Academic Standing

• Semester Hours
• Class Standing
• Grading and the Grade Point System
• Full- and Part-Time Enrollment Status
• Probation and Dismissal Rules

This section defines a number of standards according to which students’ academic performance and progress are measured. Students need to be familiar with these standards and keep them in mind as they review the degree requirements and policies outlined in the catalog.

Standards Impacting Academic Performance and Progress

Semester Hours

A semester hour is the University’s unit of academic credit. During the fall and spring semesters, a University semester hour represents one classroom period of fifty minutes weekly for one semester in lecture or discussion or a longer period of time in laboratory, studio, or other work. For example, a three-semester-hour lecture/discussion class meets for three 50-minute class periods each week for 15 weeks for a total of 45 class sessions for the semester. During the eight-week summer session, the classroom period is 100 minutes for lecture/discussion. It is expected that students will spend the equivalent of two classroom periods of outside preparation for one classroom period per week of lecture or discussion. Those courses in which semester hours exceed contact hours may require additional readings, assigned papers, or other course work.

To convert semester hours to quarter hours multiply by 3/2; to convert quarter hours to semester hours multiply by 2/3. For example, 30 semester hours are equivalent to 45 quarter hours.

Class Standing

The number of semester hours earned by the student determines class standing within the University.

The University may use class standing to determine a student’s eligibility for receiving certain kinds of financial aid and scholarships, applying for some degree programs, and enrolling in particular courses.

Grading and the Grade Point System

The grading and grade point system are as follows:

Symbols

The following symbols are used in grading, but are not included in computation of the grade point average.

W—Withdrawn. Withdrawn from the course without penalty (no grade).
DFR—Deferred. Grade deferred (graduate courses, independent study courses, and certain study-abroad courses only).
S—Satisfactory; U—Unsatisfactory. Used in graduate thesis research courses and graduate courses given for zero credit.
S*—Satisfactory. Credit earned does not apply toward earned hours or graduation.
CR—Credit; NC—No Credit. Used only in courses taken under credit/no credit option. See Credit/ No Credit heading in this section of the catalog.
NR—Not Recorded. Not recorded grade. The symbol is automatically generated when, for a variety of reasons, no grade is submitted by the instructor.
I—Incomplete. Course work is incomplete when a student fails to submit all required assignments or is absent from the final examination. Incomplete course work will normally result in a failing grade if it is not completed within the designated time limit. The I may be assigned in lieu of a grade only when all of the following conditions are met: (a) the student has been making satisfactory progress in the course; (b) the student is unable to complete all course work due to unusual circumstances that are beyond personal control and are acceptable to the instructor; and (c) the student presents these reasons prior to the time the final grade roster is due.

The instructor must submit an Incomplete Grade Assignment report when entering final grades for the I to be recorded. This report is a contract for the student to complete the course work with that instructor or one designated by the department executive officer in the way described and by a time indicated on the report. In resolving the I, the student may not register for the course a second time, but must follow the procedures detailed on the report.

An I must be removed by the end of the student’s first semester or summer session in residence subsequent to the incurrence of the I or, if not in residence, no later than one calendar year subsequent to the incurrence. When the student submits the course work, the instructor will grade it and change the I to the appropriate grade.

If an undergraduate student fails to meet the stated conditions, the instructor will assign an F for the final grade.

PS—Pass. Pass is used for proficiency and special examinations.
F—Failure.
FR—Failure by Rule.

Credit/No Credit Option

Students may elect to take a course under the credit/no credit option according to the following provisions:

1. The student must be in good standing as defined by the chosen college.
2. A maximum of 21 semester hours of credit may be earned at UIC under the credit/no credit option. If a student withdraws from a credit/no credit course before the end of the last day of instruction in the sixth week of the term, the credit hours the course carries will not count toward the total of 21 authorized.
3. No more than one course per term may be taken under this option.
4. This option may not be used in any course required for the major including prerequisite and collateral courses.^a
5. The option may not be used for English 160 and 161.
6. The credit/no credit option in a course must be elected by the end of the tenth day of instruction of the term.
7. The credit/no credit option in a course cannot be revoked after the close of the tenth day of instruction in the term.
8. A college or school may by action of its faculty institute a more restrictive policy for any or all of the above provisions.
9. Instructors are not informed that the option has been elected but assign a letter grade in the usual manner. The Office of Admissions and Records retains a record of that letter grade, but it is not entered on the student transcript, except as hereafter provided.
10. For courses taken under the credit/no credit option, a grade of CR is recorded on the transcript if a letter grade of A, B, C, or D is earned. If the letter grade F is assigned, an NC is entered on the transcript. Grades of I and DFR are replaced by CR or NC upon completion of the courses or converted to NC if the course completion deadline for an I is not met.
11. The grades of CR and NC are not used in the computation of the GPA.
12. Grades of CR and NC are final and cannot be reconverted to letter grades, except under the following circumstances. If, during the student’s final term prior to graduation, it is found that one or more of the courses needed to satisfy major field requirements were completed under the credit/no credit option at UIC (prior to the declaration of the major or prior to intercollegiate or intercurricular transfer), the student may elect that a sufficient number of CR grades be replaced by the originally assigned letter grades to meet major requirements. Only the minimum number of reconversions will be made. If such a minimum can be met by more than one selection of reconversions, the student may indicate a preference. This same policy applies in the case of any additional restrictions instituted by a college or school under Provision 8.
13. Students must apply at their college office no later than the tenth day of the term (fifth day for summer session) to have a course designated for credit/no credit grading option.

