60-Hour Requirement for Undergraduate Degrees

Policy Number: EP-17.03

Effective Date: Fall 2017

Policy Title: 60-Hour Requirement for Undergraduate Degrees (view the full SCEP proposal)

Contact: Office of Academic Programs

Policy Statement: Credit approved for transfer from an accredited community or junior college is limited only by the provision that the student must earn at least 60 semester hours required for the degree at the University or at any other accredited four-year college or university, except that the student must meet the enrollment residence requirements that apply to all students for a degree from the University.

Reason for Policy: UIC currently requires that undergraduate students must complete 60 semester hours at UIC or an accredited four-year college or university after attaining junior standing. Many students – particularly transfer students who comprise a growing number of our undergraduates – bring more than 60 hours of transferable work to UIC. As a result of the current policy, students accrue more, and in some cases considerably more, than the minimum 120 hours required to earn a bachelor’s degree. The Committee of Associate and Assistant Deans (CAAD) proposes the amendment of the current policy to remove the requirement that the 60 hours be completed “after attaining junior standing” – thus eliminating an unnecessary and costly barrier to degree completion. According to the language in the updated policy statement, students will still have to complete 60 semester hours at UIC or an accredited four-year college or university, and they will still have to meet UIC’s enrollment residence requirement.

Minority Impact Statement: No negative impact on any students is anticipated. The revised requirement will benefit all students with transfer credit, and given the significant diversity of UIC’s undergraduate population it is expected minority students will be positively impacted.

Who Should Read the Policy: Students, faculty, and staff at UIC.

Policy History and Related Policies: