Policies and Forms

Academic standing is a measure of your academic success at CU Boulder based on your cumulative CU GPA. Students are generally considered to be in good standing with the university if they’re eligible to enroll or enrolled in classes in a given term. If you’re a current undergraduate degree-seeking student whose cumulative GPA has dropped below a 2.000, you are no longer in good academic standing. 

The following academic standings apply to grades/GPA earned in the fall 2022 term and beyond.  Students are notified of their academic status (e.g., alert, warning, suspension) through official CU email and are directed to contact their advisor to discuss options.

Academic standing is processed in fall and spring terms based on all CU classes taken, including Continuing Education classes. Students can use summer to return to good standing, but summer enrollment that negatively impacts GPA is not subject to academic standing processing. 

Please review the Office of the Registrar's Academic Standing page for details, more information, and FAQs regarding academic standings.

For more details on the university’s academic standing policy, see the CU Boulder Undergraduate Catalog.

Academic Alert

The academic standing of a first-semester student whose cumulative CU GPA does not meet the minimum academic standard of 2.000. Academic alert is not recorded on the official transcript. Students who do not earn a cumulative CU GPA of 2.000 while on academic alert will be placed on academic warning.

Academic Warning

The academic standing of a continuing student whose cumulative CU GPA does not meet the minimum academic standard of 2.000. Academic warning is not recorded on the official transcript. Students who earn a term GPA of 2.300 or higher while on academic warning can continue on academic warning for one additional term. 

Academic Agreement

The academic standing of a student whose cumulative CU GPA does not meet the minimum academic standard but who is allowed to enroll in lieu of academic suspension or academic dismissal. Academic agreements are offered by a student’s home college, school or program. Academic agreement is not recorded on the official transcript. Students who do not earn a cumulative CU GPA of 2.000 while on academic agreement will be placed on academic suspension.

Academic Suspension

The academic standing of a student who did not meet the requirements of academic warning, or an academic agreement made with their college, school or program. Academic suspension is recorded on the official transcript. When a student previously on academic suspension meets the minimum academic standard of 2.000 cumulative CU GPA, they earn a status of "return to good academic standing," and this is also noted on the official transcript.

Conditionally Enrolled

The academic standing of a student who is approved to enroll at CU Boulder while on academic suspension. Subsequent to an academic suspension, a student may be permitted to re-enroll at CU Boulder under one or more of the following conditions:

• Completes coursework through the CU Division of Continuing Education  
• Completes summer coursework at any University of Colorado Campus
• Completes coursework at another institution and has a calculated virtual 2.000 GPA, and who subsequently must raise their cumulative CU GPA to the minimum academic standard of 2.000. 
• A student who has not enrolled at any institution for at least one calendar year, and who subsequently must raise their cumulative CU GPA to the minimum academic standard of 2.000. 

Conditional enrollment is recorded on the official transcript.

Academic Dismissal

The academic standing of a student on academic suspension, who while conditionally enrolled, has not met the terms of their reinstatement option. Academic dismissal is recorded on the official transcript.

Return to Good Academic Standing

The academic standing of a student previously on academic alert, academic warning, academic agreement, academic suspension or academic dismissal whose cumulative CU GPA meets the minimum academic standard of 2.000. "Returned to good academic standing" is recorded on the official transcript after an academic suspension or academic dismissal.

Students can use summer to return to good standing, but summer enrollment that negatively impacts GPA is not subject to academic standing processing.

Intra-University Transfer (IUT) into Exploratory Studies

Current CU Boulder students interested in transferring into the Program in Exploratory Studies (PES) can join the program through the Intra-University Transfer (IUT) process and should start the application process by using the IUT Application. Incoming students who have not yet started taking classes at CU Boulder should request a major change through their First-Year CU Boulder Admissions Application or Transfer CU Boulder Admissions Application.

Advising for students interested in an IUT into PES

Program in Exploratory Studies (PES) advisors are available to connect with and answer questions from students who are interested in an IUT into PES in the following ways:

• Students interested in an IUT into PES may submit their questions to PES advisors by emailing UEACadvising@colorado.edu.
• Interested students may attend PES drop-in advising hours. Drop-in advising is available in-person in the University Exploration and Advising Center (UEAC) in CASE, east building, second floor. When you arrive be sure to check-in at the kiosk next to the front desk. PES drop-in advising days/hours may be found on the PES website homepage. 
• Interested students may schedule an appointment with a PES advisor by clicking on the Meet with a Different Advisor tile in Buff Portal Advising.

Guaranteed Admission

Undergraduate students enrolled on the Boulder campus with fewer than 30 credit-hours earned and who are in good academic standing may apply to transfer to the program in exploratory studies. Good academic standing includes students in their first semester on campus who have not yet earned a CU Boulder GPA and students who have completed at least one semester on campus and have earned a cumulative GPA of 2.000 or higher.

