Student Support

Qualifying to enroll in a course relies on satisfying the prerequisites assigned to that course in the Undergraduate Catalog of Studies.

You may view these requisites for courses in the Department of Mathematical Sciences program below.

Prerequisites are generally satisfied by having college course credits or recognized test credits. Visit our Math Placement page for more information on what we look for.

Besides using credits from when you took an equivalent MATH/STAT course, students also have the option of using exam and test scores to place into their MATH/STAT courses.

Visit the Registrar's Course Equivalency Tool to verify that credits taken outside of the University will transfer correctly.

Not all tests are necessarily accepted by the Department, as we no longer accept the COMPASS or ACCUPLACER exams.

Testing options outside of the University include, but are not limited to:

• ACT
• SAT
• ACCUPLACER
• Advanced Placement (AP)
• College-Level Examination Program (CLEP)
• International Baccalaureate (IB)

It is important to note scores for tests taken outside of the University system may not be naturally shared with the University. If you intend to use tests for credit/placement, be aware of if and how you need to send the scores to the University.

For more information on accepted tests and how they may count for credit, visit the Registrar's Transfer and Test Credit page.

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While enrolled in the University system, students may also take advantage of the ALEKS Math Placement Exam.

You may take CLEP exams for credit, but the Math Placement Exam is strictly for MATH and STAT course placement, and is not a substitute for fulfilling any degree requirements.

It is recommended that students talk with their academic advisors before taking either exam to ensure they're following their degree plan accordingly.

Visit our Math Placement page for information related to cut-off scores and course placement.

To better understand what waitlisting is, it's important to note what it isn't.

• Being on a waitlist does NOT guarantee enrollment into a class
• Students on the waitlist CANNOT "cut" in front of other students with a lower position number.
• Being on a waitlist will NOT charge students funds, as if they were enrolled in the course; but UAConnect does factor the credit hours of the waitlisted course when checking for term enrollment limits
• Students CANNOT be on more than one waitlist for the same class
• Waitlists do NOT last the whole week of enrollment; lists are purged by UAConnect the Wednesday or Thursday of the first week of classes

As seats open up in a class, the students on a waitlist should be automatically enrolled by UAConnect. This auto-enrollment process is either immediate (if a seat opens) or happens overnight (if a seat is created).

Why Waitlist?

Waitlists are enabled in classes that usually fill up quickly. Being on the waitlist is a way that students can queue themselves.

Instructors and department administration also use waitlists to verify demand for courses and may expand class capacities to meet proposed needs. Expanding class capacities to meet waitlist demands is NOT guaranteed.

How to Waitlist

As you have the class in your UAConnect shopping cart, click to enroll into the class and in Step 1, check the box that says "Wait list if class is full" in the upper right of the window. Proceeding to the next step should enroll the student if waitlist is available or if there is still room on the waitlist.

 What to do when Waitlisting

It may be frustrating for students who are waitlisted for a course to not be fully enrolled. Here are some options for students who feel "stuck" on a waitlist.

1. Wait
   
   This is most often the only option for students in the weeks before and the first week of classes starting. It's best to be patient and - provided there aren't any errors as mentioned above - UAConnect will automatically enroll the student if a seat opens up.
   
   
2. Be Proactive and Ready to Learn
   
   In cases where classes meet on-campus and the maximum room occupancy allows for it, waitlisted students may also sit-in on the first couple lectures of the class so they don't fall behind.
   
   Students may also send emails to the instructor saying they are on the waitlist and request introductory materials in the first week of classes or may meet with the instructor in-person during office hours.
   
   
3. Consider Re-Enrolling in an Open Section or Class
   
   Because waitlisting doesn't always guarantee enrollment, students should also explore other options such as changing their schedule around to fit an open section of the desired class.
   
   Another option would also be to consider taking a different class in the current semester and taking the waitlisted class in the future or at another institution.
   
   It is important that students first talk with their advisors to verify they're still on track to finishing their degree.
   
   

Before asking to be enrolled in a class while being waitlisted, or requesting to be enrolled in a closed section, students must first understand the concept of class capacities.

How are Capacities Set?

The capacity of a section is a decision that rests with the department, college, and the University of Arkansas administration as a whole.

