Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Scheduling and Registration

Adding a course

Important Deadlines are in place for adding and dropping classes.  Review the Dates to Observe from the Office of the Registrar for specific dates and times.

See the information at https://www.uni.edu/registrar/registration for information about registering for classes including dropping a class from your schedule.

 

Dropping a course

Important Deadlines are in place for adding and dropping classes.  Review the Dates to Observe from the Office of the Registrar for specific dates and times.

See the information at https://www.uni.edu/registrar/registration for information about registering for classes including dropping a class from your schedule.

 

Closed courses

Majors, Minors, and Certificates

What is a Major? Minor? Certificate?

Major - The subject or field of study that you decide to emphasize.  If you choose to specialize in two subjects, you will have a double major.  A student declared a minor on the Declaration of Curriculum form.

Minor - A smaller concentration of courses in a secondary area of study (fewer credit hours required for a minor). A student declares a minor on the Declaration of Curriculum form.   A minor will be reflected on a degree audit and transcript once the declaration form has been filed. Minors may be disciplinary or interdisciplinary - drawing from coursework from a variety of academic departments.  Minors are optional for most majors. Note that teaching minors are only available to students who are declared in a teaching major.

Certificate - A certificate program certifies that an individual has completed a program approved by the University. Students interested in a certificate should consult with the supervising department or the Registrar's Office.  Certificates do not appear on a degree audit, and are hand entered on a transcript with the approval of the supervising department.  Certificates different from minors as the are more applied in focus (i.e. Tourism, Training & Development, Outdoor Recreation, and Cartography & Geographic Information Systems).

Explore UNI academic majors and coursework through these resources:

UNI Majors and Programs – Explore UNI’s 90+ undergraduate majors or search majors by your interests.

UNI Academic Catalog – Includes academic major requirements, course descriptions and requirements, and related academic policies and procedures.

 

Declaring or changing your major

Major - The declaration of a major is made through the department offering the major. To declare or change a major, you must complete a Declaration of Curriculum form and submit the form to the department of the major you are declaring. The department will assign an academic advisor to you at this time. A major will be reflected on a degree audit and transcript after the form has been processed by both the department and the Office of the Registrar.

Minor - The declaration of a minor is also completed through the Declaration of Curriculum form.  If the Declaration of Curriculum form is being used for the declaration of a minor only, no advisor or department signatures are needed and the form can be taken directly to the Office of the Registrar for processing. A minor will be reflected on a degree audit and transcript once the declaration form has been filed with the Office of the Registrar.

Certificate - Students interested in a certificate should consult with the supervising department of the certificate or the Office of the Registrar.

 

Contact the Office of Academic Advising (319-273-3406) to obtain advising or departmental information for a specific major, minor, or certificate.

Academic Success

Calculating your GPA

Grades are evaluated, and your GPA is calculated in terms of quality points. For each hour of a letter grade earned, a set amount of "points" is awarded.

To determine your GPA, use the on-line GPA Calculator or use this table to determine the points per grade: 

Notes: One third of a quality point is added for every hour in which a plus (+) is earned. One third of a quality point is subtracted for every hour in which a minus (-) grade is earned. Grades of A+, F+, or F- are not assigned.

 

The grade point average is determined by dividing the number of grade points by the number of hours of earned (either total or for the semester). Hours of credit/no credit, withdrawal and/or incompletes are not used in determining your grade point average. See example below.

 

The Grade Point Average (GPA) is calculated by dividing the Grade Points by the Hours. In this example, the GPA is 2.97 (38.67 divided by 13).

What does a “W” mean?

The 'W' indicates that a course has been dropped between the 4th and 10th week of a semester. A course that has been dropped with a 'W' does not impact your GPA calculation. The total number of 'W's’ on a transcript may be a concern to a potential employer or a graduate school.

 

If dropping a course results in less than full-time semester status (12 hours), you should be aware of the impact on:

Financial Aid - Less than full-time status could impact the amount of aid that you can receive. Contact the Office of Student Financial Aid with questions or to determine the impact of dropping below full-time status.

Medical and/or Automobile Insurance - Medical and/or automobile insurance companies may also require you to have full-time status to remain on a parent's insurance coverage. Check with your specific insurance company to determine the impact before dropping below full-time status.

Student Athletes - Student athletes at UNI may not drop below 12 hours to maintain eligibility.  Contact your academic advisor in athletics for more information.

Each semester there are specific deadlines for dropping a course "with a 'W' instead of an 'F.’”  Review the Dates to Observe from the Office of the Registrar for specific dates and times.

 

Foreign language requirement

 

Students entering the University of Northern Iowa who graduated from high school in 1989 or thereafter are required to demonstrate a level of competence in a foreign language equivalent to elementary II of a language at UNI. One year of foreign language in high school is considered to be equivalent to one semester of foreign language at the university. The foreign language competency requirement can be satisfied in the following ways:

• satisfactory* completion of two years of high school study in one foreign language;
• satisfactory* completion of college study in one language equivalent to the competence achieved after the second semester (one full year) at the college level;
• satisfactory performance in an examination (CLEP or Advanced Placement) measuring proficiency equivalent to that attained after the second semester of college study in one foreign language;
• satisfactory* completion of either two years of high school study or one year of college study or the combined equivalent in American Sign Language (ASL). Study in any other language and culture for the hearing impaired will not automatically satisfy this graduation requirement.
• *Satisfactory completion means a minimum grade of "C-" in the last course taken to meet this requirement.

The Foreign Language Competency Requirement can be found in the UNI Catalog - General Information - Undergraduate Information and Degree Requirements - Requirements for Graduation.

 

Academic Standing

Undergraduate students at the University of Northern Iowa are expected to meet academic standards set by the university and to demonstrate satisfactory academic progress towards earning a degree.

No student in their first semester in attendance at the University of Northern Iowa will be academically suspended. First-semester students at the University of Northern Iowa placed on academic alert or academic probation may be subject to conditions designed to increase academic success.  A student who does not agree to these conditions may have her/his course schedule canceled for the semester.  

Academic Alert

Any first-semester student who has a 1.00 – 1.99 semester GPA will receive a first semester academic alert.  While on academic alert, the student will be limited to 14 credit hours. Academic alert is not recorded on the student’s official academic transcript.

Academic Probation

Any first-semester student who has a semester GPA below 1.0 will be placed on academic probation.  Continuing students will be placed on academic probation when their UNI GPA is below a 2.0.  A student placed on academic probation must earn a minimum semester GPA of 2.0 for each semester while on academic probation until their UNI GPA reaches 2.0 or higher.

Academic Suspension

A student on academic probation who fails to earn a semester GPA of 2.0 will be academically suspended.  Academic suspension is for a minimum period of one calendar year and is permanently noted on the student’s official academic transcript.  Once suspended, a student will not be allowed to re-enroll at the University of Northern Iowa until they have been academically reinstated.

 

For a complete description of the UNI Undergraduate Academic Standing Policy, please visit the Office of the Registrar's Undergraduate Academic Standing Policy page.

Questions about readmission after academic suspension?  See the complete undergraduate academic standing policy and the procedure for applying for readmission after academic suspension.