their academic studies, though any time away from the University does not waive the time requirements for a degree nor guarantees scholarship/fellowship/graduate assistant funding upon return. If the student has no enrollment for a fall or spring semester, their UA Connect account will be discontinued. To reactivate and reenroll, the student shall submit a request for readmission/reactivation to the Graduate School. The Graduate School's readmission policy would apply which allows for re-enrollment in the Graduate School if the student's last enrollment was within the five preceding academic years, they student left in good standing, and maintained a minimum of a 2.85 GPA.

All doctoral students who have been admitted to candidacy must enroll in a minimum of one hour of graduate course or dissertation credit every major semester (fall, spring) until they graduate. Under unusual circumstances, this enrollment requirement may be waived for post-candidacy doctoral students for up to two years, with an approved request for a leave of absence. To request a leave of absence, the student’s major professor must petition the Graduate Dean, specifying the circumstances that make it necessary for the student to interrupt their studies. While a decision will be made on a case-by-case basis, circumstances that might be considered include serious illness of the student or their immediate family, serious personal problems, or job-related issues. While the student is on an approved leave of absence, he/she cannot use any university resources, such as the library or faculty time. A post-candidacy doctoral student who takes an unauthorized break in registration by failing to maintain continuous enrollment or failing to obtain a leave of absence will no longer be considered a graduate student at the University of Arkansas. Students who wish to be reinstated will be required to file an Application for Readmission (no fee) and may be required to register for one graduate credit for each term of unauthorized break in registration. In the case of extraordinarily extenuating circumstances, students may appeal the provisions of this policy and request additional terms of leave of absence or forgiveness of the additional credits of registration. Such an appeal must be made to the Graduate Dean.

The student should be aware that the leave of absence policy does not waive the time requirements for a degree. A separate petition must be made for a time extension, if required. Also, a request for leave of absence may not be made for the semester in which the student graduates.

Academic Integrity Policy for Graduate Students

The Academic Integrity Policy is available on the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affair web site.

Research and Scholarly Misconduct Policy

Please see the Responsible Conduct of Research page.

Academic Grievance Procedures for Graduate Students and Graduate Assistants

Please see the Graduate Catalog: Academic Grievance Procedures for Graduate Students

Grade Appeal Process for Graduate Students

The Graduate School of the University of Arkansas recognizes that there may be occasions when a graduate student questions the fairness or accuracy of a grade. Situations that may result in an appeal include those where an instructor’s policy was not applied consistently to all students, the instructor’s actions differed substantially from announced policy or the syllabus, or that a policy was not announced. All appeals concerning course grades must be filed within one calendar year after the end of the term in which the grade is assigned. In such cases, the following process shall apply.

The student should first discuss the matter with the instructor involved, doing so as soon as possible after receiving the grade. If the student chooses to pursue an appeal, the student shall take the appeal in written form to the appropriate department or program chairperson of the program in which the course was instructed. The appeal should present the basis of the appeal with evidence the student may have to support the appeal. If that person determines the case has no merit, that person will inform the student and the instructor within five working days of having received the appeal from the student, or as soon thereafter as is practicable. If that person believes the complaint may have merit, that person will discuss it with the instructor. The instructor will have five working days from the date of that discussion (or as soon thereafter as is practicable) to decide whether to change the grade. In the case that the department or unit chairperson is the instructor, the student should submit an appeal in written form to the appropriate dean of the college in which the course was instructed.

If the matter remains unresolved, the department/program chair/head/director will, within 15 working days after receiving the original written appeal (or as soon thereafter as is practicable), refer it to an ad hoc committee composed of programmatic or departmental faculty. This committee will be appointed by the department or program chairperson and will have at least three faculty with graduate faculty status representing the program or department in which the course was instructed. In the case where there are fewer than three faculty within the program or department to serve on the committee, graduate faculty members from a closely related discipline will be appointed to serve. In the case where the department or unit chairperson is the instructor of the appeal, the ad hoc committee will be appointed by the appropriate dean of the college in which the course was instructed. The instructor whose grade is being challenged shall not serve on this ad hoc committee. The committee will examine available written information on the dispute, will be available to meet with the student and with the instructor, and will meet with others as it sees fit. The committee will have a maximum of 20 working days (or as soon thereafter as is practicable), from the date that the committee received the appeal, to deliberate and make a recommendation as follows.

If by majority vote, the ad hoc faculty committee determines, through its inquiries and deliberations, that the grade should not be changed, the committee shall communicate this conclusion to the student, the faculty member, and the chairperson. This will end the appeal unless the student can demonstrate a violation of University policy in the original assessment of the grade or in the deliberation by the ad hoc committee. In such cases, the graduate student will have access to the Graduate Student Grievance policy.

If, by a majority vote, the ad hoc faculty committee determines that the grade should be changed, the committee will request that the instructor make the change and provide the instructor with a written explanation. Should the instructor decline, he or she must provide to the ad hoc faculty committee a written explanation for refusing to do so within five working days of receiving the request from the committee (or as soon thereafter as is practicable).

If the ad hoc faculty committee, after considering the instructor’s written explanation, concludes it would be inappropriate to allow the original grade to stand, it may then recommend to the department chairperson, or dean in the case where the department chairperson is the faculty whose grade is being challenged that the grade be changed. That individual (department chair or dean) will provide the instructor with a copy of the recommendation and will ask the instructor to implement it. If the instructor continues to decline, the chairperson or dean is then obligated to change the grade, notifying the instructor and the student of this action. Only the chairperson or dean has the authority to effect a grade change over the objection of the instructor who assigned the original grade, and only after the foregoing procedures have been followed.

The final decision on the appeal must be made within 45 days of the student submitting it to the department/program chair/head/director (or as soon thereafter as is practicable). The instructor may appeal the decision to the academic dean or if the instructor is that person, to the Provost partnerships of other kinds.

Travel Policy for Graduate Students

Graduate students who travel on University business must comply with the travel policies of the University. For those graduate students not on assistantships/fellowships, please see the University Travel Policy or check the Travel Policy FAQ.

Rules and Regulations Pertaining to International Students

There are some rules and regulations which apply specifically to international students on the International Students and Scholars site which provides links to international-related websites.