Academic Advising

The University of West Florida is committed to quality academic advising to assist all students in attaining their educational goals. Undergraduate students are assigned an academic advisor within their program department to assist in planning academic programs, provide guidance in personal, academic, and professional development, and foster interaction among students and faculty.  All students are encouraged to seek academic advising on a regular basis.

Degree-seeking students are responsible for arranging appointments with their assigned academic advisors prior to registration. Degree-seeking students who are enrolling for their initial semester at UWF must meet with their advisor prior to registration to discuss degree plans and have their Advising PIN released. Appointments can be made through the academic departments, or for the Emerald Coast instructional site, through the staff of the Emerald Coast instructional site. Degree-seeking students have priority for registration and enrollment.

University Responsibilities

The faculty, administration, and staff share a responsibility to provide accurate information and effective advice. The Division of Academic Affairs is responsible for providing students, faculty, and other advising staff with accurate information in the Catalog and other publications.

The academic and faculty advisors in First Year Advising (FYA); College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (CASSH); Lewis Bear Jr. College of Business (LBJCOB); School of Education (SOE); Hal Marcus College of Science and Engineering (HMCSE); and Usha Kundu, MD College of Health (UKCOH) are responsible for acting as a resource to provide students with timely and accurate information on University-wide requirements, policies, procedures, and referrals to appropriate services.

College and Department Responsibilities

The dean of each college and chairperson of each department ultimately are responsible for ensuring that academic advice is available and accessible to all students within the college or department.

Student Responsibilities

Students ultimately are responsible for knowing and fulfilling all University, college, and major requirements for graduation. Students should use their degree audit, Catalog, and other resources for information.

Academic Advising Directory

First Year Advising
Pensacola Campus - Building 21
(850) 474-3170
fyac@uwf.edu

College of Arts, Social Sciences & Humanities (CASSH) Advising*
Pensacola Campus - Building 53, Room 206
850-474-2653
cassh@uwf.edu

Lewis Bear Jr. College of Business (LBJCOB) Advising Center
Pensacola Campus - Building 76A, Room 224
(850) 474-3442
(850) 972-9023 (COB Virtual)
cobadvising@uwf.edu

School of Education (SOE) Advising
Pensacola Campus - Building 85, Room 196
(850) 474-2893
soe@uwf.edu

Hal Marcus College of Science & Engineering (HMCSE) Advising
Pensacola Campus - Building 4, Room 237
(850) 474-2688
hmcse@uwf.edu

Usha Kundu, MD College of Health (UKCOH) Advising Center
Pensacola Campus - Building 41, Room 250
(850) 474-3269
ukcohadvising@uwf.edu

*These colleges do not have formal advising centers. Contact your department for more information.

Late Registration

Registration must be initiated prior to the first day of any given term within each semester to avoid the non-refundable late registration fee of $100.

*UWF REG 4.003, s.1009.24(d) & (e)

Registration Holds

Holds preventing registration will be placed on the student record for one or more of the following reasons: incomplete admissions documents, financial obligations (parking tickets, library fines, etc.), financial responsibility, administrative discipline, failure to comply with the immunization requirements, etc. These holds must be removed prior to registration. Students should contact the appropriate office and arrange for removal of any holds to register for classes and to receive official transcripts, grades, and diplomas. Students can view holds through their student portal, MyUWF.

Students are able to view their grades, schedules, holds, and financial aid information in MyUWF.

Drop/Add Changes

Class schedule changes (drop and add) may be completed once a student has initially registered until the end of the scheduled drop/add period. Students may choose to change their class schedules on MyUWF. If the drop/add results in an increase in fees, the student must pay the additional fees as assessed by the fee payment due date. Any refunds of fees due to dropping a course prior to the end of the drop/add period will be issued by the Cashier’s Office. See Academic Dates and Deadlines for Drop/Add periods.

Cancellation of Registration

Students are permitted to drop their last remaining course using the online portal. Students who cancel their registration within this time frame are not liable for tuition or fees. 

The University may cancel the registration of a student whose fees are not paid or who has not received authorized deferred payment status as of the close of the fee payment period. Students are responsible for reviewing registration and account information in MyUWF.

Course Prerequisites and Corequisites

A prerequisite is a course in which credit must be earned prior to enrollment in another course. A corequisite is a course that must be taken concurrently with another course. A concurrent prerequisite may be taken either prior to or at the same time (concurrently) as another course. These requirements are included in the course search.

It is the student’s responsibility to review prerequisite and corequisite information as stated in the course description. Non-degree students should contact the academic department for permission to enter any course that requires a prerequisite. UWF reserves the right to cancel/remove the registration of a student who does not meet the course prerequisites. Students will first be notified about their unsatisfactory prerequisite affecting future registration with instruction on next steps. A second notification will be sent if and when their registration is canceled due to unsatisfactory prerequisites. A student whose registration is canceled will be notified by the department. All notifications will be sent to students’ UWF email account.

