FAQs
General Questions
Where is the Registrar's Office?
The Registrar's Office is located in room 213, Whitmore Administration
Building, in the Haigis Mall.
How do I change my address?
You can change your address through SPIRE.
How do I change my graduation date?
If you need to change your graduation date, you should come into the
office, in room 207 and speak with a member of Senior Staff.
Transfer of Credit
What courses will transfer to UMass?
Courses offered at a school that has regional academic accreditation at
the post-secondary level
[consult the other school's catalog]
Courses comparable in nature, content, and level to courses offered at
UMass Amherst
[compare course descriptions/syllabi]
Courses passed with a minimum grade of C- and are listed on an official
transcript submitted to the Undergraduate Records Office, Whitmore
Administration Building
What courses will generally not
transfer?
Taught by a school which does not have regional academic accreditation
at the post-secondary level
Failed, or passed with a grade lower than C-
Remedial or developmental
(pre-100 level, ESL, basic math, pre-composition, etc.)
Skills oriented
(Lotus 1-2-3, study skills, career development, word processing,
business communication, sales, etc.)
Vocational
(secretarial, lab technology, real estate, electronics, paralegal,
medical assistant, radiology, etc.)
Internships, co-ops, field experiences or practica sponsored by the
other school
Non-credit or offered through certificate programs, professional or
community service seminars, etc.
Credited with Continuing Education Units (CEUs) instead of semester or
quarter credits
What paper work must a current UMass
student complete prior to undertaking transfer coursework?
Seniors who intend to complete their final degree requirements
off-campus must complete the Senior
Year in Absentia Form available at the Undergraduate Records Office,
Whitmore Administration Building.
Students studying abroad must complete the Preliminary Registration
Approval Form (PRAF), available at the International Programs Office,
Hills South (for more information, see the guidelines
document from the International Programs Office)
Standard Prior Approval Forms are
required for all other students. If transfer coursework is to be used
to satisfy major or college requirements, students should check with
the Chief Undergraduate Advisor (or designee) for their major to ensure
acceptable choices prior to course registration.
How is course credit awarded?
Credit systems may vary from school to school. Transfer credit will be
awarded in semester-hour equivalents. Quarter-hour credits are
generally multiplied by .67 to determine the semester-hour equivalent.
How will courses be equated?
Attempts are made to assign exact UMass Amherst equivalents when course
content sufficiently matches a course offered at UMass and the related
department accepts the match. If the course is transferable, but no
equivalent exists, then a generic number such as ITRA or IEXB will be
assigned as the course number.
Why do some courses have a generic
number such as ITRA or IEXB?
the course content is not equivalent to any existing UMass course, or
the related department chooses not to designate an exact equivalent
(e.g. School of Management, School of Engineering)
How can courses with generic numbers
be used?
URQMT designations will automatically be applied to the appropriate Gen
Ed or Diversity requirement. However, academic advisors may choose to
satisfy a major or college requirement with a generic course. The
advisor notes this on a Student Exception Form and submits it to the
Undergraduate Records Office, Whitmore Administration Building.
Transcripts
How do I get a transcript?
There are two types of transcripts: official transcripts and unofficial
transcripts.
An unofficial transcript can be obtained through SPIRE or by
simply coming into the office in room 213 with a valid Student ID and
asking for one. We're sorry but we can only give out one copy of
unofficial transcripts; however, feel free to make photocopies – they
are just as "unofficial" or official as an unofficial transcript is.
Get information on how to order
official transcripts.
Academic Requirements Reports
What is the Academic Requirements
Report?
The Academic Requirements Report is primarily an advising tool to
inform you and your advisor about your progress through your particular
degree program. While a transcript lists your completed courses in a
chronological order, the Academic Requirements Report distributes them
among the various requirements in your program. It also places
in-progress courses where they will satisfy requirements when completed
with an appropriate grade.
Do University Graduation Credits
include the courses I'm taking right now?
No. Credits are added to requirements only after a semester has been
completed and grades earned. Also, note that remedial 0-level courses
such as Math 011 do not count toward graduation.
How do repeated courses appear on
the Academic Requirements Report?
After you repeat a course in which you originally earned a grade of C-,
CD, D+, D, or F, the Academic Requirements Report will remove the grade
and the credit from the semester and cumulative totals. You are not
permitted to repeat courses taken with earned grades of C or higher.
The "repeat policy" allows you to repeat up to five courses with the
"grade forgiveness" described above. If you repeat more than five, the
grades in both course attempts WILL count in your cumulative average,
but credits, if any, will count only once. Similarly, any repeats taken
before the policy went into effect in Fall of 1993 will not be subject
to this policy.
