Navigating UNG: A Comprehensive Guide for Students

The University of North Georgia (UNG) offers a wide array of resources and systems to support its students. This guide provides essential information to help students navigate these resources effectively, from accessing online tools and managing student records to understanding orientation procedures and campus life.

Accessing UNG Resources

UNG Account and Password

Your UNG University username and password serve as the gateway to many resources provided by the Office of Information Technology. Upon activating your account, you should have set up security questions to facilitate password resets within the password portal.

Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

2FA adds a second layer of security to your password-protected accounts. UNG uses DUO for 2FA, requiring confirmation of your identity via a physical device in addition to your password. If you have questions about DUO, resources are available to assist you.

myUNG

myUNG serves as the central hub where students connect to almost all online resources.

D2L (Desire2Learn)

Instructors utilize D2L to deliver course materials, host discussion threads and chat rooms, post quizzes and grades, and receive assignments electronically.

Read also: Accessing Ellucian Banner

eCore (goVIEW)

eCore, also known as goVIEW, is a program within the university system where affiliate institutions offer general education courses in an online setting. Students can complete the eCore Introduction Quiz, regardless of whether they plan to take an online course immediately.

Banner Web

Banner Web is UNG's enterprise reporting system. It records and maintains information and data for students, employees, faculty, and alumni. Banner is an integrated system containing information about all affiliates with UNG. Your academic advisor’s name, along with the advisor’s contact information and the ability to schedule an advising appointment using our online system, is located on your tranguid in Banner. You can request a change in home campus online through a form in BannerWeb. You can request a change in degree level online through a form in BannerWeb.

O365 Suite

The O365 suite provides web applications for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, and Access.

IT Service Desk

The UNG IT Service Desk offers in-person technical assistance to students, faculty, and staff, whether it’s a work computer or your personal computer. On-site technicians can assist with issues regarding users’ accounts, devices, software installation, data transfers, and more.

Tech Talk Guide

The Tech Talk guide is an introduction to the highly utilized technologies available at UNG. To access the Tech Talk Checklist, log in to UNG Connect. Go to Menu Bar on the left side of the UNG Connect home page. Scroll down to My Checklist and click on Tech Talk Guide. You will see a series of items with clickable links. As you complete each item, please mark the checkbox.

Student ID Cards

Photo Submission Guidelines

When submitting a photo for your UNG ID card, ensure you use good lighting and adhere to the guidelines specified on the UNG ID Card Photo Submission page. Photos that are inappropriate will be reviewed by the Dean of Students. University of North Georgia Card Services reserves the right to refuse any photos that do not meet these requirements.

Obtaining Your Nighthawks Card

Attending In-Person Orientation: Card Services will distribute ID cards during orientation check-in to students who submit an online photo before their orientation deadline.
Not Attending In-Person Orientation: Your ID can be requested at any Card Services location. You will need to bring a Photo ID to pick up your Nighthawks Card.

To start the process, visit the UNG ID Card Photo Submission page to see photo guidelines and the photo submission portal.

Understanding FERPA

What is FERPA?

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law regarding the privacy of student records and the obligations of the institution, primarily in the areas of release of the records and the access to these records. The Secretary of Education is bound by FERPA requirements. FERPA applies to all institutions that receive funds administered by the Secretary of Education. FERPA applies to the education records of individuals, regardless of age, who are currently, or who have been, in attendance in postsecondary institutions. While FERPA allows schools to disclose student education records without consent in certain situations, generally, schools must have written permission from a student to release any information from a student's education record to any party not meeting a stated exceptions. Parents, spouses, other students, even staff and faculty who do not have a legitimate educational interest should not access the student's information.

Student Rights Under FERPA

FERPA affords students certain rights with respect to their education records, including:

The right to inspect and review the student's education records within 45 days of the day the College receives a request for access. Students should submit to the registrar, dean, head of the academic department, or other appropriate official, written requests that identify the record(s) they wish to inspect. The College official will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected.
The right to request the amendment of the student's education records that the student believes is inaccurate. Students may ask the College to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate. They should write the College official responsible for the record, clearly identify the part of the record they want changed and specify why it is inaccurate. If the College decides not to amend the record as requested by the student, the College will notify the student of the decision and advise the student of his or her right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment.
The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the University of North Georgia to comply with the requirements of FERPA.

