Frequently Asked Questions

Advisor appointments are made on Starfish. Go to Account > Starfish > My Success Network > Major Advisor. If online scheduling is not available for your major advisor contact them via their email address listed in Starfish. Be sure to include your student ID# (the 9 digit number 88XXXXXXX).

Here are further instructions on how to navigate Starfish for scheduling appointments: Scheduling Appointments in Starfish.

You are considered a transfer student for the first semester here at UNCG only. You will be assigned an advisor in your major department 3 or 4 weeks into your first semester at UNCG.

While your advisor will assist you in several ways, there are two critical reasons why advising is required. First, your advisor will ensure that you understand the academic requirements for your field of study. Second, your advisor will ensure that you know how to search, and register for, courses.

During the semester, your advisor will contact you and provide dates and times that advising will be available. It is recommended that you meet with your advisor early and often. Setting up an appointment early will help you beat the rush that occurs right before registration. In addition, meeting early opens up the possibility of exploring ideas such as second majors, study abroad, or customizing your GEC/CAR requirements.

You can find your advisor via Degree Works, in the top section above your GPA. If you are undecided, you will be advised by the Students First Office, who can be contacted here.

Yes – but if you take more than one semester off, you will need to reapply for admission to UNCG.

Class Standing is defined by earned credit hours.

Freshman status requires 0-29 earned hours

Sophomore status requires 30-59 earned hours

Junior status requires 60-89 earned hours

Senior status requires 90 or more earned hours

Academic Standing is determined by grade point average (GPA) and Satisfactory Academic Progress.

To maintain Academic Good Standing, students need to earn:

• A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00
• A minimum of 67% of their semester hours each term

For additional information regarding Academic Standing, contact the Students First Office.

Students can find their current overall GPA in the top right section of their Degree Works Report.

Students can calculate anticipated GPA on the GPA Calculator.

Degree Works is a web-based, degree-tracking tool. Students who want to explore their degree requirements and different scenarios on their path toward graduation will find Degree Works to be a helpful resource.

A detailed guide for Degree Works can be found here.

You can find a graduation plan for each degree and a tutorial on how to use it here.  Make sure to schedule an appointment with your advisor for help filling this out.

You can find an application for graduation here.

CASA generally has walk-in appointments for the first week of classes each semester. Please check with CASA at 336-334-4361 to verify or go to the CASA homepage at casa.uncg.edu to verify.  To meet with your advisor at any other time, you will need to make an appointment via Starfish.

Classes can be found online through UNCGenie’s homepage under the ‘Class Schedule’ link.  There, you can see courses’ five digit CRN numbers, days and times, professors, what general education requirements (GEC/CAR) the course meets, and the number of seats remaining.  The five-digit CRN number will be needed to register for the course in UNCGenie.

“R” represents Thursday in the Class Schedule.

The University catalog is the essential tool for your college career and can be viewed on UNCGenie’s homepage under Course Catalog. Course pre-requisites, co-requisites, semesters offered, and a brief description are available.

Find your registration period by checking your registration status in UNCGenie.  Access it by entering the secure area -> click on the student tab -> Registration -> check your registration status -> select the term you will be registering for ->check your registration status.

Make sure you have access to your UNCGenie (know your student ID AND six-digit PIN number).  Make an appointment with your advisor to go over your schedule and receive your advising code.  You will  not be able to register without your advising code.  Log into the secure area on UNCGenie-> click the student tab-> click registration -> click add/drop classes-> select the term-> enter advising code -> enter CRNs.

It is always the student’s responsibility to drop a class. If a student stops going to a course the instructor will likely not drop them from a course.  Many departmental policies state that after a certain number of absences, students’ grades will be automatically lowered to an ‘F.’

After the initial add/drop period during the first week of the semester, students may no longer drop a class penalty free.  They may, however, still withdraw from the class until a set date mid-semester.  Withdrawing from a class before the final day to withdraw free will not impact the student’s GPA.  There will simply be a ‘W’ on the academic transcript.  The exact last date to withdraw is listed in the academic calendar for that semester, which can be found here.  Students may only withdraw from 16 credit hours during their undergraduate career.

If a student chooses to withdraw after the date listed in the academic calendar, they will receive a ‘WF’ on their transcript, which will impact their GPA as if they received an ‘F’ in the course.

Students at UNCG can drop 16 hours worth of courses during their career at UNCG. However, students must complete 67% of the hours that they attempt at the beginning of the semester.

The add/drop period is typically during the first week of each semester.  This allows students to change their schedule penalty free as they get a feel for the courses, their times, and their locations on campus.  Dropping a class during this period does not impact your grade or take away from your 16 hours that you may withdraw from.

There are several possible reasons for not being able to sign up for classes. First, if it is not during the Add/Drop Period, double check if it is your scheduled registration period. Second, check on UNCGenie to see if there are any holds on your transcripts. Third, has the tuition deadline passed and you haven’t paid your fees? These are all possible reasons for not being able to sign up for classes. For further information call or email CASA ([email protected]). (Don’t forget to include your student ID# when communicating with UNCG faculty and staff.)

Freshman status requires 0-29 semester hours

Sophomore status requires 30-59 semester hours

Junior status requires 60-89 semester hours

Senior status requires 90 or more semester hours

Yes. In order to graduate with an undergraduate degree, you must choose and complete a major.

No.  While we have pre-professional programs, they are to be adopted in conjunction with a major, not in place of it.  The pre-professional programs are a list of courses that prepare you for progression into these fields.  You can be in any pre-professional program with any major, but talk to your advisor to make sure you will meet all of your requirements..  For some of the pre-professional programs, you may be required to transfer to a different university to complete your studies.

A list of majors is available in the university catalog. The Career Services Center offers interest inventories to see what majors correspond with your interests, and your advisors can help with your choices.

At UNCG, changing your major to a new concentration or field of study, adding or removing a minor, and adding a second major are all done using the UNCG Curriculum Change form. Visit How to Change Your Major in Spartan Central for instructions.

For incoming students, Spartan Orientation and Registration (SOAR) is the optimal way to get advising and help with choosing classes from faculty and professional advisors. There are SOAR dates available for students entering in both Fall and Spring semesters. If you are not able to attend SOAR, then Academic advising and advisors within your major can help design your schedule.

For continuing students, please make an appointment with your advisor for assistance choosing classes.

A full load of courses (14-16 hours) are recommended for the first semester. In order to graduate in four years a student needs to average 15 credits or more a semester.

You likely already have a Degree Works account set up, which will show you what has transferred in so far and what requirements you have left.  If your Degree Works report is not set up yet, your advisor will look at your transcripts with you and determine what courses will likely be met.  If you are transferring in with an Associate’s Degree, the majority of your General Education Requirements (GEC/CAR) may be taken care of already.  Make sure to speak with your advisor about this.

Visit this page for information on how to access and understand your Degree Works.

You must complete a minimum of 1 GN (Global-Nonwestern) course and 3 other GL (Global) or GN courses.  These courses will be flagged as GL or GN in the class schedule search and the course catalog.  These courses focus on perspectives from various geographical areas and cultures. You can search for courses with these markers by identifying Course Category in your Course Offerings Search, and course markers are included in the Categories column of a course search.

In the College of Arts and Sciences, all majors must complete four Writing Intensive (WI) courses during your time at UNCG, one of which must be at the 300 level or above.  You must also complete two Speaking Intensive (SI) courses at any level.  Many majors require a WI and SI course to be taken from that major, which can overlap with the overall requirements.