Admission Requiring Review

Students who don't meet guaranteed admission requirements are welcome to apply but may require individual review, and admission decisions may be postponed until after final grades are posted. Students who have earned a GPA below 2.000 are generally not allowed to transfer into exploratory studies but applications will be reviewed for unique circumstances. Students who have earned more than 30 credit-hours are welcome to apply but students may be asked to speak with a staff member in exploratory studies for development of a major declaration plan.

Note: Students with a cumulative GPA below 2.000 who are currently on academic suspension from another college on campus are not eligible for an IUT into PES.

• The policies to IUT into Exploratory Studies as noted above only apply to IUT Add and Change applications. 
• The Intra-University Transfer (IUT) Drop Application requirements and deadlines differ from the IUT Add/Change Application for the Program in Exploratory Studies and may have financial and academic ramifications for students. The IUT Drop Application ONLY applies to students who are pursuing degrees in at least two DIFFERENT colleges/schools/programs AND wish to DISCONTINUE one major. For more information, deadlines, and the IUT Drop Application, please visit the CU Boulder Intra-University Transfer (IUT) webpage.

Deadlines for Admission into PES

PES accepts IUT applications for fall, spring, and summer semesters, and applications may be submitted at any point during the academic year.  Students can open the IUT Application on the following dates:

• September 15th: Spring Application
• February 15th: Summer and Fall Applications

IUT applications must be submitted by 12:00PM Noon (MT) on the census date of the current semester in order to be admitted to PES for the current semester. Applications received after census date of the current semester will be considered for admission for the following semester.

• To be admitted for the spring term, students must submit an IUT application to PES no later than the spring census date by 12:00pm Noon (MT).  IUT applications submitted to PES after the final IUT application deadline (census) will be reviewed for summer admission. Please note that students who are admitted to PES for the summer term are not required to take summer coursework.
• To be admitted for the summer term, students must submit an IUT application to PES no later than the summer census date by 12:00pm Noon (MT).  IUT applications submitted to PES after the final IUT application deadline (census) will be reviewed for fall admission.
• To be admitted for the fall term, students must submit an IUT application to PES no later than the fall census date by 12:00pm Noon (MT).  IUT applications submitted to PES after the final IUT application deadline (census) will be reviewed for spring admission.

Declaration of Major - IUT from PES into a degree granting school/college/program

Exploratory studies students work closely with academic advisors throughout their first two to four semesters to establish a degree plan and move into a degree-granting program at CU Boulder. This is accomplished through the Intra-University Transfer (IUT) process and generally takes place after the second or third semester.

Exploratory studies students in good academic standing with a cumulative GPA of 2.000 or higher must IUT to a degree-granting program once they have completed four semesters. Students who have not met the requirements to IUT to a competitive program will work closely with advisors to identify programs for which they are eligible to apply. 

Students who entered Exploratory Studies with 30 credit-hours or more as transfer students must IUT within three semesters.

IUT Requirements vary by college/school and can be found on the Intra-University Transfer webpage.

Intra-University Transfer (IUT) Guide

The Intra-University Transfer (IUT) Guide is a non-credit, optional Canvas course, designed to assist CU Boulder students before, during, and after an Intra-University Transfer (IUT) journey. Whether you are exploring the possibility of a new major or need academic assistance in your intended field of study, this guide is designed to be your one-stop resource for all things IUT!

Students must be granted special permission to be enrolled in more than 21 credit hours during any fall or spring semester or more than 16 credit hours during any summer term. Students who wish to be enrolled above the credit hour limit should submit a request to exploratorystudies@colorado.edu.

Students must be fully enrolled (not waitlisted) for the maximum number of credits when the request is submitted. The request should include a statement describing why they wish to enroll in more than 21 credit hours (or 16 during summer) and the specific course and section they are hoping to add.

Requests will be reviewed during the open enrollment period for the semester in question, which is typically the week prior to the first day of class.

If a student takes a course for credit more than once, all grades are calculated into the grade point average. However, the course credit hours only count toward graduation once, unless a course description specifically states that it can be taken more than once for credit.

Students may retake a course for grade replacement under the grade replacement policy. When a student retakes a course for grade replacement, the grade earned in the most recent prior attempt will still appear on the transcript, as will the new grade, but their cumulative GPA and credit totals on the transcript will only include the grade from the latest attempt. Please note, grade replacement will not change a student's academic standing from prior semesters.

In recognition of high academic achievement, the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education grants scholarly honors each term to students in the Program in Exploratory Studies.

Students achieving a grade point average of 3.600 or higher in any given term are recognized by a letter from the Vice Provost and receive a notation on their transcript. Honors are based on at least 12 credit hours of coursework completed for a letter grade at CU Boulder. 

Once in a degree-granting program, exploratory studies students are encouraged to pursue honors that are recognized by each college at commencement. 

Between the last day to add a class in Buff Portal (see the Add/Drop Calendar) and the last week of the semester, students need instructor and/or department permission (requirements vary by department) to add a class to their schedule. Once they receive permission from the instructor, students should contact the department in which the course is offered. Late adds are typically only approved if the class has space available and the student has been attending class regularly.

Beginning the last week of the semester, students hoping to add a class retroactively must submit a late/retroactive petition form.

