The University of Utah approved comprehensive revisions to Policy 6-100: Instruction and Evaluation, a foundational regulation that shapes core aspects of the academic experience—from grading and course structure to registration and academic standards.
Approved by the Board of Trustees, the updated policy will take effect on Aug. 1, 2026.
A foundational policy, reimagined
Policy 6-100 is one of the university’s most consequential academic regulations—establishing expectations for how courses are delivered, how students are evaluated and how academic progress is defined. While portions of the policy have been updated over time, this marks its first comprehensive review in roughly 30 years.
Over the past two years, members of the university community undertook a full re-examination of the policy—an effort grounded in a central question: How can we better align our academic policies with the realities of today’s classrooms, an evolving regulatory environment and the needs of today’s students and instructors?
The result is a policy that is clearer, more consistent and better positioned to support student success.
A collaborative, campus-wide effort
The revised policy reflects extensive collaboration and commitment to shared governance. A working group of faculty, staff, administrators and a student representative met regularly over the course of the 2024–25 academic year, reviewing the policy section by section and integrating revisions.
That work was followed by broad campus engagement. Drafts were shared publicly, with feedback gathered through stakeholder meetings, town halls, surveys and multiple consultations with the Academic Senate and its standing committees.
This iterative process ensured the final policy reflects not just compliance requirements or administrative needs, but the collective expertise, lived experience and future aspirations of the university community.
What’s changing—and why it matters
The revised policy introduces a range of updates designed to improve consistency in the academic experience. Key themes include:
- Greater transparency for students
The policy clarifies expectations around grading, course requirements, registration and academic standing. Students will have more consistent information about courses before they begin and more defined pathways for navigating academic decisions. - Improved flexibility and support for student success
Changes such as extending the course withdrawal deadline to later in the term and creating new options like academic amnesty and updated academic renewal policies are designed to give students more opportunities to make informed decisions and stay on track toward completion. - Stronger alignment with current practices and regulations
Updates ensure alignment with federal Title IV requirements, Utah Board of Higher Education policies and existing university practices—reducing the need for exceptions and promoting greater equity across programs. - Clearer structure through new and revised rules
In addition to revising the policy itself, the university has created new accompanying rules and updated existing ones. These changes move more detailed procedural elements into rules, making the policy easier to navigate. - Enhanced academic processes and accountability
Revisions elucidate responsibilities related to grading, final assessments, course scheduling and student feedback. They also establish explicit processes for grade changes, incomplete coursework and academic appeals.
Designed with students—and faculty—in mind
Importantly, the revisions are not designed to curtail academic freedom or faculty authority over course content. Instead, they aim to provide clearer guidance and stronger infrastructure to support both instructors and students.
At the same time, the policy introduces provisions that help the university respond more effectively to student needs—whether through improved grading transparency, minimum course threshold or more defined processes for academic support.
What comes next
The current version of Policy 6-100 will remain in effect until Aug. 1, 2026. The Regulations Library includes a notice of the approved revisions, along with access to the updated policy and associated rules.
Additional communications and resources will be shared in the coming months to support faculty and staff in preparing for implementation.
Shared governance in action
At its core, this revision represents a powerful statement on shared governance at the University of Utah. It is the result of sustained inquiry, collaboration and a willingness to challenge and improve long-standing systems in the service of students, as well as staff and instructors.
This is how institutions evolve—not through isolated decisions, but through collective effort, thoughtful debate and a shared commitment to building something better, together.