Academic Probation and Suspension | Progress Toward the Degree | Extended Enrollment Status | No Further Enrollments Required | Course Load | Quarters of Enrollment | Reduced Course Load | Leaves of Absence | Withdrawing from the College | Applying to Graduate with Non-active Enrollment Statuses | Twelfth Grade Certificates
Academic Probation and Suspension
In each quarter of registration, students must complete, by the end of the quarter, 300 units of course credit with passing grades and with a minimum GPA of 2.0. Incompletes are not considered sufficient for course completion.
A student who fails to meet this minimum requirement will ordinarily be placed on academic probation for the following quarter. Academic probation is a formal sanction but is not permanently notated on the official transcript.
Students on academic probation are expected to complete, by the end of the quarter, 300 units of course credit with passing grades in the next quarter of registration and with a minimum GPA of 2.0. Please note that Incompletes are not sufficient for course completion. Students on academic probation who meet those minimum expectations will be returned to good standing at the end of the quarter. Any student who fails to meet the minimum requirements while on probation will ordinarily be asked to leave the College for a period of time, usually at least one year. Students are not permitted to transfer in coursework from another institution taken during the period of suspension.
If any student fails to complete, by the end of a quarter, a minimum of 300 units of coursework and also fails to attain a GPA minimum of 2.0 in the same quarter, the student may be immediately suspended regardless of whether the preceding quarter was satisfactory.
NOTE: Students on financial aid who fail to meet the completion rate (70 percent of registered courses) and GPA requirements and/or fail to complete their degree within 150 percent of the program time frame 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.
Progress Toward the Degree
Ordinarily students are expected to successfully complete at least 900 units of coursework, or the equivalent, by the end of their first year in the College. After that, students are expected to complete coursework at a minimum of the following rate:
End of four quarters – 1200 units
End of five quarters – 1500 units
End of six quarters – 1800 units
End of seven quarters – 2200 units
End of eight quarters – 2600 units
End of nine quarters – 3000 units
End of ten quarters – 3400 units
End of eleven quarters – 3800 units
In order to graduate, students must complete 4200 units.
Students who fail to complete the expected units on schedule are considered behind rate and will ordinarily be placed on academic warning for the following quarter. Students on academic warning for being behind rate are expected to complete four courses in each subsequent quarter to catch up to rate. Students who remain behind rate after an academic warning will be placed on academic probation for failing to make proper progress toward their degree. During this period of probation, students are expected to take four courses in each subsequent quarter or complete courses in the Summer Session so that they may return to satisfactory completion rate.
A student on academic probation for being behind rate and who fails to meet the minimum completion and GPA expectations, 300 units of course credit with passing grades and with a minimum GPA of 2.0, will ordinarily be subject to academic review and eligible for academic suspension of one year.
Extended Enrollment Status
Students who (a) have satisfied their course requirements for graduation and (b) are within their 12 quarters of enrollment but (c) still have outstanding work to complete, namely BA theses or Incompletes, may request to spend their final quarter of enrollment in "Extended" status. Students must make the request with their College adviser prior to the end of the first week of the quarter during which the student intends to be on Extended Enrollment Status. Students in Extended Enrollment Status do not register for courses but retain many privileges afforded to students. Students should ask their College adviser about administrative fees associated with this status.
Students in Extended Enrollment Status will be expected to graduate at the end of the Extended quarter. If a student does not graduate at the end of the Extended quarter, the student will be placed in the status of No Further Enrollments Required, if applicable.
No Further Enrollments Required
Students who have either (a) exceeded their 12 quarters of enrollment but still have work to complete, (b) exceeded their one quarter of Extended Enrollment Status, or (c) have completed less than 12 quarters of enrollment but have no remaining work to complete, will be placed in a status called No Further Enrollments Required. Students on this status will not pay any fees and will retain access to the Library and University email. Students may remain in this status until they have reached the maximum of eight quarters of leave, cumulative or consecutive, after which they will be administratively withdrawn from the College. However, petitions may be granted to extend a leave for up to 12 cumulative quarters for students as a reasonable accommodation for a disability or otherwise as required by law. Students seeking an exception to the eight-quarter maximum must petition the College Dean of Students no later than the end of the eighth quarter of leave.
