Academic Regulations
and Procedures

For a general overview, students are urged to read Regulations and Policies published in the quarterly Time Schedules. Because students are held responsible for this information, they are encouraged to discuss any questions they have with their College advisers. The following sections describe some of the College's regulations and procedures.

Requirements for the Degree. The College awards the B.A. or the B.S. degree to qualified students who are recommended by the faculty. In order to qualify for the degree, students must complete the following:

Course Load. Students register for three or four courses per quarter. Over the typical four-year program (twelve quarters), a student normally registers for at least six four-course quarters and as many as six three-course quarters. The decision about registration for three courses or for four courses is made in consultation with the student's College adviser. Although students may progress at varying rates toward the degree, no student may register for more than fifteen quarters without the permission of the dean of students in the College.

A student is considered full time whether registered for three or four courses; the tuition is the same in either case. Students must formally petition the College dean of students for permission to take a fifth course. The petition will be considered in the fifth week of the quarter, at which time, if it is approved, the student will be registered and billed for the fifth course.

A student who is not registered for at least three courses is considered a part-time student. Such students have their financial aid reevaluated and must request permission to remain in University of Chicago housing.

Repetition of Courses. When a student repeats a course, both courses appear on the student's transcript and both grades are averaged into the student's GPA. However, only one of the repeated courses counts toward the total number of credits required for graduation. A student who receives financial aid may repeat a course only if he or she is also registered for three nonrepeated courses.

Preregistration. After consultation with their College advisers at the end of spring quarter, students in residence preregister for the following academic year. The preregistration of a student in residence, however, does not become official until he or she has confirmed registration before autumn quarter classes begin. First-year students register one quarter at a time in a meeting with their advisers.

Changes in Registration. Course registration may be changed during the first five weeks of each quarter. A change of registration is any course "drop," any course "add," or any substitution of one course for another. No changes in registration are permitted after Friday of fifth week. (The length of this add/drop period is subject to change.)

Restrictions. The privilege of registration (as well as the use of University services and facilities) will be denied students who have been placed on restriction. Restriction may result from a student's failure to fulfill financial obligations to the University or to comply with University rules and regulations. Whenever possible, students are warned of an impending restriction and are notified when one has been imposed. Students must clear the restriction with the administrative or academic office which imposed it before they can be registered. Students who have not cleared the restriction by the end of the fifth week following the quarter in which the restriction was imposed will have their registration canceled. Students who are not registered may lose their financial aid for that quarter.

Leaves of Absence and Withdrawals. Leaves of absence are frequently granted to students in the College. Students planning a leave should consult with their College adviser and also arrange for an interview with one of the College deans of students. For full tuition refund, leaves must be arranged by the end of the first week of the quarter. In the case of leave granted for medical reasons, the dean of students may require information from a physician or therapist as a condition of the student's return to the College. Students who decide not to return to the College must formally withdraw their registration. To do so, students should contact the Office of the Dean of Students in the College. At the time of withdrawal, students are advised of the conditions under which they may resume their studies in the College.

Grades. The following marks are used for undergraduate courses (the number weight assigned to each grade for computation of grade point averages (GPA) is listed in parentheses when applicable): A (4.0), A- (3.7), B+ (3.3), B (3.0), B- (2.7), C+ (2.3), C (2.0), C- (1.7), D+ (1.3), D (1.0), F (0.0), I, N, P, R, and Q. The marks A, B, C, D, and P are passing marks and confer course credit. The mark F indicates unsatisfactory work and does not confer credit.

The grades A through F are known as quality grades and carry a specific weight in calculating official grade point averages. These averages are regularly calculated only to determine Dean's List, academic probation, and general honors. They may influence awards like Phi Beta Kappa and departmental honors. Official transcripts do not include grade point averages.

There are two grading options open to students who wish to receive a passing grade rather than a quality grade: Pass/No Credit (P/N) and Pass/Fail (P/F). Students considering P/N or P/F grading should consult with their College adviser early in the quarter because both these options are subject to conditions and restrictions. Whether a course with a grade of P can be counted toward a student's degree depends on how it is to be used in the student's program. All general education courses must be taken for quality grades and most courses satisfying concentration requirements must be taken for quality grades. However, some concentrations permit a limited number of P's.

For P/N grading, students must register with their College advisers during the first two weeks of the quarter. For P/F grading, the student and instructor reach an informal agreement, at the discretion of the instructor and according to departmental policy, before the instructor submits a grade for the course; no action is required by the student's College adviser.

The mark P indicates that the student has submitted sufficient evidence to receive a passing grade. As some departments give credit only for a grade of C- or better, students should establish with the instructor what constitutes passing work. A mark of P may not later be changed to a quality grade, and a quality grade may not be changed to a P. Although the P confers course credit, it is not calculated in the GPA. Students who do less than passing work (as defined by instructor and department) in a P/N course receive a mark of N. The N confers no credit and is not included in the calculation of the GPA. Students who do not pass a P/F course receive an F which counts as a zero in the calculation of the GPA.