^a Collateral courses are those courses taken outside the major department that are essential to the major and are defined as such by each college.

Calculating the Grade Point Average (GPA)

Take the grades for each course taken and determine the grade points per hour: A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1, F=0.

• Multiply the grade points per hour for each course by the number of semester hours for the course to get the grade points for each course.
• Add the grade points for each course to get the total number of grade points for the semester.
• Add the semester hours taken for each course to get the total number of semester hours.
• Divide total number of grade points for the semester by the total number of semester hours taken.

The following example illustrates how to calculate the GPA.

The GPA for the example above is 38 divided by 17 or 2.23 on a 4.00 scale (2.23/4.00).

Note: Courses numbered 001–099 do not carry credit toward graduation. Grades for these courses are not calculated in the GPA.

Time Limit on Grade Changes

Changes/corrections to final grades are permitted up to two years after recording the final grade in a student's academic record so long as the course instructor, department chair/head, and college office approve of the change/correction. No grade changes/corrections are allowed after the two-year time limitation. Colleges are permitted, however, to adopt a more restrictive time limit policy. Students should check with their colleges concerning the time limit policy.

Full- and Part-Time Enrollment Status

^a Enrollment in more than 18 semester hours in fall or spring, or more than 9 semester hours in summer is considered overload. Overload requires permission from the student’s major college.

The University uses full- and part-time enrollment in the assessment of tuition and fees. It is also used in determining eligibility for financial aid and the rules governing satisfactory academic progress for renewal of financial aid. In addition, some degree programs require or recommend full-time enrollment.

Probation and Dismissal Rules

The following are minimum UIC undergraduate probation and dismissal criteria that apply to both full-time and part-time students. Colleges or programs may have higher standards.

Probation Rules

1. A student not currently on academic probation will be placed on academic probation at the end of any term in which the student earns less than a 2.00/4.00 grade point average. This rule applies even for the student with a cumulative GPA of 2.00/4.00 or higher. For such a student the probation serves as a warning.
2. An entering transfer student, admitted by petition with a cumulative GPA lower than 2.00/4.00, will be immediately placed on probation.
3. A student readmitted by petition with a UIC GPA lower than 2.00/4.00 will be immediately placed on probation.
4. A student readmitted by petition whose combined cumulative GPA from UIC and other institutions is lower than 2.00/4.00 will be immediately placed on probation.

A student on academic probation who earns a GPA of at least 2.00/4.00 in a given term will be removed from probation, provided the student’s cumulative GPA in all work taken at UIC is at least 2.00/4.00. Further, for the student with transfer credit, the combined average of the student’s transfer credit and UIC course work must also be at least a 2.00/4.00.

A student currently on academic probation will be continued on academic probation when the one of the following occurs:

1. The student meets the GPA required by the conditions of his or her probation but does not raise the cumulative UIC GPA to at least 2.00/4.00; or
2. The student meets the GPA required by the conditions of his or her probation but does not raise the combined average of the student’s transfer credit and UIC course work to at least 2.00/4.00.

The dean of the student’s college determines the conditions of probation. In addition to specifying the GPA, the dean may require the completion of specific courses, may limit the number of hours for which the student registers, and may exclude the student from taking certain courses while on probation.

Dismissal Rules^a

1. A student on academic probation will be dismissed from the University in any term in which the student fails to meet the grade point average required by the probation and in which the cumulative GPA in courses taken at UIC is less than 2.00/4.00.
2. A student on academic probation will be dismissed from the University in any term in which the student fails to meet the GPA required by the probation and in which the combined transfer and UIC grade point average is less than 2.00/4.00.
3. A student who fails to make progress toward a degree may be dismissed. Examples include failure to complete required courses, accumulation of an excessive number of Incomplete grades, failure to earn credit in any semester, failure to maintain a C average in the major discipline.
4. In addition to the probation and dismissal rules above, a college or a school may impose criteria for dismissing a student from a curriculum or college without prior probation, may impose other terms of probation, and may specify a minimum lapse of time between a dismissal action and consideration of a petition for readmission. The dismissal rules may be waived when, in the judgment of the student’s college, the student’s overall record warrants such action.