Student Advising & Academic Support
BSW Academic Advisors provide personalized guidance to help you succeed throughout your time in the program. We support students with:
The Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) advising team is located in Walter Webb Hall in the Student Services Area, 200.
- Office Hours: Monday – Friday 7:30 AM – 4:30 PM.
- Phone: (512) 471-5457
- Email: bswadvising@austin.utexas.edu
(Please include your UT EID in all communications.)
Helpful Links
Schedule a general or long-term planning appointment with a BSW advisor.
Please note: Prospective internal transfer students must attend an internal transfer information session before they are able to meet with a BSW advisor. Newly admitted students should attend new student orientation before they are able to meet with a BSW advisor.
Schedule an appointmentCourse Advising & Registration
New Students
If you are a first-year or external transfer student entering the University, your advising will take place during New Student Orientation. You’ll meet with a BSW advisor and register for classes at that time, so no separate appointment is needed.
If you are already enrolled, please schedule an advising appointment as usual.
Continuing Students
Students are required to meet with their advisor during the advising period. Failure to do so will result in their advising hold not being cleared, which will prevent course registration. Advising appointments are held in October for Spring registration and in March for Summer and Fall registration.
Prepare for Advising and Degree Planning
Review your IDA
Do a quick check of your degree audit before advising. You will know what you have finished and what is still needed, catch any prerequisites or holds, and come ready to make decisions. This sets you and your advisor up for a smooth meeting and keeps you on track to graduate on time.
Review Minor or Certificate Requirements
If you are planning to pursue or are currently working toward a minor or certificate, please refer to that program’s website for instructions on how to apply. Most will direct you to the application portal, but be sure to note any specific deadlines or requirements.
Once approved, you will receive a SAN (Student Advising Note). To ensure the minor or certificate counts toward your degree requirements, your advisor must attach it to your degree profile. This may need to happen before registration in order to access certain courses. Please email your advisor as soon as you receive the SAN.
Graduate or Professional school plans? Check for prerequisites
If graduate or professional school is in your future, take time to identify any prerequisite courses you’ll need for admission.
- Pre-Grad students should check with individual schools they plan on applying to for specific prerequisite courses.
- Pre-Health students can use the guides provided by the Health Professions Office and should also check with individual schools they plan on applying to for additional prerequisite courses.
- Pre- Law students can find information on upcoming pre-law events, financial resources, UT Law Fair, and resources.
Review available courses
Use the Course Schedule to create a list of courses and unique numbers that will work for your schedule and degree.
Registration FAQs
When do I register for courses?
Check your Registration Information Sheet (RIS) for your Add/Drop times before the semester starts. You will have the opportunity to make additional changes to your schedule then.
Registration times are based on your percentage to degree completion as reflected in audits called “slotting audits” run by the Registrar’s Office on the 20th Class Day. Things that help your percentage to degree completion include:
- Taking and passing courses that contribute to your degree requirements
- Sending in all transcripts from transfer credits you’ve earned or dual credit you earned in high school
- Claiming any relevant AP/IB credit you’ve discussed with your advisor (keeping in mind that claimed credit takes about a week to populate on your audit)
- Taking the TX Only Government exam in order to claim your GOV 310L credit, if applicable
- Applying for a minor/certificate and having your advisor attach it to your degree profile, if your degree requires one
UT Course Schedule
Use the Course Schedule to create a list of courses and unique numbers that will work for your schedule and degree. Course schedules are published in October for Spring registration and in March for Summer and Fall registration.
Use unique number to check if your class has a prerequisite requirement. Prerequisites are academic requirements that you must meet before or during enrollment for your desired courses.
How do I clear my registration holds
Advising hold: Social Work students are required to meet with their academic advisor to have their advising hold cleared ahead of course registration each semester. Advising for Spring registration takes place in October, while advising for Summer and Fall registration occurs in March.
For guidance and information on how to resolve other types of holds, please visit:: https://onestop.utexas.edu/registration-and-degree-planning/registering-for-classes/resolving-holds/
What Do The Different Course Statuses Mean?
- Open: The class is open and available for registration during an open registration window.
- Open; reserved: This class has reservations on it for special populations of students, which may include a certain major or a special program that requires the course to complete degree requirements. For Social Work courses, reservations include SW majors and SW, CDI minors for those courses that are required for the minor. Reservations are managed by the departments offering the course.
- Closed: The class is full and all available seats are currently occupied. Seats may open if other students decide to drop during open registration windows. You can add yourself to the waitlist, if available.
- Waitlisted: Open seats in the class are currently full but students may add themselves to the waitlist for the opportunity to be added. Adding a waitlist is not a guarantee you will be able to add a course, so you should plan for back-ups and set up your swap class carefully.
- Cancelled: The class has been cancelled for the semester and will not be offered.
Transfer Courses, Concurrent Enrollment, AP and IB credits, Grades and GPA
Can I enroll at UT and ACC (or another institution) concurrently?
Concurrent enrollment refers to being simultaneously enrolled at The University of Texas at Austin and another educational institution. UT Social Work permits concurrent enrollment and students do not need explicit prior approval from the College to enroll elsewhere while taking course at UT Austin. However, students should consult with their advisor to ensure the courses taken elsewhere will transfer to their BSW Degree.
Taking Classes Outside of UT
It is not uncommon for students to take classes outside of UT, especially over the summer. The most common classes that BSW students take outside of UT are:
- Core classes
- Lower-division General Education classes
Note: We do not advise taking Social Work coursework outside of UT Austin.
