Registration

In order to attend a class, students must be either registered or wait-listed. 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.

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 or transcripts.

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 Services and Resources 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.)  

 

Adding, Dropping and Withdrawing from Classes

Information about the add/drop process can also be found at UAOnline and at the Office of the Registrar website. Adds, drops and withdrawals are not final until the student has completed the appropriate procedure, paid any relevant fees or tuition and submitted all necessary paperwork to the Office of the Registrar. If a class is dropped within specified time frames, the course will not be part of a student's academic transcript. Important deadlines are listed in the Important Registration Change Deadlines table below.

Important Registration Change Deadlines

Full Term Sections

Action1 Begins2 Ends Notes
Adding a class First day of registration for the semester Last day of the second week of instruction for the semester Advisor’s signature not required.
Credit/No-credit option First day of registration for the semester Friday of the third week of instruction for the semester Undergraduates only; only electives not specified in a student’s core, major, minor and degree programs are eligible for this option.
Dropping one or more class(es) (class does not appear on transcript) First day of registration for the semester Last day of the second week of instruction for the semester
Faculty-initiated drop (class does not appear on transcript) First day of registration for the semester Last day of the second week of instruction for the semester Faculty member will notify the Office of the Registrar.
Withdrawing from a class (class appears on transcript with W grade) After the last day of the second week of instruction for the semester Last day of the tenth week of instruction for the semester
Withdrawing from all classes (total withdrawal) After the last day of the second week of instruction for the semester Last day of the tenth week of instruction for the semester Advisor’s signature required for student in degree program; total withdrawal form must be completed.
Faculty-initiated withdrawal (class appears on transcript with W grade) After the last day of the second week of instruction for the semester Last day of the tenth week of instruction for the semester Faculty member will notify the Office of the Registrar. Student will receive an email notification at their UAF account.
Appeal for late withdrawal from a class3 After the last day for student-initiated withdrawals 30 days after the first published day of instruction for the next regular semester. Advisor's signature is required for students in a degree program and must complete appeal for late withdrawal paperwork; reviewed by a campus appeals committee. Late withdrawals are allowed for exceptional cases only and approval is not automatic.

Note: Add/drop, total withdrawal and credit/no-credit requests must be completed by the appropriate deadlines. 

1

Add, drop, withdrawal and credit/no-credit option deadlines will be adjusted proportionally for courses that are less than a semester in length. See next two tables.

2

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

3

Late withdrawals are allowed for exceptional cases only, and approval is not automatic.

Section - More than 4 Weeks, but Less than the Full Semester

Action1 Begins2 Ends Notes
Adding a class First day of registration for the semester Five business days after the class begins Advisor’s signature not required.
Dropping one or more class(es) (class does not appear on transcript) First day of registration for the semester Five business days after the class begins
Faculty-initiated drop (class does not appear on transcript) Published first date of semester Five business days after the class begins Faculty member will notify the Office of the Registrar.
Credit/No-credit option First day of registration for the semester Friday of the third week of instruction for the semester Undergraduates only; only electives not specified in a student’s core, major, minor and degree programs are eligible for this option.
Withdrawing from a class (class appears on transcript with W grade) Six business days after the class begins Before 60% of the scheduled length of the course has elapsed
Faculty-initiated withdrawal (class appears on transcript with W grade) Six business days after the class begins Before 60% of the scheduled length of the course has elapsed Faculty member will notify the Office of the Registrar. Student will receive an email notification at their UAF account.

Section - Less than 4 Weeks

Action1 Begins2 Ends Notes
Adding a class First day of registration for the semester First day of class Advisor’s signature not required.
Dropping one or more class(es) (class does not appear on transcript) First day of registration for the semester First day of class
Faculty-initiated drop (class does not appear on transcript) Published first date of semester First day of class Faculty member will notify the Office of the Registrar.
Credit/No-credit option First day of registration for the semester Friday of the third week of instruction for the semester Undergraduates only; only electives not specified in a student’s core, major, minor and degree programs are eligible for this option.
Withdrawing from a class (class appears on transcript with W grade) Second day of class Before 60% of the scheduled length of the course has elapsed
Faculty-initiated withdrawal (class appears on transcript with W grade) Second day of class Before 60% of the scheduled length of the course has elapsed Faculty member will notify the Office of the Registrar. Student will receive an email notification at their UAF account.

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.

Composition
WRTG F111XWriting Across Contexts3
WRTG F213XWriting and the Sciences3
ENGL F414Research Writing3
Basic Speech
COM F131XFundamentals of Oral Communication: Group Context3
COM F141XFundamentals of Oral Communication: Public Context3
 

Withdrawing

  • Withdrawing from a 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 Fairbanks campus. 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 Fairbanks 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 such an individual study should present a brief proposal and syllabus to the appropriate faculty member. 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 not available via the web. To register for a directed or individual study course, download the request form or pick up a copy at the Office of the Registrar. Submit the completed form to the Office of the Registrar.

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