Graduate College Policies

Academic Standing/Continuation and Probation Rules

Graduate students are considered to be in good standing in the Graduate College if they:

Have removed all limited status admission conditions;
Have a minimum Graduate Degree GPA of 3.00/4.00 (see below); and
Are making satisfactory progress toward degree requirements, including a project or thesis if required.

Graduate programs may require a higher level of performance and may apply criteria in addition to those stated above. If a student fails to meet the performance or other criteria stated by the program as determined by the Graduate College the program may notify the Graduate College to initiate dismissal.

Limited Status

Limited admission status students must meet the conditions imposed by this status and progress to full degree status within two semesters or any shorter amount of time set forth in the letter of acceptance. Failure to do so will result in automatic dismissal from the University.

Graduate Degree GPA

The Graduate Degree GPA is the average of grades earned by graduate students in their current degree program, whether or not the courses are part of degree requirements. Only graduate-level courses in which an A, B, C, D, or F is earned are included in the Graduate Degree GPA computation. A graduate-level course is any 400- or 500-level course, plus any 300-level course taken under the quarter system (prior to Fall 1991). General transfer credit taken at other institutions is not computed in the Graduate Degree GPA. However, grades earned through the CIC Traveling Scholars Program are included. Grades earned as a non-degree student, or while a student in other UIC colleges or a different graduate program, will be computed if the courses are applied to the current graduate program through an approved transfer of credit petition.

Probation

Academic probation is the Graduate College’s mechanism for warning students that their Degree GPA has fallen below the minimum standard of 3.00 (A=4.00). Students have two terms of enrollment (including summer, if registered) after the term in which their Degree GPA falls below 3.00 to remove themselves from probation. Departments may enforce stricter limits on probation, provided the student is informed in writing prior to being placed on probation.

Students who leave the University while on probation, whether through formal withdrawal or through failing to meet the registration requirement, will still be on probation if they are later readmitted to the same program. Students that are admitted to a new program, begin as a new student (i.e., the Degree GPA starts over). Students currently on probation or who left the University on probation will not be admitted to the same program as non-degree students. Readmission as a degree-seeking student is not guaranteed.

Students who fail to raise their average to 3.00 or to otherwise fulfill the terms of their probation within the deadline will be dismissed from the University. The Graduate College issues probation and dismissal notices to students and their program directors. However, failure to receive notice does not change the student’s probation or dismissal status, since students are expected to monitor their own progress in light of Graduate College policies.

Students must be on good academic standing in order to graduate, even if all other requirements have been met. Students on probation (Degree Grade Point Average less than 3.0) will not be allowed to graduate unless good academic standing is achieved by raising the Degree GPA to 3.0 or greater.

Course Loads and Full, Three-Quarter, and Half-Time

Full-time status for graduate students is defined as registration in 9 hours in Fall and Spring Semesters (3 hours in Summer, although registration for Summer is optional in most situations). Note that full-time is still defined as 9 hours, even if registration for more than 9 hour is required, or less than 9 hours is allowed. Students are required to register for more than 9 hours (3 in Summer) for a number of reasons, such as, but not limited to:

A requirement of your degree program.
If on a student visa (F-1 or J-1), effective Fall 2009, full-time for graduate students is defined as registration in 9 hours in Fall and Spring Semesters and 5 hours in Summer, although registration for Summer is optional in most situations.
- International Services registration policy effective Fall 2009 – 9 hours for students without assistantships or with assistantship appointments less 50%; 8 hours if assistantship appointment is 50%; Summer registration optional in most situations.

Students who can devote full attention to their studies usually enroll for 12 to 16 credit hours each term. In exceptional cases, the advisor and director of graduate studies may permit a student to enroll for up to 20 hours. Registration for more than 20 hours is not recommended but is allowed on a term-by-term basis with the approval of the Director of Graduate Studies and the Graduate College.

