Academic progress defined

Maintaining good academic progress generally requires full-time study (12 credit hours per term), good standing as judged by meeting minimum grade point averages in cumulative GPA and major GPA, and timely completion of major and graduation requirements through course completion.

Normal degree progress typically requires 30 earned credit hours per academic year for degree completion in eight semesters without summer study, or an average of 15 credit hours per semester. Some programs require more than eight semesters to complete; others have higher major GPA requirements. Consult with the department's advisor for additional information.

Students alone are responsible for making normal progress toward their degree and for meeting all graduation requirements in their curriculum. Normal progress toward the degree generally implies full-time study and timely completion of graduation requirements. Unless students have received specific approval to the contrary from a dean in LAS Student Academic Affairs, students are required to be full-time candidates for a degree at the Urbana campus.

Terminology

Various terms are used to designate undergraduates and their enrollment status at U of I.

Student class

The following criteria are used when referring to undergraduate students by class. Typically, these are used only for students who began their college careers at U. of I.

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

Academic standing

Your official academic status as a degree student in LAS is denoted by one of three categories:

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

Find out more about academic warning levels and requirements.
 

Key progress indicators

Student academic progress is reviewed by the college on a semester-by-semester basis in a process called grade audit and at mid-points 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 college also considers the following areas important in gauging academic progress to degree:

• Progress in the declared major
  Students must make regular progress via appropriate course enrollments and performance levels to confirm continued viability in an academic program. In addition, students may not be enrolled in a declared LAS major while pursuing requirements for another major, or pursuing eligibility for a program in another college, at the expense of fulfilling degree requirements in the declared LAS major. Students who pursue shadow majors risk inadequate progress toward the LAS degree and academic drop.
• Progress in specific graduation requirements
  Unless exempt, students must complete the Composition I requirement during their freshmen year. We also advise students to complete their Non-Primary Language requirement during their first two years so that graduation in eight semesters is feasible. Students who have not completed the non-primary language graduation requirement by the time they have completed 60 hours toward the degree will be required to take and complete an appropriate course each semester thereafter until they have fulfilled the requirement.
• Ten-semester limit on enrollment
  LAS limits the numbers of semesters students may be enrolled for the purpose of completing their degrees.
   

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 warning and/or is advised of specific progress deficiencies in an advising agreement.

Students who do not accept or who do not meet the conditions of their advising agreements may lose their eligibility to continue enrollment in the college.