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
Academic Progress Defined
Terminology | Key Progress Indicators | Advising Agreements
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 departmental advisor for additional information.
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 |
| Probation | Eligible to enroll with conditions |
| Drop | Not eligible to enroll |
Find out more about probation 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 requirementduring 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 probation 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.