CASA Frequently Asked Questions

Making an appointment is the best way to secure a meeting with your CASA academic success coach. For a quick question or something more time-sensitive, you can also visit any success coach's Zoom drop-in hours throughout the week. You are welcome to call (415) 422-5050 or stop by our front desk on the UC 3rd floor to schedule an appointment as well.

CASA academic success coaches cannot approve add/drop forms. You should request approval from your major/faculty adviser, as they need to be aware of any changes you make to your schedule to help you stay on track towards completing your degree requirements in a timely manner. Regardless of what class you are trying to drop (e.g., major or core), your faculty adviser must sign in the adviser section of the form.

For instructions on how to add/drop a class, please visit CASA's How to Add/Drop Classes webpage.

Although you may have met with your academic success coach to discuss important personal and academic matters, the role of the faculty adviser is to provide formal academic advising about class planning, substitutions, transfer credits, progress towards degree completion, and career and internship opportunities that are specific to the major.

There may also be policies specific to your major that your success coach is unaware of, such as the minimum grade required to "pass" a class, or the number of times repeating a failed class is allowed. While your success coach can help you look at the "big picture" of how to accomplish the 120-credit university requirement, faculty advisers are the true experts when it comes to major class curriculums, and they can guide you in making important decisions.

You are always welcome to meet with your academic success coach to discuss personal issues or challenges that may be impacting your academics. If you have questions that are specific to your major, or involve planning out which classes you should take or your timeline for degree completion, you should work with your faculty adviser. Your success coach can collaborate with your faculty adviser to provide additional support in coming up with a plan that supports your overall academic success.

CASA can only remove holds that were placed by CASA. We cannot remove holds placed by other offices or major departments. If you have an Advising Hold, please contact your major adviser or the academic department for your major. For other holds, please contact the office from which the hold originated. You can view your holds and the origin office in your Student Hub.

If you aren't sure which office to contact about a hold, you can ask your success coach and they will point you in the right direction.

CASA has asked all faculty to submit Early Alert progress reports for students who may be performing below a "C" in their classes. If you received a progress report from your professor, this means that there is some concern around your performance in a specific class. We understand that several factors may be impacting your performance, and this serves as an opportunity for you to receive important feedback from your professor and determine if you should remain in the class. This progress report is shared with your success team, which consists of your academic success coach in CASA and your faculty adviser(s), so that all parties can follow up with you directly to come up with a plan for academic success.

You can complete and submit this online Deans Certifications request form. Note that all fields on the form must be completed. It is important that students upload the necessary document(s) onto the form. Not completing the form will result in a delay in the process.

The form is processed by CASA and the Office of Student Conduct, Rights, and Responsibilities (OSCRR). The process can take up to 5-7 business days.

NOTE: Degree and/or enrollment verification needs to go through the Verifications Office. Visit their page for more information.

Academic success coaches offer compassionate, personalized support from orientation to graduation. You can think of us as your go-to for:

• Academic concerns (e.g., difficulty in classes, communicating with professors, study skills)
• Exploring the opportunities and resources that USF has to offer
• Understanding university-wide policies and procedures (e.g., adding and dropping classes, changing majors, taking a leave of absence)
• Navigating the various obstacles and complexities that students experience while enrolled in college
• Working with faculty and staff to support you with staying on track to complete your degree and making the most of your college experience

If you're struggling with anything during your time as a student, or just not sure what your options might be, contact us!

Your academic success coach can help you clarify and refine your interests, strengths, and values in order to identify some academic programs that might be a good fit for you, so an appointment with your success coach is a great place to start. We also recommend that you utilize the Explore Your Path portal and the action items listed there to help you explore possible majors and careers you might want to pursue.

Once you've explored your options and narrowed down your choices, the next step is to reach out to the academic departments for the programs you're interested in pursuing, and to request an appointment with an adviser. When you meet with an adviser, you should discuss any questions you have, how adding that program might impact your graduation timeline, when you'll be assigned to a faculty adviser for the program, and which classes you should plan to take next semester.

The final step is to complete a Change of Academic Program (select the e-Form link from the website) to officially declare the new major or minor.

In addition to a faculty adviser in the major, all incoming students are assigned an academic success coach in CASA. The academic success coach will offer the student compassionate, personalized support from orientation to graduation, while encouraging students to explore their potential and aspirations. We also work closely with faculty and staff to engage in academic interventions, ensuring our students have the proper support in place to stay on track to complete their degree.

In CASA, we are committed to:

• Empowering students through coaching to achieve academic success.
• Providing a supportive environment that promotes personal growth and the values of a Jesuit education.
• Connecting students to academic programs and resources on campus designed to support their success.
• Helping students develop skills to successfully meet the demands of USF's rigorous curriculum.