There are no special designations for repeated courses on your
transcript.
Last semester all of my Gen Ed
requirements were complete, this semester a course I'm taking now is in
Gen Eds. Can I use it in another requirement?
The Academic Requirements Report program reads courses chronologically
and puts each course into the first requirement it can satisfy. It does
not check to see if other courses could satisfy the same requirement.
At the end of the semester, when these courses are completed,
everything should fall into its proper place. If it doesn't, come to
the Registrar's Office to get the courses relocated.
Why do in-progress courses satisfy
some requirements and not others?
No course actually satisfies requirements until it has been completed
with the grade required (some majors require a grade of C or better),
but since the Academic Requirements Report is meant to assist students
in selecting courses for the coming semester, we have coded in-progress
courses to show requirements as satisfied, with the assumption that you
will complete them successfully. There is one exception. Requirements
requiring a minimum grade will not be satisfied until the course is
completed with that grade.
My advisor said this transfer course
satisfies a major requirement, but the Academic Requirements Report
still shows the requirement in red/bold. Why?
If the Admissions Office has not assigned a transfer course an exact
UMass equivalent, the course will not go into a requirement on the
Academic Requirements Report. It has to be manually processed for you.
Ask your advisor to send a Student Exception Form to the Registrar's
Office.
I think one of my transfer courses
should satisfy a Gen Ed requirement. Why doesn't it?
The Office of Transfer Affairs (OTA) assigns Gen Ed codes to transfer
courses. If they didn't do so, it probably means that the course
doesn't qualify or that they didn't have enough information about the
course to judge. Obtain a course description or syllabus and ask an OTA
evaluator to review it.
My exchange courses are on the
Academic Requirements Report, but not where they belong. Why?
Did you fill out a prior-approval form signed by your departmental
advisor? The Registrar's Office cannot assign courses to major
requirements without authorization from the department.
One of my International exchange
courses should satisfy a Gen Ed requirement. Why is it in "Additional
Electives" instead?
The International Programs Office (IPO) assigns Gen Ed codes to
international exchange courses. Check
with them...
Why doesn't my Psych 100 course
satisfy an SB requirement?
You are probably a Psych major. Since only one course in your major
department can be used toward Gen Ed requirements, the Academic
Requirements Report has probably already assigned another Psych course
to a Gen Ed requirement, such as 240 for R2, or 330 for BS. If you wish
to rearrange how your major courses are used in Gen Ed requirements,
come to the Registrar's Office (213 Whitmore).
I completed my foreign language
requirement in high school. Why isn't it on the Academic Requirements
Report?
The report only shows what's on your UMass transcript. Go to your
college/school to discuss your situation.
My advisor says I should ignore the
Academic Requirements Report, so what good is it?
His/her advice will not help you when you fail to be cleared for
graduation, especially if your Academic Requirements Report has been
telling you all along that you're missing some requirement. It is sad
but true that some departments do not update their portion of the
report, but we do use them to clear you for Gen Ed, Diversity and
College requirements. The Chief Undergraduate Advisor in your
department verifies your completion of major requirements, whether the
Academic Requirements Report shows this or not.
Additional Questions?
If you need help reading your Academic Requirements Report, call us at
(413) 545-3743.
Withdrawal Questions
How do I withdraw?
From the University
If you are withdrawing from the University after the current semester
ends but before the first day of classes of the next semester, you must
either fill out a withdrawal card, that is available in the Registrar's
office, Rm. 213 Whitmore. or notify the Registrar's office, 213
Whitmore in writing of your withdrawal. Please include your Student ID
number and your signature.
PLEASE NOTE!! All withdrawals must be signed by
you, the student. Any other signature submitted will not be accepted
and the withdrawal will not be processed.
If you are withdrawing from the University in the middle of a semester,
you must initiate the withdrawal at your Academic Dean's office. If the
withdrawal is for health/medical reasons, you must get authorization
from the Medical Director of Health Services. The necessary
instructions and a form are available at the Dean of Students office,
Room 227 Whitmore.
Additional signatures are required before a withdrawal can be
processed; please note section C on the form mentioned above.
| Refund Schedule
for Tuition and Fees, Fall and Spring Semesters |
| Time of Withdrawal |
Refund |
| 1. Registration day and first
day of classes |
100% |
| 2. Day 2 of classes through
the first two weeks of the semester |
80% |
| 3. During the third week |
60% |
| 4. During the fourth week |
40% |
| 5. During the fifth week |
20% |
| 6. After the fifth week |
none |
From a course
If you need to withdraw from a course during the semester you may drop
the course, with no record, during the add/drop period, by using SPIRE.
After the add/drop period, "W" drops are accepted with instructor's
signature, up to the mid-semester date. A course change form needed for
this process is available in the Registrar's office or your Dean's office. If a course drop
is needed after the mid-semester date, the student must petition their Academic Dean for approval.
PLEASE NOTE: There are several factors to keep in mind when withdrawing
from a course that will bring your enrollment total below a full-time
load of 12 credits. If you are currently under your parents' health
coverage, you may become ineligible. Most health insurance carriers
require these students to remain full time in order to continue
benefits. Also, if you are receiving financial aid and you change your
status, your aid may be reduced. Please check with the Office of
Financial Aid.
I just found out that I am withdrawn
from the University. Why?
There could be several different reasons for a withdrawal from the
University. In each case, every attempt is made 14 days in advance to
notify the student of the pending action. If you have received such
notice, contact that specific agency who has requested the withdrawal.
Common reasons for withdrawals
Money owed to the University: Bursar's Office, Campus Center, Housing ,
Dean of Students and /or Health Services
Immunization records are not complete
Failure to register for any courses
Academic Suspension or Dismissal
Disciplinary Action
Limited information regarding the withdrawal can be obtained by contacting the Registrar's Office.
Registration/Grades
I received an "INC" in a course I
took last year, and now the grade is an "F". My instructor said he
submitted the correct grade. How did this happen and how do I get it
changed?
An "INC" grade automatically turns to an "F" after one semester (or to
an "IF" if it was taken Fall 2004 or later). An instructor may submit a
Grade Change Form , with their signature, at anytime during that
semester, changing the "INC" to a letter grade. An "INC" grade may be
extended for a semester provided the instructor of the course has
submitted a request to the Registrar's Office.
If an "INC" has changed to an "F" or "IF", the Grade Change form now
would require signatures from the Department Head and the Dean.
Grade Change forms are available in every department and the
Registrar's Office for staff and faculty use only.
A course is missing from my schedule
and add/drop is over, how do I add this course?
Late adds must get approval from an Academic Dean. The Dean will sign a
course change form, indicating approval, only after they have received
documentation from the course instructor verifying your attendance.
I am registered for the wrong
section of a class, how do I change that?
You may make a section change at any time during the semester, with the
instructor's signature of approval on a course change request card.
I had originally signed up for a six
credit course and now it shows as only one credit, how do I change that?
You may change the credit value of a variable credit course at any time
with the signature approval of the instructor on a course change form.
How can I add my course with the
pass/fail option? How do I revoke the pass/fail option?
Students can add their courses with the pass/fail option during
pre-registration or add/drop through SPIRE. If the student needs to
change the option after add/drop ends, signature approval is required
from an academic dean.
At any time during a student's academic stay at UMass he/she may revoke
the Pass/Fail option off their record. Forms are available in
Registrar's Office.
Part-Time Status
I am currently a full time student
and wish to change to part time status, what do I do?
By filling out a form, the student can request the status change at any
time BEFORE the end of the add/drop period of that current semester.
If during the add/drop period, the student whose billing status is full
time and has paid the full time tuition, decides to become part time,
notification must be given to the Registrar's Office. We will
automatically recalculate the tuition, providing the form is completed
and submitted during the add/drop period, and the results will be
available for lookup on SPIRE.
PLEASE NOTE: There are several factors to keep in mind when changing to
part time. If you are currently under your parents' health coverage,
you may become ineligible if you switch to part-time. Most health
insurance carriers require these students to remain full time in order
to continue benefits. Also, if you are receiving financial aid and you
change your status, your aid may be reduced. Please check with the
Office of Financial Aid.
Loan Deferment
I have received notice that I must
start paying back my student loan, how can I defer payments while still
enrolled in school?
Several times during the semester we send an updated file of
enrollments and graduation dates to the National Student Loan Clearinghouse.
Students can contact the clearinghouse directly by phone, fax or in
writing or drop off a deferment form with the Registrar's office and we
will forward the completed verification form to the clearinghouse or
directly to your lender. Students should obtain a blank deferment form
from their lending agency. If unable to obtain a blank deferment form,
the Registrar's office has generic verification statement that can be
substituted.
National Student Loan Clearinghouse
13454 Sunrise Valley Dr
Suite 300
Herndon, VA 20171
Phone: (703) 742-4200
Fax: (703) 742-7792
http://www.studentclearinghouse.org |
