Policies + Resources
- Spring 2021: CED Undergraduate Grading Policy
- Fall 2020: CED Undergraduate Grading Option Policy
- Academic Probation and Dismissal
- AB 540 Resources
- California Community Colleges
- CED Prizes and Awards
- Change of College
- Computing
- Enrolling Elsewhere
- Financial Resources
- Incompletes
- Repeating Courses
- Simultaneous Degrees
- Spring 2020 Academic Policy Updates
- UC Berkeley Extension Concurrent Enrollment
- Withdrawal and Readmission
On February 5, 2021, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies C. Greig Crysler sent undergraduate CED students an update on the P/NP grade option for undergraduates during Spring 2021. Read the update to this policy here.
On November 14, 2020, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies C. Greig Crysler sent undergraduate CED students an update on the P/NP grade option for undergraduates during Fall 2020. Read the update to this policy here.
Many students experience some form of academic difficulty during their college career. For some students, they may simply struggle through a class or two or through a single term. For others, academic difficulty may be more severe and/or long-lasting. Whatever the situation, there are many ways you can make connections with staff, faculty, and fellow students that may help you overcome the difficulties you have been experiencing.
As a student on academic probation, the two most important steps you can take are to gain as much information as possible about your individual academic situation and, based on this information, develop a plan to return to good academic standing in the following semester. This is the time to do the following:
- Meet with an adviser in the CED undergraduate advising office in 250 Wurster Hall to discuss your situation;
- Be aware of the grades you must earn to clear probationary status;
- Know what courses you should be taking, retaking, or not retaking;
- Develop a study schedule and routine that will provide you with both the structure and support you need to concentrate on improving your academic performance; and
- Take the following two-unit course offered through the Student Learning Center: Education 98/198: Strategies for Success at Cal. In this seminar, students refine their learning strategies, improve their time-management techniques, and learn how to find a healthy balance in the academic, personal, and social aspects of their lives. Sign up using TeleBEARS or come to the first class meeting. See Study Strategies | For Students Experiencing Academic Difficulty for more information on services available for students experiencing academic difficulty.
WHAT ACADEMIC PROBATION MEANS
2.0 “OVERALL” PROBATION
Students are placed on academic probation if their cumulative UC grade-point average (GPA) falls below 2.0. Should this happen to you, you will need to bring your cumulative UC GPA up to 2.0 the following regular semester (fall/spring), or you will be subject to dismissal.
1.5 “TERM” PROBATION
Students in this category are placed on academic probation if their GPA falls below 1.5 in any fall or spring semester (“Term”). To get back into good standing, you must earn a UC Berkeley term GPA of 2.0 the following regular semester (fall/spring) and maintain an overall GPA of 2.0. If you fail to meet these conditions, you will be subject to dismissal from the University.
ACADEMIC PROBATION FALL 2020 – SPRING 2021
Given the changes to policies for the Spring 2020, Fall 2020, and Spring 2021, the terms for Academic Probation (AP) have been modified to include the following:
- CED students currently in good standing who earn all “P” grades will remain in good standing.
- Students currently in good standing who earn NP grades, Incompletes, or failing letter grades for more than 50% of units will be placed on academic probation and will be required to meet with their college advisor and complete an Academic Success Plan for subsequent term.
- Students on AP must take all coursework for letter grades. Students on AP may be removed from probationary status with sufficient letter graded course work to raise their cumulative GPA above 2.0.
- Students on Academic Probation who do not attain sufficient letter-graded coursework to be removed from AP (ie. enough grade points to raise cumulative GPA above 2.0 cumulative GPA) will remain on AP for the subsequent term and must complete an Academic Success Plan with their CED advisor.
- Students on Academic Probation who earn NP grades, Incompletes, or failing letter grades for more than 50% of units will be Subject to Dismissal and will be required to meet with their college advisor and complete an Academic Success Plan for the subsequent term.
POLICIES AND REGULATIONS FOR STUDENTS ON ACADEMIC PROBATION
- While on probation, you are not eligible to take a class for a Passed/Not Passed (P/NP) grade if the course is also offered for a letter grade. You may, however, enroll in a course that is only offered P/NP, such as EDUC 98, ETH STD 98, etc.
- Repeating courses for which you received a grade of D+ or lower is usually a good idea. However, (a) you are limited to 12 units of repeats; (b) you may repeat a course ONLY ONCE; and (c) the SECOND grade replaces the original grade, even if the second grade is LOWER. Note that both the first and second grades will appear on your transcript. See the Office of Registrar website for more information on repeating courses.
