In order to attend a class, students must be registered. Credit for classes may be earned only when tuition and fees are paid in full. Registration is held each semester on dates published in the academic calendar.

Registration instructions are provided in the UAF registration guide.

The first day of instruction for all semester-length courses is the date indicated in the official semester academic calendar. That date might not be the first day that a class meets.

Students assigned an incomplete grade are not entitled to complete the remaining coursework within the classroom/lab or to any additional instruction, nor may they participate in the class/lab during a future semester without re-registering, paying tuition and retaking the course.

When a student registers for courses, the university holds that individual financially responsible for the payment of tuition and fees. The university may drop a student's registration for nonpayment. Other consequences for nonpayment include not being able to receive grades.

Academic Advising - Required

Academic advising is an important part of planning education. Degree students must obtain an academic advisor’s approval every semester to begin the registration process. All undergraduate degree and certificate students are required to have an academic advisor. Students will work in tandem with their academic advisor to develop a viable educational plan that reflects their academic interests and goals. The academic advisor will assist in determining the best options, alternatives and sequences of classes to take. Academic advising is available at several campuses. See Resources and Tuition for more information.

Graduate Students

First-semester graduate students must meet with their advisor, or, if no advisor is assigned, then they should meet with the department or program chair to begin their registration process.

Continuing graduate students who meet the registration requirement as found under the How to Earn a Graduate Degree section of the catalog, need to confer with their advisor as to what courses to enroll in for each semester but are not required to meet with their advisor prior to registration.

Nondegree Students

Anyone who wants to attend classes at UAF as a nondegree student may register as long as they have the appropriate permissions. New nondegree students must complete a free nondegree application in order to be eligible to register.

Nondegree students may also see an academic advisor, and it is recommended for those taking 9 or more credits in a semester or for those who have accumulated 30 or more UAF credits. 

Nondegree students are subject to placement examination requirements for courses. Any nondegree student who wants to be considered a degree candidate must submit an application for admission, meet regular admission requirements and submit transcripts. Nondegree students are not eligible for financial aid or priority registration.

It’s important for potential graduate students to understand that credits earned as a nondegree student might not be accepted for use toward a graduate degree program. Please see the transfer credit section of How to Earn a Graduate Degree.

High School and Secondary School Students

High school and secondary students may take classes at UAF either as a degree or nondegree students. 

• Secondary Student Enrollment
  The secondary student enrollment process allows secondary school students to register for UAF classes. A student meeting course prerequisites may enroll in university classes. Students must consult their appropriate school district officials and school counselors for approval prior to registration if they wish to use university courses to meet high school graduation requirements.
  Registering for courses at UAF establishes a permanent academic record that reflects student academic performance in all courses attempted. Students must submit the free nondegree application and must obtain a parent's or guardian's permission to enroll. 
  A parent or guardian may not attend a course in which their secondary school student is registered unless and until the parent or guardian is also officially registered for the course.
  Note: Enrollment in UAF courses as a secondary student does not constitute formal admission to the university for the purposes of earning a certificate or degree. Please note that in order to qualify for federal financial aid, a student must have either a high school diploma or a GED.
• TECH PREP Opportunities
  The TECH PREP program allows students to earn credits toward a UAF certificate or associate degree by completing career and technical education classes in high school that have been approved for college credit by UAF. The classes available for credit vary from school to school, but in general, they are taken from the following areas: applied business; automotive; airframe and powerplant; human services; computer information office systems; allied health; drafting; emergency medical services; and welding. For more information, contact the student's high school counselor or the Community and Technical College at 907-455-2800.

• Alaska Higher Education Admission Decision (AHEAD) program
  The AHEAD program allows qualified high school students to be admitted to UAF as general studies students. AHEAD students are assigned an academic advisor and follow the registration timeline for degree students.

  To qualify, students must submit an AHEAD program application. They must have completed three-fourths of their high school core curriculum and have a cumulative 3.0 GPA or higher. (To qualify for federal financial aid, students must have either a high school diploma or a GED.)  

Non-Attendance Drop Policy

Students are expected to begin attending classes on the first day of instruction. Some departments, in trying to find space for students on waitlists, require that students to attend the first class session or notify the department in advance that they cannot attend the first class. If the first class is missed without notifying the department, a student may be dropped from the course, and the space may be assigned to a student on the waitlist.

