Policies and Procedures

Policies & Procedures

The College of Science recognizes that Online students may not be in a position to visit the campus for help with the policies and procedures below, nor are they required to do so. If you need assistance with any of the topics listed on this page, please contact your Online Student Academic Specialist or Academic Advisor first. They will be able to help you with the most efficient process and coordinate with the College on your behalf in order to help you resolve the situation.

Current UA students wishing to change their major to one within the College of Science should follow the instructions provided here For additional questions, please contact the Academic Advisor for the intended program. See the list of advisors by major. 

Information on the University of Arizona's grade appeal policy can be found in the General Catalog. It is strongly suggested that students make an attempt to resolve the matter within the department offering the course.

  • Students choosing to proceed with a grade appeal for courses offered within the College of Science must follow the College of Science Grade Appeal Protocol. Contact Dr. Rebecca Gomez, Assoc. Dean for Undergraduate Success, at rgomez@arizona.edu for this document.
  • Click to view grade appeal forms to assist you in tracking your progress throughout the appeal process.
  • It is important to begin the grade appeal process BEFORE the 5th week of the semester following the semester in which the appealing grade was earned. 
  • Contact Dr. Rebecca Gomez in the College of Science if you have any questions about the Grade Appeal process.

Location:

College of Science Administration
Gould-Simpson Building, Room 1025
1040 E. Fourth Street
University of Arizona
Tucson, AZ 85721-0077

Undergraduate students majoring in the College of Science may petition the University General Petitions Committee for relief if they believe they deserve redress or exception to university rules, regulations, or policies regarding academic affairs. Click here for more information on the general petition process. 

  • Any student who violates the Student Code of Conduct when preparing their petition packet for submission may lose the opportunity to resubmit their packet to the College for consideration.
  • Students have one year to file their petition.
  • Petitions are collected until the last official day of classes (not finals) for the term. After this deadline, students may still submit petitions, however they must wait until the next semester for it to undergo review.

Please send questions and petitions that are completed electronically to science@arizona.edu.

Hard copy petitions may be sent to:

Robin Rarick
College of Science Administration
Gould-Simpson Building, Room 1017
1040 E. Fourth Street
University of Arizona
Tucson, AZ 85721-0077

Use a change of schedule form to drop or add classes when UAccess is no longer is available for those changes. 

  • Refer to the registration dates and deadlines that determine when schedule changes are allowed. Note that 5-week courses, 7-week courses, dynamically-dated courses or those with non-standard start and end dates have different deadlines for adding and dropping.  
  • For regular term courses, withdrawals filed before the first deadline (at the end of the 2nd week of classes) will result in the course being deleted from the student's permanent record and no "W" grade will be assessed.
  • For course withdrawals filed between the first and second withdrawal deadlines (between the 2nd and 10th week of classes) the grade of "W" is awarded.
  • After the second withdrawal deadline (between the 10th and 13th week of classes), students must have an extraordinary reason for not being able to complete the course, and it must be approved by the student's college dean via Late Change Petition. Students requesting to drop one or more classes (but not to drop to 0 units) after the 10th week MUST file a late change petition.

When UAccess becomes unavailable for registration changes you must use the online Change of Schedule Form. This form can be used for requesting a withdrawal from one or more classes (but not all) during a semester.

If the change of schedule request is made after the deadline for which only the instructor must approve the request, it will also be routed to your College Dean for a decision (late change petition). You must explain why you were unable to make the change before the stated deadline and provide documentation accordingly. Instructions for submitting a change of schedule form/late change petition are located on the webpage above.