Academics

UConn has 10 schools and colleges offering undergraduate degrees in 115+ majors, class sizes ranging from 19-400 students, and support services for all kinds of academic needs. It all comes together to create one unique experience for your student.

• Minimum 120 credits required to graduate
• 4 “gen ed” content areas: Arts & Humanities, Social Sciences, Science and Technology, Diversity and Multiculturalism
• 5 competencies to demonstrate: Information Literacy, Quantitative, Second Language, Writing, Environmental Literacy

Classes

Students will experience all kinds of courses, from small seminars with 19-30 students to 75- to 400-person lectures that have intimate discussion sections or labs enabling hands-on learning. Some courses help fulfill requirements needed to demonstrate five general education competencies: Information Literacy, Quantitative, Second Language, Writing, Environmental Literacy.

• W Courses include major writing assignments to develop clear writing skills. Support is available at the Writing Center. Learn more about the Writing Competency requirement at the General Education Oversight Committee website.
• Q Courses require the knowledge and use of mathematics and/or statistics at or above the basic algebra level. Support is available at the Q Center.
• E Courses provide students with the ability to understand, and articulate perspectives on, the interactions between human society and the natural world, as well as the challenges of environmental stewardship.

Students must meet with their academic advisor before registering for the next semester’s classes. Advisors will help students stay on track with their program’s particular graduation requirements. First-year students and sophomores are assigned to a particular advisor or to a central office of academic advising in a school or college. Juniors and seniors are advised by faculty members in the department of their major. The advisor helps students develop a program of courses for registration and is also available throughout the year to formulate a plan of study leading to a degree.

Although the advisor is responsible for providing direction to students in making appropriate academic decisions, it is the responsibility of the students to become familiar with the academic regulations and degree requirements of the University, as well as special requirements of their major. Most students have a permanent advisor by their fourth semester and some even earlier. The University expects students, not parents, to contact academic advisors.

Students register at an assigned time using the Student Administration System, also called "PeopleSoft." Learn more about registration.

Academic difficulties can occur for any student. The key to success is taking advantage of the myriad of support resources available at the University.

In addition to more formal programs and centers, all professors are required to hold regular office hours for students to drop in for help. Encourage your students to visit their professor’s office hours for extra assistance and face time. Plus, many large lecture courses have teaching assistants, or TAs. The TA leads any smaller class section meetings and may also hold drop-in office hours.

Learn more about other academic support resources:

• Quantitative Learning Center
• Writing Center
• Academic Achievement Center
• UConn Connects
• Center for Students with Disabilities
• International Student and Scholar Services
• UConn Libraries

Life on Campus

UConn has among the highest percentage of students living on campus of any public university in the nation, so your student will always have friends around — days, nights, and weekends. Regardless of whether students live on campus or commute, they'll have all the important resources they need to stay safe, fed, and healthy, too. UConn has expert Residential Life staff; exceptional dining services offerings; its own University Safety Division; and medical and mental health services available to all students.

With UConn’s Residency Requirement, all First-Year students are required to live on campus their first year. Residence hall life provides each student with the experience of being integrated into campus life with all its cultural, social, academic, and recreational diversity. UConn has over 12,000 students living on campus in over 100 residence halls. Each of the residential areas is unique and offers a variety of programs and activities to residents. Residential Life staff serve as day-to-day student resources and work to develop and foster a community focused on providing a seamless student experience between the classroom and the living environments. They encourage students to get involved in their community and provide input through participation in area councils and various residential programs and committees.

The UConn Residential Life website offers a wealth of information on available housing, the housing application and assignment process, move-in, Learning Communities and special interest housing, and more.

Learn more about:

• Center for Students With Disabilities - Residential Accommodations
• Community Standards
• Housing Contract
• Husky OneCard
• Items to Bring (and What Not To)
• Laundry
• Learning Communities
• Special Interest Housing
• Student Phone Service
• Student Mailing Addresses

University Safety

The University of Connecticut has a comprehensive and professional set of programs in its Division of University Safety, consisting of the Police Department, Fire Department, Office of Emergency Management, Fire Marshal and Building Inspector’s Office, and Environmental Health & Safety.

