Enrollment Residence Requirement for Undergraduate Degrees

Policy Number: PR-07.48

Effective Date: Fall 2007

Policy Title: Enrollment Residence Requirement for Undergraduate Degrees  (view the full SCEP proposal)

Contact: Office of Academic Programs

Policy Statement: The enrollment residence requirement must be satisfied. In all academic units except the College of Business Administration, either the first 90 semester hours or the last 30 semester hours of University work must be taken at UIC. In the College of Business Administration, the last 30 semester hours must be taken at UIC. In addition, at least one-half of the semester hours required in the student’s major area of study must be completed at UIC. Concurrent attendance at UIC and another collegiate institution or enrollment during the summer at another institution, when approved by the student’s college, does not interrupt the UIC enrollment residence requirement for graduation. Credit earned through CLEP and proficiency examinations and through the University of Illinois Guided Individual Study and extramural courses neither applies toward nor interrupts the enrollment residence requirement. Under exceptional circumstances, the enrollment residence requirement may be waived by the dean of the student’s college upon petition of the student.

Reason for Policy: Numerous UIC undergraduates opt to enroll in courses at other institutions during the summer for a variety of reasons including lower costs at community colleges, attending colleges near work or home, taking courses unavailable or difficult to enroll in at UIC, specialty courses and programs such as field courses, gaining experience on other campuses, etc.  Under current policies students may jeopardize their progress through such enrollments since the enrollment residency clock would restart after taking a course elsewhere. As a result, students often fail to report transfer courses to their own detriment or are not able to take advantage of opportunities to advance their degree progress and interests.  The underclassman who opts for a summer community college course automatically must have 30 hours uninterrupted at the end of their degree program preventing them from credit-bearing summer opportunities elsewhere. Conversely, the upperclassman must take additional hours for breaking the last 30 hour rule, and transfer students are completely closed out from taking any courses elsewhere.

This policy revision would allow enrollment in other institutions during the summer and, with approval of the student’s college, would not be considered an interruption of the enrollment residency requirement. All undergraduate degrees require that a student complete either the first 90 semester hours or last 30 semester hours at UIC uninterrupted by enrollments elsewhere. In the College of Business Administration, only the last 30 semester hours are required to be at UIC. Certain exceptions are allowed, but they do not include attendance at other institutions during the summer when many students seek enrollment at other colleges for a variety of reasons. This proposal would allow students to take courses elsewhere in the summer without jeopardizing their progress toward a degree.

Minority Impact Statement: No negative impact anticipated.  More likely, there will be a positive impact because this will enable student progress.

Who Should Read the Policy:  Faculty, staff, and students at UIC.

Policy History: 

• Policy approved by the Senate Committee on Educational Policy (SCEP) on March 1, 2007 .
• Policy approved by the UIC Faculty Senate on March 15, 2007.

For more information about degree requirements, view the UIC Catalog.