Course Load
Students in the College must maintain a full-time course load during Autumn, Winter, and Spring Quarters. A full-time course load is enrollment in three or four courses (i.e., 300 or 400 units) per quarter; the tuition is the same in either case. Over the course of a typical four-year program (i.e., 12 quarters), a student who registers for six four-course quarters and six three-course quarters will successfully reach the 4200 total units required to graduate.
In exceptional circumstances, students can seek approval to enroll in 500 units as an overload during a given quarter. For further information, students are encouraged to consult their academic adviser and submit a Petition for a 5th Course if appropriate. Petitions will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
Quarters of Enrollment
Students in the College are permitted to enroll in a total of 12 quarters (i.e., four years if taken consecutively) to complete their degree requirements. Summer Quarters and quarters away on leave of absence or suspension do not count against the 12 quarters allotted. Over the course of a typical four-year program, a student who registers for six four-course (i.e., 400 unit) quarters and six three-course (i.e., 300 unit) quarters will successfully reach the 4200 total units required to graduate. Test credit (e.g., AP/IB credit, back credit), transfer credit, summer course enrollment, and courses in which a student failed or withdrew may also affect the rate at which a student moves toward completion of their degree.
In exceptional circumstances, students can seek approval to enroll in an additional quarter. For further information, students are encouraged to consult their academic adviser and submit an Additional Quarter of Enrollment Petition if appropriate. Petitions will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
Reduced Course Load
In order to make satisfactory progress toward the degree, in 12 quarters students must complete the required 4200 units by taking six quarters at a three-course load and six quarters at a four-course load. Accreditation, AP, and IB exams, as well as transfer credits or credits earned during the Summer Session, may affect these numbers.
In certain limited circumstances, students who need an additional quarter of enrollment in order to complete their primary major may submit a petition to the Dean of Students. Petitions will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Ordinarily, petitions for an additional quarter of enrollment will not be considered to complete a secondary major or a minor. Note: Summer Quarters do not count toward the twelve quarters of enrollment policy. Students ordinarily do not need to request permission for an additional Summer Quarter of enrollment.
Students who have been provided with a written accommodation by the University’s Student Disability Services Office, allowing for enrollment in three courses per quarter, may also be eligible for additional quarters in which to complete their 4200 units. In such cases students must petition the Dean of Students Office and receive approval in advance, ordinarily during the Winter or Spring Quarter of their fourth year.
Leaves of Absence
Students planning a leave should consult with their College adviser and also submit a Leave of Absence Request to the Office of the Dean of Students. For full tuition refund, a leave of absence must be arranged either at the end of the quarter prior to the leave or by Friday of first week of the quarter that a student is going to be on leave. For the refund schedule, visit bursar.uchicago.edu. Students wishing to take a leave of absence in the current quarter must make arrangements by 5:00 p.m. the Monday of the ninth week of instruction or the day before the final work for all courses is due, whichever is earlier.
In connection with certain leaves (e.g., some medical leaves or leaves taken because of behavioral issues), the dean of students may require, among other things, information from a physician or therapist as a condition for resumption of studies. All conditions are determined on a case-by-case basis.
Ordinarily, students who take a leave of absence after the end of fifth week are not eligible to return for a minimum of one full quarter.
Withdrawing from 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. For a complete overview of College policies regarding leaves of absence and withdrawals, visit college.uchicago.edu/advising/leave-absence-withdrawal.
Applying to Graduate with Non-active Enrollment Statuses
Students in Extended Enrollment Status or in the status of No Further Enrollments Required, or withdrawn as described above, can apply to graduate provided they have:
1. met all of their remaining graduation requirements and have cleared all restrictions;
2. informed their College advisers; and
3. submitted a College Degree Application Form by the Friday of the first week of the quarter. The College adviser can provide this form.
Twelfth Grade Certificates
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 of their first year. 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 GPA of 1.75 or higher. Certificates are mailed following the end of Spring Quarter. No certificate is awarded without an application.