Following is information on Probation and Dismissal, Visiting Scholar and Postdoc Affairs Program, and Other Academic Policies:

Note: For more exhaustive coverage, see the Graduate Division web page for current students and the Guide to Graduate Policy. However, since policies can change, the Graduate Division web site should be relied upon rather than this catalog.

Probation and Dismissal

Graduate students are subject to probation and dismissal for academic deficiencies at the discretion of the dean of the Graduate Division under the policies established by the Graduate Council of the Academic Senate. Probation may be initiated by the dean of the Graduate Division or by recommendation of the head graduate adviser of your major. The most common reasons for probation are a low GPA, written work of substandard quality in courses central to your program of study, or failure to make adequate progress toward the degree. You may appeal dismissal from graduate standing. The Graduate Appeal Procedure is available on the Graduate Division web site at grad.berkeley.edu/policies/pdf/gradappeal.pdf or from Graduate Services: Degrees, 318 Sproul Hall. The procedure may not be used for complaints regarding actions based solely on faculty evaluation of the academic quality of a student’s performance, or decanal evaluations of a student’s appropriate academic progress, unless the complaint alleges that the actions may have been influenced by non-academic criteria.

Visiting Scholar and Postdoc Affairs Program

Berkeley is host to more than 2,400 visitors from other universities, colleges, research laboratories, and government agencies who conduct research using University facilities. For information about the Visiting Scholar and Postdoc Affairs (VSPA) program, visit the VSPA web site.

Other Academic Policies

Grade Reports and Transcripts

After grades are recorded for a semester, they are available on Bear Facts. Transcripts for registered students may be ordered on the web approximately 30 days after the date of the last final exam. Alumni and students who are not registered may order transcripts at the Office of the Registrar, 120 Sproul Hall. See the Office of the Registrar's web site at registrar.berkeley.edu for further information.

Cal 1 Cards

Your Cal 1 Card is your official identification as a student at Berkeley. If you have not already had your photograph taken for the card, you should do so as soon as possible. If you are a newly admitted student, you can have your photograph taken as soon as you receive your Tele-BEARS registration form for the semester. The first card is free; replacement cards are $15 (nonrefundable). For more information, visit the Cal 1 Card web site; go to the Cal 1 Card Office, 110 César Chávez Student Center, lower Sproul Plaza; or call (510) 643-6839.

Changes to your local or permanent address or telephone number can be entered directly on the Bear Facts system. You can also change your address at your department or college/school dean's office. If you have changed your name, go to the Office of the Registrar, 120 Sproul Hall, and complete a Change of Name form (PDF).

You are entitled by law and University policy to examine and challenge most of the records that the University maintains on you. These records are confidential and in most circumstances may be released to third parties only with your prior consent. Such matters are detailed in the Berkeley Campus Policy Governing Disclosure of Information from Student Records, available in the Office of the Registrar, 120 Sproul Hall.

As part of the education and learning experience, enrolled students routinely take course lecture notes. With the permission of the instructor, students may record lectures as well. Lecture notes and recordings involve issues related to the intellectual property rights of instructors and the University's regulation of commercial activity on campus. To protect these rights, the University has adopted policies governing note-taking in classrooms:

• Unless approved by the chancellor, commercial activity at Berkeley is prohibited.
• Note-taking services for Berkeley courses are provided exclusively by the campus's ASUC Lecture Notes Online. No outside entity is authorized to perform this service for UC Berkeley courses.
• Course notes may not be sold or distributed without the express written approval of the instructor.
• The instructor retains the right to approve the designated note taker in advance. The note taker must be a student enrolled in the class, unless otherwise authorized by the instructor.
• The instructor has the right to review and approve course notes in a timely manner before their distribution.
• The instructor has the right to negotiate the terms and conditions with BLLN, including, but not limited to, royalties.

Students violating these policies can be charged under Section V.102.23 of the Code of Student Conduct.

The full text of this policy is available here.