Frequently Asked Questions

Your academic standing is listed in the same place in CIS where you can view your GPA. Log into your  Student Homepage and click the “Academic Records” tile, then “View Grades” for your most recently completed term. Below your term and cumulative GPA, you will find your academic standing listed.

If your cumulative and term GPA are below 2.0 for the first time, you will be placed on Academic Warning and are required to complete the Academic Standards Workshop in canvas before you can register for classes.

Warning, Probation, and Suspension are all academic standings that a student can be placed on when their cumulative GPA and term GPA are both below a 2.0. The difference between these academic standing levels comes down to how long a student’s cumulative and term GPAs have been below a 2.0.

• A student is placed on Warning after their first semester with a cumulative and term GPA below a 2.0.  
• If the student earns under a 2.0 term GPA for a second time while their cumulative GPA remains below a 2.0, they move to Probation.
•  If this occurs for a third time, the student moves to Suspension.

Academic Standards holds function as checkpoints for a student to receive support when their GPA drops below a 2.0. Since it is important that students receive this information and support as part of their course planning, Academic Standards holds block registration until the student completes the steps required by the hold.

Please note that completing the requirements for your Academic Standards hold only lifts the hold itself, it does not change your academic standing. For example, after a student on Warning completes the Academic Standards Workshop, their Warning hold will be lifted, allowing them to register, but this does not mean that the student is no longer on Academic Warning. Since a student’s academic standing is based on their cumulative and term GPA, their academic standing changes once their GPA changes. 

Credit/No Credit grades will not impact your GPA, regardless of whether you have elected Credit/No Credit, or if the course is only offered as CR/NC. For example, if you elect CR/NC for 2 out of 5 courses, only 3 courses will count towards your semester/cumulative GPA.

Since repeating a course replaces your old grade with your new grade, repeats can sometimes be a good option for improving your cumulative GPA. Learn about the University of Utah’s Repeat Policy.

If you plan to repeat a course, it’s important to consider why you didn't do well the first time.

• If the course was too difficult, consider waiting until you take the necessary prerequisites or get more college experience.
• If you found the course incredibly uninteresting, it may be very difficult to do any better in the class during a second try.
• If you know you can substantially improve your original grade, consider retaking the course to raise your cumulative GPA.

Students are allowed to withdraw from any course prior to the deadline each semester. These deadlines can be found in the academic calendar. Withdrawing from a course and receiving a “W” on the transcript communicates that a student withdrew from the course and did not receive a grade. A “W” does not indicate struggling in the course or a failing grade and does not impact GPA. Students utilize this option if they are unable to complete a course successfully as a result of many different life circumstances. 

There are a few competitive undergraduate and graduate school programs where withdrawing from courses can impact admissions decisions in the future (e.g., medical school or engineering). However, most do not consider withdrawals in their decision making, especially in courses that are not connected to the program’s discipline of study. Withdrawing from one or more classes could impact your timeframe for graduation. As a student, this is a great reason to schedule an appointment with an academic advisor to have a conversation about this policy and if it is appropriate to elect in a semester.

Financial aid and/or scholarships, housing eligibility, visa status, and VA benefits can be impacted by utilizing the withdrawal policy. It is recommended to speak with those offices before electing to withdraw from a course.

Learn more information on how to complete the withdrawal process in CIS .

In extenuating circumstances, a student may petition for an exception to policy and withdraw after the deadline. Please speak to an academic advisor to learn more.

View an overview of student resources.

student resources

If you have been on Academic Warning in the past and completed the Academic Standards Workshop, you must now meet with an Academic Standards advisor in order to lift your hold. Please call 801-581-8146 or schedule an appointment .

Yes, summer semester is considered a regular academic semester, such as fall and spring.

GPA is an average of the grades received.

• To manually calculate your GPA, view detailed instructions.
• Or use the unofficial GPA Calculator. 

Contact Campus Advising Solutions at 801-581-8146 if you need further help or support or need to make an appointment. You can also email the Academic Standards program at academicstandards@advising.utah.edu.