Many programs allow registration as part-time students. Consult with your program if you have questions.

Full, Three-Quarter, and Half-Time

These designations are often used for requirements for United Stated federal student loans, work-study, veteran’s scholarships, and official University reporting statistics. Read the information presented above carefully, since there are various reasons that more than the minimum full-time registration level may be required.

Fall Semester
Spring Semester
[Registration Hours for all
Parts-of-Term Combined]

Full-Time
9 hours
9 hours
5 hours

Three-Quarter-Time
8 hours
8 hours
4 hours

Half-Time
5 hours
5 hours
3 hours

This became effective Fall 2006 Semester for all graduate students who are part of the Graduate College. For students in the MPH and DrPh programs within the School of Public Health, this became effective Fall 2007.

U-Pass

Graduate students registered for 9 hours (5 hours in Summer) are assessed for and are eligible to receive the CTA U-Pass. Note: Holding an assistantship with registration for 8 hours (3 hours in summer) is not considered full-time and will not qualify to obtain a U-Pass.

Student Loans

For graduate students, 9 hours (5 hours in Summer) registration is considered full time for student loans. Half-Time is 5 hours (3 hours in Summer). Graduate students must be at 5 credit hours in any given semester to be eligible for federal loans. Consult with the Office of Financial Aid if you have any questions.

Note: Students who have been approved, via a petition approved by the degree program and the Graduate College, for 0 hours registration (in an MS project, MS thesis, doctoral project (professional doctorate) or thesis course) are considered full-time only for the purpose of loan deferment requirements.

Tuition Ranges

Tuition range scales are not based on full time or part time, but the total number of hours for which the student is registered for. See the Office of the Registrar’s website for complete information.

Fellowship Holders

Must register for at least 12 hours of credit per semester of award (6 in summer). Holders of 12 month fellowships must register in Summer.

Tuition-and-Service-Fee-Waiver Holders

Must register for at least 9 hours of credit per semester of award (3 in summer).

Assistantship Holders

Must register for at least 8 hours of credit each semester, excluding summer. While summer enrollment is optional, assistants who wish to use their summer tuition and service fee waivers must register for at least 3 hours during that term. Some graduate programs may require registration for more than 8 hours per term and/or summer registration. There are no tuition and service-fee waiver benefits for students employed with less than 25% or more than 67% appointment. Assistants who qualify for a Spring tuition and service fee waiver automatically receive a summer waiver if registered in at least 3 hours in summer and do not have an assistantship appointment in the summer. If an assistant has a summer appointment, a waiver is granted for registration in at least 3 hours with appointments of 25% – 67%. See Assistantships for more information.

Note that 8 hours of registration (fall and spring) with an assistantship will satisfy the requirements of the assistantship and waiver, but will not qualify as being full-time. 9 or more hours of registration is considered full time, with or without an assistantship.

International Students

For purposes of enrollment certification for immigration purposes, the Graduate College considers international students to be pursuing a minimum full-time program of study if they: (1) enroll for 9 or more hours of credit OR (2) hold an assistantship appointment (teaching (TA), research (RA), or graduate (GA) for one-half time (50%) and enroll for at least 8 hours of credit edit. These requirements are for Fall and Spring semesters.

Students on an F-1 visa may be eligible to register for zero hours if all requirements are complete except for project or thesis, and a petition is submitted to the Graduate College and approved. The petition must be endorsed by the advisor and DGS or head of program and the Office of International Services. Students having an active fellowship, assistantship, or tuition and service-fee waiver are not eligible for zero-hours. This means that if approved and registered for 0 hours for a certain term, an assistantship for a future term cannot be accepted since that would require a minimum of 8 hours of registration. Consult with the Office of International Services if there are questions.

