Extension of Undergraduate Grading Policy to Spring 2021/Information on undergraduate course withdrawals

Dear Students,

A Credit/No Credit grading policy modification for all UIC undergraduate students was announced on November 19, 2020.  It stated that all grades of “D” will be converted to “Credit” and all grades of “F” to “No Credit”.  This policy will apply for the Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 semesters.

We are now adding a policy about course withdrawals, which will also apply in Fall 2020, Spring 2021, and retroactively to Spring 2020 and Summer 2020:

Courses dropped late (i.e., after the add/drop period) resulting in a ‘W” notation on the student’s transcript in Spring 2020, Summer 2020, Fall 2020, and Spring 2021 semesters will not be counted toward the maximum of four late-drop courses over the duration of an undergraduate degree program. The Registrar’s website below has been adjusted so that late drops used during this timeframe will not count against the allotted 4 late drops.

https://registrar.uic.edu/registration/drop_policy_undergrad.html

The undergraduate policy modifications apply to all undergraduate courses and to undergraduates taking graduate courses. Details are described below.

1. Undergraduate Grading Policy Modification for Fall 2020 and Spring 2021

Grading Modifications

1. • Instructors will report a letter grade for every student in their courses as usual.
   • All grades of A, B, and C will be recorded on transcripts as usual.
   • All grades of D will automatically be recorded on the student’s transcript as Credit (CR), and all grades of F will be recorded as No Credit (NC).  This means that no student will receive a D or F on their transcript for Fall 2020 and Spring 2021.
   • Under this policy, a grade of CR can be used to satisfy General Education requirements.
   • Grades of CR and NC are not included in the student’s GPA calculation.
   • CR/NC grades under this policy will not count toward the number of courses or credit hours students can elect to take CR/NC in one term or during their undergraduate program.

Courses with Prerequisites

1. • Courses with a grade of CR completed during the Fall 2020 or Spring 2021 semester will not fulfill prerequisite requirement if the prerequisite necessitates a grade of C or better.

Financial Aid Implications

1. • Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) will still be assessed at the end of Spring 2021 semester for all enrolled students.
   • W and CR/NC courses will not count in the student’s cumulative GPA for SAP purpose
     • Students must still maintain a 2.0 cumulative GPA after 60 attempted credits.
   • Courses recorded as W and NC will count as an attempted/not completed course in a student’s overall completion rate and maximum time frame calculation.
     • Students must maintain an overall completion rate of 67% to remain financial aid eligible.
     • Students must not exceed 180 attempted credits to remain eligible for financial aid.
     • Students failing SAP at the end of Spring 2021 semester can appeal the decision after cancellation occurs.

2. Undergraduate Late-Drop Course Policy Modification
3. • The number of late-drop courses during Spring 2020, Summer 2020, Fall 2020, and Spring 2021 will not count toward the maximum of 4 UIC individual courses that result in a W notation on the transcript.

Further details about the effect of this policy on specific issues, such as the effect of a grade of CR on issues of progression in foreign languages and quantitative reasoning, as well as licensure requirements for some degree programs, will be provided by individual colleges and programs as necessary. We advise you to talk with your advisor if you have questions.

Sincerely,

Susan Poser
Provost & Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs

For more information, please contact:
Kelcie O’Shea
kgauen3@uic.edu