Important news for students re: grades, deadlines, advising, etc.

Dear Students,

We are writing to share updates and important information about grading, deadlines, and other issues related to advising and registration.

Forms and Signatures. We are, for the remainder of the Spring semester, suspending the requirement that signed paper forms be submitted to Academic Services and/or the Office of the Registrar. Email submissions from a student’s UMW email will be considered valid signed requests and SHOULD include a CC to the instructor/advisor. Furthermore, we will utilize an honor system for submissions, with the understanding that when a student submits such a form requiring an instructor/advisor signature that such consent has been obtained from the instructor/advisor prior to the submission of the form.

Individual Course Withdrawal:  The date to complete an individual course withdrawal for both 16-week and second 8-week spring semester courses has been moved to April 24, 2020 at 5pm.  Please complete the Course Withdraw Request Form to withdraw from individual courses.  Forms need to be sent to registrar@umw.edu by 5pm on April 24 (and remember to CC your instructor and advisor).  As was stated above, submission of the form by the student through the student’s UMW email account indicates that the student and advisor have discussed this request and are in agreement.  Any student on financial aid should also consult with the Office of Financial Aid prior to submitting a withdrawal request to consider any financial aid or scholarship implications. The last day to withdraw from all courses for the term remains Friday, April 24, at 5pm.

Change to Pass/Fail:  The date for undergraduates to change a course to/from graded to Pass/Fail for both 16-week and second 8-week spring semester courses has been extended to Friday, April 24, 2020. Please complete Course Change Request Form to move to or from Pass/Fail. Forms need to be sent to registrar@umw.edu by 5pm on April 24 (and remember to CC your instructor and advisor). During the current Spring semester, undergraduate students may take more than one course as Pass/Fail, HOWEVER, this decision should be made carefully. Total limits on the number or percent of courses that can be taken Pass/Fail remain and Pass/Fail courses will not count for General Education or the major. Students should only make this request having reviewed the scholarship and financial aid implications. More information about Pass/Fail grades can be found in the Undergraduate Academic Catalog [https://publications.umw.edu/undergraduatecatalog/passfail-grades/].

Switch to the new Gen Ed:  The declaration date to switch to the new Gen Ed has been moved to April 24, 2020, at 5pm. Please complete theGen Ed Declaration Form and submit it to advise@umw.edu by April 24, 2020, at 5pm (and remember to CC your advisor). As mentioned above, such a submission assumes that you have discussed with and obtained the support of your advisor to move to the new Gen Ed. Students will be transitioned to the new Gen Ed by the Office of the Registrar by July 1, 2020. Further information about the new requirements can be found at the Academic Services website [https://academics.umw.edu/academicservices/new-general-education-requirements-for-ba-bs-students/]

Senior Checksheets: The date to submit a senior checksheet (for August and December graduates) has been extended to Friday, April 10. Students can scan/photograph the senior checksheet and send it to Sharon Williams, Degree Auditor (swilli28@umw.edu) (and remember to CC your advisor). Such submission from the student’s UMW email account indicates the student and advisor have discussed remaining degree requirements.

Other Requests:  Students who need to submit an Office of the Registrar Form should submit the form to registrar@umw.edu. Students who need to submit an Academic Services Request Form should submit it to advise@umw.edu (and remember to CC your advisor). Both the Office of the Registrar and the Office of Academic Services will be monitoring email accounts and will respond to let you know the form has been received. Please note that there may be a delay in rendering a decision on your specific request at this time; however, we will make an effort to render decisions in a timely manner.

Fall Registration:  As was communicated last week, Fall Registration has been moved back in order to provide additional time for remote advising. The new timeline is as follows:

April 9-10

Priority Registration

Approved Students

April 13

Seniors

90-999

April 14

Juniors

60-89.99

April 15

Sophomores

30-59.99

April 16

First-Year

0-29.99

April 17

Open Registration Begins

Open to all students

**Graduate student registration will begin on April 13

If you have any questions or concerns, please speak with your academic/faculty advisor or contact the Office of the Registrar at 540-654-1063 or the Office of Academic Services at 540-654-1010.  We are here to support you.

Actions

Due Date

Senior Checksheets

April 10, 2020

Priority Registration

April 9-10, 2020

Fall 2020 Registration

April 13-16, 2020

Individual Course Withdrawal

April 24, 2020

Change to Pass/Fail

April 24, 2020

Full University Withdrawal

April 24, 2020

Sincerely,

Rita Dunston, Registrar

Wes Hillyard, Director of Academic Services