New students are matched with an academic advisor during mid-October or March during their first Fall or Spring semester in Biological Sciences.
Academic Advisors for Biological Sciences
Discuss upcoming courses with students
Clarify academic policies and expectations
Encourage students to attain their goals
(and) Refer students to campus resources and opportunities
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Answers responds to over forty-five questions that Biological Sciences is frequently asked. If you do not see an answer to your question there, then email your academic advisor for clarification. Their email can be found on the Biological Sciences Directory.
📣❗️ GET ANSWERS
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TerpEngage is where students can:
Find their matched academic advisor for Biological Sciences, see under Success Team
Read notes posted by their academic advisor(s), see under Advising Notes
Submit a request to change their major specialization, see under Major Change
If TerpEngage shows your academic advisor as Not Available, this means:
Your academic advisor is still setting up their appointment schedule on TerpEngage
(or) Your academic advisor does not use TerpEngage to schedule appointments
Read messages sent by your academic advisor to learn how they schedule appointments with students.
Go to the Biological Sciences Directory for their contact information
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All students who
are still completing the degree’s basic program
have a GPA below 2.5
are UMD athletes
or are in their first semester matched to a faculty advisor
Must report to mandatory academic advising.
The requirement can be waived for students who do not meet this criteria. Students must read notes sent by their academic advisor in either TerpMail or TerpEngage to confirm whether academic advising for the semester is mandatory.
After academic advising for Biological Sciences has been satisfied, a registration block is removed from the student’s account on Testudo, allowing them to register for courses during their University-assigned registration appointment.
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Fall 2026
Students enrolled in Biological Sciences can meet with an academic advisor for drop-in advising at…
1210 biology lounge in Biology-Psychology Building (BPS)
from 10 am to 12 pm on the following dates:
Thursday, September 3
Friday, September 11
Thursday, October 1
Thursday, November 5
Thursday, December 3
In any event, students may email their matched academic advisor for clarification. If you are a current student who has yet to be matched with an academic advisor and cannot attend drop-in advising, please email your question to bscique@umd.edu.
✅ At drop-ins, students can get clarification about
Adding a course (open and unrestricted sections)
Dropping or withdrawing from a course (drop with a W)
Repeating a course & course repeat policies
A non-passing midterm grade or scholastic difficulty
Satisfying the major's LEP-Benchmark requirements
Addition of another program (minor, major, or degree)
A major change (leaving Biological Sciences)
❌ Drop-ins are not for
Mandatory academic advising — inspect expectations on bsci.umd.edu/advising
Building a graduation plan — inspect bsci.umd.edu/gradplan
Planning for medical school — inspect prehealth.umd.edu
Study abroad program selection —inspect bsci.umd.edu/abroad
Requests for letters of recommendation — contact a trusted advisor, instructor, or mentor
Degree clearance — upperclassmen may send their grad plan to their matched academic advisor to be proofread ahead of applying for graduation
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Students are responsible for knowing the University’s dates and deadlines for course registration.
How are students and academic advisors matched?
Students are first matched with a staff advisor while working on the major’s basic program, and are later rematched to a faculty advisor as they begin registering for upper-level courses in the major’s advanced program.
Academic advisors are not mental health counselors.
For additional support, students are encouraged to connect with a mental health counselor at the University Counseling Center. Get started on counseling.umd.edu/get-started.