The capacities are set early in the semester based on course demand, number of sections, supply of instructors to each it, scheduling times, and a variety of other factors; but there are a few which stand out.

Factors in Changing Class Capacities During Enrollment

[1] The first deciding factor on how large a class can be is the fire marshal's maximum room occupancy for on-campus classes.

These are posted in each classroom, usually in a red-circled placard. Classes that meet on-campus in these rooms must remain at or under the posted capacity.

There is no way to override this factor in deciding if a section can be expanded.

[2] The second factor is the department's assessment of need.

It's understandable that some sections of a class will be more popular than others due to the times they meet, but it is the decision of the department's administration to balance the supply of seats with the demand of the course.

This demand is seen best in waitlists, as some class sizes may be expanded before the purge to accommodate for waitlisted students.

[3] The third factor will be the department's confidence in the class size.

This preference is left with the department administration who may prefer a lower instructor:student ratio to balance individual student success with the workload of maintaining the class.

In the first couple days of classes after purging the waitlist, adding extra seats may be considered in a case-by-case basis where course demand is high and the department administration deems it acceptable in all factors mentioned above.

This is NOT a guarantee the class capacity will increase.

Expansion of online (901, 902, etc.) sections is generally not considered until the week of classes and is in no way guaranteed.

Just like with people, UAConnect isn't perfect and may make mistakes when checking to see if a student can or cannot enroll in a class. Here's a list of common errors that students may encounter.

Students are encouraged to first visit the UAConnect Knowledge Center to see if they can resolve their own error.

Prerequisites for Class Have Not Been Met

This is, by fair, the most common error message students may receive in UAConnect. This is brought about when UAConnect checks the student's records (transfer credits, test scores, enrollment history, etc.) against the prerequisites set for a class (being listed in the Undergraduate Catalog of Studies).

Students who get this error message and believe to have met the prerequisites already may request a permanent override from our department. Our department also offers temporary overrides where students are on-track to receive credits before classes start.

Permanent and Temporary Prerequisite Overrides are requested on a case-by-case basis and may be submitted to the department's Override Request Form. Overrides are NOT always guaranteed to be fulfilled.

Permission Number is Necessary for Enrollment

Our department does not use permission numbers for enrollment, but certain classes and their sections are reserved for specific groups of students. Here are a few common instances:

• Sections Reserved for CEA Students (see UAConnect section description if it mentions CEA)
• Sections Reserved for Online College Students (usually listed as 902 or 904)
• Courses Reserved for Honors College Students (usually followed by H code; e.g. MATH 2554H)
• Some On-Campus Online Sections (usually listed as 901 or 903; only open for enrollment the weekend before classes start - date specified in the course description)
• Department Consent Required (the instructor may need to email our office to expressly give permission for the student to enroll)

In these cases, students may contact the Registrar's Office or the instructor listed in UAConnect for more information.

Time Conflicts

This is where UAConnect avoids "double-booking" a student's time slots for classes.

Students should verify that they do not have any lectures, drills, or labs they're currently enrolled in at the specified times.

Classes where a student is on a waitlist may also trigger this error.

Out of Term, Appointment Unavailable, Etc.

 Students should verify that they're enrolled in the specified term and that they're enrolling within their appointment dates.

More information related to these errors is available on the Registrar's website related to Registration Periods.

Term Limits and Course Loads being Exceeded

 The Registrar's Office sets Course Load requirements for Undergraduates if they've registered as full-time or part-time students.

If a student wishes to take on more hours than is normally allowed, they must submit an Overload Petition to their academic college.

Out of Career or Registering for >5000 and >500V Graduate Courses

Undergraduate students wanting to take graduate level courses will need to petition for doing so for on a CLASS-BY-CLASS basis.

Classes taken while enrolled as an Undergraduate will be for Undergraduate Credit.

The petition does NOT act to override any other errors, such as prerequisite errors.

Students interested in this option will need to submit an Out of Career Registration Form to the Graduate School.

Other Unresolvable Errors...

For all other errors, students may sit down with their academic advisor, visit an advising center on campus, contact the Office of the Registrar, or contact mathover@uark.edu.