Academic Progress/Standing

Maintaining good academic progress generally requires full-time study (minimum of 12 credit hours per term), good standing as judged by meeting minimum averages in cumulative GPA and major GPA, and timely completion of major and graduation requirements throughout program completion. Unless students have received specific approval to the contrary from iSchool Undergraduate Affairs, they are required to be full-time candidates for degree completion.

Normal degree progress typically requires 31 earned credit hours per academic year, or an average of 15-16 credit hours per semester, and completion in 8 semesters (without summer study)

Terminology

Various terms are used to designate undergraduates and their enrollment status.

Student class

The following criteria are used when referring to undergraduate students by class. Typically, they apply only for students who began their college careers at the University of Illinois.

Class	Earned credit hours
First-year/freshman	0 - 29
Sophomore	30 - 59
Junior	60 - 89
Senior	90+

Academic standing

Official academic status as an iSchool degree student is denoted by one of three categories.

Standing	Eligibility
Good Standing	Eligible to enroll without conditions
Probation	Eligible to enroll with conditions
Drop	Not eligible to enroll

Key progress indicators

Academic progress is reviewed on a semester-by-semester basis in a process called "grade audit" and at midpoints before graduation in order to assess timely completion of requirements. Students are monitored for GPAs, credit hours per term, and earned credit hours per semesters enrolled. The following areas also are important in gauging academic progress to degree.

• Progress in the major
  Students must make regular progress via appropriate course enrollments and performance levels to confirm continued viability in an academic program. This means that a student must complete degree requirements appropriate to the selected academic major.
• Progress in specific graduation requirements
  Unless exempt, students must complete the Composition I requirement during freshman year. Students also are advised to complete the Non-Primary Language Requirement during their first two years to make sure that graduation in eight semesters is feasible. Students who have not completed this language requirement by the time they have completed 60 degree hours will be required to complete an appropriate course each semester thereafter until they have fulfilled the requirement.
• 10-semester limit on enrollment
  The iSchool limits the time undergraduate students may be enrolled for the purpose of completing a degree to 10 semesters.

Advising agreements

If at any time, it is determined that a student is not making sufficient progress toward degree completion, the student generally will be placed on academic probation and/or advised of specific progress deficiencies. Students who do not accept or meet the conditions of their advising agreements, or do not make academic progress, may lose their eligibility to continue enrollment in the iSchool.

Academic status

Students are considered in good standing if they have met minimum performance criteria—as judged by cumulative GPA and major GPA—and are progressing toward timely completion of degree requirements.

Students may access their posted grades online, generally one week after the end of finals. An academic status will be displayed (good standing, probation, or drop). These computer-assigned standings are not final until the college has reviewed academic standing for all students.

A college hold will be placed on students who are on probation or drop status. Students who are unsure about their academic status should contact the iSchool Student Affairs Office as soon as possible following academic review. 

Academic probation

Academic probationary status serves as a warning that poor academic performance or failure to complete requirements in a timely fashion may jeopardize future enrollment status at and graduation from the University of Illinois.

Probation levels identify a specific GPA that students are expected to earn in their next semester of enrollment on a minimum of 12 graded credit hours. Students who are often placed on academic probation may be required to enter into an advising agreement that stipulates specific requirements for the next term of enrollment.

If students achieve the GPA level required by their probation, but their cumulative and/or major GPA(s) remains below 2.50 and they are not deficient in meeting other academic eligibility and progress requirements, they will be approved to continue on probationary status, until such time as they have achieved good standing.

Students who are on probationary status may not elect the credit/no credit grading option for any course. Academic probationary status may not be cleared by attendance at another institution. Transfer work that averages below a C+ level may result in a student being placed on academic probation in the iSchool, if the combined (university and transfer) GPA does not reflect at least a 2.50 standing. The probation rules are listed in the Student Code.

A student may be placed on (or similarly, removed from) probationary status at any time that the iSchool judges that the student's scholastic record warrants such action.