Academic Advising

Advising Folders

The initial advising folder should include the student’s placement sheet, high school transcript, any other previous college level work, and a blank sheet stapled to the inner right hand side of the folder for advisor comments.  Academic Affairs will lead efforts in initiating all advising folders.

The advisor should insure that the academic major check sheet of the student is stapled to the inner left hand-side of the folder.  Any time a student changes majors, the new academic major curriculum guide should be placed over the existing guide and all necessary information should be transferred to the new guide.  It is the responsibility of the academic advisor to ensure that the major academic curriculum guide in the advising folder is kept up to date and accurate.

Any special notes about conversations or concerns with an advisee should be noted on the sheet stapled on the inner right hand side of the folder.  It is important to make any special comments here so if there are any questions in the future about advising, they can be easily rectified.

The advising folder should contain copies of all registration forms.

Advisor Assignment

Nursing students are assigned to nursing faculty per guidelines established by the nursing program director.

Nursing students are current students in the program.

New nursing students are students admitted into the program by the nursing admissions committee.

All LECOM pre-pharmacy students are advised by the LECOM faculty liaison (Dr. Tress).

As space allows, other new students are assigned to faculty members who are primarily responsible for advising students in the declared academic program interests of the students.  If there is not sufficient space, students will be assigned to another faculty advisor in the arts and sciences. An attempt will be made to place students in the general area of their choice:  natural sciences or liberal arts.

Students who are not sure of their primary academic interest will be placed with a faculty advisor who has adequate space.

Faculty advisors in the arts and sciences will be limited to 20 advisees.  Once all faculty advisors in the arts and science have 20 advisees, the limit will be increased as needed to meet the enrollment demands of the institution. The only exception is that the Division Chairs of Natural Sciences and Liberal Arts will be limited to 10 official advisees.

Except for pre-nursing all students will be advised by the same advisor for the duration of their studies at Pitt-Titusville.  Exceptions can be granted by the Campus Dean for extraordinary reasons.

Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy

Federal regulations require that the University of Pittsburgh at Titusville's Office of Financial Aid monitor the Satisfactory Academic Progress of all students applying for, or receiving financial aid. The programs governed by these regulations are known as Federal Title IV Aid and include: Federal Perkins Loan, Direct Parent PLUS Loan, Direct Stafford Loan (Subsidized/Unsubsidized), Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG), Federal Work-Study, Federal Pell, and most University aid. This standard does not apply to tuition remission for dependents of Pitt employees, some outside scholarships, or state student incentive grants (i.e., PHEAA. State Grants). State agencies awarding state grants establish their own academic standard.

All students who meet the Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements will be assigned a Satisfactory Academic Progress indicator for the upcoming school year.

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards include three components:

1. GPA Requirement.
   Students must achieve a 1.50 minimum cumulative GPA at the end of their first academic year, and a 2.00 cumulative GPA at the end of their second and subsequent academic years.
2. Pace of Completion.
   Students must maintain a minimum 67% cumulative course completion rate based on cumulative credits attempted and cumulative credits completed. All courses with a passing or failing grade will be counted as credits attempted.
3. Attempted Credits/Program Length.
   Credits attempted by a student cannot exceed 150% of the credits required as defined by the University's published length of the specific program. For example, for a 2 year degree, a student must complete their program within 3 years.

All courses with a passing or failing grade will be counted as credits attempted. All courses with a grade designated as G, I, R, or W will be counted as credits attempted. Credits on all repeated courses will be counted as credits attempted. Transfer credits from another school will be counted both in terms of hours attempted and hours completed in SAP evaluation. Reinstated students do not have prior attempted credits excluded from the determination for student aid eligibility, as required by federal regulations.

Unsatisfactory Progress

Those not making progress will be dropped to unsatisfactory progress and be denied student aid for any upcoming enrollment period until they have met the requirements for satisfactory academic progress. Students academically dismissed are automatically ineligible for further financial aid.
The student can regain Satisfactory Academic Progress after being placed on Unsatisfactory Progress by:
Registering and paying for classes using his/her own funds. Students may wish to consider the PittPAY Payment PLAN or certain alternative loans that do not require SAP. Upon meeting financial aid satisfactory academic progress criteria as stated above, the student must request financial aid reinstatement and complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), OR

The student may appeal the loss of financial aid eligibility if a student has experienced circumstances beyond control that have kept them from maintaining satisfactory academic progress. After review by the Financial Aid Office, if an appeal is reviewed favorably, the student will be granted one term of Probation for financial aid and eligibility will be reinstated for one payment period. Students must be able to demonstrate that they will be able to meet SAP standards at the end of the next payment period. In cases where it is not possible for a student to meet minimum requirements for Satisfactory Academic Progress in one term, the student can be placed on an academic plan. If the academic plan is approved, the student's financial aid eligibility will be reinstated for one payment period. Students must meet the requirements of the academic plan at the end of the payment period to be eligible to receive aid for subsequent terms. The student will remain on the academic plan until they have met the Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements. Please contact the Financial Aid Office for more information on the appeals process.

PHEAA State Grant Program

In addition to the general Satisfactory Academic Progress guidelines, undergraduate students receiving a PHEAA State Grant are subject to a separate satisfactory academic progress review. Full-time students are required to complete a minimum of 12 credits for each full-time PHEAA grant received or a minimum of 6 credits for each part-time PHEAA grant received in the most recent completed academic year.
For more specific information, please contact the Office of Financial Aid.

Transfer Credit Guidelines

Students planning to enroll at another institution (outside the University of Pittsburgh) will need to follow the guidelines of the institution to which they plan to attend. The new institution will require an official final transcript. Moving within the Pitt system is called relocation. Please contact the Office of Academic Affairs for forms to relocate.

Transfer Credits

Earned credits at another college, university, or post-secondary educational institution may be considered for transfer into the University of Pittsburgh at Titusville. Official transcripts are evaluated for transfer credits and are subject to the individual requirements of the program to which a student is applying. Students who are on academic probation or who have been suspended from the University will not be granted credit by Pitt-Titusville for any courses taken at other colleges or universities during their probation/suspension period. The following general rules will apply in most cases: (1) only courses that have a reasonable counterpart in the University of Pittsburgh System are eligible for transfer; (2) the number of credits given for the transfer course cannot exceed those on the transcript of the school where they were earned, nor can they exceed the number of the corresponding University of Pittsburgh course; (3) no transfer credits can be a part of the final 30 required for a degree; (4) all transfer credits are subject to reevaluation if and when the student transfers from one school to another within the University of Pittsburgh; (5) only those credits earned in the twelve years prior to matriculation at UPT are eligible for transfer (some exceptions may be required for specific program enrollment).

Summer Transfer Credits for Students Already Enrolled at UPT

Students planning to take classes at another institution of higher education (outside of the University of Pittsburgh), must complete the form “Requesting to take courses off campus during the summer.”  This form is located in the Academic Affairs Office.  The rules for taking courses at another institution of higher education (outside of the University of Pittsburgh) are:

Students may get credit for courses if the student is in good academic standing or obtains written approval from the Campus Dean.

1. The courses...

   - cannot be repeats of any courses taken at University of Pittsburgh

   - must be equivalent to a course offered at Pitt-Titusville

   - are subject to the 18 non-School of Arts and Sciences credit limitation

   - must be completed with a grade of C or better

2. There are two limits:

- a maximum of two courses (8 credits) may be taken elsewhere during the summer.

- students who have earned 60 credits or more may not take courses at a two year institution.