Graduate College Policy and Guidance for the Use of Generative AI in Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Policy: Graduate theses and dissertations are intended to demonstrate and provide a record of independent thinking, original research, and technical mastery in a field of study. The core contribution of the thesis, as determined by the author’s advisor(s) and thesis committee, must be the original work of the author and cannot be that of any other party or generative AI. Therefore, the student’s research and writing as presented in the thesis must represent that effort, even if AI tools are used as support. That is, the student’s original scholarship, including writing, critical thinking, and analysis, must be evident regardless of other included supportive materials.

Any AI use must receive documented pre-approval by the student’s thesis committee and must be limited to a clearly defined scope. To confirm adherence with this expectation, a clear and comprehensive statement must be included as an appendix of the final thesis or dissertation describing the role of generative AI in the scholarly process and what was authorized as appropriate use. The student and the thesis committee are responsible for ensuring any permitted use of AI aligns with disciplinary standards and reflects the student’s independent judgment and originality. Unauthorized use of generative AI tools is considered unauthorized assistance under UIC’s code of academic integrity. Unauthorized use of AI tools may also be considered a violation of institutional policies on academic honesty and plagiarism, including those related to integrity in research and scholarly activities.

Guidance: Students and advisors should be aware of the potential risks and limitations associated with generative AI, such as ethical concerns about plagiarism from the content on which the AI was trained, the possibility of inaccurate information, accountability issues, and data security and privacy concerns. It is crucial to critically evaluate AI-generated content and ensure that its use aligns with the norms and standards of the student’s discipline. In particular, students must review and are responsible for the thoroughness, accuracy, and objectivity of all included AI-generated content. Using Generative AI in graduate theses puts the student at risk for future challenges to their expertise or routine scanning of prospective employee’s theses for plagiarism and generative AI. If you need to use AI services, use secure AI services provided by the UIC IT (ACER) office.

Individual programs or departments may have additional policies or restrictions regarding the use of AI tools in graduate research that go beyond these guidelines. It is the student’s responsibility to understand and follow any department-specific or discipline-specific guidelines. Students should contact their department for clarification if needed. As the field of AI evolves, these guidelines may be updated to reflect new developments.

UIC Statement on Responsible and Acceptable Use of Generative AI

Remote Advisor Guidelines

Remote Faculty Advising Guidelines[1] for Graduate Students in Wet Labs[2]

In cases where faculty with active wet research labs permanently[3] live remotely[4], the following steps must be taken to ensure adequate mentoring and safety of graduate students working in these labs.

Each graduate student must have an on-campus tenured co-advisor who serves as the chair for any PhD committees where the remote advisor normally serves as chair. The co-advisor must be available to meet on campus with the student at least once per month.
Each lab must have an established and accessible contingency plan in case of safety questions and emergencies including designated on-campus point of contact. The plan must specify which types of situations require action and who to notify and records of these interactions should be maintained by the department and shared with the graduate college. Situations in the lab that require students to request assistance from an on-site individual may include, but are not limited to, flooding, spills, biohazards, or equipment repair.
A mentor-mentee advising agreement must be agreed upon and signed by the student, remote advisor, and on-campus co-advisor, and:
1. The agreement must include the contingency plan, and expectations of the remote advisor, on-campus co-advisor, and student mentee.
2. The agreement and contingency plan must be approved by the DGS prior to the start of any lab work.
3. The agreement must be retained by the DGS and a copy shared digitally with the Graduate College.
4. During the annual PhD student review, the DGS must review the status of the agreement and any difficulties encountered with the student, on-campus co-advisor, and remote advisor, and a status report sent to the Graduate College.

Failure to complete the above steps will result in initiation of the Graduate Faculty status review process for the remote advisor.

[1] These guidelines were approved by GCEC 1/24/2025

[2] Wet lab is defined as labs where scholarly work is conducted with materials, chemicals, biohazards or equipment beyond a standard computer.

[3] This policy is intended for permanent remote residence. For faculty on sabbatical, these guidelines would be best practice, but it is up to the department to decide if needed.

[4] Remotely is defined as on campus less than every other week.