Undergraduate Resources

Start by reviewing the Rubenstein School Student Handbook. This will provide a detailed overview of the tools you'll need as a student, your advising team, your degree requirements, important academic policies, and support resources available to you.

• Using MyUVM: Your information hub
• Resources for New Students

• Adding/Dropping a Course
• Withdrawing from a Course
• Course Substitutions
• Transferring Credit
  • For more information talk to your professional advisor and refer to the detailed Transfer Credit Guide.
• Degree Planning Worksheets for Each Major
  • Environmental Sciences
  • Forestry
  • Parks, Recreation, & Tourism
  • Sustainability, Ecology, & Policy (Applied Ecology Concentration)
  • Sustainability, Ecology, & Policy (Environmental Planning, Policy, & Law Concentration)
  • Wildlife & Fisheries Biology
• Advising for Environmental Studies Majors - exclusively offered in the College of Arts & Sciences for incoming students as of Fall 2022
  • Rubenstein School ENVS students (catalogs 2022-2023 and prior) can reach out to RSENRStudentServices@uvm.edu for advising support.
• Honors College Requirements
• DegreeWorks Audits
• GPA Calculator
• Accelerated Master's Program (AMP) in Natural Resources

Current Rubenstein School students interested in changing their major within the Rubenstein School should talk to their Professional Advisor about the major they are interested in. They should also consider meeting with the program director for the major before finalizing their decision. To submit a change of major request, complete and submit the online Registrar Form.

Ultimately, it is your responsibility to assure that all graduation requirements are met. You should read and follow the catalogue carefully and meet regularly with your Professional Advisor. If you have questions about requirements, you should promptly consult your Professional Advisor.

Intent to Graduate–Junior Records Check: Before the beginning of your senior year (when you are in your sixth semester or when you have earned more than 80 total credits), you will need to complete the Intent to Graduate form (below). You will need to schedule a time to meet with your Professional Advisor to review and fill out the form together. The submission of this form MUST come from your Professional Advisor.

On the Intent to Graduate form you and your Professional Advisor will indicate the courses remaining to be completed for your degree and when you intend to graduate. It is extremely important that you and your Professional Advisor carefully complete this form — it is used by the Dean's Office to certify that all your requirements have been completed and you are eligible to graduate.

Intent to Graduate Form

We welcome applications from students currently enrolled in another college or school at UVM who would like to transfer into the Rubenstein School. This application process allows us to ensure students' interests are a good fit for the requested major and that the program of interest has capacity. Before applying, we encourage all applicants to review the Rubenstein School Mission Question and review our undergraduate programs.

Internal Transfer Criteria

While minimum requirements for internal transfers vary by program, each internal transfer to the Rubenstein School must:

• Have been admitted to UVM and have not yet matriculated, meaning they are an incoming first-year student.

OR

• Are a current UVM student with First Year or Sophomore standing
  • Current students cannot have any incompletes (INC’s) or missing (M) grades
  • Current students must have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher and have completed at least 12 credits at UVM. 

All applicants must have a demonstrated understanding of their selected major and be able to articulate how their academic and professional goals align with that program.

Akol Aguek will have virtual internal transfer information sessions from 1 to 2 P.M. on Tuesdays and Fridays throughout the fall and spring semesters. Send Akol an email at Akol.Aguek@uvm.edu with the date you plan to attend a virtual information session and he will send you a meeting link.

Application Process

The Rubenstein School welcomes applications for internal transfers for both the Spring and Fall semesters. UVM students may submit the online Internal Transfer Application Form at any time. Please keep in mind the following deadlines: 

• Spring semester start applications are due by October 1 at 11:59 p.m. 

• Fall semester start applications are due by March 1 at 11:59 p.m. 

Please take a moment to review the Internal Transfer Application Form instructions with care. This will help you choose the correct start term, complete every required section, and submit your materials before the deadline. 

To help you stay on track, please keep the following in mind: 

• Select the correct start term when completing the form. 

• Fill out all required sections fully. 

