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CNAS Undergraduate Academic Advising Center

Guiding Your Academic Success

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FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Below you will find the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions by CNAS students.
Please review the topics below for more information on the issues you might need help with.

FAQs for NEW STUDENTS

  • AP/IB Credit
  • Changing Majors
    • Change of major requests can only be processed on day 1 of your in-person orientation experience.  Major changes will not be processed after that.  However, you may still work on changing to a new major during your first year.  Please talk to your major advisor during the virtual advising/registration session if you are considering changing majors. 
  • Double Majors
    • We know many students are interested in seeking a double major upon admission to UCR. However, there is specific criteria that students must meet before being able to officially declare a double major. First-year students will not be eligible to declare a double major at this point.  Instead, we strongly recommend that you talk with your major advisor about your interest in a double major once the fall quarter has started.  They will be able to provide you with more information on how to pursue a double major.  There is plenty of time to work towards a double major if you wish to pursue it.
  • Faculty Advising & Mentorship
    • CNAS majors have a designated lead faculty advisor (LFA) who work with undergraduate students to advise and guide them topics like graduate school, careers related to your field of study, concentrations, cross-disciplinary studies, and research opportunities.  Once the fall quarter starts, you may contact the LFA for your major, who are listed in each major advising page.
    • In general, students can reach out to faculty during their office hours, which are typically listed on the course syllabus. Visiting faculty during office hours allows you the opportunity to review course content and information but is also a good way to discuss shared interests in certain academic or research topics. 

  • Fall enrollment questions
    • Review and complete the Orientation module required for all incoming students: Highlander Foundations College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences
  • Learning Community (LC) Program - Is Participation Required?
      • Yes, participation in the CNAS Scholars LC program is mandatory for all CNAS students with the exception of honors students and athletes. 
      • Please visit the CNAS Scholars LC website for more information.
  • Math Placement & Progression
  • Medical/Graduate School
      • We realize many first-year students are already interested in pursuing a graduate degree or a career in a health profession like medicine, dentistry, physical therapy, etc.  There will be ample time to begin this process after orientation.  During orientation, we will focus on getting your fall schedule and helping learn more about your degree requirements at UCR.  To learn more about preparing for a career in the health professions, please visit the Health Professions Advising Center.
  • Minors
      • Similar to seeking a double major, there are criteria that must be met in order to declare a minor.  As a result, first-year students are not eligible to declare a minor at this point.  As with the double major, there is plenty of time for students interested in this option to work towards it during their time at UCR.  We strongly recommend that you talk with your major advisor about your interest in a minor once the fall quarter has started.  They will be able to provide you with more information about what you will need to do to pursue a minor.
  • Next Steps
    • Be sure to check your UCR email regularly
    • Complete your Math/English Placement Exams prior to your virtual advising/registration session
    • Complete the Orientation module required for all incoming students: Highlander Foundations College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences
    • Familiarize yourself with our CNAS Advising website
  • Research Opportunities
  • Student Advising Tools & Resources
      • Below is a list of different tools or resources that students can use to help them understand their degree requirements as well as important information about deadlines or policies:
  • Transferring to another UC or school
      • UCR will provide you with a great learning experience among world-renowned faculty and we hope that you find a home at UCR.  However, we understand that sometimes students’ plans change and transferring might be something that might work best for their goals.  We recommend that you work closely with the admissions office of the school you would like to transfer to get the information you need for that process. UCR staff cannot advise you on the requirements and transfer criteria of other institutions, but you can talk to your academic advisor for guidance and advice on this option.
  • Transcripts
  • Units - How many units should I take in the fall and first year?
      • The answer to this may depend on a student’s personal preference or unique needs, goals, and objectives.  Please consider that for each hour you spend in class, you will have to plan for 2 hours of study time.  Enrolling in 12 units means that you will spend 12 hours per week in class, and would be expected to spend 24 hours of study time outside the classroom, at a minimum. In total, you would be expected to spend about 36 hours per week either in class or studying/doing homework. This is almost like a full-time job!  In your first quarter, this may be sufficient.  But overall, UCR students are expected to take about 15-16 units each quarter.

FAQs for CONTINUING STUDENTS

  • Academic Standing

    • Good academic standing requires a minimum 2.0 GPA, both for the term and/or cumulative.

    • Academic Notice is the academic standing given when the term and/or cumulative GPA falls below a 2.0.  

    • Subject to Disqualification is the standing given when either GPA is at or below 1.5.  

    • A “subject to disqualification” standing does not indicate an automatic disqualification (being “kicked out”) from the University. 

    • Risk for disqualification from the University is likely when students have had 2 or more quarters of not being in good academic standing.  Students who are disqualified will receive an e-mail notification by the CNAS Divisional Dean.

    • Academic standing can be viewed in various locations: 1. Degree Audit, 2. Student Profile under the “Unofficial Transcript” tab.

    • Academic standing can be reverted back to “good academic standing” once the GPA's return to a 2.0 or higher. 

    • Unit Limit: students not in good academic standing once final grades post, will be limited to 15-units for the upcoming quarter.  

    • Students who returned to good academic standing after their grades post, will be able to register for up to 20 units.  Please allow 24-48hrs after all of your grades have posted for the system to update.  If there is still no change, please contact your advisor.

