Academic Advising

Our office is currently offering in-person services. Students can choose in-person or remote meetings with us. For questions or concerns, please contact us via email or phone (information below).

Contact Information

Email: as-studentservices@cornell.edu

Phone: 607-255-5004

Fall 2024 drop-in hours:

• 3-4pm, Monday-Thursday
• Please click here for your advising dean’s Zoom link and individual availability.

Have a quick question? Check out our FAQ, the answer is likely there!

Appointment Scheduling (In-person or Virtual)

Schedule an Appointment with Your Advising Dean

Make an appointment with your advising dean (select Arts & Sciences Student Services on that page).

• Make sure to use your Cornell email. You will receive a confirmation for the appointment. 
• In-person appointments will be held in KG17 Klarman Hall.
• For academic concerns related to your major, contact your faculty advisor or the Director of Undergraduate Studies for the respective major/s.
• For academic concerns related to your courses, contact your instructors.

Advising deans help students explore academic resources, curriculum and understand the academic requirements of the College of Arts & Sciences. You can also discuss academic support resources as well as any challenges you face.

Faculty advisors are your go-to source for information about major requirements. You can find your faculty advisor in Student Center under "program advisor."

Peer Ambassadors are assigned to all first-year students and can answer questions from a student perspective to ease the transition from high school to college. Learn more about Peer Ambassadors.

Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS) in each academic department is also available to help plan a path toward a particular major. Contact DUS.

Office of Undergraduate Biology (OUB) advises on academics and research for all biology majors in both A&S and CALS. Learn more about OUB.

To Find Your Advising Dean

• Current students: Check your Student Center
• Faculty/staff: Arts & Sciences faculty can check here. Other faculty, please email Student Services

Important dates and deadlines for the current semester are available here.

You can track your progress towards the degree by login into the DUST report. This report only tracks the university and college requirements. To track progress towards your major requirements, contact your faculty advisor.

LOG IN TO DUST

Credits:

• Can I use AP/IB credits for college/major/minor requirements?
  • This depends on the major and the department. Each department will specify. Check the department’s website to determine this. Distribution requirements cannot be fulfilled with AP credit, with the exception of a 5 on AP English being able to fulfill one FWS.
• I did not send my AP credits to Cornell. How do I do this?
  • Log into your College Board account and simply mark Cornell University as your designated institution. The registrar will take about a month to process your scores once they are received, so just be patient.

• How can I tell if a course counts for Arts credit?
  • A quick way to tell if a course will give Arts credit or not is to see if it is offered by a department in Arts & Sciences. If the course code is from a major/minor offered in Arts & Sciences, it will generally give you Arts credit. Here is a list of departments in Arts & Sciences. If you are ever unsure, check with your Advising Dean.
• Does TA work count for academic credit?
  • While other colleges do accept TA work for academic credit, this is not the case for the College of Arts & Sciences. No credit is given for TA courses.

• What courses count and don’t count? How can I tell if a course counts for academic credit?
  • Here is a full list of courses that do not count for academic credit in A&S: https://as.cornell.edu/registrar/courses-that-dont-count . If you are ever unsure, check with your Advising Dean.
• How does transfer credit work?
  • Everything you need to know about transfer credit can be found at this website: https://as.cornell.edu/registrar/transferring-credits . This site does include information about requesting credit transfer and summer session credits.

• Is it possible to go overhours?
  • All students in good standing with the College may enroll in a maximum of 22 credits. If you are a senior and there is a “compelling” personal or academic reason to go overhours (23+ credits), you can submit a petition for review. That petition can be found here: https://as.cornell.edu/registrar/petitions-policies . Generally, this would only be approved if you have already demonstrated the ability to maintain a large credit load with a GPA above a 3.5 in addition to having a compelling reason (ex: a senior needing to be over 22 credits to graduate on time).
• What happens if I go underhours?
  • To be in “good academic standing” a student must successfully complete at least 12 academic credits by the end of the semester and earn a semester GPA of at least 2.0 or better. However, situations can arise that make students need to take less than 12 credits. If this happens to you, reach out to your Advising Dean in A&S immediately to discuss the situation. You can sign up for an appointment with your Advising Dean here: https://as.cornell.edu/advising

Degree Requirements:

• How do I know which requirements I still have left to complete?
  • To see what requirements you have left to complete, check out your DUST report. Please note, classes are not reflected in your DUST report until you have completed them. Your current semester classes will not show up in the DUST report until final grades are posted & the semester is over. The DUST report also does not track your major & minor requirements, just distributions. You can access your DUST report from your Student Center or by clicking the link here: https://data.arts.cornell.edu/as-stus/degree_reqts.cfm
• Do S/U courses count towards distributions?

  • S/U grades are designed to encourage students to venture outside their main areas of academic focus without a great risk to your transcript/GPA. You can take distribution requirements for S/U grades. You cannot take major or minor courses S/U.

• Can the same course fulfill a major requirement and a college distribution requirement simultaneously?
  • Yes, you can satisfy major requirements (or minor requirements) and college distribution requirements simultaneously. In fact, this is quite common. Usually, as you work toward your major you will “accidentally” complete 2-3 categories of distribution requirements. Then, you can be intentional with satisfying other requirements.
• Can a course double count for my major and minor?
  • It is up to the department to decide whether they will allow “double-counting” of requirements for another major or minor. Make sure to discuss these plans with both departments before double-counting.
• How do I declare my major?
  • You need to apply to a major. This application means that you are formally “declaring” the major. Each major has different pre-requisites for being able to apply/ being accepted into the major. Check out the department’s website to find the requirements. Some majors have lower requirements of taking 1-3 classes in the major while others have very specific series of 4+ classes with minimum grade requirements.

Grades/Academic Standing:

• Will I get kicked out for bad grades?
  • The short answer is no! If you are feeling nervous about your grades, reach out to your Advising Dean to discuss. You can make an appointment by clicking here: https://cornell1.force.com/cu/s/appointments
• What is “good academic standing”?
  • “Good Academic Standing” means successfully completing at least 12 academic credits by the end of the semester and attaining a semester GPA of at least 2.0 or better. If you do not make “good academic standing” your record will be reviewed by the Academic Records Committee at the end of the semester. The committee is looking to make decisions that are best for your academic trajectory. Reach out to your Advising Dean with any specific questions about academic standing.

Withdrawing From a Class/Leave of Absence:

• Is it bad to take a W for a class?

  • If the drop deadline has passed for a course, you can still withdraw from a course up until the last day of class typically. This means that a “W” will appear on your transcript instead of a grade. While not ideal, this can sometimes be a better option than taking a very low grade that could impact your GPA. Taking a “W” will not destroy your academic history but should not become a pattern. Before taking a “W”, we recommend making an appointment with your Advising Dean to discuss your situation. You can make an appointment by clicking here: https://cornell1.force.com/cu/s/appointments

• How do I take a Voluntary leave of absence?
  • Here is some quick information about taking a Voluntary Leave from Cornell: https://as.cornell.edu/registrar/leave-absence-and-withdrawal . You should meet with your Advising Dean to discuss plans for a voluntary leave. You can make an appointment by clicking here: https://cornell1.force.com/cu/s/appointments

• How do I take a Health leave of absence?

  • Here is some quick information about taking a Health Leave from Cornell: https://health.cornell.edu/get-care/health-leave-absence. You should schedule a meeting with the Health Leaves Coordinator to discuss it further.