Information about how coursework taken in-state transfers to the University can be found on the Automate Transfer Equivalency (ATE) System website.
Any courses completed at another educational institution must be transferred to the university. Students should also note that courses in which grades lower than C− are earned do not transfer to UT Austin, grades from transfer work are excluded from a student’s UT Austin GPA, and all degrees require least 60 semester hours in residence at UT in addition to residency requirements in majors, minors, and certificates.
How do I know if a course will transfer?
The Office of Admissions has an Automated Transfer Equivalency (ATE) website that allows you to input either the UT or other Texas institution course number to determine if a course will transfer.
Students who are hoping to transfer courses from out-of-state schools should go through the Office of Admissions to complete the Pre-Evaluation Form prior to registering for any coursework.
How do I claim AP and/or IB credits?
Due to financial and academic reasons, it is recommended you speak with your academic advisor prior to accepting AP credit. You can view the credits earned for specific AP scores and read about how to claim AP credits.
Incompletes
Students who are unable to complete a class because of non-academic reasons should discuss this situation with their instructor and Academic Advisor.
Under certain situations, if University criteria are met, an incomplete grade (or a “X”) may be given at the discretion of the instructor. Incompletes are a temporary delay in grade reporting. They may be an appropriate option when non-academic issues arise near the end of the semester that delay a student’s ability to complete an end of the semester assignment or exam on time. For issues that arise earlier in the semester, a Q-drop may be more appropriate.
When an incomplete is assigned, all remaining coursework must be completed and a final grade reported by the instructor by the end of the next long semester or a grade of “F” will be automatically assigned.
An incomplete does not allow a student to repeat an entire course nor should students re-register for the course in a subsequent semester.
How do I calculate my GPA?
You can find a GPA calculator on the registrar’s website.
Transferring credit
Please visit the Office of Admissions website for information on submitting transcripts to UT Austin.
Adding/Dropping a course
At the beginning of each semester, you can add or drop classes if you have registered and paid in a previous period. Check your Registration Information Sheet to find out when you can access the registration system for add/drops.
Adding Courses
You may add courses using the registration system through the sixth-class day (second class day in summer). After that time, you must obtain departmental approval to add a course
Dropping a course
Before dropping a course, meet with your academic advisor to discuss how the decision may affect your academic progress. You should also contact Texas One Stop for guidance on financial aid.
Dropping a course before the 12th class day, is considered dropping a class without permission,. Students are able to drop courses on their own via their RIS (Registration Information Sheet) page, where they register for classes. From there, you can select and drop the desired course.
Keep in mind:
If you wish to drop all of your courses after the semester begins, you must withdraw from the University entirely.
If you drop below full-time status (12 hours for undergraduates and 9 hours for graduate students during fall and spring), you will be considered a part-time student.
Q-Drops
If you drop a class after the 12th class day in fall or spring (or after the 4th class day in summer), it will be considered a Q-drop. A “Q” will appear next to the course on your transcript, but it will not affect your GPA. Undergraduate students are allowed up to 6 Q – Drops throughout their undergraduate years. The 13th class day this Fall 2025 semester is September 11, 2025 the academic calendar deadline is November 19., 2025
To process this request, you will need to start a Q-drop request before the Q-drop deadline, which typically occurs near the middle of the semester. See the academic calendar for exact dates.
Please refer to the Academic Q-drop page for information on how to request an academic Q-drop.
Note: If the regular deadline has passed to request an academic Q-drop, every undergraduate is allowed a One-Time Exception (OTE) Drop (for academic reasons) or as an approved non-academic drop. Please see the OTE section below for more information. For the Fall 2025 semester, students can initiate a non-academic Q-drop request with their academic advisor until Monday, December 8.
OTE (One-Time Exception) Drops
A One-Time Exception is a Q-drop or withdrawal after the regular deadline. Every undergraduate is allowed one OTE, whether it is used to withdraw from all classes or drop one class. An OTE drop counts as one of your six Q-drops. Once you’ve used it, you cannot use it again.
For the Fall 2025 semester, Students can initiate an academic Q-drop utilizing their OTE via the Q-drop system until Monday, December 8.
For more information regarding dropping a course, please consult the General Information Catalog for UT’s policy on dropping a course.
Things to Know Before Pass/Failing a Class:
- In order to take a course pass/fail, you must have completed 30 or more credit hours. No more than two courses per semester may be taken pass/fail.For more information, see the University Catalog.
- You will receive a “CR” (credit) if the class is passed with a D- or higher, and an “F” if the class is failed.
- “CR”s will not impact your GPA, but an “F” will impact your GPA.
- WARNING: Any class that is pass/failed will no longer count towards any degree requirement (core/general education/major/minor/certificate requirements).
How to request a course to pass/fail:
During the first 12 class days (four class days in the summer) you can change your grading status through the registration system.
After the 12th class day: After that date, you must meet with your academic advisor to have it changed. Consult the Academic Calendar for specific dates for the pass/fail deadline. You may contact the BSW academic advisors at: BSWadvising@austin.utexas.edu. November 19, 2025 is the pass/fail deadline for Fall 2025.
Helpful links
SWEEP
Find support, mentorship, connections and more through the Social Work Education Enhancement Program (SWEEP)
BSW Student Handbook
All you need to know about the BSW program curriculum, academic policies and standards for social work education.
Policies
Policies and procedures regarding registration, drops, withdrawals, probation and more