About Advising

First year, direct from high school students all start in University College for two semesters. After those two semesters, students move into a Degree Granting College or the Acadaemic Advising Resource Center. Each Degree Granting College has its own advising process and admission requirement. On each college link listed below, students will find the credit hour and GPA requirements neessary to move into the specified Degree Granting College.

The following links will provide you with information about who your advisor is and the process for being advised in each college. To make the most of your advising appointment, please refer to Helpful Advice (PDF) from The Guide. Also, you can get the most out of your advising appointment if you have prepared a trial schedule to take with you.

• Academic Advising Resource Center
  
• College of Architecture
• Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences
• College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences
• Michael F. Price College of Business
• Mewbourne College of Earth and Energy
• Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education
• Gallogly College of Engineering
• College of Professional and Continuing Studies
• Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts
• David L. Boren College of International Studies
• Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication
• Multidisciplinary Studies
• OU Polytechnic Institute 
• Pre-Professional Advising

Academic Advising is one of the key components in reaching your goal of graduation. Your academic advisor is someone who can:

1. help you in selecting a major and career
   
2. monitor your academic progress
   
3. provide information in designing, developing, and implementing individual academic plans
4. provide you with letters of reference when you are applying for graduate programs or looking for employment
5. link you to resources in getting connected on campus and in the community
   

Although the institutional definition and the financial aid requirement for full-time undergraduate enrollment status is 12 credit hours per regular fall or spring semester, it is impossible to graduate in four years with fewer than 15 credit hours per regular semester or 30 credit hours per academic year.

Most students are capable of taking 15 to 16 hours per semester, and OU encourages you to consider enrolling in as many hourse as you feel comfortable. However, students who are not pacing their enrollments in such a manner should consider Intersession and/or Summer term enrollments. A student needs to average at least 31 hours of completed and applicable coursework each year to have any opportunity to graduate in four years.

Many students ask why it is important to graduate in four years. Following are reasons to consider.

• A timely graduation benefits students who are applying to graduate schools. Many graduate programs only accept students for the fall semester, so a one semester delay can result in a one-year delay of entering and completing a graduate degree. 

• A timely graduation benefits students who are seeking employment. It enables students to enter the workforce and begin to experience enhanced earning power that a college degree usually provides. 

• Graduating in four years is much less expensive. Tuition and housing costs usually increase on an annual basis. Many students also do not realize that just housing and living expenses per semester often amount to $5,000 or more.