You will be assigned to an academic eligibility specialist (AES) within Student-Athlete Academic Services (SAAS) whom you should meet with on a regular basis. Your AES will be there to assist you through your academic eligibility and degree progress from enrollment to graduation. Academic eligibility specialists are often available on a walk-in basis, as well as through scheduled appointments. They assist with academic eligibility, planning class schedules, deciding on degree programs, setting academic goals, providing academic support strategies, guidance towards campus resources, career planning, and graduation preparation. In addition, SAAS assists with recruiting, academic/practical life skills, and alumni relations.
In addition to your AES, your college of study will assign you to a major academic advisor. It is required to meet with your academic advisor a minimum of once a year, but it is highly recommended that you meet once a semester. It is important to meet with your major advisor to gain valuable information on course selection and academic requirements. The course selection process is complex and the expertise for such rests with each student’s major academic advisor; therefore, Student-Athlete Academic Services staff should only be consulted for general information, academic eligibility, scheduling, and academic resources. Although both your academic eligibility specialist and your major academic advisor support you, the ultimate responsibility for choosing academic courses, understanding course requirements and deadlines and completion of academic work rests with the student-athlete.
The student shares the responsibility for developing an advising partnership with the counselors and specialists. Over time, the partnership results in increased responsibility for the student. This is achieved through the student:
- Communicating goals, needs, wants and concerns to their counselor/specialist in a respectful and sincere manner;
- Keeping track of their own academic progress and requirements related to their academic programs;
- Making, keeping, and being prepared for appointments with the counselor, specialist, or tutor;
- Informing the counselor of changes in plans and/or circumstances that might impact academic performance;
- Knowing departmental procedures regarding changing counselors/specialists; and
- Bringing concerns regarding quality of advising to the attention of the counselor/specialist
FERPA is the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and is a federal law that was enacted in 1974. FERPA protects the privacy of student education records. All educational institutions that receive federal funding must comply with FERPA.
As a student-athlete, it's important for you to understand your rights under FERPA and your parents need to understand how the law changes once you have enrolled in a post-secondary 3 institution. Employees of UNLV with access to student education records, are obligated to comply with FERPA and to protect those records according to the law. For more information regarding FERPA, please refer to the FERPA webpage of the Office of the Registrar.
Once accepted to UNLV, you must provide a copy of your shot record showing that you have received all the necessary immunizations. These include Mumps, Measles, Rubella, Tetanus (within last 10 years), and Meningitis (within last 10 years). The Office of Enrollment and Student Services will place a hold on your MyUNLV account and you cannot register for courses until all of the necessary documentation has been received. All students must submit legible copies, in English, with their full name, and NSHE ID number (the ID number listed on your acceptance letter). Students under 18, must have a parent's signature on the immunization exemption forms or a parent/guardian with them to receive the immunizations. If any shots are missing, (for a nominal fee) you can receive the appropriate immunization at the UNLV Student Health Center (702-895-3370). You can email, mail, or fax your records to: myunlvsupport@unlv.edu; Fax: 702-895-1118;
Mail: Office of the Registrar, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway Box 451029 Las Vegas, NV 89154-1029. More information can be found at the immunizations webpage.
UNLV encourages all incoming freshmen to attend a new student orientation session. Some sports conduct their own orientation sessions; you are strongly encouraged to attend the university orientation on your own. Whether or not you attend, you will be charged a $120.00 mandatory fee for orientation activities. Please contact your coach to see if your athletics scholarship will cover the orientation fee or if you will be responsible for covering the cost. Please contact your academic eligibility specialist for more information about the orientation process. For more information, visit the orientation webpage.
International student-athletes are required to attend an orientation at the start of each fall semester. You will be provided information about international health insurance, campus job opportunities, campus resources, international taxes, and maintaining your Visa status.
As an international student, you must be enrolled in at least 12 semester credit hours of which 9 must be considered in-class to maintain your Visa. It is important that you communicate with the Office of International Student Services with any concerns regarding your I-20, full-time enrollment, and travel. They can be reached at 702-774-6477 or at isss@unlv.edu.
The RebelCard is your official UNLV ID. It can be used at the library and many other facilities and on campus. You can also deposit money to your card, called RebelCash. RebelCash can be used at participating locations on and off campus. If you use RebelCash you don’t have to pay sales tax on your purchase. There are many campus events and athletic events for which you will need your student ID. This may be obtained in the Student Union for free ($20 for lost card replacement and $10 for broken 4 card replacement). To get your RebelCard, bring a photo ID to the RebelCard Office which is located on the first floor of the Student Union (Room 118). For more information, visit the RebelCard webpage.