Program in Exploratory Studies students may petition to late drop a class or classes after the last day to drop a class deadline published by the Office of the Registrar for fall and spring, summer, and special session terms. Please note, students can drop courses on their own through the first 10 weeks of the fall and spring semesters and through posted deadlines in the summer and special session terms. Please see additional details below for the term you are seeking to late drop a class/es.

Dropping a course after the posted drop deadline requires approval from the Dean’s Office, through the late drop petition process, including a well stated, well documented circumstance that warrants an exception to the posted drop deadline.

• PES students are strongly encouraged to meet with their academic advisor or coach prior to submitting a petition to ensure that a late drop is the best path forward and to discuss other available options and resources.
• Submitted late drop petitions are reviewed by the Academic Appeals Committee, and students are notified of decisions at their colorado.edu email address.

The last day to submit a late drop petition to Exploratory Studies for the spring 2023 semester was Thursday, May 4 at 5 p.m. Reach out to your academic advisor to discuss academic options if you have additional questions.

Please see this example of a quality late drop petition and essay that would be approved. You’re going to be asked to upload an essay to your petition, which should be detailed, specific, and well composed. You may wish to utilize the Writing Center for support in writing your essay.

Fall/Spring 

Standard 16 week Semester

Students may drop one or more of their enrolled courses themselves through the 10th week of the semester (via Buff Portal) but are strongly encouraged to consult with their academic advisor before doing so to avoid unintended consequences. 

After the Last Day to Drop a Class deadline published by the Registrar's Office, and through the last day of classes in the semester, Exploratory Studies students must submit a late drop petition to drop one or more classes after the published deadline.  Students are strongly encouraged to meet with their academic advisor or academic coach to determine whether petitioning for a late drop is advisable before submitting a petition to late drop a course/s.

The deadline to submit a late drop petition is 5:00pm on the last day of classes for the semester.

After the last day of classes, students can no longer drop an individual course (or courses) and should follow the campus Retroactive Withdrawal process if they wish to request a full withdrawal from an already completed semester based on extenuating circumstances.

Special Sessions (4, 5, 8 week sessions)

Students may drop one or more of their enrolled special session courses themselves through posted drop deadlines (via Buff Portal) but are strongly encouraged to consult with their academic advisor before doing so to avoid unintended consequences.  Please check the special sessions calendar for posted drop/withdrawal deadlines.  

After the Special Sessions final drop deadline published by the Registrar's Office, and through the last day of classes in the term, Exploratory Studies students must submit a late drop petition to drop one or more classes after the published deadline.  Students are strongly encouraged to meet with their academic advisor or academic coach to determine whether petitioning for a late drop is advisable before submitting a petition to late drop a course/s.

Petitions must be submitted by 5:00pm on the last day of classes for the term. 

Summer Session

Students may drop one or more of their enrolled courses themselves through summer drop posted deadlines (via Buff Portal) but are strongly encouraged to consult with their academic advisor before doing so to avoid unintended consequences. Please check the summer session add/drop/withdrawal deadlines for posted drop/withdrawal deadlines.  After the final drop deadline published by the Registrar's Office, and through the last day of classes in a given session, students should email exploratorystudies@colorado.edu to petition to drop.

Petitions must be submitted by 5:00pm on the last day of classes for the session. 

After the last day of classes, students can no longer drop an individual course (or courses) and should follow the campus Retroactive Withdrawal process if they wish to request a full withdrawal from an already completed semester based on extenuating circumstances.

Students in the program in exploratory studies who withdraw from all of their registered courses two semesters in a row may have a hold placed on their account, prohibiting them from further registration until they meet with their advisor to assess degree progress.

Students in the Program in Exploratory Studies who wish to take a course on a pass/fail basis should first discuss options with their academic advisor. A limited number of pass/fail credits can be applied to the degree, and rules vary by college. Grading mode identifies how a class will be graded. If a department designates a course as "student option," it's your choice whether to take it for a letter grade or pass/fail.  Changes to or from pass/fail are not permitted after the tenth Friday of the semester or after the add/drop deadline of a special (e.g., summer) session. Students who have a question or concern about the grading status of their courses should consult with their advisor or email exploratorystudies@colorado.edu.  

Grades of D- and above are considered passing grades. Not all courses offer a pass/fail option.

• A standard P will appear for grades of D+, D, or D- in student-option courses and for all grades D- or higher in pass/fail-only courses.
• A P+ will appear for grades of C- and higher in student-option courses.

P/P+ grades do not affect the GPA.

Good Standing (Academic)
For Common Application College Report requests, visit the Registrar's transcripts page.

Good Standing (Conduct)
For letters of Good Standing related to Conduct, email the Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution or connect by phone at (303) 492-5550.

If you require information regarding your standing both in terms of academics and conduct, please contact the Registrar’s office for assistance.

If you are a Pre-Business (PREB) student who would like to switch out of the PREB program to become a PES open option student (XXES), please fill out this change of major form. 

Students who wish to submit an Incomplete 'I' grade agreement request to their instructor should complete and submit this Incomplete Grade Completion Agreement form.