UVA Wise is committed to providing you with an advising experience that will help you achieve academic success. YOU ARE WISE - this process belongs to you and will be what you make it.
Academic advising is a shared responsibility. By focusing on the whole person while stressing successful progress toward degree completion, your academic advisors will help you plan a successful path to graduation.
Academic advisors will point you toward resources that will help you succeed inside and outside the classroom. UVA Wise has the resources to help you develop an enriching educational plan that will help prepare you for a life of learning in a diverse and global society.
Guiding Principles
To successfully obtain a Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts degree in four years, an average of 15 hours per semester is necessary. Good planning of those 15 hours each semester is an essential aspect of the advising process. Advising is a collaborative team effort that includes faculty who are expert mentors in their disciplines but who are also well trained and able to help students take advantage of resources that integrate and promote the following:
- Self and Career exploration
- Academic planning
- Experiential learning
- Leadership opportunities
With resources to develop the student’s aspirations, interests, strengths and values, UVA Wise has a collaborative team seamlessly working together on the common goal of supporting development and success by helping the student:
- Navigate UVA Wise and its resources
- Develop sound academic plans
- Connect to useful resources
Academic Advising at Wise will give you the opportunity to engage in self-authorship and create meaning out of the UVA Wise experience. YOU ARE WISE and we are here to help you assume responsibility for your future.
All new students - freshmen, transfers, and readmits - will work with the Office of New Student Orientation during the Orientation process to be assigned an advisor. Readmits who have been enrolled at UVA Wise within the past calendar year will not have to participate in the full Orientation process.
Advising for Freshmen
The Office of New Student Orientation works with new first-year students to help them navigate academic as well as non-academic transitions. New Student Orientation and the faculty New Student Advising Corps work collaboratively with students beginning with the Orientation process to encourage thoughtful scheduling, career preparation, long-term planning, and serve as the primary resources for first-time freshmen.
Foundational academic skills instruction is provided to freshmen through a one semester course, Seminar 1010 (SEM 1010). This class is designed to introduce new students to the liberal arts core, its purpose and requirements, to familiarize them with the academic environment and to assist them in developing the tools they need to succeed in college, such as critical reading and writing. Freshman seminar enrollments are limited to promote maximum interaction between student and instructor. The freshman seminar is an important resource in helping students make the transition to college and to the major.
All freshmen are required to complete Freshman Seminar/SEM 1010. Students who are unsuccessful in their first full semester at Wise are subject to the following guidelines:
- Failure of SEM 1010 requires the course be repeated the next fall semester
- Students who are not in good academic standing at the end of the first term are required to enroll in SEM 1020.
- Students who successfully complete SEM 1010 and end their first time in Good Academic Standing will have their Freshmen Seminar requirement complete.
First year students who are on academic warning or probation at the end of their first full semester of enrollment at the college are required to register for and complete a second skills seminar (SEM 1020) in the next immediate semester of enrollment.
Advising in the Major
Students are encouraged to declare a major soon after admittance to Wise but are required to declare a major after completing three regular (or 45 earned hours), full-time semesters at UVA Wise, excluding Summer College. Once a major is declared, the advising function shifts to the academic department housing the major program of study. Departmental faculty, specialists in their academic disciplines, work with students at this stage to ensure the selection of courses appropriate to the student’s goals and interests as well as the departmental requirements for graduation. Students may declare a major by making an appointment with the Chair of the Department for their desired major. Once declared, students have access to their UVA Wise Degree Audits via the student portal at my.uvawise.edu. The Degree Audit is a guide to help students as they work through their Liberal Arts Core (general education) and their major requirements.
Advising for Students with Transfer Credit
Students with less than 30 hours of transferrable college credit are classified as freshmen and are subject to policies governing freshman advising (above).
As part of the Orientation process, the Office of New Student Orientation assigns new and readmitted students with more than 30 hours of transferrable college credit (i.e. upperclass students) to New Student Advising Corps faculty in their intended discipline for schedule, career planning, and advising on degree requirements. NOTE: First-year students with 30+ hours of dual enrollment credit are considered freshmen for Orientation processes since they are entering UVA Wise following secondary school graduation.
Like other upper-level students, transfer students with 45+ hours are required to declare a major (see Declaration of Major).
Changing Advisors
Students may change advisors at any time by contacting the appropriate department chair or visiting the Office of the Registrar.
