Academic Advising

Undergraduate Advising Responsibilities

Kansas State University is committed to providing effective advising services to students as an essential component of their educational experience.

Term advising generally is required as a condition for enrollment. Electronic permission for reentered enrollment must be obtained from the advisor. Students are encouraged to seek academic advising regularly throughout their academic careers. Students are responsible for initiating advising contact and preparing for advising sessions. The advising relationship between the academic advisor and the student is protected by confidentiality.

In accordance with the Kansas Board of Regents academic advising policy, department and college-based advising systems are available to all students to assist in and provide for the following:

1. Goal setting. Help students set both short-term and long-term educational goals.
    
2. Information. Inform students of the graduation requirements of their department, help with strategic course selections so as to minimize the number of semesters required for graduation, and inform students of career opportunities in their field of study.
    
3. Transitions. Inform students how to change colleges and/or departments and provide information to explain the process students follow to enroll in their curriculum and to drop or add courses during the semester.
    
4. Accessibility. Have reasonable hours and methods of availability for students. Students should be able to set up appointments for an adequate amount of time to make curricular selections and career choices.
    
5. Referral to campus resources. Be able to refer students to various campus resources: Academic Assistance Center, University Counseling Services, Career and Employment Services, Academic and Career Information Center, and degree audit (DARS).

Students are ultimately responsible for fulfilling all the requirements of the curriculum in which they are enrolled. Students share responsibility for a successful university experience and are expected to contribute to effective advising sessions by:

1. Participating in orientation programs, providing standardized test scores, as required by Kansas Board of Regents policy, and providing an academic history that aids in course selection decisions.
    
2. Working with an advisor to develop and implement both short- and long-term educational and career goals.
    
3. Knowing academic policies and procedures, academic calendar deadlines, and degree or program requirements.
    
4. Consulting with an advisor when necessary and following through on recommendations.
    
5. Scheduling and keeping appointments with an advisor. Coming prepared for appointments by bringing appropriate materials, identifying course choices from requirements of the preferred program or major, and identifying questions to address.
    
6. Informing an academic advisor of any special needs, deficiencies, or barriers that might affect academic success.
    
7. Remaining informed of progress in meeting academic requirements, carefully maintaining academic records, and seeking assistance to resolve any errors or questions.

Open Option Advising

Open Option is chosen by students who are in the process of deciding on a major. With over 200 programs and majors at K-State, many students initially declare Open Option while deciding which program best fits their talents and interests. Students work closely with Open Option advisors to explore academic interests and majors and to develop a sound program of study. Open Option advisors help students with the active decision-making process required to choose a major. These advisors are housed in the College of Arts and Sciences, although they advise for majors and programs throughout the university.

The Open Option program is available to all students who have fewer than 60 hours; students must declare a major before the completion of 60 credit hours. It is strongly recommended that students with more than 45 cumulative hours not enter the Open Option. However, transfer students and those facing exceptional circumstances may enter the Open Option with more than 45 hours on the recommendation of an open option advisor. Such students may remain in the open option for one semester.

See the College of Arts and Sciences Open Option section for details.

Office of Pre-Law Advising

Students considering law school come to the Pre-Law office for advising beginning in their freshman year or as soon as they identify an interest in law. The advisor meets with Pre-Law students in individual conferences each semester and together they plan a curriculum that takes into account the unique strengths and interests of each individual and their future goals. Students work closely with the advisor in selecting courses that will enable them to develop the competencies necessary for the study of law.

Students also confer with the advisor individually to select the schools to which they wish to apply or to identify alternatives to a law career. The advisor assists the student individually with the personal statement and other documentation that are integral parts of the application to law school.

The Pre-Law advisor also holds practice Law School Admission Tests and other workshops to assist in the preparation for taking the LSAT and for the law school application process. The Pre-Law Office is a resource center providing information about the accredited law schools in the country as well as a library available to Pre-Law students.

Additional information about Pre-Law can be found on the Office of Pre-Law Advising website.

Pre-Health Advising

Students interested in the health professions listed below are advised through either the College of Arts and Sciences’ Health Professions Advising Office or the College of Health and Human Sciences Health Professions Advising office based on their academic major. Health professions advisors help students become competitive applicants to professional schools that will prepare them for the following health careers:

• Pre-chiropractic medicine
• Pre-clinical laboratory science (medical technology BA/BS)
• Pre-dentistry
• Pre-health information management
• Pre-medicine
• Pre-nursing
• Pre-occupational therapy
• Pre-optometry
• Pre-pharmacy
• Pre-physical therapy
• Pre-physician assistant
• Pre-respiratory care
• Pre-veterinary medicine
  (Students interested in Veterinary Medicine may be advised through the College of Arts and Sciences or the College of Agriculture. See the Pre-Health section for a detailed explanation.)

Among these pre-health areas, an undergraduate major is offered only in clinical laboratory science. The other pre-health areas are not majors.

Some professional schools require a bachelor’s degree before matriculation. Even if a degree is not required, some students may wish to earn a bachelor’s degree from K-State before going on to professional school.

Students who require or wish to complete a bachelor’s degree before going on to professional school must declare a major. No specific major is preferred over another by professional schools, so students should choose a major based on their academic interests. A major may be chosen from any undergraduate college at Kansas State University. Pre-health students who declare a major will have a pre-health advisor and an advisor for their undergraduate major.

Students majoring in Athletic Training, Communication Sciences and Disorders, and Dietetics receive comprehensive advising through their major advisor and do not require an additional health profession advisor.

Credit by Examination

Kansas State University offers students a variety of credit-by-examination opportunities through which a student may earn academic credit in specific courses. The Academic Achievement Center is the campus service agency for the College Level Examination Program (CLEP), the Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES). Visit the Academic Achievement Center to register for exams or obtain study information for the CLEP and DANTES.

