University policies for comprehensive review

Academic Support Resources serves as the policy contact for many University policies. There are several policies up for comprehensive review in 2025-26, and we are currently gathering feedback from our stakeholder communities. Please see the list below of policies that are up for review. You can share your feedback to asr@umn.edu. When writing, please be sure to include which policy you are providing feedback on. 

• Undergraduate Degrees with Distinction and Degrees with Honors: Twin Cities, Crookston, Morris, Rochester
• Credit and Grade Point Requirements for an Undergraduate (Baccalaureate) Degree: Twin Cities, Crookston, Morris, Rochester
• Using Email as Official Student Communication
• Academic Calendars: Twin Cities, Crookston, Morris, Rochester 
• Grading and Transcripts: Twin Cities, Crookston, Morris, Rochester
• Class Scheduling: Twin Cities, Crookston, Morris, Rochester

Policy review: Undergraduate Degrees with Distinction and Degrees with Honors

As part of the University’s comprehensive review process, we are beginning consultation on the Undergraduate Degrees with Distinction and Degrees with Honors policy. We are seeking your feedback through Friday, April 18. Feedback about the policy language and FAQs can be sent to Amber Cellotti (knap0071@umn.edu) and Colleen Harms (harms231@umn.edu). 

Course Enrollment Limits and Cancellation Policy review

The Course Enrollment Limits and Cancellation Policy is going through comprehensive review. This policy was last reviewed in 2020. Please provide any feedback you have on the policy and FAQ by adding comments or suggestions to the documents linked below by Wednesday, March 5. 

• Policy - Course Enrollment Limits and Cancellation
• FAQ - Course Enrollment Limits and Cancellation

If you have any questions, please reach out to Carin Anderson-Thoms (ande8670@umn.edu) or Toni Abts (twheeler@umn.edu).

Policy reminders

As we near the start of the term, we wanted to share a few policy reminders. The Mandatory Attendance policy requires students to attend the first class meetings for all classes in which they are enrolled unless they have prior approval from their instructor to be absent. Please consult the policy FAQ for more details on how this policy applies to online classes or when students register after the first day of classes. 

Please also consult the Excused Absences and Makeup Work policy and the Makeup Work FAQ. Reasonable accommodations must be made for students who miss class due to excused circumstances, including:

• Illness, especially for in-person or blended classes
• Religious holiday observance
• Pre-approved first-day absence
• Late registration

Instructors are expected to observe scheduled class times as stated in the Teaching and Learning policy. 

We also recommend reviewing the Student Conduct Code.

Grade Accountability Policy

The updated Grade Accountability Policy has been published in the policy library. Minor edits were made for clarity and to respond to community feedback received during public comment.

Policy reminders

As we near the start of the term, we wanted to share a few policy reminders. The Mandatory Attendance policy requires students to attend the first class meetings for all classes in which they are enrolled unless they have prior approval from their instructor to be absent. Please consult the policy FAQ for more details on how this policy applies to online classes or when students register after the first day of classes.

Please also consult the updated Makeup Work for Legitimate Absences policy and the Makeup Work FAQ. Reasonable accommodations must be made for students who have legitimate absences, including:

• Illness, especially for in-person or blended classes
• Religious holiday observance
• Pre-approved first-day absence
• Late registration

The Student Conduct Code was also updated, which went into effect on July 1, 2022. Significant revisions include an updated definition of scholastic dishonesty to include unauthorized use of learning support platforms. This information should be included in a course’s syllabus so students are able to understand the standards, expectations, and reference techniques appropriate to the subject area and class requirements, including internet use and group work.

Policy reminders

As we near the start of the term, we wanted to share a few policy reminders. The Mandatory Attendance policy requires students to attend the first class meetings for all classes in which they are enrolled unless they have prior approval from their instructor to be absent. Please consult the policy FAQ for more details on how this policy applies to online classes or when students register after the first day of classes.

Please also consult the updated Makeup Work for Legitimate Absences policy and the Makeup Work FAQ for COVID-19. Questions in the FAQ have been added to specifically address scenarios you may encounter this academic year as a result of COVID-19. Reasonable accommodations must be made for students who have legitimate absences, including:

• Illness
• Religious holiday observance
• Pre-approved first-day absence
• Late registration

Student Education Records policy changes

The Board of Regents policy on Student Education Records is changing as of August 1, 2021. The new language can be reviewed as part of the June Board of Regents meeting docket materials (see pages 5-7). The policy changes create a clear point in time when new students’ public/directory information becomes available. It helps us protect student information privacy and avoid problems such as phishing scams. There are two significant changes:

1. For the purposes of this policy, it adds a definition of “student” that clarifies students are those enrolled in for-credit academic courses. It also addresses the timing of when someone first becomes a student, which is the start-of-term in their first term of enrollment.
2. Students' contact information (addresses, phone numbers, and university email address) are no longer “directory information” and are in a new category called “limited directory information.” This means that the University will no longer share students’ contact information for public data requests or other third parties unless we have student consent. Students’ contact information can be shared with school officials and student groups.

To prepare for these changes, review and update your department’s practices about releasing directory information. Additionally, if your department maintains any public-facing listings of student contact information, they need to be updated to comply with the new policy.

Academic Policy Petition

The Academic Policy Petition is now available on the One Stop Website. The form is accessible to any active undergraduate student and can be entirely filled, submitted, routed, and approved online. Since its launch, the form has received 233 submitted petitions. An Academic Policy Petition Advising Guide is also available. If you have any feedback or questions about the form, contact oue@umn.edu.

