Navigating Part-Time Studies at UC Riverside: A Comprehensive Guide

For many students, pursuing higher education on a part-time basis offers the flexibility needed to balance academic goals with other life commitments. At the University of California, Riverside (UCR), part-time study is an option available to both undergraduate and graduate students. This article outlines the requirements, procedures, and considerations for students interested in pursuing their education at UCR on a part-time basis.

Undergraduate Admission Requirements

For prospective undergraduate students, UCR has specific academic requirements. These requirements ensure that admitted students are prepared for the rigors of university-level coursework. While UCR no longer considers SAT or ACT test scores for admission decisions or scholarship awards, other criteria remain important.

Grade Point Average (GPA)

Students must earn a minimum GPA in their college preparatory courses. Specifically, a GPA of 3.0 is required for California residents, while a GPA of 3.4 is required for non-California residents. This GPA calculation is based on grades earned during the 10th and 11th grades, including any summer sessions. While courses taken in the 9th and 12th grades are not used in the GPA calculation, they can still be used to fulfill subject requirements if a grade of C or better was earned.

A-G Courses

The GPA requirement applies to college preparatory, or A-G, courses. These courses cover a range of subjects, including history/social science, English, mathematics, science, languages other than English, and visual and performing arts.

Personal Insight Questions

In addition to academic performance, UCR values the unique experiences and perspectives that students bring to the Highlander community. As part of the application process, students are required to answer four out of eight personal insight questions. These questions provide an opportunity for students to share their life experiences, passions, and what drives them. The responses allow the admissions committee to gain a better understanding of who the applicant is beyond their academic record.

Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) Credit

UCR recognizes the academic rigor of Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) programs. Successful completion of AP courses and IB exams can demonstrate subject mastery and may be eligible for college credit. Similarly, A-Level letter grades of A, B, or C are considered for transfer credit toward a bachelor's degree. To receive unit credit, an official copy of exam results must be submitted directly from the testing agency, typically in the summer following high school graduation.

English Proficiency

Applicants whose native language is not English, and whose secondary education was in a country where English is not the language of instruction, must demonstrate English proficiency. This requirement ensures that students have the necessary language skills to succeed in their academic studies.

Housing

Students seeking guaranteed housing must complete their housing contract and submit their first payment by the specified deadline. This requires submitting the Statement of Intent to Register (SIR) beforehand.

Graduate Student Appeals Process

The appeals process for graduate students at UCR is a multi-tiered system designed to address concerns related to academic progress and other university actions. It is essential for students to understand these procedures to ensure their rights are protected and concerns are addressed fairly.

Scope of the Appeal Procedure

The appeal procedure covers specific matters related to a graduate student's academic progress. These include, but are not limited to, actions originating within the student's department or graduate program and decisions made by the Graduate Division. Examples of actions not covered by this process include denial of admission, student records, grades in courses of instruction, academic integrity, accommodation for disabilities, student employment, student conduct and discipline, auxiliary student services (such as housing, child care, etc.), and whistleblower complaints.

Time Frames

Strict time frames are in place for filing an appeal. All time frames are defined in terms of calendar days, excluding campus holidays and summer session, starting from the day the student knew or reasonably should have known of the actions leading to the appeal. The Dean of the Graduate Division may extend these time frames for good cause, with notice to all parties involved.

Grounds for Appeal

An appeal must be based on specific grounds. These include:

Procedural Error: The decision-making process deviated from established procedures.
New Information: Relevant information that was not available at the time of the original decision has come to light.
Special Mitigating Circumstances: Evidence of special mitigating circumstances beyond the student's control (such as documented severe illness to self or immediate family, or death in the family) not properly taken into account in a decision affecting the student's academic progress. To seek relief under "special mitigating circumstances," the student must have raised the issue with the program contemporaneously with the mitigating circumstances, or as soon as possible and no later.

Levels of Appeal

The appeals process involves multiple levels, starting at the program level and potentially escalating to the Graduate Division.

