Academic Standards

A faculty Committee on Undergraduate Academic Standards helps ensure students are following the Degree Requirements and Academic Policies as explained in the CAS Bulletin. The Committee meets regularly throughout the academic year to review student records.

While CAS expects most of its students will experience a straightforward path to successfully completing an undergraduate degree and will be able to easily comply with the College’s academic standards, the Committee also understands that difficulties may arise that hinder a student’s ability to comply with certain requirements. When such extenuating circumstances arise, the Committee allows students to petition for an exception to or exemption from a policy or requirement.

Because every student and every situation is unique, the Committee decides whether to approve or deny all such requests on a case by case basis. Students should be aware that only petitions based on circumstances that are supported by valid and documented academic reasons will be considered. The decisions of the Committee are final.

Prior to filing a petition, students should consult their Degree Progress Report in Albert and/or a CAS advisor for questions about their academic standing and progress to degree. At the same time, the Office of the Associate Dean for Students and the CAS Advising Center are additional resources to help students understand their academic standing, progress to degree and available options for completing CAS academic requirements.


The petition portal is now open until Monday, May 8, 2023 at 11:59pm EST. After that date, you must wait to submit any petitions until the petition portal re-opens for Summer 2023.

Please note that due to a high volume of petition requests, response times may be up to 15 business days. You can find information on several academic policies, the related petitions, and the petition form below.

If you have any questions, you can call the Office of the Associate Dean for Students (212.998.8140) or email academic.standards@nyu.edu

TYPES OF PETITIONS:

GENERAL TIPS, GUIDELINES AND REMINDERS FOR FILLING OUT A PETITION:

  • Provide supporting documentation whenever possible. Examples include (but are not limited to) correspondence with faculty, syllabi, course descriptions, etc.;
  • Provide as much detail as possible;
  • At the same time, be succinct and keep your petition focused on details that are directly relevant to your situation;
  • Be sure to explain the academic situation as clearly and fully as possible.
  • Please note that submitting a petition should not be regarded as equivalent to receiving permission and no action should be taken, or omitted, until the Committee response is received.

 

CAS RESIDENCY

CAS students (including transfer students) are required to complete a minimum of 64 points in the College of Arts and Science coursework (-UA suffix). Students must complete their last 32 points while registered in the College. Courses taken in other NYU schools (i.e., without a -UA suffix) do not count toward the 64 credit minimum. Neither do NYU Abu Dhabi (-AD/UH) or NYU Shanghai (-SH) courses. Please see the CAS Bulletin for more information on residency.

 

ADDING, DROPPING AND WITHDRAWING FROM COURSES

CAS expects students to maintain a full-time schedule each semester (see the CAS Bulletin for more information). Before you petition to drop or add a class you should consult your Degree Progress Report in Albert and/or a CAS advisor about how this change will affect your full-time status and your ability to complete your major, minor and CAS requirements. Keep in mind that changing your program may impact your financial aid.

 

ADD OR DROP A COURSE

The deadline to add or drop a course is the end of the second week of the semester. If you drop a course before the end of the second week of the semester, the course will not appear on your transcript. Adding a course after the deadline is usually only permitted when changing levels within the same discipline (e.g., from French 100 to French 30) and with the written approval of the instructor.

Do not use the above link to request permission to add a course. Please use this add/drop form and submit it to the Office of the Associate Dean for Students (726 Broadway, 7th Floor, Room 763; academic.standards@nyu.edu) for the dean’s approval.

  • Adding a Course: to add a course in the current semester after the Add/Drop deadline. Please provide written approval (e.g., printed email correspondence) from the instructor.
  • Time Conflict (Adding a Course): to enroll in two courses that have a time conflict. You must also provide written approval from both professors (e.g., printed email correspondence).

 

WITHDRAW FROM A COURSE

You may request to withdraw from a Spring 2023 course through Albert and your CAS Advisor through Tuesday, May 2nd, 2023 at 11:59pm EST. After these deadlines, you must petition for a late withdrawal through the Academic Standards Petition Portal. The standard CAS course withdrawal policy is as follows: If you drop a class from the beginning of the third week through the fourteenth week of the semester, the course will appear on your transcript with a “W.” A “W” does not affect your GPA and signifies that you withdrew in good academic standing. Only in exceptional cases are students allowed to withdraw from a course after the fourteenth week of the semester.

Students wishing to withdraw from a course after the deadline must petition the Committee. The Committee will review requests for the following scenarios:

  • Late Withdrawal: to withdraw from a course after the withdrawal deadline (i.e., the fourteenth week of the semester). If your petition is approved, you will be withdrawn from the course and the course will appear on your transcript with a “W.”
  • Remove “W”: to remove the “W” from the transcript. This is usually only permitted when there are extenuating circumstances and students can prove that they stopped attending the course during the add/drop period (i.e., during the first two weeks of the semester).