K-State awards letter grades for most of the exams taken through Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and CLEP. K-State recently updated its policy on grade awarding. For some exams taken before 2017 the grade awarded was included in your K-State GPA. For exams taken after 2017 a grade will be noted but it will not be calculated with the K-State GPA. Your K-State transcript will be automatically updated with this credit after official scores are received and before you enroll in your second semester of classes.

You have the option of accepting or rejecting your exam credit. You are advised to consult with your academic advisor before making your decision.

Note: Credit for only one instance of a particular course will apply towards degree requirements. If you have earned transfer college credit for any of your credit by exam courses or if you plan to retake any of these courses at K-State, contact the Registrar’s Office, Records section, at 785-532-6254 regarding acceptance or rejection of your exam credit. To assure compliance with degree and national accreditation requirements, a maximum of 25% of degree requirements can be from credit for prior learning which includes advanced credit.

For more information regarding the exams accepted by K-State see the Prior Learning website which links to transfer credit, advanced/test credit and military credit details.

Students may also contact the Office of Admissions, Kansas State University, 119 Anderson Hall, Manhattan, Kansas 66506-0102.

Credit by Departmental Examination

Students with previous education or experience can gain credit for many K-State courses through locally constructed examinations. To qualify, students must be currently enrolled at K-State and receive permission from the head of the department in which the course is offered. Contact the appropriate department head for more information.

Credit by examination may receive letter grades of A, B, or C or a notation “Credit” as determined by the granting department. Students must check with their advisor before sitting for credit by exam to be certain a course will count toward a requirement. The graded work will receive grade points to be computed in the student’s GPA. Nongraded credit by examination will be treated as graded hours in implementing A/Pass/F policy. Any credit awarded through Credit by Exam will be treated as resident credit.

Extension and Correspondence Credit

College-level credit earned through accredited extension divisions may be applied toward credit requirements for a degree at K-State. The credit must be applicable to the curriculum chosen and the amount of credit that can be used is limited. Contact the appropriate dean’s office for further information.

Academic Fresh Start GPA Policy and Academic Forgiveness GPA Policy

The Academic Fresh Start and Academic Forgiveness Policies enable an undergraduate student to neutralize, in part, the grade impact of prior academic performance. Academic Fresh Start and Academic Forgiveness provide for the computation of an alternative GPA and for the use of that GPA in most academic situations. A student may apply only once, and to only one or the other, and the process cannot be reversed. A student may not apply for either policy until he or she has been reinstated into his or her college.

1. Conditions for a readmitted student to be eligible to apply for Academic Fresh Start are:
    
   1. The student was not enrolled in a K-State course for three (3) calendar years prior to readmission.
   2. After readmission, the student earned a K-State GPA of 2.2 or higher at the end of the academic session in which the twelfth credit was earned.
   3. Up to 60 consecutive hours of course work and K-State GPA may be restricted from the regular GPA calculation. The beginning point for the Academic Fresh Start GPA shall be the first, second, third, fourth, or fifth academic semester of enrollment following the student’s initial K-State date of entry. The choice of the starting point is designated by the student at the time of application for Academic Fresh Start and hours excluded from the calculation must be consecutive.
       
2. Conditions for a student to be eligible to apply for Academic Forgiveness are:
    
   1. The student experienced one or more extenuating circumstances which caused a drastic change to the student’s academic performance in one or two semesters.
   2. After the session(s) affected by the extenuating circumstance, the student earned a K-State GPA of 2.2 or higher at the end of the academic session in which the twelfth credit was earned.
   3. Grades from up to two (2) consecutive semesters may be excluded from the regular cumulative GPA calculation.
   4. The student’s Academic Standards Committee of the college or its equivalent may request documentation confirming the extenuating circumstances with the application for Academic Forgiveness.
       
3. The calculation and reporting of Academic Fresh Start or Academic Forgiveness GPA and their uses in academic evaluation are:
    
   1. Academic Fresh Start or Academic Forgiveness deletes nothing from the student’s academic record. Grades earned before the Academic Fresh Start or Academic Forgiveness will remain on the transcript along with the cumulative GPA for all hours taken.
   2. The transcript will clearly indicate the starting point of the Academic Fresh Start/Academic Forgiveness as well as the Academic Fresh Start/Academic Forgiveness GPA.
   3. University-wide academic policies based on a cumulative GPA generally will use the Academic Fresh Start or Academic Forgiveness GPA. However, academic programs are not required to use Academic Fresh Start or Academic Forgiveness GPAs. Some programs, such as those in the graduate school or those leading to teacher licensure, may use all grades for the calculation of the GPA.
   4. In order for students in the Academic Fresh Start or Academic Forgiveness program to be eligible for university academic honors, they must complete a minimum of 60 hours in residence, with at least 50 hours in graded courses after the Academic Fresh Start or Academic Forgiveness begins. Other academic policies will not be affected.
       
4. Procedures for applying for Academic Fresh Start or Academic Forgiveness are:
    
   1. A student applies for Academic Fresh Start GPA or Academic Forgiveness GPA through the Academic Standards Committee or its equivalent in the college in which the student is enrolled.
   2. A student must apply no later than the academic semester prior to the one when the degree will be granted. (Students wishing to apply are encouraged to do so as soon as possible after qualifying.)
   3. When applying, the student must indicate the point at which he or she wishes the Academic Fresh Start or Academic Forgiveness GPA to begin.
       
      1. For readmitted students applying for Academic Fresh Start, the choices are: the end of the first, second, third, fourth or fifth semester, following the student’s initial K-State date of entry.
      2. For students who experienced extenuating circumstances and are applying for Academic Forgiveness, the semester(s) will be selected in consultation with the Academic Standards Committee of the college or its equivalent.