Guide for New Students
Resources for First-Year, Transfer, and New to Storrs Students
Welcome to Our Academic Community!
This webpage is for incoming first-year, transfer, and campus change students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS).
By choosing to study in CLAS, you have joined UConn's most diverse academic community, giving you unparalleled flexibility to pursue your interests and explore your world from different viewpoints.
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About CLAS Advising
In CLAS, you will have an unequaled opportunity to customize your academic experience—and the resources to guide your journey. Student advising in our College is coordinated by the CLAS Academic Services Center. The Center oversees 27 staff and over 400 faculty advisors who are here to help students in all of the College's academic departments and majors.
Advising Expectations
Academic advisors are staff or faculty members selected by a department to guide students through their major requirements. In most cases, students are assigned an academic advisor when they declare a major.
A successful and productive advising/mentoring relationship involves collaboration between the advisor/mentor and the student. The advising/mentoring relationship should allow the student to meet academic degree requirements and gain relevant experiences outside of the classroom. Learn more about the advisor-advisee relationship and how to find your advisor.
Advising at the Storrs and Regional Campuses
Students at the UConn Storrs and regional campuses have different contacts for academic advising.
Storrs Campus
The primary hub of academic advising for CLAS students on the Storrs campus is the CLAS Academic Services Center. Our staff are professional advisors and administrators who represent the CLAS dean for a variety of undergraduate academic services.
Students can meet with an advisor in the Center through scheduled and drop-in appointments. Students are encouraged to schedule an appointment to see an advisor when dealing with complex issues. Drop-in appointments are available based solely on advisor availability.
Students can also obtain a CLAS dean's signature from a dean's designee in the Center. Students seeking the dean’s signature should schedule an appointment.
Regional Campuses
All regional campus students are assigned an advisor by the director of Student Services at their campus, who is responsible for coordinating the advising process. Students should feel free to contact their assigned advisor, the appropriate advising office below, or the Academic Services Center on the Storrs campus with any questions or concerns.
| Campus | Office Location and Contact |
|---|---|
| Avery Point | Branford House, Room 307 860-405-9024 |
| Hartford | Office of Student Services, First Floor 959-200-3743 |
| Stamford | 1 University Place, Room 2.01 860-251-8484 |
| Waterbury | Student Services Suite, Room 228 203-236-9871 |
Student Administration System
The Student Administration System (also referred to as StudentAdmin or SA) is an online platform that organizes and distributes student data. It allows students to track progress toward their degree, register for classes, check their finances, and more.
View student guides for using the Student Administration System.
Advising Terms and Definitions
You may encounter unfamiliar words and phrases as you begin your academic career at UConn. Some of the most common examples include:
- NetID - Your UConn ID number (i.e., xxx00000).
- PeopleSoft # - Your 7-digit StudentAdmin number (i.e., 0000000).
- Plan of Study - A document that lists all the requirements necessary to complete your major or minor.
You can find our full list of advising terms and definitions on our resources page.
Advisement Report
The advisement report is available through the Student Administration System and helps students track their progress towards completing their academic program. It identifies completed and outstanding general education requirements, major requirements, and minor requirements. The advisement report projects ahead, assuming that all courses a student enrolls in will be successfully completed (i.e. a passing grade is earned).
To access this report, log into the Student Administration System:
- From the Main Menu Self-Service window, select Student Center.
- Under Academics, navigate to Other Academics drop-down menu.
- Select Academic Requirements.
- Your Advisement Report should appear.
Note: The “total units” statement for major credits and cumulative credits include credits from courses in progress, registered for, and courses with temporary grades (I, X, or N).
All requirements that are collapsed on this page have been successfully completed or are in progress of being completed, and requirements that are expanded are outstanding. To view this document as a PDF, select the View Report as PDF button on the top right-hand side of the page. The system will generate a comprehensive report denoting a student’s progress towards degree completion and highlight all outstanding requirements.
The report will list degree requirements in the following order: University requirements, CLAS-specific requirements, major requirements, and, if applicable, minor requirements. Since the University requirements are listed first, your report may note that you have completed the requirements for content area one, however, it is important to check your progress in content area one in the CLAS-specific section.
Additional Notes
- The section noting the additional requirements of CLAS omits areas that do not differ from University requirements.
- Course history is the last page of the PDF report. It indicates earned credits, which does not include credits that are in progress (IP).
Academic Requirements
Students can earn a Bachelor of Arts (BA) and/or a Bachelor of Science (BS) in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Students pursuing a BS must complete additional science and math sequences, as well as laboratory requirements specific to the major.
To earn a CLAS bachelor’s degree, students need a minimum of 120 total degree credits. View our College's degree requirements.
General Education Requirements
UConn’s general education requirements are designed to expose you to diverse ideas and perspectives and give you the skills necessary to face the changes and challenges of our future. As a student in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, general education courses also allow you to discover new interests and explore majors and minors before you declare them.
All students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences must complete both University and CLAS general education requirements. These requirements are broken down into competencies and content areas.
View a complete list of the CLAS general education requirements.
General Education Competencies
Students must demonstrate mastery of several competencies in order to complete their general education requirements. By mastering these competencies, students not only meet important degree requirements; they also gain essential skills that will help them succeed in their careers at UConn and beyond.
While all of the competencies are important to your undergraduate education, first-year and transfer students should be particularly aware of the following requirements.