- Outstanding Incomplete (I) grades should not be ignored; speak with an adviser about how to handle these grades. Incompletes will eventually lapse to F or NP regardless of your registration status. See the Office of Registrar website for more information on Incomplete grades.
- Students on probation may withdraw from a semester through the last day of instruction. An adviser in 250 Wurster Hall will be able to discuss this option with you. If you withdraw by the end of the eighth week of instruction, you will be eligible to return the following semester as a “continued on probation” student. If you withdraw after the eighth-week deadline, you may be subject to the “semester out” rule, which requires that you sit out for one term after withdrawal. Talk with your adviser about the deadlines and criteria for readmission to the college.
- You may be eligible for a reduced course load. If you are working 15 or more hours of paid employment per week, are a parent, have disabilities, or have unusual family responsibilities, you may request a reduced course load. However, if you receive financial aid, you should contact that office to determine how a reduced course load will have an impact on your current or future aid.
- You may decide to take some time off. If you attend another college outside the UC system, be aware that those grades will not be computed into the UCB GPA upon re-admission. D or F grades at UC Berkeley cannot be repeated at another college outside the UC system. (Note: XB coursework taken through UC Extension is an exception. Please consult an adviser before enrolling.)
- Courses taken during Summer Sessions may boost your GPA but will not remove you from Academic Probation status; probation must be cleared during a regular semester (fall/spring).
WHAT DISMISSAL MEANS
When students are unable to improve their academic performance and meet the conditions of their probation (as described above), they are subject to dismissal from the University. CED’s Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies will review the case of each student before making a decision about dismissal.
Students in dismissal status may not continue their studies in the College of Environmental Design. Dismissal status is considered permanent; however, some students may elect to attend another educational institution, work to improve their academic performance, and request special permission to return to UC Berkeley. While this may be an option, the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies will only consider readmission after dismissal if the student demonstrates tangible readiness to return, usually in the form of significantly improved academic performance and demonstrated ability to focus on a specific, attainable academic course of study. Your adviser will be able to discuss these and other options with you.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The College of Letters and Science has some excellent resources for students on probation that are relevant for CED students. In particular, see:
In 2001, the California legislature passed AB 540, which allowed undocumented students who attended at least three years at a California high school, graduated, and were accepted by a college or university in California to be eligible for resident fees. Learn more about AB 540 resources at Cal.
Many students complete general education requirements at a community college during the summer. Obtain your adviser’s approval in advance to make sure you are taking a course that will fulfill requirements and that you are not jeopardizing completion of the senior residence requirement. See ASSIST.org for articulation agreements between the community colleges and your major. If a course is not showing as completing a requirement on ASSIST, CED will not accept it.
Note that courses in architecture, landscape architecture, visual studies, environmental design, urban studies, and city and regional planning do NOT fulfill CED’s breadth requirements, even if they appear on the ASSIST lists.
The College of Environmental Design offers a number of annual prizes, awards, scholarships, fellowships, and grants to its currently enrolled students. Here you will find information about these opportunities, the experiences of past recipients, and how to apply.
Current Berkeley students may apply to change into the College of Environmental design to pursue a major in Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Sustainable Environmental Design, or Urban Studies. You can be considered for change of college if you:
- Have completed at least one semester of coursework at UC Berkeley.
- Have completed the required lower-division courses outlined in the Change of College petition for your desired major.
- Are able to complete your degree within CED’s semester limit (four semesters for transfer students and eight for freshmen admits; students pursuing simultaneous degrees are granted one additional semester).
- Have earned a cummulative GPA of 2.0 (a 3.0 GPA is required for SED and the Individual Major). The higher your GPA, the better your chances of acceptance.
Application deadlines are October 1, March 1, and July 1. Prospective Architecture majors must submit the application by July 1 at the end of the freshman year. Students considering Landscape Architecture, Sustainable Environmental Design, or Urban Studies must apply by the end of their third semester, if admitted to Cal as freshmen.
Information about computing access, accounts, and fees can be found on the college’s computing website.
Current students may occasionally be approved to take coursework elsewhere to complete degree requirements. This can be a good strategy for ensuring compliance with CED’s semester limit. Talk with your adviser in advance about the course evaluation process for any courses you would like to take elsewhere.