Directory Information

UNG has designated certain items as Directory Information. Under FERPA, students have the right to withhold the disclosure of these categories. Students who do not want their directory/public information released to third parties must complete the Request for Non-Disclosure of Directory Information Form (PDF) and submit the signed consent form in person with photo ID to the Office of the Registrar.

UNG Family Network

The UNG Family Network allows parents and family members to connect with their student(s) by sending them a request to access their records. The day after the request is approved by the student, they will have access to view their information.

To connect to your student:

Select the graduation cap icon in the top-right corner of the page.
Note that your student must approve the request. Families cannot request a connection to students who have recently been admitted but have not registered for classes.
Cancel the request by clicking on the graduation cap.

When students accept their parent or family member’s request, they must accept the connection and then must approve the FERPA requests. Parents and family members can either request everything or choose à la carte what they would like to see. Similarly, the student can either grant access to everything, or pick and choose what they would like their supporters to have access to.

During the process of requesting access to your student’s record, you’ll be asked to create a PIN. You can also grant access by going to the UNG Family Network and selecting the link that says “Are you faculty or a student?

Orientation and Advising

Orientation Requirements

Students admitted to UNG for the Summer 2026 semester as a freshman or transfer student are required to register for and complete an orientation session. The Fall 2026 semester also requires freshmen and transfer students to register for and complete an orientation session. The Fall 2025 orientation sessions will occur in three formats: live virtual via zoom, one day in person, and two-day in person (Dahlonega Residential Only). The live virtual sessions will occur at pre-determined dates and times using the Zoom video communications application. Two day in person sessions are only available for Dahlonega residential students. This includes civilian and cadet students living on campus for Fall 2026. All incoming FROGs are required to attend a two day in person orientation session designed for cadets and civilian students that will live on the Dahlonega campus for Fall 2026. If you are an out of state FROG and cannot travel to attend an earlier orientation session, we will offer an August date that will open for reservations in late June.

Orientation Steps

Complete a Confirmation of Acceptance; the method may vary based on your circumstances. Refer to the Undergraduate Admissions Confirmation of Acceptance page for details.
Select and complete the Academic Interest form. UNG professional advisors use the information in this form to build your first semester class schedule prior to your orientation date. You can only submit this form one time.
Select and complete any other required forms.
Select and complete your online pre-orientation modules. These modules are required and must be completed prior to attending your live virtual or in person orientation. A hold is placed on your student account until these modules are complete, which will prevent any changes to your academic schedule.

Advisors will be building advance schedules based on major, on a first-come first-served basis. All incoming FROGs are encouraged to attend orientation on December 13 to complete their orientation requirement prior to FROG week.

Academic Advising

Academic Advisors will work to create class schedules prior to the orientation date for students completing the Academic Interest Form as part of the orientation reservation system. Academic advisors from the academic major listed on the Academic Interest Form build these schedules on a first-come first-served basis based on the responses you provided on the Academic Interest Form. This process takes time and you may not hear from your advisor or receive a schedule until 24 hours before your scheduled orientation date. During orientation, you will have the opportunity to review your “advance” schedule and make changes as needed. After orientation, your time ticket will remain open so you can make additional changes needed. Students have until the end of the add/drop period to solidify their class schedule. Due to high volume, advisors will not be able to assist you with schedule changes until orientation. Parents, please note that advisors will work directly with students and you will not be able to attend the orientation advising session with your student. The Academic Advisor is listed on your Tranguid in Banner.

Online Orientation Modules

Complete the self-paced Online Orientation Modules to get a better understanding of resources at UNG to help you be successful.

Registration and Academic Policies

Holds

Holds prevent registration and can be put on your account for a variety of reasons. A Registration Agreement Needed (RN) Hold prohibits registration. After attending live virtual orientation, students who do not already have a time ticket will receive one to make course schedule adjustments if needed, pending course availability.

Registration Time Ticket

The Registrar will post your registration time ticket during Advising Weeks. This is the window of time during which you are able to register. The time ticket refers to the window of time that the student is permitted to build a schedule, add classes and make changes to classes prior to the first day of class.

Add/Drop and Withdrawal

Add/Drop is the schedule adjustment period beginning the first day of each term and continuing for five days. After the Add/Drop period has ended students have the option to withdraw from a course, without academic penalty, until the midpoint of the term. If a student withdraws from a course after the deadline, a grade of “WF” will be recorded on the student's transcript. Students should consult with their academic advisor and financial aid before withdrawing from a course or multiple courses. Withdrawing from a course could impact degree progression and financial aid.