The mark R means "registered." Students must register for the grade R during the first two weeks of the quarter. An R, requiring this special registration and conferring no credit, is seldom used by College students. (NOTE: An R should not be considered as a way to record an audit on the transcript. An audit is an informal arrangement between student and instructor and is not recorded on the transcript.) No stigma is attached to the mark R, however. An R may not be changed later to any other grade. An R does not count as a completed course for determining eligibility for financial aid, nor does it contribute to a student's completion rate in determining academic progress.

The mark I (Incomplete) indicates that a student has not completed the requirements of the course before the end of the quarter (defined as the date of the final examination or the due date of the final paper or the end of the tenth week of the quarter) but has made satisfactory arrangements with the instructor, on an official Incomplete Form, to complete the remaining work. A request for an Incomplete must be submitted to the instructor before the end of the course. The Incomplete Form must be obtained from the student's College adviser, but approval to complete work late is at the discretion of the instructor and/or according to departmental policy. Incompletes must be finished within a period of time agreed upon between student and instructor. In the absence of a specified due date, the work must be completed within one year. When the work is completed, the grade for the course is entered on the transcript beside the I, which remains on the academic record. If the course work has not been completed within the specified time period and an extension has not been granted, the student will automatically receive a W.

The mark Q stands for "Query." It is entered on the student's grade report by the registrar when the instructor has failed to submit a final grade for a student or has entered an I for the student without also submitting an Incomplete Form. Students with a Q on their grade reports should consult the instructor immediately about the reason for the Q. Students must have the Q replaced with a grade or with an official Incomplete Form before Friday of the fourth week of the quarter, or the Q will be converted to a W. A W may not subsequently be changed to any other grade.

Grades submitted by instructors to replace Q's will be entered on the academic record beside an I unless the instructor states that the student's work was completed on time. The Q should not be interpreted as an informal Incomplete or as a way to avoid an I on the transcript. Rather, students are strongly urged to protect themselves against misunderstandings and missed deadlines by arranging for an official Incomplete if one proves necessary.

The mark W (or WF or WP) means that the student has decided after the fifth week of the quarter not to complete the work of the course. Students who wish to exercise this option must request a W before the end of the quarter (as defined above). The instructor and/or the department have the option to issue a W, a WF, or a WP. No credit is conferred for any of these marks. A W may not subsequently be changed to any other mark.

Students who register for graduate-level courses are subject to the policies governing graduate grading. Students should discuss the implications of these policies with their advisers before registering for courses numbered 300 and above.

Dean's List. Full-time students whose grade point averages are 3.25 or above for an academic year (in which they have completed a minimum of nine courses with at least seven quality grades) are placed on the Dean's List for that year and their official transcripts are marked accordingly. Please note that for the purposes of the Dean's List the point equivalency of an outstanding I or Q is zero. A determination is made each year on the basis of grades available in the registrar's office on July l. The GPA is not recomputed for grades received to replace Q's or I's, or for summer quarter grades. Students participating in off-campus study programs (with the exception of the College's civilization and language programs) are not eligible for the Dean's List.

General Honors. Students are awarded general honors at the time of graduation if their overall GPA is 3.25 or above. Grades from off-campus study programs (with the exception of the College's civilization and language programs) are not calculated into a student's GPA. (See concentration descriptions for requirements for special honors in the field of concentration.)

Probation. Students must complete 75 percent of the courses for which they register with a minimum GPA of 1.75 in each quarter of registration. Failure to meet this requirement results in an academic warning for the following quarter. An academic warning is an informal sanction without a notation on the transcript. Students on academic warning are expected to complete 75 percent of the courses in the next quarter of registration with a minimum GPA of 1.75; courses must be completed on time. At the end of that quarter, students either will be returned to good standing or they will be placed on academic probation and an official sanction will be noted on the transcript. At the end of the following quarter, students are either taken off probation or asked to leave the College for a period of time, usually at least one year. NOTE: Students on financial aid who fail to meet completion rate and GPA requirements and/or fail to complete nine courses each year may jeopardize their financial aid packages.

For the purpose of determining eligibility to participate in varsity sports, all students eligible to register are considered to be in good standing.

Awarding of Twelfth Grade Certificate. Students who entered the College before graduation from high school and who expect to qualify for a Twelfth Grade Certificate in the spring quarter should file an application with the registrar before the first week of spring quarter. In order to be eligible for the certificate, they must have completed during their first academic year a minimum of nine courses with an overall grade point average of 1.75 or better and the physical education requirement. Certificates are mailed following the end of spring quarter. No certificate is awarded without an application.

Petitions. Any student who wishes to appeal for special consideration under a College regulation or an interpretation thereof may file a petition with the dean of students in the College.

Academic Integrity. All students in the College are included in the following statement, issued by the dean of the College, regarding academic plagiarism and cheating: