Policies & Procedures

Students are held individually responsible for complying with all requirements of the rules and regulations of the University and the Board of Regents of The University of Texas System. Failure to read and comply with policies, regulations and procedures will not exempt a student from being governed by and accountable to them.

Many departments and programs issue program manuals, procedures and policy manuals, student handbooks and other informational publications for students and faculty in its programs. These publications provide detailed and useful information; however, they are not statements of official policy or binding contracts of The University of Texas at Arlington or of The University of Texas System.

In all matters, the Rules and Regulations of the Board of Regents of The University of Texas System, the Handbook of Operating Procedures of The University of Texas at Arlington, and the University Catalog of The University of Texas at Arlington shall supersede departmental, program or college publications.

More Information

Admission to the university is open to qualified applicants regardless of race, color, gender, sexual orientation, creed, age, national origin or educationally unrelated handicaps. 

New prospective students who wish to enroll at The University of Texas at Arlington must apply for admission. They should apply as early as possible. All application materials—signed application (or certified if online), appropriate application fee or fee waiver documentation, official copies of transcripts of all high school and all college work attempted, and official test scores when appropriate—should be submitted by the priority deadlines.
Some programs require a criminal background check as a condition of admission or program completion or licensure expectations concerning acceptable qualifications. Applicants should examine departmental requirements with care. 

UTA does not admit incarcerated students. A student is considered to be incarcerated if serving a criminal sentence in a federal, state, or local penitentiary, prison, jail, reformatory, work farm or similar correctional institution (whether it is operated by the government or a contractor). A student is not considered to be incarcerated if in a half-way house or home detention or is sentenced to serve only on weekends.

All students are expected to obey the civil and penal statutes of the State of Texas and the United States, the Regents’ Rules and Regulations of The University of Texas System, the rules and regulations of the University, and the orders or instructions issued by an administrative official of the University or The University of Texas System in the course of his/her duties and to observe standards of conduct that are compatible with the University’s functions as an educational institution.  Any student who engages in conduct that is prohibited by the rules of the University, or by federal, state, local law or regulation is subject to disciplinary action regardless of whether such conduct takes place on or off campus or whether civil or criminal penalties are also imposed for such conduct. Individuals who are not currently enrolled at a component institution of The University of Texas System remain subject to the disciplinary process for conduct that occurred during any period of enrollment and for statements, acts, or omissions related to application for enrollment or the award of a degree.

Information about the rules of conduct and due process procedures can be found here.

Scholastic Dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, and collusion on an examination or an assignment being offered for credit. Each student is accountable for work submitted for credit, including group projects.

Students found responsible for dishonesty in their academic pursuits are subject to penalties that may range from disciplinary probation to suspension or expulsion from the University. This information may be obtained by accessing the Office of Student Conduct website at http://www.uta.edu/conduct.

Grades that may be assigned in courses at the University of Texas at Arlington (Valid Grades) for undergraduate courses consist of and A, B, C, D, F, I, P, R, Q, P, Z. Grades assigned in graduate courses are limited to A, B, C, D, F, P, I, R, W.&

Find further information on UTA’s grading policies.

Academic standing is determined by students meeting departmental and University standards as described in the following sections. Good Academic Standing is defined differently for graduate and undergraduate students and may affect a student's ability to register for a subsequent term, ability to receive scholarships, fellowships or assistantships, and eligibility for graduation.

Pursuant to state law, students who first enrolled in any college or university in Fall 1999 or a later semester may be required to pay a higher tuition rate if attempted undergraduate credit hours exceed a designated limit. Students who first entered a college or university in Fall semester 1999 through Summer semester 2006 may be required to pay a higher tuition rate when the credit hours attempted at publicly-funded Texas colleges or universities exceed by 45 or more the hours required for the student’s declared baccalaureate degree. Students who first entered a college or university in Fall semester 2006 and thereafter may be required to pay higher tuition rates when the credit hours attempted at publicly-funded Texas colleges or universities exceed by 30 or more the hours required for the student’s declared baccalaureate degree. This requirement applies only to the first baccalaureate degree earned; students already holding one baccalaureate degree are exempt when enrolled in a second baccalaureate degree program.

This requirement applies to all credit hours attempted at any publicly-funded Texas institution, including courses with a grade of D, F, W, or Q as well as courses serving as a grade replacement and courses that have been grade replaced, grade excluded, grade forgiven, or repeated. This also includes hours excluded from a student record that was a result of Academic Fresh Start.

Exclusions from Excessive Hour calculation:

  • Credit hours earned at a private or an out-of-state institution
  • Credit earned prior to high school graduation (i.e. dual credit)
  • Credit earned through examination (AP, CLEP, IB, SATII)
  • Credit earned in remedial and developmental courses

Degree plan hours include the total number of hours required for a student to complete their primary declared degree plan. Additional majors/degrees/minors does not extend the maximum attempted hours limit.

For more information about this state law, see www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us (Texas Education Code, secs. 54.014 and 61.0595).

For more information and specific rates related to this policy, please refer to the Student Accounts - Excessive Hours and Repeat Tuition website.

The 3-Peat Rule was passed by the State of Texas to discourage students from repeating courses, limiting undergraduate students to three grade-bearing attempts for any specific class. This provision is outlined in the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Rules (TAC Chapter 13, Subchapter F, Rule 13.108).  A student attempting the same class for the third time will be charged an additional per credit hour fee for that course; this fee is in addition to the regular in-state per semester credit hour tuition rate. 

If a student enrolls in a course and decides to drop the course, any hours that were attempted will count toward the limit imposed by the 3-Peat Rule.  If the student drops the course prior to the official census day of the given term/session, the hours will not be counted against the limit imposed by the 3-Peat Rule.

Attempted hours calculated in 3-Peat include: 

  • Repeated courses
  • Earned hours and unearned hours (non-passing grades)
  • Withdrawn courses (includes administrative/non-academic)
  • Dual credit courses

Hours excluded from 3-Peat include:

  • Up to 18 hours of remedial and developmental courses; Developmental coursework in excess of 18 hours is subject to additional charges
  • Courses where hours can be repeated for credit (special topics/seminar/independent)
  • Vocational/Technical/Workforce Education courses

For more information and specific rates related to this policy, please refer to the Student Accounts - Excessive Hours and Repeat Tuition website.



The Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act amendments of 1989 (the DFSCA) requires institutions of higher education receiving any form of federal funding (IHEs) to meet requirements pertaining to the prevention of illegal use of alcohol and other drugs (AOD) on campus and at campus-sponsored events.

University policies related to the illegal possession, use, or distribution of drugs or alcohol

In compliance with the federal Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, formerly the Student Right-to-Know and Campus Security Act (P.L. 101-542, as amended), the University of Texas at Arlington publishes specified campus crime statistics and campus security policies through the Office of the Chief of the University Police.

Campus security policies include:

  • Procedures for reporting criminal actions or other emergencies occurring on campus.
  • Policies concerning security of and access to campus facilities, including campus residences, campus law enforcement authority and responsibilities. 
  • A description of programs designed to inform students and employees about the prevention of crimes and campus security procedures. 
  • The policy of monitoring and recording of students’ criminal activity occurring at off-campus locations of student organizations officially recognized by the institution. 
  • The policy regarding the possession, use and sale of alcoholic beverages and illegal drugs, and enforcement of federal and state drug and drinking laws. 
  • A description of drug or alcohol-abuse education programs. 
  • Sexual assault programs to prevent sex offenses, and procedures to follow when a sex offense occurs.
LEGAL RIGHT TO REVIEW RECORD

Students have the legal right to review and inspect their educational record. Students wishing to do so must submit their request in writing to the Office of the Registrar. An administrator will schedule an appointment within 45 days of receipt of the request. See FERPA for additional information. 

VALID ID REQUIRED FOR SERVICES

A valid photo ID is required for services delivered through the Office of the Registrar. Most online services and forms are also available in person at the Office of the Registrar customer service counter. The Course Audit Request Form is available only in person due to the limited time it is accepted. Cash/check/MC/VISA/AMEX and DISC are accepted for most services for which a fee is charged. The Application for Graduation Fee will be charged to your student account.

OBTAINING DOCUMENTS AND DATA ORIGINATING FROM ANOTHER AGENCY OR INSTITUTION

In record release standards, we do not release documents that have become the property of UT Arlington through a legal release to a third party (UTA). In addition, the university does not release or verify other pieces of personal information such as visa numbers, social security numbers, passport numbers, health conditions, etc. We are not the official, legal custodian of record for any data that was not assigned by the institution or for documents that did not originate at UT Arlington and therefore do not have the authority to release them. This includes documents such as high school records and transcripts, ACT/SAT scores, AP/IB/A-Level scores or degree information and college transcripts from other institutions. These records are the property of the university and are for our internal college purposes only. Please contact the originating agency, organization or institution that produced the original records to obtain a legal copy.

Note: UT Arlington cannot certify, verify or validate documents as "original" - "authentic" - "verified" - "certified" (etc.) with the university seal and official signatures unless they originate at UTA. This includes copies of diplomas, transcripts or other documents previously released to the student or a third party. Students who require an additional certified or notarized diploma, transcript or other official UTA document, should contact us to order one.