the learning center

Contact the University Learning Center for academic support services at (910) 962-7857, or schedule an appointment online.

contact your advisor

University College is located in DePaolo Hall, room 1092. Call us at (910) 962-3245 or email uc@uncw.edu.

Schedule an apointment online!

Academic Difficulties

Steps You Can Take

If you are having academic difficulties, the first thing you should do is meet with your professor during his or her office hours. UNCW is a teaching-oriented university and our professors pride themselves on their excellent rapport with students. They want you to succeed!

Talk with your professor as soon as possible to discuss your questions and concerns. Your professor will probably have some suggestions for you about how to study the material and what to emphasize. If you have recently taken a test or a quiz, you can ask whether he or she would be willing to go over some of the questions you got wrong.

You can also talk to your academic advisor about the many resources on campus that are available to you.

Resources on Campus

• University Learning Center
• Writing Center
• Math Lab
• Supplemental Instruction
• Study Skills Resources
• Learning Services
• University Testing Services
• Center for Support of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships

Withdrawing from a Course

You should make every effort to get help in a course before withdrawing. If you withdraw before the deadline (remember to check the Academic Calendar for deadlines), you will receive a "W" in the course.

A "W" does not affect your GPA. However, courses for which you receive a "W" do count as attempted hours. The number of attempted hours is important for determining financial aid eligibility. In addition, students need to consider when to make up these withdrawn hours in order to stay on track for graduation.

Before withdrawing, students should consider all of the implications:

• Will it drop me from full-time student status?
• Will it negatively impact my financial aid? Scholarships? Insurance?
• Will it impact my plans for graduation?

Students are urged to discuss this decision with their academic advisor and, if applicable, their financial aid counselor.

After the last day of registration and add/drop, students may withdraw from individual classes through SeaNet. Undergraduates who intend to withdraw from all classes for a term must process an official withdrawal form through the Office of the Dean of Students by the deadline.

Withdrawing after the Deadline

Withdrawing after the deadline results in a "WF" for the course, which counts in your GPA as an "F." The course will also be counted in your attempted hours. A "WF" can be replaced if you repeat the course.

Course Repeat Policy

Students who receive a grade of "C" or better in a course may not repeat the course for credit, but may audit without credit. Any student who re-enrolls in a course that has already earned a grade of "C" or better, regardless of where the course was taken, will have their enrollment status in the course automatically changed to audit by the Office of the Registrar.

Students who receive a grade below a "C" in a course taken at UNCW may repeat the course at UNCW. For the first 5 different courses repeated, the grade and hours earned for the course (the first time it was taken) will not be used in calculating GPA or hours toward graduation. However, all grades remain on the student's transcript. NOTE: For students entering UNCW in 2012 and beyond, only the first 3 different courses may be repeated for another grade.

Students should note:

• The grade earned the second time a course is taken always replaces the grade earned the first time it was taken, regardless of which grade is better.
• A student may repeat more than five courses, but the grade replacement policy will only hold for the first five. NOTE: If you are a student who entered UNCW 2012 or after, you may repeat more than three courses, but the grade replacement policy will only hold for the first three.
• This policy does not hold for repeating graduate courses.
• A poor grade received due to admitted or adjucated academic dishonesty shall not be replaced if the course is repeated. Both the penalty grade and the new grade will appear on the student's transcript and count towards the cumulative GPA. A student may not appeal this policy at the faculty or administrator level.