Student-athletes have priority registration. This permits you to schedule your classes around practice times. It is important that you see your academic eligibility specialist before you register for classes. Both UNLV and the NCAA have rules and requirements that must be met to retain athletic eligibility. The specialists know the rules and will help you select classes that will meet all requirements toward graduation. Students should also consult with their major academic advisor before registering.
Online education is prevalent at UNLV, with numerous class options being offered in a web-based format. Given the self-paced nature of most online classes, student-athletes must possess self-discipline and scholastic aptitude to be registered for these courses. Student-athletes who are freshmen or considered at-risk academically are not recommended to enroll in online courses, while all student- athletes should avoid enrolling in multiple online courses, unless advised otherwise by academic eligibility specialist or major academic advisor. There is a cost differential for online courses (additional $34/per online credit fee).
Before you drop a class, you must speak with your academic eligibility specialist. A required form must be completed before you are permitted to drop a class. That form requires the signature of your academic eligibility specialist, your coach, and your sport administrator.
Note: Changing classes during the first week of school also requires a conversation with your AES, even if you are just substituting one class for another. Remember: Ask Before You Act!
You must declare a major by the beginning of your fifth full-time semester. Declaring and/or changing a major can potentially affect your eligibility. All major changes must be discussed with your academic eligibility specialist prior to declaring or initiating a change of major. Once your request has been approved by SAAS, you will be guided through the process of how to change/declare your major.
As a student at UNLV, you will have access to a variety of computer programs that are in place to enhance your academic experience. The Department of Athletics and student-athlete services staff will also require you to use ARMS to access and sign compliance documents. It is critical that you maintain access to each of your accounts to ensure you are updated throughout the year. Information and assistance regarding your RebelMail, ACE Account, WebCampus/Canvas, and your wireless connection permission is provided by The Office of Information Technology at the Student Technology webpage.
Rebel Success Hub is a web-based student performance monitoring system that provides automated student services and communication between faculty, academic advisors, academic eligibility specialists, 5 peer tutors, study hall monitors, student support services staff, and students. Student-athletes will set up an account with their academic eligibility specialist upon initial enrollment at UNLV. The students will be able to utilize the system to request appointments with academic support staff, log study hours, record academic meetings, request tutor appointments, and get help with financial aid. The academic eligibility specialists use the Rebel Success Hub to receive academic progress reports from professors, track and monitor academic support services used, record class attendance, provide travel letter notifications, communicate with student- athletes, and for general reporting.
The first rule of academic success at UNLV is to ATTEND ALL CLASSES. We advise student-athletes to arrive to class on time (before class starts) and sit in the first three rows. If you have an “excused” absence, it is your responsibility to notify your coach, academic eligibility specialist, and your instructors prior to the start of the class on that day(s). Your definition of “excused” may not meet your instructor’s, so it is important that you review each class syllabus, understand the class attendance policy, and communicate ahead of time with professors to explore opportunities to complete work ahead of time or make up work in case of emergencies.
Your class attendance will be regularly monitored by UNLV staff members (i.e. coaches, SAAS staff, administrators, etc.). Unexcused absences are documented and may have an impact on your playing time or, ultimately, your athletic eligibility and scholarship (see team rules/coach for class attendance policy).
Students who represent the University of Nevada, Las Vegas at any official extracurricular activity shall have the opportunity to make up any assignments or examinations missed as a result of this event. It is the responsibility of the student to provide official written notification to the instructor of the course(s) at the earliest time possible of his or her intention to participate in a university-sponsored event but no less than one week prior to the date of the missed class(es). This policy shall not apply in the event that completing the assignment or administering the examination at an alternate time would impose an undue hardship on the instructor or the university that could reasonably have been avoided. There should be good-faith effort by both instructor and student to come to a reasonable resolution. When disagreements regarding this policy arise, they can be appealed to the department chair, dean of the college, and the Faculty Senate Academic Standards Committee. For purposes of definition, extracurricular activities may include, but are not limited to, intercollegiate athletics, band, drama, forensics, recruitment, or any other activity sanctioned by the dean and/or the Executive Vice President and Provost.
To help take advantage of this policy, academic eligibility specialists regularly issue travel letters to student- athletes informing instructors of when student-athletes will be missing classes due to athletics related obligations. The student-athlete is then responsible for delivering the letters to their instructors. If you have any issues or concerns, please contact your academic eligibility specialist for assistance.
Graduation applications must be initiated through MyUNLV. Please check the UNLV academic calendar on the unlv.edu website for due dates. You may apply for graduation after you have completed 90 credits.
Once you have applied, the graduation fee will be placed on your student account. You may pay this fee along with any outstanding tuition or fees by clicking “Make a Payment.” Please consult with your academic eligibility specialist before applying. For more information, please visit the Registrar graduation webpage.