Policies, procedures and forms

Change request forms

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Change request forms

Declare/change your CBS major (CBS students only)

Current CBS students should use this form to declare their major within CBS or to replace their current major. Requests will generally be processed within two weeks.

Note: Non-CBS student are not allowed to declare or add a major through this form, as CBS does not permit non-CBS students to declare a major-only program.

Complete the form

Add/drop an additional CBS major or minor (CBS students only)

Current CBS students should use this form to add/drop an additional major within CBS or to add/drop a CBS minor. Requests will generally be processed within two weeks. See the request form for additional details about compatibility and eligibility of certain CBS majors/minors. 

Complete the form

Declare/drop a CBS minor (non-CBS students)

Non-CBS students may use this form to add/drop a CBS minor. Some minors within CBS require completed prerequisites before being eligible to declare the minor. For more information about CBS minors, visit the CBS minors page. For the most up to date requirements for CBS minors, check the undergraduate catalog at catalogs.umn.edu.

Complete the form

Change your academic advisor

CBS Student Services uses a team approach to advising. Although you are assigned a primary advisor, you can meet with anyone on the advising team. If you develop a positive relationship with another advisor and want to change your primary advisor, you can do so at any time. The University of Minnesota maintains a shared notes system called APLUS which allows advisors to better support you by accessing up-to-date information about your interactions with campus staff.

Complete the form

Academics

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Academics

Petitioning the CBS Scholastics Committee for special circumstances

There are a variety of reasons that a student may petition the CBS Scholastics Committee:

  • Make requirement substitutions within your CBS major/minor
  • Request exceptions to University policies
  • Make changes to your registration if the cancel/add deadlines for the semester have passed

Learn about the process

Academic probation and suspension

Academic Probation: A student will be placed (or remain) on probation if either the term or the cumulative GPA is below 2.0.

Suspension: A student is suspended if both the term and the cumulative GPA are below 2.0 at the end of the probation term, or the conditions of an academic contract are not fulfilled. 

Learn more

Chemistry for Life Science Sequence information

The University of Minnesota Department of Chemistry offers a three semester, 13-credit Chemistry for the Life Sciences sequence to provide a focused and accelerated chemistry sequence for the life sciences which ensures that the critical concepts in chemistry are included. In reducing content that is less central to the life sciences, the sequence allows students to progress through the chemistry content most critical to be successful in their domains, as well as engage in more advanced coursework.

Learn more

CBS dated credit policy

Occasionally, students leave the University and later decide to return to the College of Biological Sciences to complete their degree. In these situations, course content and requirements may have changed significantly, and previously completed courses may no longer represent the thinking and teaching in these areas of study. 

To ensure a solid understanding of current content in the life sciences, all returning students who have taken their foundational level biology (Foundations of Biology or equivalent) courses more than 10 years ago must have those courses evaluated by the director of undergraduate studies for their intended major.

Learn more

Adding a CBS degree/major as a non-CBS student

Non-CBS students wanting to declare a second major or an additional degree still need to be admitted to CBS by meeting the Transfer from Within the University of Minnesota requirements. 

For a dual/additional degree: Complete the Additional Undergraduate Degree Program Application to maintain your current program and add a B.S. degree program in the College of Biological Sciences.

For a second major: Please contact cbschange@umn.edu for our internal form to declare a second major within CBS. 

Generate an APAS report

Your APAS (Academic Progress Audit System) report lists your degree requirements, summarizes your progress, and explains what you will need to do to complete your undergraduate degree program.

Check your report

Grades and grading options (including incomplete grades)

You may choose one of two grading options for some of your courses: A-F or S-N. All courses in your major must be taken for a letter grade (A-F) unless the only option available is S-N (e.g. directed research).

Learn more

Registration

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Registration

Repeating a course

You may repeat a course once. When you repeat a course:

  • Both grades for the course appear on the official transcript.
  • The course credits will only be counted once towards degree and program requirements.
  • Only the last enrollment for the course will count in your grade point average.

One time late withdrawal

Undergraduate students have an opportunity to withdraw from a course without the need for college approval. This option, known as One Time Late Withdrawal (OTLW), allows withdrawal after the 10th week of class until the last day of the semester, resulting in a "W" on their transcript. 

Learn more

Gaining acceptance to a closed course (including waitlists)

Most CBS courses with limited enrollment use waitlists to control access to the course when it closes. This ensures that the available space in the course is allotted in a fair and equitable manner. If a class is closed and does not have a waitlist, there may be an opportunity to get a permission number. 

Learn more

Course time conflict

You may not register for classes that overlap in time or have less than one minute of separation unless you obtain approval from the instructors of both classes. More information about the Class Time Conflict process and form can be found on the One Stop website.

Student status

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Student status

Continuous registration policy (inactive status/discontinuation)

Students who are absent one or more semesters without an approved leave of absence will be discontinued and thus not be able to register when they return; they will need to apply for readmission into their program. An official Leave of Absence form is required for all undergraduates who do not enroll for ONE or more semesters (excluding summer). Contact CBS Student Services for more information.

Leave of absence

Students who do not plan to enroll in classes for at least one semester and intend to return to the University within two academic years may qualify for a Leave of Absence (LOA). A formal leave of absence allows students to maintain their student status and degree requirements upon return. Students should contact CBS Student Services to discuss their options and learn about the process for requesting leave of absence.

When a student wishes to return from an approved leave of absence, they should submit an Application for Readmission to CBS Student Services. After two years if the student has not returned, they will be placed on inactive status.

Additional information about Leave of Absence can be found online through One Stop. Please see the Returning to CBS page on the CBS Student Services website for details about the readmission process. For more information about these policies, contact CBS Student Services.

Readmission/reinstatement

Withdrawing from the U of M

If you are withdrawing from the University of Minnesota you should meet with a CBS advisor and refer to the Withdrawing from the University Checklist.

Active military duty cancellation policy

Students can take a leave of absence for active military service. If you need to take military leave and return to the University, you will be given immediate readmission under your previous academic status and program requirements as long as the cumulative length of your absence and all previous absences for military service does not exceed five years.

Learn more

Other policies and resources

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Other policies and resources

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) for financial aid

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards ensure that you are successfully completing your coursework and can continue to receive financial aid. All students receiving financial aid are required to meet SAP standards. The University of Minnesota adheres to federal SAP guidelines when administering all federal, state, and institutional financial aid.

Learn more

Tuition refund appeal

Retroactive language credit

If you are placed into a third, fourth or fifth semester language course (i.e. Span 1003, Span 1004 or Span 3015) and successfully complete that course with a C- or better, you may receive retroactive credit for the intervening semester(s). For example, if you placed into Span 1004 and passed the course with a C- or better, you would receive 10 retroactive credits for Span 1002 (5 credits) and Span 1003 (5 credits). If you placed into Span 3015 and passed the course with a C- or better, you would receive 10 retroactive credits for Span 1003 (5 credits) and Span 1004 (5 credits). The maximum amount of retroactive credits is 10. These credits will appear on your transcript, but not factored into your GPA. To request these retroactive credits, you must contact your CBS advisor after you have received a grade in your first language course.

Undergraduate Policies Section of U of MN Catalog

One Stop Academic Calendar

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University Policy Library

Students are able to find and review the rules that govern our University activities using the University Policy Library. CBS academic advisors are available to help interpret policies.

Explore UMN policies