I Need Help

How do I contact the SAS Office of Advising and Academic Services?

The SAS Advising Centers will continue to offer academic advising and assistance by providing students with multiple options.

How do I set up a video/audio appointment with an advisor?

Advisors are available for video/audio appointments via WebEx or Zoom Meetings.

After the appointment is scheduled, an advisor will send you an email with a link to your meeting – just click the link at your appointment date and time, and you’ll be at your meeting.

Note: All Rutgers students are eligible for a free WebEx or Zoom account, but you don’t need an account to participate in a video appointment.

Click Here to set up an appointment
 

Where can I get technology assistance for remote learning?

1. I'm having trouble accessing my courses and assignments: Please visit the Technology Assistance page.
   
   
2. I can't access my course because I don't have a computer: Please contact the Dean of Students.

Firstly, you are not alone. University is challenging and therefore Rutgers offers a wide variety of services to help you overcome academic difficulties. Use instructor office hours and any other support provided for the course. If you would like more, look at some of the other resources available. All services are free.

Advising

Our goal is to help you identify the causes of the difficulty. Sometimes the obstacles are easy to see but often the issues are more complex. Make an appointment with an academic advisor. We are here to help! We can help you develop strategies to overcome these challenges or connect you with other services.

Tutoring

If you are struggling with the content of a course, and want more than what study groups can offer, consider one-to-one tutoring through the Rutgers Learning Centers and Honors Program. You can select specific courses, that your tutor has taken and successfully passed.

Writing Support

The Rutgers Learning Centers offer general writing coaching  - covering topics such as organization and thesis-writing. While the Writing Program offers tutoring for everything from Basic Composition and Expos to many of the WCr writing classes. Sign-up in person at Murray Hall - Visit writingctr.rutgers.edu/enroll-in-tutoring for more information.

Academic Coaches

If your study habits or skills need work, the Learning Coaches, at the Rutgers Learning Centers, can help. They will work to help you develop everything from time management or more effective note-taking.

Academic Support Programs

The Office for Diversity and Academic Success in the Sciences (ODASIS) has academic support programs, academic and career counseling, as well as supplemental instruction sessions.

If you are part of a special program within Rutgers, such as EOF, TRIO, or PALS, there are more programs open only to you. Talk to an SAS Academic Advisor or your advisor within your specific program.

For additional programs, visit the Student Services page.

Student Services

Extraordinary Circumstances

If there are other, personal, or mental health issues that are negatively effecting your studies, Advisors and the Dean of Students can help. 

Dropping or Withdrawing from A Class

You are permitted reduce your enrollment by dropping or withdrawing from one or more classes, as long as you do so by the posted deadlines and remain registered in at least 12 credits to meet the SAS requirement of full-time enrollment. The calendar date when you remove a course from your active registration determines whether you will be dropping or withdrawing from the course. If you drop a course, you are no longer a student in the class and the class is no longer visible on your University transcript. If you withdraw, you are no longer a student in the class but the course remains visible on your transcript with a notation of “W” applied by the Registrar’s Office. No degree credits or academic grades can be earned in dropped or withdrawn courses. For information about whether dropping or withdrawing will reduce your term bill, see the information about Tuition and Credit Load.

Deadlines

There are specific calendar dates each term when you can add, drop or withdraw from courses yourself via Webreg, as long as you do not fall below 12 credits. Add/Drop and Withdrawal deadlines are posted for each semester on the Registrar’s Academic Calendar.  

Withdrawing from Your Entire Semester

If you are experiencing serious difficulties or extraordinary circumstances during the semester and feel unable to continue with your studies, you are permitted to submit a Student Withdrawal form to cancel your entire semester enrollment. The decision should not be taken lightly, but is something that some students do each term. We strongly encourage you to meet with an SAS Advisor first, to discuss the ways in which your academic plans and future eligibility for financial aid (if you are an aid recipient) could be affected by a semester withdrawal. However, do not miss submitting your Student Withdrawal form form by the Refund Deadline while awaiting an advising appointment.

Once you are sure you wish to withdraw from your semester and you submit the Student Withdrawal form, your classes will be dropped or withdrawn, depending upon the calendar date. The final deadline for semester withdrawals is published on the Registrar’s Academic Calendar. Calendar deadlines determine whether a semester withdrawal will reduce your term bill. See the information provided by the Office of Student Accounting.

The W

The W is one of the most misunderstood registration adjustments at Rutgers. A W is neither a grade nor punitive. It is a Registrar’s notation indicating that you made a reasoned decision to adjust your registration after the Add/Drop period. It is an adjustment permitted by the University and does not suggest anything to future employers or graduate schools.

Each semester, many students make the decision to withdraw from a class in order to focus on courses that are more important to their academic plans, to reduce a too-heavy credit load, to respond to sudden family or health issues, to comply with credit restrictions connected to their Academic Standing, or to remove a class in which success is remote. If you are in doubt about whether to withdraw, talk with an SAS Advisor by scheduling a private advising appointment or visit any of the SAS Advising Centers for walk-in questions at the advising counter.

When might you consider avoiding the W? If you receive Financial Aid, too many notations of W may make you ineligible to receive future aid if your completion rate drops below Standards of Academic Progress. In addition, if you withdraw frequently or find yourself withdrawing from the same course more than once, this suggests poor academic planning or a faulty assessment of your own academic abilities. If you are following an Academic Plan for Financial Aid now, talk to your Academic Advisor before withdrawing or dropping. If you are not following an Academic Plan but have concerns, talk to an SAS Advisor by scheduling an appointment or visit any of the SAS Advising Centers for walk-in questions at the advising counter.