Schedule Changes
Students may make changes in class schedules by adding and dropping classes through the student portal. Classes may be added only within the first week of a regular term. The last day to add is published on the web and in all registration materials. Classes may be dropped at any time within the first week of the semester. Students may withdraw from classes up through the first eight weeks of the semester. Withdrawing from a class places a “W” grade on the student transcript (see W-Limit policy). After the first week of class, access to the web registration portal is blocked. Withdrawing from a class requires the submission of a completed Schedule Action Form to the Registrar’s Office. The last day to drop classes, normally the Friday of the first week after fall or spring break, is published in the Academic Calendar as well as in registration materials provided by the Registrar’s Office. The Add/Drop and drop dates for courses meeting only part of the semester may vary from the timeframes stated above. After the portal is closed, students wishing to make a schedule change should take the following steps:
- Obtain a Schedule Action Form from the Registrar’s Office or from any faculty or administrative assistant. This form is also available on the main page of the Student Portal - my.uvawise.edu.
- Complete the form and get the advisor’s signature.
- Return the form to the Registrar’s Office by the published deadline.
- Once having added or dropped the course, students should then check and print a copy of their current schedules in the student information portal to make certain that the appropriate action took place with regard to their schedule of courses.
- The printed schedule will include the course from which the student has withdrawn and will have a status of “W” for withdrawn.
Schedule changes must occur within the stated deadlines. Exceptions must be approved by the Provost or the Provost’s designee and exceptional circumstances must exist to justify such exemption to the stated deadlines. Students who do not register within the published deadlines may be assessed a $50 late registration fee. Students may only change a course enrollment to an audit (rather than credit) during the Add/Drop period at the beginning of classes each semester. Students who have an Honor Court case pending may not drop the class in which the case originated.
A note of caution: If by dropping classes, students change from full-time status to part-time status, student financial aid can be affected as well as their eligibility to reside in campus housing or participate in college athletics.
Academic Support Services
Academic Success Center
The Academic Success Center offers tutoring, counseling, advising and other academic support services to all students enrolled at UVA Wise. Tutoring services are available online via Tutor.com or in-person via the UVA Wise Tutor Connection serves all students who are currently enrolled in classes at UVA Wise. Peer tutors are available weekdays 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. with evening and weekend hours arranged as needed. Services are free of charge and acts as a supplement to existing academic support services. Students can visit www.uvawise.edu/tutor or call 276-328-0177 for additional information and log-in information.
Writing Center
The Writing Center provides assistance with writing projects and presentations for all students in all disciplines. The Center also accepts referrals of students from faculty members. Tutors are students who are experienced in tutoring for composition classes. The Writing Center contains 20 PCs and Mac computers for use by students during tutoring sessions. Most computers have Microsoft Office and digital media applications.
Disability Support Services
In compliance with state and federal legislation regarding disability, UVA Wise provides services for all self-identified students with disabilities whose documentation meets our policy standards and guidelines. It is our goal to assure access to both facilities and educational programs. Qualifying students at Wise and Off-Campus receive academic adjustments for face-to-face, hybrid-online, and online courses as needed. Students in need of assistance should contact Disability Services by calling 276-328-0265 or via email at disability@uvawise.edu.
Students needing accommodations must provide documentation of the disability. Documentation must:
- state the diagnosed disability by a licensed professional: verifying the presence of a mental or physical impairment which substantially limits the condition, manner and duration in which the person performs a major life activity or function and describes the degree of impairment or limitation;
- provide enough information about the functional impact of the impairment(s) to support and suggest reasonable accommodations that are appropriate and effective;
- be current (generally speaking, three years is acceptable for most disabilities, five years for learning disabilities);
- include complete educational and medical history relevant to the disability; and
- be provided in a timely manner in order to give the institution enough time to process appropriate services.
TRiO Student Support Services
The mission of Student Support Services (SSS) is to increase retention and graduation rates of college students who are first generation, have limited income, or have disabilities. It provides assistance with course selection, financial literacy, educational workshops, need-based grants, activities to assist with graduate and professional school enrollment, and other academic support. SSS has a proven record of helping its participants achieve academic success. Interested students can apply online at Student Support Services Application | UVA Wise.
SSS is funded by the U. S. Department of Education for $338,972. The program serves 190 participants. The office is located on the first floor of Zehmer Hall. For additional information, call 276-328-0177 or view the website at TRiO Student Support Services | UVA Wise.
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