Program Level Appeals

Most actions related to a student's academic progress originate in the graduate program. Therefore, students must first attempt to resolve the issue at this level.

Informal Resolution: As a first step, students are strongly encouraged to pursue informal resolution of disputes over academic decisions before moving to a formal appeal. Informal resolution involves further communication among the affected parties (e.g., a student and the chair of the exam committee), perhaps in the presence of a third party if desired.

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Formal Appeal: If a mutually satisfactory informal resolution cannot be reached, a formal appeal may be initiated. The formal appeal should be addressed in writing to the Graduate Advisor. Alternatively, if there is a conflict of interest, the appeal may be addressed to the Department Chair or Program Director. Formal appeals must be initiated by a written statement indicating the action(s) being appealed and the date(s) the action(s) occurred, the grounds upon which the appeal is based (Section 2), and the relief requested.

Faculty Hearing Panel: A panel of faculty appointed by the Graduate Advisor or Designee (such as the program's graduate committee) will serve as the Faculty Hearing Panel (hereafter referred to as the "Panel"). The Panel must have at least two members. Only faculty who were not involved in making the decision under appeal may sit on this panel. The Panel will make a decision within 60 days of the initiation of the formal appeal. If the appeal is approved by the Panel, Graduate Division will ensure the prompt corrective action is taken. The standard of review to be employed by the Panel shall be the "clearly erroneous" standard.

Graduate Division Appeals

A student may formally appeal the decision by the Panel or the validity decision by the Graduate Advisor or Designee to the Graduate Division.

Formal Appeal to the Graduate Division: The formal written appeal must be received in the Office of the Dean of the Graduate Division within 21 days of the notification of the result of the Appeal at the Program Level decision. Appeals referred to the Graduate Division for lack of decision will be received from the program directly. Formal appeals must be initiated by a written statement indicating the action(s) being appealed and the date(s) the action(s) occurred, the grounds upon which the appeal is based, and the relief requested. The written statement may include a request for a personal appearance before the investigative officer, if desired, and notice to the Graduate Division if the student bringing the appeal will be represented by counsel or other representative. The written statement should also include a description of the results of the appeal at the program level, and any background information that the student deems pertinent to the case. All written material must be submitted prior to the time frames stated in Section 4A.

Investigation by the Graduate Division: Formal Appeals will be investigated according to the following procedures including arranging for a personal appearance by the student if requested in the written statement initiating the appeal. The scope of the personal appearance shall be limited to matters that were raised by the written appeal or the responses that are within the jurisdiction of this procedure. The student shall be provided 14 days notice of the time and place of the personal appearance. If the student wishes to be represented by counsel or other representative, the student must notify in writing, at least 7 days prior to the date of the personal appearance. The notice should include the name, title of, and contact information for the counsel or representative.

Decision by the Dean of the Graduate Division: The Dean of the Graduate Division will notify the student of the Formal Appeal decision within 60 days of the receipt of the written statement initiating the appeal. When reviewing the validity of an appeal, the standard of review to be employed by the Dean of the Graduate Division shall be under "abuse of discretion" standard. When reviewing the determination of the Faculty Hearing Panel, the standard of review to be employed by the Dean of the Graduate Division shall be under an "arbitrary and capricious" standard.

Reconsideration: Students must submit their request for reconsideration in writing to the Office of the Dean of the Graduate Division. The request must be received within 21 days following the date of the notification to the student of the final decision on the Formal Appeal.