Academic Policy Petition update

We are excited to announce the electronic Academic Policy Petition form will be available February 1, 2021. The form will be accessible to any active undergraduate student. As of now, an Advisor Guide is available, which can be used as a reference for anyone who may receive student questions about the form. Long term, the guide will be available on the Advisor Toolkit page. Please send feedback regarding the Advisor Guide to Katie Russell (russellk@umn.edu).

If you have feedback about the form as students begin using it, please email oue@umn.edu.

Academic Policy Petition and One Time Only Drop update

The undergraduate Academic Policy Petition and One Time Drop is moving to an electronic form where it can be filled, submitted, routed, and approved entirely online. The One Time Drop process will also be a separate, online form, distinct from the Academic Policy Petition process. Currently, usability testing has been completed, and the online form and process is on track to be launched later in November. Ultimately, this will improve the student petition experience as it will reduce the need for collecting signatures in person and imaging the documentation for our records.

Reminder: continuous enrollment for graduate and professional students

The last day for students to register to avoid discontinuing their student status is Monday, February 3. Program staff who have students requesting permission for GRAD 999, xxxx-8777, xxxx-8666 and xxxx-8888 may issue the necessary permission provided students have met internal eligibility requirements. Students requesting permission for xxxx-8333 and xxxx-8444 should be directed to the Graduate Student Services office at gssp@umn.edu.

For more information on continuous enrollment for graduate and professional students, please see this announcement from last PBED Digest.

Continuous enrollment for graduate and professional students

All Twin Cities and Duluth post-baccalaureate students enrolled in a graduate or departmental master's program (excluding Twin Cities MBA students) that have not registered for the spring 2014 term received an email this week indicating they must register by Monday, February 3, or they will be discontinued.

If a student is discontinued and wishes to resume graduate work, he or she must request readmission to reactivate his or her status. It is up to the program or college to determine the best readmission path for a student. In all cases, students should contact the major program for which they are applying.

Change to Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy

Federal regulations require the financial aid office to monitor satisfactory academic progress toward completion of degree for financial aid recipients. This review includes a qualitative component (GPA) and a pace or progression component (credit completion ratio) to ensure students complete their degree within the maximum timeframe.

Beginning fall 2013, the credit completion ratio component of the policy changed from 75% to 67%. This will ensure the University is in alignment with guidelines prescribed by the Department of Education.

College sign-off on Petition form

Just a reminder that colleges or designated representatives must sign-off on the Petition form before submitting to Graduate Student Services & Progress (GSSP). If the form is turned in without the required signature, the petition will be sent back to the graduate program.

Revised Petition form available online

The Graduate School Petition form will now require college-level sign-off. The form has been updated to reflect this change. Colleges are expected to begin this practice beginning October 1, but are encouraged to implement earlier.

Programs now able to add/remove Graduate School holds

A group met over the summer to determine the feasibility of programs placing and removing Graduate School holds for their own students. It was decided that colleges and programs will be given access to place/remove the following holds:

• OJ - general hold


• OM - too many incompletes


• OG - doctoral program not filed


• OF - master's program not filed


• OL - GPA requirement not met

If you are interested in being able to place/remove holds (above), please email Amber Cellotti directly. However, in order to be able to place holds and give access, you must have completed Student Data Inquiry and Student Data Update training in PeopleSoft. If you're not sure you have completed these, you can check your training history on the HR website.

Repeat guidelines for students and Scholastic Committees

A PDF has been posted on the One Stop website that contains guidelines for undergraduate students petitioning to enroll in a course for a third time. These guidelines reflect the University's policy on repeating a course, which states students may repeat a U of M course or its equivalent once.

A PDF has also been posted for Scholastic Committees. Questions regarding this process or the policy should be directed to the student's college advising office.

New grad ed policy guides available

Two new graduate education policy guides are now available on the Graduate School website. The guides for the Master's Degree: Performance Standards and Progress policy and for the Doctoral Degree: Performance Standards and Progress policy were sent to Deans, Associate Deans, Directors of Graduate Studies, Plan Level Coordinators, RAC Members and the College Advisory Group on March 21.

Feedback regarding the guides is welcome. Please contact Karen Starry with questions or comments.

New workflow for preliminary written exam

Effective Friday, March 1, the process for reporting Preliminary Written Examination (PWE) results to Graduate Student Services and Progress (GSSP) will be automated with a new online workflow.

The new process will be initiated by a Plan Level Coordinator (PLC) or Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) and reported directly to Academic Support Services for PeopleSoft entry and archiving in ImageNow; students will no longer submit a paper form to GSSP.
In addition to the new workflow, committee members now have the option to "pass with reservations." If a student is passed with reservations, he or she must comply with all components of the revised Doctoral Degree: Performance Standards and Progress policy. To remove reservations, a new form must be submitted and the option "remove reservations" must be checked. Students will receive an automatic notification alerting them of their status (with optional notifications to adviser(s), PLS, DGS, and CC).
The current PWE form (.PDF) will be removed from the Graduate Studies website and replaced with the new workflow link and "Information for Faculty and Staff" page under "Tools".
If you have questions regarding this notice, please contact Stacia Madsen at gradssp@umn.edu or 612-625-0168. Full contact information is available at http://www.grad.umn.edu/students/contactus/index.html.