If you have been admitted to UC Berkeley as a freshman, you MUST complete the following courses at UC Berkeley: Reading and Composition R1A, ENV DES 1, ARCH 11A (Arch majors only), and ARCH 11B (Arch majors only).
- Scholarship Resources for CED Undergraduates [PDF]
- CED Prizes and Awards
- AB540 Resources
- UC Berkeley Financial Aid and Scholarships Office
- California Dream Act Frequently Asked Questions
- UC Berkeley Scholarship Connection
- Financial Aid for Study Abroad for CED Students
- You may be eligible for a Budget Appeal of your financial aid package if you are taking studio courses. You can include our Estimated Undergrad Studio Expenses for Financial Aid Appeals document with your Budget Appeal.
An instructor may assign an incomplete grade if your work in a course has been of passing quality but is incomplete due to circumstances beyond your control. See the Office of the Registrar’s website for detailed information on receiving an Incomplete, deadlines for completing coursework, and requesting an extension of time for an Incomplete.
Incomplete grades are contingent upon instructor approval, and instructors are under no obligation to grant them. In cases where an instructor agrees to assign an I grade, it is important to arrive at an agreement about exactly what is required in order to finish the course and what percentage of the grade will be based on the remaining work. Use the Contract for Incomplete Grade to document your agreement with your instructor.
Important: Do not re-enroll in a course for which you have received an Incomplete. This will result in the original Incomplete lapsing to a grade of F.
Appeal to extend your Incomplete deadline by completing the “Incomplete: Extend” petition available on the CED forms page. Fill out the form and take it to your instructor, who must sign it and place it in a sealed departmental envelope, if s/he agrees to the extension. The petition can be mailed to the CED Office of Undergraduate Advising or delivered by you in person. The decision to extend the deadline is made by the instructor who assigned the incomplete.
Detailed information about Repeating Courses is available on the Office of the Registrar’s website.
12-UNIT REPETITION LIMIT
If you repeat courses in which you received a D+, D, D-, or F, the units are counted only once and only the most recently earned grades and grade points are used for the first 12 units repeated. In case of further repetitions, the grade-point average is based on all grades assigned and total units attempted.
REPEATING A GRADE OTHER THAN A “D”, “F”, “NP”, OR “U”
If you repeat a course in which you received a grade other than a D, F, NP, or U, the course will count as part of your class schedule for the semester and the grade you earn will be listed on your transcript. However, the grade will not be included in your GPA, and the course units will not count toward graduation unless unless the course description in the UC Berkeley Catalog states “course may be repeated for credit.”
Students wishing to earn simultaneous degrees (a degree in each of two UC Berkeley schools or colleges) must complete all requirements for both colleges within nine total semesters (freshmen admits) or five total semesters (transfer admits). Summer does not count toward this semester limit. To apply:
CED Students
- Use the CED Simultaneous Degrees petition for your CED major, found on the Forms + Documents page, and follow the instructions on the petition.
Non-CED Students
- Obtain the Simultaneous Degrees petition from your current (“home”) college and follow all instructions on the petition.
- In addition, you must consult the adviser for your intended CED major for additional instructions and CED-specific forms. You will not be considered for a simultaneous degree with CED unless you submit these supplementary materials.
- Petition and supplementary materials must be submitted by deadline (October 1, March 1, or July 1).
Note: CED does not allow double majors (completion of two majors within CED).
Pass/No Pass Grading
- The default grading basis for all undergraduate courses for the spring 2020 semester will be changed to Passed/Not Passed (P/NP)
- Instructors must continue to maintain and submit records of letter grades earned
- The deadline for students to change their grading option to letter grade in Cal Central will be announced soon. The deadline will be during RRR week. This does not apply to courses that can only be taken P/NP
- A notation on every student’s transcript will explain the changes made this semester. Please bear in mind that future employers and admissions committees will be seeing similar notations on transcripts from virtually every college and university in the U.S.
- Courses completed with a PASS in the Spring 2020 term will satisfy University, campus, College, major and minor requirements
- Courses completed with a PASS in the Spring 2020 term will be accepted for Change of College/Major and Simultaneous Degree petitions into CED majors. For additional questions, schedule an appointment with the CED advisor
- Seven Course Breadth:
- CED policy is “Only one of the Seven Course Breadth may be taken on a Passed/Not Passed basis.”
- Spring 2020 courses being used for CED breadth, will not be subject to this policy.
Spring 2020 Grading Option Deadline
Deadline to change grading option from DPN to letter grade or from letter grade to DPN is Friday, May 8th at 11:59pm.