1. There are multiple places from which you can access the Early Alert System:
   • From the myUSF Dashboard: Log in to myUSF, go to Top Apps and click on "Early Alert." 
   • From Canvas: In the Canvas Dashboard, click on the eye icon for Early Alerts (left-hand side of your dashboard).
   • From Banner Self-Service (Faculty): On the main Faculty Services landing page in Banner, click Faculty Early Alert.
2. To see your classes, click on the "Progress Reports" tab, then click "Submit New Report".
3. Select your class and click on "View Students".
4. Five students will show up at a time; click the "next" button at the bottom of the page to see more students in your class.
5. Locate the student you want to create a progress report for and click on "Submit Progress Report".
6. Complete the student progress report form and click "Submit" at the bottom.
7. Note: The information you include in the progress report will generate an automatic email to the student. You will be copied on the email that is sent to the student, along with their academic adviser, success coach, and dean's office staff in School of Nursing and Health Professions (for nursing students), and CASA (for School of Management and College of Arts and Sciences students).

Learn more about the Early Alert Program

• If you think your student would benefit from a one-on-one conversation about personal resources, resources on campus, or anything else → please contact the student's academic success coach directly, and they will gladly follow up with your student. You can also send the student to the CASA front desk, UC 3rd Floor, or have them call us at (415) 422-5050.
• If your student is at risk of failing due to low participation, preparation, quality of work, or test grades, or if you think a student should consider withdrawing from your class, we want to know! → submit an Early Alert.
• If your student is not attending class → submit an Early Alert.
• If your student is presenting distressing/disruptive behavior that you believe constitutes an emergency → submit a Care Referral to the Dean of Students Office.
• If your student is presenting concerning behavior that is a non-emergency → consult with CASA Associate Vice President Shona Milazo by calling x6113.
• If there is a concern about academic integrity/cheating/plagiarism → report incidents to Academic Integrity.

If you have access to Banner Self-Service:

1. On the main Faculty Services landing page in Banner, click Advising Student Profile.
2. Search for a student by ID number, email, or name, then click View Profile.
3. On the Student Profile page, you'll see an Academic Success Coach assigned to the student underneath Advisers, along with the student's Primary / Major Adviser. 
4. Click the name of the Academic Success Coach to pull up their email address. 

If you don’t have access to Banner, please feel free to contact our office at (415) 422-5050 or casa@usfca.edu to find out who a student's success coach is.

Recommended Class Loads
For undergraduate students, a class load of 16 credits per semester (or 4 classes that are 4 credits each) is the recommended class load, unless otherwise discussed with your major adviser.

Reduced Study Loads
If you are an undergraduate who is also a financial aid recipient, a student athlete, an international student, or live on campus, and you anticipate being registered in fewer than 12 credits, you will need to contact your advisers in those areas to ensure you are meeting your academic goals and eligibility requirements.

You must be enrolled in at least one class to be considered a registered student at USF (in addition to having paid registration fees). However, to be at full-time status as an undergraduate student, you are expected to be registered for 12 credits approved by your college or school.

• Credits. It is also referred to as a unit or credit hour. Students need a minimum of 120 credits, as well as completion of all core, major, and other requirements, in order to be eligible for graduation. 
• Section. A section is a group within a class. It can offer alternative times, days, and instructors in which a class can be taught.
• Class Standing. This is based on the number of credits you have earned, which is reflected under 'Earned Hours' on the academic transcript. Class standing is defined as:
  • Freshman: 0-29
  • Sophomore: 30-59
  • Junior: 60-89
  • Senior: 90+
• Registration Access Time. The registration access time determines what date and time you can start registering for classes. It is based on the number of credits a student has earned, which is reflected under 'Earned Hours' on the academic transcript. It does not include the credits a student is currently registered in.
• Registration Error. A class may have certain restrictions and/or requirements placed on by the department/school/college offering the class. You can view the list of registration errors here. We recommend following the instructions on how to add a class if you come across certain registration errors.
• Waitlist. This means the course has a waiting list. If you see a second set number under a course's status in your class search results, this indicates that there is a waitlist for the class. You may add yourself to that waitlist but you will not be officially registered unless an instructor or administrative staff manually registers you.
• Cross list. This indicates that two different course sections are combined into one class (or "cross listed"). The number under Cross List Actual refers to the actual number of students registered for the class compared to the number allowed (Cross List Maximum).

Depending on the class you are trying to register for, please follow these steps:

• Check to see if there is a waitlist for that class. If there is, place yourself on the waitlist to be considered for a seat in the class.
• If the class is under the following College/School and there is no waitlist (or the waitlist is closed), follow the respective steps:
  • For the College of Arts and Sciences classes, email the instructor of the class and see if s/he is willing to sign you into the class. You may just have to wait until the first day of class to talk to the professor.
  • For the School of Management, find another section that is open or another class that works with your schedule. Please consult with your major adviser or somundergrad@usfca.edu if you need assistance.
• Register for a back-up class.
• Speak with your major adviser (for College of Arts and Sciences students) or somundergrad@usfca.edu (for School of Management students) to see what alternative classes you can take that will help you fulfill your major or degree requirements.

Please visit this website for a complete list of registration error explanations and what to do. 