• Submit your application before the listed deadline. 

Admittance of internal transfers into the Rubenstein School is dependent on application materials and the capacity of the program you are applying to transfer into. 

If you have any questions about this application process, please contact our Recruitment and Retention Coordinator Akol Aguek at Akol.Aguek@uvm.edu and copy RSENRStudentServices@uvm.edu. 

Current Rubenstein School students interested in pursuing a major in another UVM college or school should contact the department they are interested in transferring into. Each college and school has its own process for administering transfers. 

Academics at UVM

Leave of Absence

A Leave of Absence means that a student in good standing, who is eligible for continued enrollment, ceases to be enrolled and is guaranteed readmission.

• Student notifies Rubenstein School Student Services with any questions about their Leave of Absence request before the beginning of the semester that the leave will take effect.
• Student completes the online UVM Leave of Absence form.
• To be confirmed, the UVM Leave of Absence form must be submitted by the student and approved by Rubenstein School Student Services

Important Information

• Leaves are granted for a finite period.
• While on leave, the student's status is temporarily inactivated. We recommend students complete the UVM Re-Entry Application by October 31 or March 31 (preceding the appropriate semester) to ensure registration status before course registration.
• Students should also contact the Rubenstein School Student Services after they've submitted the UVM Re-Entry Application or if they have questions about their return. Similarly, we recommend that students reach out by the end of October/end of March.
• A Leave of Absence does not guarantee housing upon a student's return. Students should contact UVM Residential Life with questions about housing.
• Unused financial aid will not be carried over. Upon readmission, students must reapply for financial aid according to UVM Student Financial Services policies and procedures in effect at that time.

Medical Withdrawal/Incomplete

Students who seek to withdraw from the University or identified courses after the start of a given semester because of a physical or mental health condition must contact Rubenstein School Student Services to discuss their intention to take a Medical Withdrawal. 

Similarly, students who voluntarily seek a grade of Incomplete for identified courses after the start of a given semester because of a physical or mental health condition must contact Rubenstein School Student Services to discuss their intention to take a Medical Incomplete. 

Following a conversation with Student Services, the student will be provided with instructions on how to submit a Medical Withdrawal or Medical Incomplete Request Form, as appropriate, to the Rubenstein School Dean’s Office. A portion of this form must be completed by the student’s Medical Provider (on or off-campus) for the purpose of verifying that a medical condition warranting consideration for Medical Withdrawal or Incomplete, as applicable, exists. 

See the complete UVM policy for a detailed procedure.

The Rubenstein School emphasizes academic excellence and the development of professional responsibility. Professors, Faculty Mentors, professional advisors, and administrative staff are committed to working with each student to maximize prospects for success. If a student is failing, that reality needs to be confronted so that appropriate support can be provided.

At the conclusion of each semester, the Rubenstein School Honors and Studies Committee meets to evaluate the academic performance of students and recommends appropriate action to the Dean. Policies adhered to conform to the UVM Catalogue.

On Trial

On Trial is an intermediate status between good standing and dismissal. Circumstances under which a student is placed on trial are:

1. Student has failed half or more of the credit hours for which they were enrolled during the semester;
2. Student's semester grade point average is below 2.00 (1.67 for first semester first-year students); or
3. Student has been readmitted to the University after having been dismissed for low academic performance.

A letter will be sent to each student placed on trial detailing the conditions of that student's situation. This letter will also include the conditions that will result in dismissal for low academic performance. A student is removed from trial when the stipulated conditions are attained.

Separation

A student may be dismissed for low academic performance if the stipulated on-trial conditions are not met. A student may also be dismissed for low academic performance for failing half or more of the hours for which the student was enrolled in a given semester, or for earning below a 1.00 semester grade point average. The letter of dismissal will include the requirements for readmission, and instructions for appeal of the decision.

Appeal Process

A student may appeal any decision by the Honors and Studies Committee through the Assistant Dean for Student Services of the Rubenstein School. The initial appeal should be in writing detailing any extenuating circumstances.