Cancellation of Registration and Reinstatement

Repeat Course Surcharge

Under s.1009.285, Florida public institutions are required to implement a repeat course surcharge for students who take a state-funded undergraduate course for the third time. Students taking the same course for the third time at UWF are subject to an increased matriculation fee of 100% of the cost of instruction.

Exceptions may be made for individualized study, courses that are repeated as a requirement of a major (i.e. major requires the student to enroll multiple times), and courses that are intended to continue over multiple semesters. The repeat of coursework more than two times to increase the grade point average or meet minimum course grade requirements is subject to the surcharge (see Tuition and Fees section).

If a student withdraws or fails a course due to extenuating circumstances an exception may be granted only once for each course. Appeals should be addressed to the Office of the Registrar via the Repeat Course Surcharge Appeal Form.

Registration for zero hours provides for a student's examinations, co-ops, internships, ensembles, graduations, use of facilities, etc. when deemed appropriate by the University. The student is assessed resident tuition and the associated fees (see BOG Regulation 7.003) for one credit hour. The Zero Hour Fee shall be distributed in the same manner as tuition. Students should see their academic advisors for advice on courses to be taken for zero credit hours. Signed consent of approval from the advisor or department is required in order to register for a zero-credit course.

**Passed by UWF Faculty Senate on12/9/2016

Course Information

Course Load/Maximum Hours Taken Per Semester

A normal enrollment for undergraduates is defined as 15 semester hours per semester. To enroll for more than 18 semester hours in a semester, the student's academic advisor must initiate the Adjustment to Minimum/Maximum Hours form, along with the signature of the Department Chair and student.

Courses Outside Degree Programs

Unless otherwise stipulated by external accreditation agreements, students whose academic programs require courses in other disciplines shall be given the same access to those courses as students in those majors.

Undergraduates Enrolling in Graduate Courses

Courses at the 5000 level may apply to either a graduate or undergraduate degree program; however, a student may not receive both graduate and undergraduate credit for the same course, and the course may only be used for one program. With approval from their Department Chair and advisor, juniors and seniors may enroll for 5000 level courses that will be included in their undergraduate program. Only undergraduate students who have maintained a “B” average in courses numbered 3000 and above are permitted to enroll in graduate courses. For specific course requirements, students should contact the major department and refer to graduate course requirements in the catalog. 

A 6000 level course may not be included in an undergraduate program. With department approval, undergraduate students enrolled in an accelerated Bachelor’s to Master’s program may apply up to 12 graduate credit hours (5000 or 6000 level) to both the undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Undergraduate students who are within 30 semester hours of completing requirements for a bachelor’s degree may enroll for 6000 level courses with the permission of their advisor and course instructors, provided their records indicate they have applied for a graduate program or have been admitted by an academic department to an approved accelerated Bachelor to Master’s program.

Undergraduate students may register for up to 10 semester hours in graduate courses for graduate credit; permission must be granted in writing from the appropriate college dean to the Registrar's Office.

Graduate level fees are assessed for all graduate level courses regardless of the student’s classification.

Directed Independent Study

Students who wish to study or do research under the direction of a faculty member for topics or areas not detailed in regularly scheduled courses may make arrangements for such study as a directed independent study. Credit hours and requirements are determined by the director of the study. Registration requires the approval of the faculty member who will supervise the study and the student’s advisor. Directed studies are available for approved subject area prefixes and levels and are designated by the last three digits of the course number. Example: ARH 4905.

In the Lewis Bear Jr. College of Business, all directed independent studies also require the approval of the appropriate department chair. 

See the Academic Credit Policies section of this Catalog for more information. 

International Student Exchange Programs

Students may participate in a variety of international learning experiences. Information about international exchange programs is available through International Affairs. Further information is available at the Division of Academic Engagement and Student Affair's website on Study Abroad.

Dual Enrollment Registration (High School and University Credit)

High School Dual Enrollment is a coursework acceleration program that allows qualified high school students to begin post-secondary coursework while earning credits toward the high school diploma. Dual Enrollment is established by law (s.1007.271), and the University of West Florida operates its program in accordance with local articulation agreements. Dual Enrollment is available to local school district, private and charter school, and home school secondary students.

Participation in High School Dual Enrollment has several advantages for students planning to pursue a college degree. It allows qualified students the opportunity to take college classes, free of tuition and fees, while they are still in high school. These students will have access to rigorous post-secondary courses while reducing the time and cost of completing the college degree. However, students taking dual enrollment courses must recognize that dual enrollment course grades will become a permanent part of the college transcript and will be factored into future applications to other colleges and universities.  

Refer to the UWF Dual Enrollment website for additional information.