If you wish to register for more than 18 credits in a semester (the maximum), you must seek approval from your college or school dean's office.

• For College of Arts & Sciences, you must go to your department/major adviser for approval first. Then, contact Associate Dean Luey at lueym@usfca.edu with proof of approval and copy your department/major adviser.
• For School of Management, you must contact Associate Dean Pachinger at pachinger@usfca.edu.
• For School of Nursing and Health Professions, contact nursing@usfca.edu for more information.

If approved, you will need to pay for every credit over 18. Refer to the Academic Tuition & Fees to see what the cost per credit is.

NOTE: You must have taken at least one (1) semester at USF and have a 3.5 GPA or above for consideration.

A class may be canceled by the dean of the college or the department offering the class at any time before the class starts. When a class you registered for is canceled, you will be notified via email.

If you need assistance with finding another class or fixing your schedule, contact your department or major adviser.

The deadline to make credit changes for variable credit classes is Census Date. Variable credit classes are classes that offer a range of credits (e.g., 0-4) a class can be taken for.

Only courses being taken as electives can be taken Pass/Fail. All coursework undertaken to fulfill a specific graduation requirement (e.g., major requirement, minor requirement, core, foreign language requirement, etc.) must be taken for a letter grade.

The deadline to make grade option changes (e.g., Audit, Pass/Fail, Credit/No Credit) is Census Date. You must obtain the instructor’s written approval (either a signature on a completed Registration Add/Drop form or an email confirmation with a completed Registration Add/Drop form attached).

The drop deadline does not impact aid policies. However, if you are registered for less than 12 credits in a semester or plan to be, talk to the Financial Aid Office to understand how that may impact your financial aid and Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). Please review USF’s SAP policy for more information.

You must add your lecture and lab at the same time. For example, Physics (PHYS) 120 has a co-requisite of PHYS 120L. 

To find both the lecture and lab for a science class, make sure you select the correct subject in the 'Subject' section and ALL in the 'Attribute' section.

NOTE: If you choose Core B2 Sciences in the 'Attribute' section, the lab section will not show. Once you select the class and the lab, be sure to verify that it will fulfill the Core B2 requirement.  

CORE classes are a part of the core curriculum, a collection of six required areas totaling 44 units, and are required for all undergraduate students pursuing a bachelor's degree. You can tell what CORE (as well as major and minor) requirements a class counts towards by looking carefully at the course attributes. For example, if you want to know if a class counts towards a CORE B2 Science requirement, the course attributes will specifically list "Core B2 Science" as an attribute. If it does not explicitly list "Core B2 Science", it does not count towards that particular CORE requirement.

Find a CORE Class
Go to myUSF Dashboard >> Banner Self-Service (Student) >> Student Services Landing Page >> Registration Landing Page >> Register for Classes. From there, choose the 'Term', click on 'Advanced Search', then go down to the 'Attribute' section and choose the CORE class category you would like to see classes for.

NOTE: For some core classes (i.e., science and foreign language), there is a lab or practicum component attached that requires you to simultaneously register for both the lecture and lab/practicum.

It is important that you speak with the department of the major you are interested in switching to. Many departments require students to speak with them prior to filling out the Change of Academic Program (COAP) form. Failure to do so will result in your form being denied.

You can change your major by completing the COAP form online.

Make sure you read the instructions to the COAP form carefully before you proceed with filling it out.

You would need to fill out the Transfer Credit Request form. Once the form has been submitted, the Office of the Registrar will review your request and respond back to you.

In the meantime, it may be advisable to not register for classes you think you may receive credit for.

Please contact or meet with your CASA academic success coach if you don't plan to register for the next semester, or plan to drop all of your classes in the current semester. You must submit a leave of absence or withdrawal form. 

Our staff only displays availability for a period of 2 weeks from today. If you would like to schedule something beyond this 2-week period, please contact our front desk at (415) 422-5050.

You might receive an error message if your success coach is unavailable or if you already have booked an appointment. Please call our front desk for questions at (415) 422-5050.

Yes, all one-on-one appointments must be scheduled in advance. However, each success coach holds weekly drop-in hours for any quick questions you may have.

Online appointments can only be scheduled in advance of 24 hours or more. If you need an appointment sooner than that, please contact our front desk at (415) 422-5050 or your success coach directly.

If you would like to meet with another staff person in our office that is not your assigned success coach, please schedule this through our front desk at (415) 422-5050.

Our online appointment scheduling system does not allow students to book multiple appointments. Please arrange for multiple appointments with your success coach directly.

Our online appointment scheduling system does not allow students to book multiple appointments. Please arrange for multiple appointments with your success coach directly.

You can cancel your appointment in two ways:

• Log in to the Student Hub, click on the settings icon next to your confirmed appointment, and click "Cancel Appointment".*
• Call our front desk at (415) 422-5050 to cancel.

*If you need to cancel on the same day as your appointment, call the front desk. You will not be able to cancel your appointment through the Student Hub on the same day.