 

GRADUATING WITH LESS THAN 128 CREDITS

CAS students are required to complete 128 credits (i.e., 16 per semester; 32 per year) in order to graduate. Students who have taken courses with less than 4 credits may petition the Committee to request permission to graduate with 127 or 126 credits.

 

INCREASE NON-CAS CREDIT LIMIT

CAS students are allowed to take a total of 16 credits in other NYU schools and divisions. This includes courses taken for any NYU minors approved by CAS. Transfer students should note that credits for non-liberal-arts courses (e.g., business, applied art, speech) taken at another institution count as part of the 16 points.

Students wishing to increase their non-CAS/non-liberal-arts limit up to 32 credits should speak with their assigned CAS Academic Advisor. Students wishing to increase their limit to over 32 credits must petition the Committee.

NB: Ideally, you will only file this petition once in your time at NYU. When completing this petition, you will need to list all the courses (and number of credits per course) taken outside of CAS as well as any non-CAS courses you are planning on taking prior to graduating.

 

RECEIVING CREDIT FOR COURSES TAKEN AT ANOTHER INSTITUTION

Once enrolled in CAS, students are expected to take all of their courses at NYU, including those they need or wish to take during the summer. Students wishing to attend a different institution and receive credit for courses taken there must petition the Committee. The Committee will review requests for the following scenarios:

  • Off-Campus (Domestic): to request approval to receive credit for courses taken at a domestic university. Please note that this petition must be based on your overall academic goals and completion of your academic program. CAS offers many courses during the semester, J-Term and summer sessions both in New York and abroad.
  • Off-Campus (International): to participate in and receive credit for a non-NYU study abroad program. NYU offers its students the chance to study abroad for a semester or year at its Global Centers, NYU-Shanghai, NYU-Abu Dhabi and a number of international and national exchange partners.
  • Transfer Credit: to receive credit for courses previously taken at another institution.

Students should attach a syllabus for each course they are requesting. In addition, if you are taking the course to satisfy a major or minor requirement, please attach proof of department approval.

Please note the following are conditions to approved requests:

  • Your last 32 points for the degree must be taken in residence at CAS.
  • No credits will be granted for any courses taken at a two-year institution.
  • You must receive a grade of “C” or better to receive transfer credits.
  • No credits will be given for grades of “P”, “S” and “CR”.
  • Grades for courses taken outside of NYU will not be computed into your CAS grade point average.
  • If you register for courses other than those with prior approval, you may not receive transfer credits.
  • Substitutions for CORE courses are NOT permitted.

 

PASS/FAIL OPTION

You may request to pass/fail a course for Spring 2023 through your CAS Advisor through Tuesday, May 2nd, 2023 at 11:59pm EST. After these deadlines, you must petition for a late pass/fail through the Academic Standards Petition Portal. You can choose to Pass/Fail one course per term, including the summer sessions. You are able to declare the pass/fail option before the end of the fourteenth week of the semester (fifth week of a six-week summer session) by consulting with your CAS advisor. The Pass/Fail option cannot be used to count towards a major, minor, or CORE requirement.

Students wishing to elect or rescind the Pass/Fail option after the deadline must petition the Committee. The Committee will review requests for the following scenarios:

  • Late Pass/Fail: to elect the pass/fail option for a course you are taking in the current semester if the Pass/Fail deadline has already passed.
  • Rescind a Pass/Fail: to rescind a pass/fail election for a course from the current or a previous semester and to receive a letter grade instead. In this case, you must provide proof of the grade from the professor, as well as your academic reason for requesting the change.

 

COURSE REPEATS

Students are allowed to repeat no more than two courses and may only repeat a given course once if a letter grade or a “W” was issued for that course. Please see the CAS Bulletin for more information about course repeats, how the credits are counted and how it affects your GPA.

 

CORE REQUIREMENTS

CAS students must complete the CORE curriculum (Expository Writing, Foreign Language, Foundations of Contemporary Culture, Foundations of Scientific Inquiry) in order to graduate. For information on completing CORE requirements via exemptions, substitutions and proficiency exams, please consult the CORE website. Students wishing to substitute or waive a CORE requirement must petition the Committee. The Committee will review requests for the following scenarios:

  • Substituting a CORE Requirement: to fulfill a CORE requirement with a course that is not listed on the CORE website. You should also attach a course description and/or syllabus for the substitute course or courses.
  • Waiving a CORE Requirement: to waive a CORE requirement. You should attach documentation supporting your request.

 

INCOMPLETES

The grade of “I” (Incomplete) is temporary. It indicates the student has not completed all of the course work but that the student could pass the course once all the requirements have been completed. An “I” is not awarded automatically: students must request it from the instructor. If the course work is not completed after the statutory time has elapsed (i.e., the end of the following semester), the “I” will become an F and be computed in the student’s grade point average.

Do not use the above link to request permission for the extension of an Incomplete. Please use this form and submit it to the CAS Advising Center (726 Broadway, 7th Floor; cas.advisors@nyu.edu) for the dean’s approval.