Because of the high demand for writing, English, and communication courses listed below, students who fail to attend either of the first two meetings of a basic course will be dropped even if they registered in advance and paid their fees. If space becomes available in a class from which they have been dropped by the department, they need to follow the add procedure to re-enroll.

Withdrawing

• Withdrawing from a Full-Semester Class
  Withdrawing from a full-semester class later than the second Friday after the first day of instruction (last day to drop classes) results in a grade of W appearing on a student's academic record. While a W grade does not affect GPA, it may impact financial aid. Be sure to check with the Financial Aid Office before withdrawing from classes. The last day for withdraw from a class is the 10th Friday after the first day of instruction. For specific dates, see the academic calendar. Fees and tuition are not automatically refunded for W grades. See the tables above for classes lasting less than a full semester.

• Withdrawing from a Class Shorter than the Full Semester
  Withdrawal must be done by the 60 percent point of instruction.

• Total Withdrawal from All Classes
  If a student wants to withdraw from all classes later than the second Friday after the first day of instruction (last day to drop classes), use a Total Withdrawal form available at the Office of the Registrar forms page or through the Office of the Registrar in Signers’ Hall on the Troth Yeddha' Campus in Fairbanks. Students receive a W grade for all classes, which does not impact their GPA. A student-initiated total withdrawal is subject to the same deadlines as withdrawal from a class. For specific dates, see the academic calendar. Fees and tuition are not automatically refunded for W grades.

Withdrawals After the Deadline

Appeals for a late withdrawal after the student-initiated withdrawal deadline — the tenth Friday after the first day of instruction — are exceptions to policy and are allowed only in exceptional cases. Approval is not automatic, and documented evidence needs to be provided to support the request. Acceptable serious and compelling reasons may include:

1. death in the immediate family;

2. serious illness or injury of the student or immediate family; and

3. factors outside of the student’s control (for example, fire or flood).

Failing a course, avoiding an unsatisfactory grade or ignorance of policies are not serious and compelling reasons for seeking a late withdrawal and will not be approved.

Appeals for late withdrawals must be submitted within 30 class days after the beginning of the next regular semester. Forms for an appeal for late withdrawals are available at the Office of the Registrar forms page, through the Office of the Registrar in Signers’ Hall on the Troth Yeddha' Campus, or through local campus student services offices. Once received, the appeal will be evaluated by a campus-wide committee, which will return a decision to the student. The decision of the university is final, and a student who files a written appeal under these procedures shall be expected to abide by the final disposition of the review, as provided, and may not seek a further appeal of the matter under any other procedure within the university.

Faculty-Initiated Drop or Withdrawal

Instructors have the right to drop students who do not meet course prerequisites, did not obtain a grade of C- or better in all prerequisite courses, or who have not participated substantially in a class. Faculty-initiated drops submitted prior to the last day to drop classes will not appear on the student’s transcript. Faculty-initiated withdrawals may occur between the last day to drop classes and the 10th Friday after the first day of instruction. A grade of W will appear on the student’s transcript for faculty-initiated withdrawals. Fees and tuition are not automatically refunded for W grades.

Directed and Individual Study

Directed study courses allow a student to contract with an instructor to enroll individually in a course that is listed in the catalog but in a semester in which the course is not offered in the regular schedule.

For example, a directed study proposal may be approved if the course is not being offered that semester and the student needs to complete the course for graduation. The title of the directed study course will include DS.

Individual study courses provide students with opportunities to improve their knowledge in areas of study not listed in the current catalog. A student who requests or is advised to undertake an individual study should: 1) present a brief proposal to the appropriate faculty member; and 2) work in conjunction with the faculty member to create a syllabus. The syllabus must be attached to an individual study form. This requirement does not apply to directed study courses. An individual study course number will end in 97.

Registration for directed and individual study courses is available via the web after the course has been agreed upon by both the student and instructor. Students will work with the instructor and the department to create and schedule the section, then the student will register via UAOnline.

Where to Get More Information

Office of the Registrar
University of Alaska Fairbanks
1810 Salcha Street | 102 Signers’ Hall
P.O. Box 757495 | Fairbanks, AK 99775-7495
Email: uaf-registrar@alaska.edu
Telephone: 907-474-6300