Helping Your Child Graduate Sooner.

Parents play an integral role in the success of their students. We have answered some of the most common questions below and invite you to contact us if you have additional questions or have recommendations on how we can better help your student succeed.

What can parents do when grades suffer?
Make sure that you understand the problems your student is having and what they have been doing to correct these problems. The many services the university provides for students are useful only if students seek help in a timely manner. Encourage your student to contact their professors, academic advisors, and the Assessment and Learning Center for help with study habits, test-taking skills and time-management skills. If your student is struggling with the material covered in their courses, encourage them to seek help as soon as possible by utilizing their professors' office hours or visiting one of the many tutoring options available. You may also contact the Center for Student Advancement at (405) 325-2574 for more information.

Can students change classes?
At some point, your son or daughter may find it necessary to add or drop a course. This may be due to a change in his or her work or activity schedule or the recognition that a different class would be more beneficial.

Questions related to dropping classes should be directed to their college advisor. There is no charge to add or drop classes (other than additional tuition and fees if there is an increase in the total hours in which the student enrolls). If a student withdraws from a class after the second week of the semester, he or she is still responsible for paying the appropriate enrollment fees and tuition for the dropped class.

What grade is given if a student withdraws from class?
A complete withdrawal from the University is when a student withdraws from all classes. During the first six weeks of a regular semester (third week of an eight-week summer session) the student will receive a grade of W for all courses. For complete withdrawals that occur after the sixth week of class (third week for an eight-week summer session), the instructor has the authority to assign a grade of W or F for each course.

For students who drop one or more courses after classes begin, but who remain enrolled in at least one course, the following grading regulations for dropped courses apply:

Catching up.
The University of Oklahoma offers numerous resources to assist your students. In the end, though, education is the student's responsibility. Encourage your student to take the time to sketch out a rough four-year plan, keeping in mind that students must complete an average of 15.5 credit hours per semester to finish the minimum number of 124 credit hours (many majors require more) in eight semesters. Taking summer and intersession classes can help compensate for semesters in which they need to take fewer hours.

Additional information and resources for parents can be found at the University College Website, in the Parent Guide (opens in a new page) created by the University College and through the OU Parent's Association Website.