Writing (W) Competency and First-Year Writing
As part of the CLAS general education requirements, students must complete two writing-intensive (W) courses. At least one W course must be an approved 2000-level or above course in the student’s declared major.
Before students can enroll in a W course, they must complete a first-year writing course. Students can satisfy this first-year writing requirement by taking one of several courses, which can differ depending on whether you are a traditional first-year, international, or transfer student.
Second Language Requirement
CLAS students must take a single second language through the intermediate level to fulfill the second language competency. Students who completed three years of a single second language in high school have successfully completed this requirement.
Quantitative (Q) Competency and Mathematics Placement
Students pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences must complete three quantitative (Q) courses to complete their degree.
Bachelor of Science students are required to take a sequence of calculus courses as part of their general education requirements.
UConn requires all undergraduate students seeking to register for certain foundational calculus courses to take a Mathematics Placement Exam (MPE) in order to determine student readiness for appropriate placement.
General Education Content Areas
General education requirements are organized by content area, or groups of courses that are clustered together by an overarching theme. Students are required to take courses in all of these content areas. The specific requirements differ depending on whether a student is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science degree.
Majors, Minors, and Degree Options
The diverse academic community in CLAS gives you unparalleled flexibility to pursue your interests. No matter what major you pursue, your liberal arts education will challenge you intellectually and give you the skills you need for a successful life and career. View the CLAS degree requirements and learn more about your options below.
Majors
The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences offers more than 50 undergraduate majors. All of these majors are offered at the Storrs campus; only certain majors can be completed at a UConn regional campus. Students at any campus can choose to pursue one major, or they can add a double major or an additional degree.
Learn more about major requirements and the difference between double majors and additional degrees.
Minors
Students can elect to complete one or more minors, though it is not required for graduation. You can choose one of the many minors offered through CLAS departments, or you can explore minor options offered through another school or college at UConn.
Declare or Change Your Major or Minor
Students at the Storrs and regional campuses can declare or change their major and declare most minors using an online form. Before you declare a major or minor, we recommend that you meet with your assigned academic advisor or make an appointment with an advisor in the CLAS Academic Services Center.
Courses and Credits
Courses are the fundamental building blocks of your education, and course credits help measure progress toward your degree. Learn more about our course and credit requirements, or view the menus below to find topics most relevant to incoming CLAS students.
Course Numbers
The University numbers its courses to indicate the approximate grade level and prerequisite requirements of each course. Undergraduate students typically take 1000- to 4000-level courses. Introductory courses at the 1000 level are primarily intended for first-year and sophomore students and typically do not require prerequisites.
Previously Earned Transfer Credits
Students who are newly admitted or who have transferred to the University may bring credits from their previous institution or Advanced Placement (AP) tests, which can count toward their degree requirements.
View the University's policies on transfer credits and courses.
AP Courses
Students taking Advanced Placement (AP) exams must send their scores directly from the College Board to the University of Connecticut. To receive credit for their course(s), students must earn the appropriate qualifying score. Students will receive the corresponding credits on their transcript but no grade will be entered. Similar to transfer credits, a “T” will be used to indicate the earned credits.
Find a full list of AP credits by subject and how they transfer to UConn.
Previously Earned Transfer Credits
UConn credit is granted for courses taken at a regionally accredited, degree-granting institution completed with a minimum grade of a "C" (2.0). Courses must be comparable in content and quality to courses offered at UConn. Transfer credits are evaluated and posted to a student’s UConn transcript during specific periods of the semester.
Grade Point Averages and Academic Standing
A Grade Point Average (GPA) represents the average value of a student's accumulated final grades earned in courses over time. Students have three GPAs that are used to calculate their academic standing at the conclusion of each fall and spring semester.
University Holds and Registering for Classes
A hold on a student’s account can result in an inability to register for classes or receive copies of an official transcript. These are the most common University holds as well as how to resolve them.
Bursar hold: Students who have a bursar hold should contact the Bursar’s Office (860-486-4830) to resolve the financial issue. Students who make online payments should note that it takes at least 24 hours before their payment is processed and their bursar hold is removed.
Immunization hold: Students who have an immunization hold should contact Student Health Services (860-486-4700) to verify that their immunization records are in order and to remove the hold.
Advising hold: Students who have an advising hold should contact their advisor to schedule a registration appointment. Many majors require students to meet with their advisors before the enrollment hold will be removed.
ASC hold: Students who have an ASC hold should contact the CLAS Academic Services Center (860-486-2822) to make an appointment regarding the hold on their account.
Course Registration Timeline
Late March: Registration for the fall semester begins for continuing students.
Early May: Fall course registration for continuing students is closed in preparation for summer orientation.
Late May—Late July: Incoming first-year and new transfer students register for fall semester classes during summer orientation.
Late July: Continuing students are able to make changes to their fall schedule using the Student Administration System.
Late October: Registration for the spring semester begins for continuing students.
Steps You Should Take Before Registering for Classes
Before registration, students should:
- Review their advisement report and understand the credits and requirements they have outstanding.
- Schedule an appointment with their advisor at least 2 weeks before their registration date.
- Discuss the classes they would like to take the following semester with their advisor and select two or three back-up courses in case their desired classes are
- Note that reserved seats are released to non-majors during early-August for fall registration and early-January for spring registration. Students should review their transcript and make appropriate changes to their course registration. This is a good time to register for a minor and/or related courses.