    • Grades are viewable in R’ Web.  You can refer to the Academic Calendar to find out when they become available at: https://registrar.ucr.edu/calendar

  • Advisor Contact Information
    • Advisors are not on campus but are working remotely.  E-mail is the primary means of communicating with your advisor. *Please do not call their office phone number and/or leave a message.*
    • Please allow 4-5 business days for your advisor to respond.  Avoid spamming/sending multiple e-mails to your advisor or sending e-mails to other CNAS advisors as this may cause a further delay in response time. 
    • You can find your advisor’s e-mail contact information in several locations: 1) under your major page 2) Student Profile under Advisors 3) Degree Audit, under Advisor
  • Change of Major – CNAS Majors
    • To declare a major, please review the change of major criteria located in each major advising page to confirm you are eligible to declare.  Once you've confirmed you are eligible, then you can meet with the advisor for the major you want to declare (not your current major advisor) to discuss your plans and process the major change.  Some majors offer Change of Major Workshops to declare instead of meeting with the major advisor individually; please check our Workshops page to see if this may be an option for the major you plan to declare. 
    • Change of Major Workshops
  • Change of Major – Non-CNAS Majors
  • Course Planning
  • Degree Audit
    • Go to your Student Profile
    • Click on Degree Audit and Plans
    • Your Degree Audit will appear with your current major and courses completed and still needed.
    • If you want to see the requirements needed for different major and how your completed courses will work toward that, follow these tips:
    • Click on “What If” on the left-hand side of the Degree Audit (right under “Worksheets”)
    • In the “Program” box click your major from the drop-down menu
    • If the major has a concentration, you will have to click in the “Concentration” box drop-down menu and choose your concentration of choice
    • Once your major and concentration are set, click on “Process What-If” (above “Select your primary area of study”)
    • It will show the courses you still need to complete. 
    • If you click on the courses still needed, you can click on the class and see the description, pre-requisites, etc., if the course is being taught in the current quarter or the following quarter (once registration has begun for that quarter)
  • Enrollment Assistance – CNAS courses
    • For enrollment issues with CNAS courses (i.e. BIOL, BCH, CHEM), the CNAS Enrollment Management Center is the primary point of assistance 
    • In order to best troubleshoot your enrollment issues, please first screen for the following: course pre-requisites, co-requisites, time conflicts. *Pre-requisites and co-requisites can be verified via the Schedule of Classes or the UCR Catalog  
    • If the above has been screened, then proceed with completing & submitting the following electronic request form: https://ucrbsgsac.wufoo.com/forms/enrollment-request/
    • There are Enrollment Specialists for each department/subject, please refer to this link for specific contact information: https://cnasemc.ucr.edu/contact-0 
    • Waitlisted classes: If you are unable to enroll into a course you have waitlisted for during the 24-hour notice window, you will need to repeat the waitlist process, and waitlist for the class again
  • Enrollment Assistance – Non-CNAS courses
  • Failing a Course
    • If you took a class with components that are graded separately (i.e., Chemistry lecture and lab, Physics lecture and lab) and did not pass one of those components, you will need to submit an Enrollment Request Form to the CNAS Enrollment Management Center in order to be able to register again for the component you need to repeat.  If this was your second time not passing either component, please contact your academic advisor to discuss your options.
    • For courses without a separately graded component or if you need to repeat both components of a course with separately graded components, you will be able to re-register on your own if this will be your first time repeating the course. 
    • Please check the “additional documents” section of your major advising page to review the Schedule of Course Offerings to see if the course you need to repeat is offered next quarter
  • Graduation Information

    Please review our Graduation page for more information on this subject: cnasstudent.ucr.edu/graduation 

  • Learning Communities
    • If you did not pass one of the required courses for the Learning Communities (Advising Seminar, Math, Biology, Chemistry), then you will not be eligible to continue in the Learning Communities program.
    • The Freshman Advising Seminar (NASC93) is only taken during the fall quarter.
    • Please note that Learning Community schedules cannot be changed.
    • For any other inquiries about the Learning Communities program, please send an email to cnasscholars@ucr.edu
  • Minor Workshops (STAT, MATH)
    • There will be STAT/MATH Minor Workshops to declare a minor in these subjects (click on link below for details)  
  • Repeating a Course
  • R’Web Troubleshooting
  • S/NC Grading Option
    • Students may elect  to change the grading basis for a course from a letter grade to S (Satisfactory) or NC (No Credit) by submitting an enrollment adjustment form (EAF) by the deadline
    • The deadline to change the grading basis for a course (i.e., "to S/NC a course") is always on the Friday of week 8 at 12noon (unless that Friday is holiday, then the deadline is set to the Monday of week 9)
    • If the course is required for your major or it will count toward your major upper-division GPA, you cannot choose to take the course as S/NC; courses that can be taken as S/NC are typically general electives or breadth courses or research courses 
    • You must be in good academic standing in order to be able to S/NC a course
    • If you choose to S/NC a course, you must earn a C grade or higher in the class to get an “S” grade (Satisfactory) and earn the units; if you get a C- grade or lower in the class, then you will get an “NC” grade (No Credit) and will not earn the units for the course
    • Neither an S or NC grade will affect your GPA
    • As long as students submit the EAF within the deadline the S/NC request will be considered on time and will be approved (as long as the criteria above is met); advisors may process the request after the deadline
  • Students in Crisis

    Are You in a Crisis?

  • Withdraw from UCR/Cancel Registration
    • Before the start of the quarter, you can cancel your registration by simply completing an Enrollment Cancellation Form.
    • Once the quarter has started, you will need to e-mail your academic advisor to let them know you wish to withdraw from the quarter (drop all classes).  They will assist you with the process.  
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