Appeals Originating within the Graduate Division

These procedures include informal and formal resolution processes for appeals regarding actions originating within the Graduate Division. Students may first attempt an informal resolution with the Dean or Associate Dean of the Graduate Division. Formal appeals must be initiated by a written statement indicating the action(s) being appealed and the date(s) the action(s) occurred, the grounds upon which the appeal is based, and the relief requested. The written statement may include a request for a personal appearance before the investigative officer, if desired, and notice to the Graduate Council if the student bringing the appeal will be represented by counsel or other representative. The written statement should also include any background information that the student deems pertinent to the case. All written material must be submitted prior to the time frames stated in Section 5B. For appeals regarding actions originating with the Graduate Division, the appeal will be referred to the Graduate Council for final action in all matters. The Chair of the Graduate Council shall notify the student of the final decision on the Formal Appeal within 60 days of the receipt of the written statement initiating the appeal. When reviewing the determination of the Graduate Division, the standard of review to be employed by the Graduate Council shall be under an "arbitrary and capricious" standard. Students must submit their request for reconsideration in writing to the Graduate Council within 21 days following the date of the notification to the student of the final decision on the Formal Appeal.

Ombuds

For other non-academic issues, the student may be referred to the campus Ombuds.

Sex Discrimination or Sexual Harassment Complaints

Students with appeals involving allegations of sex discrimination or sexual harassment should attempt resolution under the UCR campus office for Title IX sex discrimination or sexual harassment complaints first. If the complainant is not satisfied with the resolution provided by the Title IX complaint resolution procedures, an appeal may proceed directly to the Formal Appeal Procedure outlined in Section 3B for program level appeals or Section 5C for Graduate Division level appeals. In such cases, any allegations of sexual harassment investigated under the Title IX procedure will not be re-investigated in the Formal Appeal. The individual or committee in charge of the Formal Appeal investigation will rely on the fact-finding report made pursuant to the Title IX sexual harassment complaint resolution procedure. All matters involving academic or administrative decisions that interfere with the graduate student's academic progress (Section 1) are under exclusive jurisdiction of the Appeal Procedures for Graduate Students.

Allegations of Interference with Academic Progress

All graduate student appeals that include allegations of interference with academic progress must be brought under the Graduate Appeals Procedure. Graduate Students may have complaints regarding University actions that do not fall within the jurisdiction of the Graduate Appeals Procedure. For these limited situations where an appeal may be brought under the Graduate Appeals Procedure after it was brought under another campus complaint procedure, the issues investigated in the first procedure will not be re-investigated pursuant to the Graduate Appeals Procedure. Appeals brought under the Graduate Appeals Procedure may include allegations of serious misconduct by University students, staff, or faculty. Neither the Dean of the Graduate Division nor the Graduate Council has jurisdiction under these procedures to impose discipline in cases of alleged misconduct. In such cases, the aspects of the case that fall within this procedure will be resolved.

Part-Time Tuition and Fees

UCR offers reduced tuition rates for students attending part-time. To qualify, undergraduates must meet specific requirements and submit an Undergraduate Petition for Unit/Fee Reduction. Graduate students should contact the Graduate Division for forms and details.

Tuition Reduction

If approved for part-time status, students will pay one-half of the applicable tuition. Non-resident students who qualify will also pay one-half of the non-resident supplemental tuition fee. However, all campus-based fees, including the Student Services Fee, must be paid in full. Part-time fee waivers are typically due by noon on the Friday of the second week of the quarter.

Course Enrollment Procedures

Navigating the course enrollment system is essential for all students. Here are some important points to remember:

Linked Sections: If a course requires a linked discussion or lab section, ensure all linked sections are included in your Summary before submitting your enrollment.
Variable Unit Courses: If you have selected a variable unit course, it may initially show as only 1 unit upon submission. After successful enrollment, use the âSchedule and Optionsâ tab to adjust your variable units accordingly. The unit amount is a hyperlink that allows you to modify the units.
Dropping Courses: To drop a course, find it in your Summary area of registration, select "Drop" from the action dropdown menu, and submit. Remember to also drop any linked lab or discussion sections. Courses can typically be dropped through Friday of the second week of instruction using these steps. After that, it's considered "withdrawing" from a class and requires extra steps.
Changing Sections: To change a discussion or lab section, add the new section to your Summary and then drop the original section.
Conditional Add and Drop: To ensure that your enrolled section will not be dropped unless the requested section can successfully be added, use the Conditional Add and Drop box. This feature ensures that both transactions are successful, or neither will be completed.

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