Course Load

The maximum number of credit hours a student will be able to register for is 20 credit hours in fall and spring and 16 hours in the summer. A student wanting to complete more than 20 hours a semester must have completed two or more semesters with a course load of more than 15 hours with an institutional GPA of 3.0 or higher.

Course Repeats

Course repeats are allowed at the University of North Georgia. If a student repeats a course, only the grade with the most recent attempt of the course is used for calculating the overall GPA and applied towards graduation requirements for all degrees and certificate programs. For example, if a student earns a D in a course, and upon repeating it earns a grade of F, the F grade will be calculated in the overall GPA and not the D.

Required High School Curriculum (RHSC) Deficiencies

Some students may have Required High School Curriculum (RHSC) deficiencies because they have not completed all the required college preparatory curriculum courses in high school. The Board of Regents policy states that students admitted to the Institution with RHSC deficiencies must complete all RHSC requirements before earning 30 semester hours of college-level level credit. Students who accumulate 30 or more semester hours of college-level credit before completing all RHSC requirements may not register for other courses unless they also register for the appropriate course that meets the deficiency. Students with RHSC deficiencies in social science, natural sciences, or foreign language may fulfill the deficiency by completing a collegiate level course in the subject area with a grade of C or better or passing standardized examinations such as SAT Subject tests, FLATS, CLEP or DSST in the appropriate area. Courses taken to remove RHSC deficiencies in science, natural sciences, or foreign language may also count towards meeting degree requirements if taken fall 2014 forward. Prior to fall 2015, the student must satisfy the RHSC deficiency using one of the courses specified in their matriculated UNG catalog. The student who wishes to address a Science RHSC deficiency by completing a collegiate course may complete any approved Area D science course with a grade of C or higher.

Academic Advising Centers

Academic Advising Centers on each campus serve Academic Warning and Academic Probation students. These students are required to meet with professional advisors in the Centers and complete Academic Success Plans prior to release for registration.

Academic Renewal

To earn a degree from UNG after being granted academic renewal, you must meet UNG's residency requirements. For a baccalaureate, you must complete a minimum of 30 hours in residence at UNG, including at least 21 hours of upper division (3000 level or above) in your major field. You must also meet any additional residence requirements of your degree program. Retained grades of A, B or C are not calculated in your renewal GPA, but you will receive academic credit for these courses. You may apply for academic renewal during the admissions process. If you don't apply within one calendar year after the date you enroll or re-enroll, you will be ineligible for academic renewal.

Plan of Study

A student can download a plan of study for the core curriculum, or for certain majors, that offers pre-filled course requirements and drop-down boxes that show which courses can be chosen as electives. Download to Adobe Reader/Acrobat and save a copy prior to filling out the POS.

Campus Life

Parking Permits

All vehicles on campus are required to register for a valid UNG parking permit. Parking permits will be available for registration for summer and fall starts on August 1.

Housing

Only the Dahlonega Campus offers on-campus residential housing. There is a residential housing requirement on the Dahlonega campus for students that have not satisfied the minimum semester hour requirement with very limited exceptions. If accepted as a residential student on the Dahlonega Campus, you must submit a housing application. Please note that even if you decide not to attend UNG, you are still responsible for the $150 housing application fee if you have already applied for housing. Cadets who apply for housing will be charged a $150 one-time, nonrefundable housing application fee.

Additional Resources

Financial Aid

If you’d like assistance in paying your tuition and fees, the Financial Aid office may be able to help. Financial aid encompasses both federal and state aid programs, including federal loans, scholarships (for academics, athletics, leadership, etc.), and VA benefits. UNG offers a convenient payment plan through a third-party company to arrange monthly payments.

Student Accessibility Services

As you may already know, obtaining special accommodations in college is different than it is in high school. If you previously had an IEP, 504 plan, or other documentation that would reflect the need for accommodations, please contact the Office of Student Accessibility Services to discuss your specific needs and the process to receive accommodations at UNG. Please be advised that the intake process takes time, so it’s important to schedule an appointment before the start of term to ensure your accommodations are in place when classes begin.

Application Status

Check your application status to ensure that the Office of Admissions has everything they need to finalize your admittance and begin courses at UNG. A complete list of Admissions paperwork can be found on the Application Status webpage.

UNG Connect

To access the Tech Talk Checklist, log in to UNG Connect. Go to Menu Bar on the left side of the UNG Connect home page. Scroll down to My Checklist and click on Tech Talk Guide.

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