Graduate Student Forms

Graduate Student Petition Use Scenarios:

• Extension of Time to Degree
• Extension of Doctorate Preliminary Exam
• Extension of Academic Probation
• Zero Hours (specify whether Option A or B)
• Defense Less Than 1 Year From Preliminary Exam

• Graduate Student Petition (Online)

Applications and Related Forms for Admission to the Graduate College

• Online Graduate College Admission Application
• Check Status of Online Application

Change of Graduate Program or Degree-Sought for Current Graduate Students

• For use by currently registered students and students with “continuing student” status only
• Use to apply for a change of an existing program or degree-sought, or to add a second program
• Use to change to another program after receiving a graduate degree (e.g., master to doctoral)

If using Fillable PDF, please download and open form using Adobe Acrobat.

• Change of Graduate Program or Degree-Sought for Current Graduate Students - Instructions
• Change of Graduate Program or Degree-Sought for Current Graduate Students (Fillable PDF)

Application for Graduate Appointment

(No longer used for Graduate College funding competitions.)

• Application for Graduate Appointment

Please visit the Fellowships & Awards page.

• Fellowships & Awards

 Student Presenter Awards

• For UIC students in the Graduate College who are presenting their work at meetings of nationally-recognized scientific or scholarly organizations.

• Student Presenter Awards Guidelines
• Student Presenter Awards Application (PDF)
• Student Travel Awards from the Graduate Student Council

Chicago Metropolitan Exchange Program

• Chicago Metropolitan Exchange Program

Students should register for courses by the registration deadline for each term. Students who do not register for ANY courses by the 10th Day (5th in Summer) using Student Self-Service and require registration must obtain the forms from the academic program or the Graduate College (sample forms available below).

• Petition to Register After the 10th (5th in Summer) Day
• Registration Revision Form
• Registration Revision Form Instructions

Students should register for courses by the registration deadline for each term.  In addition, students should verify their registration using Student Self-Service, and, if errors are detected, make corrections during the registration period.

In the rare situation that an error is not discovered until after the term ends, students must complete two forms – The Petition for Retroactive Registration or Course Add (Registrar form) and the Graduate College Registration Revision Form.  The former must be obtained from either the Registrar’s Office or the Graduate College (sample form unavailable).  The latter may be obtained from the student’s program or the Graduate College (sample form available below).

Approval for any retroactive action must be obtained from the student’s Director of Graduate Studies (degree-seeking students only), the Office of International Services (if on a student visa), the Graduate College, and the Registrar of UIC.  Only if all approve the request does the change occur on the student’s transcript.

Additionally, if any type of financial aid was received for the term in question (tuition waiver resulting from a fellowship, assistantship, or Graduate College tuition waiver, or if receiving a student loan, etc.) the Office of Financial Aid must complete their portion of the petition before it is submitted to the Graduate College.  When the Office of Financial Aid closes the fiscal year at the end of August it is virtually impossible to have any adjustments made for that year; therefore, for any retroactive course requests that result in tuition range changes that are received after that time, the student will be responsible for the difference in charges.

Please note: If the retroactive action involves the deletion of an erroneous course and addition of a correct course OR to alter the number of hours for a variable credit course that is already on the student’s record for the term in question, do not use this procedure. Instead, please follow the instructions for a Registration Revision as described in the next section below.

• Registration Revision Form
• Registration Revision Form Instructions

• Fillable PDF – Note: Fillable PDFs are not supported using Firefox
• To be used for approval of committees for master’s thesis, doctoral preliminary examination, doctoral project (EDD only), and doctoral dissertation

• Committee Recommendation Form

• Fillable PDF – Note: Fillable PDFs are not supported using Firefox

• Request Change of Student Name on Thesis, Thesis Title, or Committee Member(s) Form

Link to Master’s Project Report Form (PDF) below.

• Master's Project Report Form (PDF)

Link to Thesis Manual (PDF) below.

• Thesis Manual (PDF)

A graduate student may take courses on the credit/no credit option provided that: (1) The courses are not within the student’s immediate area of specialization, (2) such courses account for no more than one sixth of the total number of course hours taken at UIC and counted toward a degree, and (3) the student submits the Credit/No Credit Option Form to the Graduate College by the tenth day of the fall or spring terms (fifth day of the summer term), with an advisor’s signature. This option cannot be revoked after the close of the (tenth day of instruction – fall and spring terms)(fifth day of instruction – summer term). The student registers and pays for the course using the normal registration procedures. Note that some departments do not allow any credit/no credit hours to be used toward a degree, although courses not used toward a degree may be taken credit/no credit.

Instructors are not informed that the option has been elected, but assign a letter grade in the usual manner. The Office of Admissions and Records retains a record of the letter grade, but it is not entered on the student transcript. A grade of CR is recorded on the transcript if a letter grade of A, B, or C is earned. A grade of NC is recorded on the transcript if a letter grade of D or F is assigned. I and DFR grades are replaced by CR or NC upon completion of the course(s). The grades of CR and NC are not used in the computation of the grade point average.

The Graduate Student Petition (sometimes referred to as the general petition) is to be used by students for most requests of exceptions to policy and rules. Some examples include late course adds and drops (along with Graduate College Registration Revision Form; see Instructions for Graduate College Registration Revision Form below for when the Graduate Student Petition is necessary), extension of time to complete the degree, extension of probation, extension of time to complete and incomplete (I) grade. It should not be used for late registration (attempts to register after the registration period is over if you are not in any hours), transfer credit, leave of absence, and university withdrawal (drop all courses for a term), as these actions have individual forms (unless additional rationale is required for the aforementioned forms/petitions).

Students should provide clear and concise statements for what is being requested along with relevant rationale. The Graduate Student Petition requires advisor (or instructor, if appropriate) and Director of Graduate Studies signatures, and justification of their position. (Nondegree students do not need the Director of Graduate Studies signature – nondegree students should write “nondegree” on the lines in that section).

Link to sample Leave of Absence form and instructions below.

• Leave of Absence Form (Sample PDF)
• Leave of Absence Form Instructions

Used to transfer courses from another institution, and courses taken at UIC while nondegree, in a different graduate program, or a college other than the Graduate College (including graduate courses taken as an undergraduate at UIC). Should not be used to recognize a previously earned master’s degree for doctoral students.