Life can be challenging and sometimes these unexpected obstacles mean we need extra help.  Academic Advisors can help direct you to support services if you are unsure where to begin. Otherwise, the following offices and services are available to you.

Dean of Students Office

The Dean of Students Office at Rutgers University-New Brunswick provides solutions, services, and support to help students navigate Rutgers University.  By focusing on students’ educational, social, and personal development, staff in the Office promote academic success and student retention.  The Office serves as a student support network by providing advocacy, problem resolution, and critical incident intervention for those times when additional assistance is needed. http://deanofstudents.rutgers.edu/

Counseling, Alcohol and Other Drug Assistance Program & Psychiatric Services (CAPS)

Within the Division of Student Affairs, and under the umbrella of Rutgers Health Services, CAPS provides and ensures quality services to Rutgers University – New Brunswick students by providing: Community-based mental health prevention; Clinical Care, and Support in the aftermath of critical incidents. They offer a wide variety of services ranging from support for students on the Autism spectrum, to “Let’s Talk” drop-in counselling sessions across the New Brunswick campus.  http://rhscaps.rutgers.edu/

Office of Violence Prevention and Victim Assistance

The Office for Violence Prevention and Victim Assistance was created in 1991 by recommendation of the University Acquaintance Rape Task Force. Under the leadership of Ruth Anne Koenick, the office became a University Department in 1995 (called the Department of Sexual Assault Services), and has grown to serve Rutgers community members who are victims of all types of crime. Today, VPVA is committed to offering innovative services, programs, and events designed to meet the needs of the members of the Rutgers Community and beyond.  http://vpva.rutgers.edu/

The Center for Social Justice Education and LGBT Communities

The Center for Social Justice Education and LGBT Communities (SJE) promotes a supportive environment for students of all backgrounds, with a focus on gender and sexuality, while promoting both social and educational opportunities for leadership, identity, and social justice advocacy development. With a critical understanding of multiple identities and connected systems of oppression, SJE works collaboratively with students, faculty, administrators, staff and community members to develop relevant initiatives and policies that center diversity, inclusion, and intersections of identity. http://socialjustice.rutgers.edu

Tutoring

If you are struggling with the content of a course, and want more than what study groups can offer, consider one-to-one tutoring through the Rutgers Learning Centers and Honors Program. You can select specific courses, that your tutor has taken and successful passed.

Writing Support

The Rutgers Learning Centers offer general writing coaching  - covering topics such as organization and thesis-writing. While the Writing Program offers tutoring for everything from Basic Composition and Expos to many of the WCr writing classes. Sign-up in person at Murray Hall - Visit wp.rutgers.edu/tutoring for more information.

The Office of Disability Services provides equal access to education through arranging accommodations and support services. There is a charge associated with evaluation but if you believe your academic struggle may be rooted in a learning disability, testing and then getting the support needed, could be worth it.

If you are on Academic Warning or Academic Probation, we encourage you to make an appointment to meet with an SAS Academic Advisor.

If you receive a notice of Academic Suspension or Dismissal, you will be required to meet with an Academic Advisor.  Please read your notification promptly and follow the instructions regarding next steps! 

Reenrolling Students

If you were previously enrolled at Rutgers and wish to return for degree or non-degree undergraduate study in the School of Arts and Sciences, you must apply for reenrollment. Reenrollment is only for students who were admitted to Rutgers through Undergraduate Admissions and subsequently earned at least one semester grade at Rutgers. For information, please visit the Reenrollment page.

Suspended Students

If you were Academically Suspended from SAS in a previous year, you must apply for Summer Conditional Reenrollment by the advertised deadlines and meet the requirements for Reinstatement:

• First, you must submit an SAS Reenrollment Application to return in SUMMER only.
• Once you are admitted for summer, complete six new degree credits, in two courses, during the Rutgers - New Brunswick Summer Session and obtain a summer term GPA of 2.75 or higher by the end of the third Summer Session.
• Be aware that you cannot earn new degree credits for any E-credited course, any course in which you previously earned a grade of C or higher, or any course in which you previously earned a grade of D that is not eligible for the F/D Repeated Course Policy.
• If you choose to enroll in more than six summer credits, your GPA for all summer course work must still be at least 2.75.

Students who are successful in meeting the summer requirements specified above will be Reinstated and permitted to return on Academic Probation with mandatory conditions and restrictions for their next semester of enrollment.

Note: Students with Disciplinary Suspensions must first contact the Office of Student Conduct about requirements for returning to Rutgers.

Dismissed Students

Students Academically Dismissed from SAS who do not raise their cumulative GPA to the required level during the Rutgers Summer Session immediately following notification become permanently dismissed, and are not eligible to continue study at Rutgers University without a successful Academic Appeal.

Students with documented extraordinary circumstances may submit an Academic Appeal. In addition to submitting a letter of appeal and supporting documentation, students must also be able to demonstrate readiness for successful academic work, the ability to raise their cumulative GPA to graduation level, and a realistic plan for completing degree requirements.

Note: Students subject to Disciplinary Expulsion must contact the Office of Student Conduct about whether it is possible to submit a Clemency Petition.

Please see our Transfer Credits page for detailed information.