Academic & University Policies

The university has many policies that govern academic and student life issues. These may be found in the University Catalog and through online university web pages and resources.

  • Tuition and Fees
  • Policy related to withdrawal and refund of tuition and fees
  • Academic Calendar
  • Protection of privacy of information
  • Access to personal information
  • Access to student support services is available as follows: 
  • Insurance
    • Malpractice insurance is not required for UC Davis undergraduate students.
    • Health insurance is required of all students and is available through the university. Students may opt out of this insurance if they have comparable insurance through another carrier. More information is available online here.
  • Grievances
    • The ASUCD Student Advocacy Grievance Center advocates students’ academic and non-academic concerns to the faculty and administration. Grievance counselors assist students one-on-one, directing them to appropriate channels through which to state their academic grievances (e.g., student-faculty relations, sexual harassment, grade change problems, pre-judicial treatment in the classroom and problems with academic procedure and policy) and non-academic grievances (e.g., campus facilities, campus safety, ASUCD and any other non-academic concerns). All information discussed between counselors and students is completely confidential. Students can get counseling, referrals and support to aid in the resolution of these matters.

      After all other options have been exhausted with the University and Program and if there is suspected program noncompliance with ACEND accreditation standards:ACEND® has established a process for reviewing complaints against accredited programs in order to fulfill its public responsibility for assuring the quality and integrity of the educational programs that it accredits. Any individual, for example, student, faculty, dietetics practitioner and/or member of the public may submit a complaint against any accredited program to ACEND®. However, the ACEND® board does not intervene on behalf of individuals or act as a court of appeal for individuals in matters of admissions, appointment, promotion or dismissal of faculty or students. It acts only upon a signed allegation that the program may not be in compliance with the Accreditation Standards or policies. The complaint must be signed by the complainant. Anonymous complaints are not considered.
  • Course Grades
    • UC Davis requires that students be given a grade at the completion of each course. There are requirements that the students be evaluated in each course using a variety of strategies, for example, tests, written papers, case studies, projects, etc. The university requires that a final exam be given at the end of any didactic (non-laboratory) course.
    • Student Performance Monitoring
      • The university reviews students’ academic status on a quarterly basis. Those students who are placed on probation for qualitative reasons are required to meet with the Academic Advisor. Students who are subject to disqualification for qualitative reasons must meet with both the Academic Advisor and an Academic Counselor in the Dean’s Office of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. At these meetings, the student is asked to reflect on their past quarter’s performance, identify the causes of their poor performance and are counseled to seek appropriate campus resources if needed. Students who continue to struggle academically and who cannot meet their academic contracts are counseled to change majors.
    • Student Retention: Students with minimal chances of success in the program
      • Students whose preparatory science coursework falls below a 2.00 GPA are counseled to pursue other majors they may be interested in that have less rigorous science requirements. In the past, these students have chosen and completed their degree in Human Development, Psychology, etc.
    • Student Disciplinary System
      • The Office of Student Support and Judicial Affairs (OSSJA) is responsible for administering the student disciplinary system at UC Davis. As members of an academic community and of society at large, students have both rights and responsibilities. Students are expected to be aware of and follow University policies and law.
      • Suspected student violations of University policies or campus rules are referred to OSSJA, including academic and social misconduct, occurring on- or off-campus. Centralized reporting and handling of student discipline cases maintains consistency and fairness in treatment of cases, and centralized records ensure that repeat offenders are disciplined accordingly.