Article 3—Academic Policies and Regulations

Part 1. Grades and Grading System

§ 3-105 Credit-No Credit Grading Options

(a) The credit-no credit grading option is designed to encourage student exploration into areas of academic interest that they might otherwise avoid for fear of poor grades. All students considering this option are cautioned that many graduate and professional schools consider applicants whose transcripts bear a significant number of nongrade symbols less favorably than those whose transcripts contain none or very few. Likewise, in computing a preadmission grade-point average, some of these schools may convert the NC symbol to a failing grade since they do not know whether the actual grade was a D or F.

(b) All Students

(1) Credit-no credit courses are not counted toward the grade-point average but are included as part of the total credit hours.

(2) Instructors are not informed of those students in their classes who are taking work under the credit-no credit option, and they report the usual letter grades at the end of the course. These grades are automatically converted to CR or NC.

(3) Grades of C- or better are required in order to earn credit.

(4) Final grades of CR or NC (for credit or no credit) are recorded on the student’s permanent academic record and subsequently will not be changed to letter grades.

(5) Guided individual study course students may elect the credit-no credit option prior to completion of one-eighth of the lessons contained in the course; however, should they desire to return to a letter grade, an amended credit-no credit form must be filed prior to completion of one-half of the lessons.

(6) Courses taken under the credit-no credit option, including guided individual study courses, may be dropped only in accordance with the normal procedures for dropping courses.

(c) Undergraduate Students

(1) Any undergraduate student on clear status may elect the credit-no credit option.

(2) To elect the credit-no credit option, students must obtain the approval of their adviser or, in the case of a guided individual study course, their adviser or college office.

(3) Students who are placed on probation after enrolling must change their program to eliminate the credit-no credit option.

(4) A maximum of eighteen semester hours earned under the credit-no credit option may be applied toward a degree at the Urbana-Champaign campus of the University. A guided individual study course taken on a credit-no credit basis will be included in the eighteen semester hour maximum credit-no credit limit allowed. A full-time student may take a maximum of two courses each semester under the credit-no credit option. Part-time students may take one course each semester under this option. Summer session students may take one course under the credit-no credit option.

(5) Any lower- or upper-division course may be chosen under the credit-no credit option except courses used to satisfy the University’s general education requirements, courses designated by name or area by the major department for satisfying the major, minor, or field of concentration, or those specifically required by name by the college for graduation.

(6) In cases of subsequent change of major or field of concentration, courses previously taken under the credit-no credit option in the new field may qualify for meeting major requirements.

(7) An undergraduate student must choose between the graded option and the credit-no credit grade option prior to the midpoint of the course (the end of the eighth week in a sixteen-week term). The credit-no credit option form must be properly approved and deposited in the college office.

(d) Professional Students

(1) Students in the Colleges of Law and Veterinary Medicine may elect the credit-no credit option only in undergraduate courses not required as part of the professional curriculum.

(2) A student in either the College of Law or the College of Veterinary Medicine must choose between the graded option and the credit-no credit grade option prior to the midpoint of the course (the end of the eighth week in a sixteen-week term). The credit-no credit option form must be properly approved and deposited in the college office.

(e) Graduate Students

(1) Graduate students may elect the credit-no credit option through the last day allowed for dropping a course without academic penalty. Students may elect to return to the regular grade basis by filing an amended request by the deadline date for dropping a course without academic penalty as indicated in the Graduate College calendar. The credit-no credit option form must be properly approved and deposited with the Records Services Center, 901 West Illinois Street, Urbana.

(2) The student’s adviser must approve the election of this option in accordance with the policy established by the major department.

(3) Over the entire course of a degree program, a student must earn at least two credit hours of graded (A-D) course work for each hour of credit-no credit course work.

In any one semester, a student may take no more than four credit hours on a credit-no credit basis. Hours transferred from another University cannot be used as part of the “graded course work.”

(4) If a student is admitted on a limited basis, or if a student falls below the Graduate College minimum grade-point average of 2.75 (or below the departmental minimum grade-point average) and is placed on probation, he or she will not be allowed to register for credit-no credit course work for hours until the grade-point average has been raised to the minimum and the probation designation has been removed.