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Back to Policy Section III: Academic Affairs
Section III: Academic Affairs

Policy Number: III-2.50(A)

University of Maryland, College Park Policy and Procedures on Undergraduate Academic Advising

(Approved by the President )

A. Policy

Academic advising is available to all undergraduate students at the University of Maryland at College Park. Advising is an essential part of an undergraduate's educational experience. From orientation to graduation, advising can provide students with the assistance they need to plan their programs constructively.

B. Required Advising

  1. Students in the first semester of registration at the University of Maryland at College Park are required to meet with an advisor prior to scheduling their classes.
  2. Students receiving an academic warning at the end of any semester will be urged in writing to meet with an advisor prior to the beginning of the next semester. Students who do not meet with an advisor will not be allowed to drop or add courses or to register for the following semester.
  3. Students dismissed from the University for academic reasons must, as a condition of reinstatement, meet with an academic advisor. According to the student's individual needs, this meeting may occur before or after reinstatement is granted; in no case, however, may a reinstated student complete registration until the fact of this meeting has been recorded by the advisor.
  4. Students who withdraw may, when applying for reinstatement, be required by the Office of Re-enrollment to meet with an advisor as a condition of reinstatement. The fact of the meeting must be recorded by the advisor before registration can occur.
  5. After a student has earned between seventy and eighty credits toward a baccalaureate degree, that student shall be urged in writing to meet with an advisor. The meeting is for the express purpose of reviewing the student’s progress toward the degree, and, at a minimum, requires the advisor to detail, in writing, all coursework yet to be completed in fulfillment of the degree requirements. Each college and department shall have available one or more advisors to meet with these students at appropriate times.

C. Procedures for Finding an Advisor

  1. College or Departmental Advising At least one person at both academic levels, college and department, has been designated to coordinate advising. A list of these persons, providing name, room number, and telephone extension is published each semester in the schedule of classes.
  2. Undergraduate Advising Center The Undergraduate Advising Center is located in 1117 Hornbake Library. The center has a staff of trained academic advisors who are able to provide the assistance in the following areas:
    1. choosing a major
    2. pre-professional advising
    3. information and referral
    4. troubleshooting
    5. policy interpretation
    6. Credit-by-Exam, CLEP, Advanced Placement
    7. general assistance.