Policies & Procedures

Current policies covering military and veteran students at UNI are listed below.

Academic Advising Regarding Military & Veteran Students Attending UNI

The Office of Academic Advising engages military and veteran students with potential majors and careers, while facilitating student success through exploration, transitions, connections and resources. Advising is a personalized, educational experience, empowering students to explore, articulate and achieve their academic, career and life goals. It is the responsibility and recommendation that military students obtain the support and resources provided by their Command's Educational Support Officer (ESO), or receive approval from the installation commander prior to attending coursed at UNI. This will ensure that the required documentation and materials are completed prior to start of classes.

The Office of Academic Advising serves as the academic center for first-year military and veteran students in select majors, deciding students who are exploring majors, students changing majors and students reassessing their current academic situation. With a supportive community and network, the Office of Academic Advising guides military and veteran students through a structured program, which includes individual attention, meaningful engagement, and a personalized experience to develop goals and expectations based on their interests, strengths and skills.

UNI’s undergraduate academic advising is structured for students to receive guidance from a designated representative in their academic department. It is the responsibility of the student to track their progress toward degrees and meet requirements for graduation. All students are encouraged to meet each semester with their assigned academic advisor for guidance and their record analyst in the Office of the Registrar at least two semesters prior to expected graduation date.

The Office of Academic Advising can help students:

Explore majors and link to careers
Relate career goals to majors
Select appropriate coursework and engagement experiences
Tailor academic programs to fit interests
Enroll in the credit bearing course POSTSEC 1050 (170:050) Career Decision Making
Interpret institutional requirements and processes
Develop critical thinking and decision-making skills

Return of Unearned Department of Defense Tuition Assistance Funds

Tuition Assistance (TA) is awarded to a student under the assumption that the student will attend school for the entire period for which the assistance is awarded. When a student withdraws, the student may no longer be eligible for the full amount of TA funds originally awarded.

To comply with the new Department of Defense policy, UNI will return any unearned TA funds on a prorated basis through at least the 60% portion (calendar) of the period for which the funds were provided. TA funds are earned proportionally during an enrollment period, with unearned funds returned based upon when a student stops attending.

Policy for Military Personnel Called to Active Duty

If a student (or their spouse if the student has a dependent child) is called to active duty by the National Guard or the reserve forces of the United States during an academic term, the student will be given an option to have courses dropped or an "I" (Incomplete) grade assigned to each of their courses. This option is available on a course-by-course basis as well as to their entire registration. The assigning of an "Incomplete" is by mutual consent of the faculty member and the student. If the call up occurs late in the term, the faculty member also has the option of assigning a final grade rather than the "I" grade.

Tuition, mandatory fees and related course fees will be canceled or refunded in full for all courses dropped. Courses in which the grade of "I" or a final grade is assigned will have applicable tuition and course fees assessed.

Procedure

Grades

Regardless of the date of withdrawal, the student will be given the choice of dropping the course (s) or having and "I (incomplete) grades assigned to the course(s).
This may be done on an individual course-by-course basis, or for the entire registration.
If the student requests an Incomplete (I), the student should be reminded of completion dates and the possibility of an extension in the assignment of the Incomplete grades.
If the call up occurs late in the term, faculty members, if they so choose, may assign a final grade for the course.

Tuition

Regardless of when the student withdraws, the student will receive 100% refund of tuition for all dropped courses. Tuition will be charged for courses kept with assigned incomplete or final grades.
All individual cases must be coordinated with the Office of Student Financial Aid, the Controller's Office, and the Veterans Certification official in the Office of the Registrar to address any overpayment and other financial considerations with Federal or Veterans Administration funding.

Housing

Spouses and/or children of affected military personnel may continue to reside in family housing.

If you live on campus, we strongly encourage you to initiate a discussion with the Department of Residence, in particular, we encourage you to speak with your Residence Life Coordinator (RLC) and/or Resident Assistant (RA).