Students
LAS Student Handbook
- Admission to LAS
- Majors & Minors
- Degree Requirements
- Course Guidelines
- Academic Standing
- Attendance & Withdrawals
- Graduation
- Dates & Deadlines
- Advising & Support
Student Enrichment
Careers and Extracurricular Development
Student Activities and Forms
Minimum requirements for a degree
Minimum GPA | Minimum Total Credit Hours | Minimum Advanced Hours | Residency
The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has minimum standards of progress and performance that must be observed as students work toward a degree.
Minimum Grade-Point Averages
LAS has both cumulative and curricular-specific minimum grade-point averages (GPAs) for graduation:
- College and Combined GPA. Students must earn a cumulative grade-point average of 2.00 (C) or better in all coursework taken on this campus applying to their LAS degree. Students who take off-campus courses must also earn a minimum "combined" GPA of 2.00 (C) or better when transfer grades are averaged with LAS grades. All Secondary Education majors must achieve a minimum 2.50 in these cumulative GPAs.
- Curricular GPA. Students must meet minimum academic performance standards in their major. Students must earn a cumulative GPA of 2.00 (C) or better in all courses taken on this campus included in their major GPA. Students who take off-campus courses used in their major must also earn a minimum "combined" GPA of 2.00 (C) or better when transfer grades in their major are averaged with LAS grades included in their major GPA. Some departments require a higher cumulative GPA for graduation. All Secondary Education majors must earn a 2.50 GPA in all courses in the major taken on this campus.
Students can track their progress towards meeting these minimum standards by consulting their DARS, their admissions/records officers, or their departmental advisors.
Minimum Total Credit Hours
You must successfully complete at least 120 semester hours to graduate in the Sciences and Letters Curriculum and Secondary Education Curriculum. In Specialized Curricula, however, the total hours needed to graduate may differ. Therefore, you should consult the Programs of Study.
Minimum Advanced Hours
Majors in the Sciences and Letters Curriculum and the Secondary Education Curriculum must earn at least 21 hours in advanced courses. Advanced courses include most 300- and 400-level courses. There are some first- and second-year 300-level courses that, although acceptable for satisfying the language requirement, may not be used as advanced hours:
- Chinese or Japanese (intensive first- and second-year courses)
- African Languages LGLA 404-404, SWAH 403-404, WLOF 403-404, ZULU 403-404, BMNA 403-404 (second-year courses)
- Arabic, Hebrew, Hindi, Persian, Turkish 403-404 (second-year courses)
- Portuguese 401-402
- Linguistics 404
- Asian Studies 445
- Latin American Studies 445 (tutorial)
No transfer work from a community college is considered advanced for purposes of this requirement.
Specifically approved individual study and seminar courses and courses taken on study abroad programs (recommended by the department as advanced) may be included. Students with credit transferred from another four-year (baccalaureate-granting) institution should contact the LAS Central Student Office concerning use of the transferred credit for this requirement.
Residency
Advanced Credit Hours Earned in the Major
Students in all LAS curricula must earn at least 12 advanced-level hours in core departmental courses (normally 300-level) in residence on this campus.
Total Credit Hours Earned from this University
- For students who matriculated before Fall 2006. Students must spend either the first three years, earning not less than 90 semester hours, or the last year, earning not less than 30 semester hours, in residence on the Urbana campus uninterrupted by work elsewhere. Credit earned by proficiency examination, correspondence courses, advanced placement examinations, or extramural coursework will count toward the first 90 hours of residency but not the last 30 hours. The hours counting toward academic residency must be applicable to the degree you are pursuing.
Transfer students from community or junior colleges, after attaining junior standing, must earn at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign or any other approved four-year institution at least 60 semester hours acceptable toward their degree. In addition, such students must earn their last 30 hours at Illinois in order to receive a degree. These students also must be enrolled as full-time, degree-seeking students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences for at least two semesters prior to the awarding of an LAS degree. This is the college residency requirement. Consult your admissions/records officer with questions.
If you complete your last semester or year at another institution but wish to receive a degree from this university, you may encounter delays in graduating if other schools do not send transcripts in time.
- For students who matriculate Fall 2006 or later. In addition to specific course and scholastic average requirements, each candidate for a bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign must earn at least 60 semester hours of UIUC credit, of which as least 21 hours must be 300- or 400-level courses at this campus (Student Code Art 3-801). Consult your admissions/records officer with questions.