The overarching philosophy of the entire Division is simple: The safety of the entire University community is their mission. The women and men of the Division of University Safety are dedicated to accomplishing this by working together.

UConn Alert

UConnAlert is the University’s official emergency notification and alerting system. In the event of an emergency that poses an immediate threat to one of our campus communities, the UConnAlert system will be activated. Components of the UConnAlert system may also be utilized to notify the UConn community of impacts to business operations, including weather closings and significant class schedule alterations. The UConn Alert website, alert.uconn.edu, is the definitive source of emergency information from the University of Connecticut and will always provide the current operating status for each campus, excluding UConn Health.

Students are automatically enrolled in the system with the information in the Student Administration system. Students should ensure their contact information under "Personal Information" is up to date to receive alerts.

UConnAlert only allows students, staff, faculty and affiliates to register email addresses and cellphone numbers. However, UConnAlert distributes messages to alert.uconn.edu, the University and regional campus homepages, the official UConn Facebook and Twitter pages and the myUCONN mobile application. It is recommended that parents/guardians with a smartphone who wish to receive alerts download the myUCONN app and enable “push notifications.” 

UConn Student Health and Wellness is a health care facility fully accredited by the Accreditation Association of Ambulatory Health Care Facilities. A wide range of services are offered to students, including primary health care, acute care (non-life-threatening), mental health counseling, inpatient care, laboratory, radiology, physical therapy, and a pharmacy. Specialized services and programs include a women’s clinic, allergy clinic, athletic medicine, nutritional counseling, health education, a cold self-care center, HIV antibody testing, special health clinics, and substance abuse prevention education.

Services are available to all registered Storrs students who present their UConn ID. There are additional charges for services including lab tests, x-rays, special procedures, annual gynecological exams, certain medical and mental health clinic services, and pharmacy purchases. While insurance coverage is not required in order to receive care at Student Health and Wellness, all full-time students are required by the University to maintain health insurance coverage. Learn more about what Student Health and Wellness offers.

SHaW — Mental Health

Student Health and Wellness' mental health services promotes and fosters the emotional and psychological growth and well-being of all students at UConn by providing a wide range of supportive services. Our staff is committed to providing quality care in a safe, confidential, and non-judgmental atmosphere. SHaW believes in a strengths-focused, biopsychosocial model of care that honors the fundamental dignity of each person.

The Circle of Care model allows students to access a variety of individual and group-based services specific to their needs. When recommending services, clinicians take into account the type of concerns students present with, their personality and preferences, readiness for change, and research on best practices. This personalized approach allows Student Health and Wellness to provide flexible and individualized services to support student mental health and well-being. Learn more about SHaW — Mental Health.

New Student Requirements and Deadlines

For the most up-to-date information on health-related requirements, including forms, mandatory trainings, and vaccine information, visit the Student Health and Wellness New Students and Families page.

UConn's Department of Dining Services is one of the largest self-operated food service programs in the country, serving more than 185,000 meals per week in eight residential dining units. The award-winning program also offers excellent food and service throughout campus in five cafes (including one that is plant-based), the Union Street Market Food Court, three eateries, an ice cream shop, a food truck, an ice cream truck, and two bakeries, one of which is strictly gluten-free. Dining Services also runs a convenience store, student farm, catering division, test kitchen, commissary, and central production kitchen.

Dining Services strives to be sensitive to the varied needs of students with special dietary requirements such as vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, Kosher, and Halal. As the sole provider of food service on our campus, Dining Services has the obligation, responsibility, and honor of serving healthy, sustainable and delicious food to our student body.

Learn more about:

• Dietary Restrictions and Preferences
• Dining Hall Locations
• Meal Plans
• Meal Plan FAQs

Involvement

From University-sponsored activities to clubs and organizations to athletics, recreation, arts and entertainment, and more, UConn’s Storrs campus is a vibrant place to be! Opportunities for involvement abound, and the most common piece of advice given from current to incoming students is to try whatever strikes their fancy — they just might find a new passion.

• Arts and Culture
• Clubs and Organizations (UConntact)
• Cultural Centers and Programs
• Faith Communities
• Off-Campus and Commuter Student Services
• Student Activities
• Veterans Affairs and Military Programs
• UConn Recreation
  • Club Sports
  • Intramural Sports