Late Change of Class Schedule Requests
- Process to request late course drops:
- Submit a written statement via email to a CED Advisor including the request and reason for the request
- CED advisors will follow up with students via email if additional information is needed
- The deadline to submit late drop requests to a CED Advisor for Spring 2020 is May 6, 2020 at 11:59PM
- By submitting a request for a late change to your Spring 2020 class schedule, you are assuming the responsibility for the impact it has on your graduation plan. Before submitting your request, please ensure your request does not impact your degree progress. If you are unsure, please schedule an appointment with a CED undergraduate advisor (see below).
- Process to request late course drops:
- Submit a written statement describing the reason for the request via email to cedadvising@berkeley.edu
- Include your Student ID number in the email
- Subject line “Late Change of Class Schedule Request Spring 2020”
- CED advisors will follow up with students via email if additional information is needed.
- For expedited process students can also schedule an appointment with Heather or Omar using this link: https://tinyurl.com/CED-Virtual-Session
- Undergraduate advisors remain available via phone or google hangouts Tuesdays through Friday.
- Submit a written statement describing the reason for the request via email to cedadvising@berkeley.edu
- The deadline to submit late drop requests to a CED Advisor for Spring 2020 is May 6, 2020 at 11:59PM
Academic Status
Students currently in good academic standing (not on Academic Probation)
- Students who earn all P grades and maintain a 2.0 or above cumulative GPA will remain in good academic standing
- Students who complete less than 67% of their units in Spring 2020 will be reviewed for academic probation
Students currently on academic probation
- Students on 1.5 “TERM” PROBATION
- Students who earn all P grades and their overall GPA is 2.0 or above, will clear academic probation
- Students who earn any NP grades, will be subject to dismissal and individually reviewed for continuation on probation or academic dismissal
- Students on 2.0 “OVERALL” PROBATION
- Students who earn all P grades, will continue on academic probation for Fall 2020 and will not be subject to dismissal after Spring 2020
- Students who earn any NP grades, will be subject to dismissal and individually reviewed for continuation on probation or academic dismissa
Forms
- Students who need forms signed by a CED advisor can be completed electronically. Students should email their requests to cedadvising@berkeley.edu.
- This includes but is not limited to Change of College/Change of Major/Simultaneous Degree applications as well as OPT forms.
If you need only one or two courses to graduate, you may be able to save money by registering for regular CED courses through the UC Berkeley Extension Concurrent Enrollment Program. However, you must have completed the senior residence requirement. Courses taken through UC Extension do not count toward residence.
If you are a matriculated Berkeley student, grades for all XB courses at UC Berkeley Extension completed fall 2005 and thereafter will be calculated in your Berkeley grade-point average. CED does not accept Extension courses with numbers in the 300 or 400 series for credit toward the degree.
Students withdraw from study for many reasons — to work, travel, recover from an illness, or find their true academic direction. The advising staff can help you decide whether a withdrawal is your best option.
WITHDRAWAL
See the Office of the Registrar (OR) website for information on how to withdraw from a semester or cancel your registration before the semester begins. The OR website also includes information on fee and financial aid adjustments for students who are withdrawing from a semester.
READMISSION
To resume your studies in the college after withdrawing or after being absent for one or more semesters, 1. Carefully review the Guidelines for Applying for Readmission [PDF], 2. Follow the steps on the Office of the Registrar website, and 3. Submit payment as instructed.
Readmission, unlike the admission process, is not competitive. In general, you are eligible for readmission if:
- You apply by the deadline;
- It is strongly recommended that you apply for readmission as soon as you know when you’ll return, and well in advance of these deadlines, to secure the earliest possible registration time for the next semester.
- You can complete all degree requirements within the eight-semester limit (four-semester limit for transfer students);
- You resolve all relevant issues from the checklist on the Guidelines for Applying for Readmission [PDF] before submitting your application;
- You withdrew in good academic standing (readmission on academic probation requires an evaluative discussion with your advisor well before the deadline before a decision will be made on your application);
- University Health Service (UHS) has released your registration block, if you had a medical withdrawal and were required to get UHS approval for readmission; and
- You were not dismissed from the University. (If you have been dismissed from the University, please consult with an advisor about how to appeal for readmission after dismissal.)
Students pursuing simultaneous degrees must receive approval from both colleges.
CED does not allow second bachelor’s degrees.
If you intend to receive financial aid, please consult with the Financial Aid Office before proceeding with the readmission process.