The College

Below are selected policies from the College Catalog regarding course attendance and registration.  For more details, please see Course Selection & Registration.

Class Attendance

Attendance at the first class is required in many courses to confirm enrollment. The academic calendar can be found at academic-calendar.uchicago.edu.

Course Load

Students register for three or four courses per quarter. Over the typical four-year program (twelve quarters), a student normally registers for at least six four-course quarters and as many as six three-course quarters. Although students may progress at varying rates toward the degree, no student may register for more than fifteen quarters without the permission of the dean of students in the College.

A student is considered full time whether registered for three or four courses; the tuition is the same in either case. Students must formally petition the dean of students in the College for permission to take a fifth course. The petition will be considered in the third week of the quarter, at which time, if it is approved, the student will be registered and billed for the fifth course. NOTE: The charge for the fifth course is the difference between the cost of two and three courses.

Students who wish to register for fewer than three courses must make that request to their College adviser before the end of the first week of the quarter. Because such students have part-time status, their financial aid will be reevaluated and they must request permission if they wish to remain in University of Chicago housing. Read more about Part-time Study»

Repetition of Courses

When a student repeats a course, both courses appear on the student’s transcript and both grades are averaged into the student’s GPA. However, only one registration for the course counts toward the total number of credits required for graduation.

In the quarter that a course is repeated, students on financial aid must register for three courses in addition to the repeated course unless (1) a failing grade was received in a course that a student needs to meet general education requirements or requirements in their major (2) the student’s major mandates a higher grade than was previously received.

Preregistration

At the end of each quarter, continuing students preregister for the following quarter. Prior to Autumn Quarter, students must confirm that they will be a registered student in Autumn Quarter.

Changes in Registration

Course registration may be changed during the first three weeks of each quarter. A change of registration is any course “drop,” any course “add,” or any substitution of one course or section for another. No changes in registration are permitted after Friday of third week without a petition to a dean. For details, visit Course Selection & Registration.

Registration for Professional School Courses

If certain requirements are met, advanced undergraduates may register for up to six courses in the following professional schools at the University of Chicago: Graduate School of Business, the Law School, the School of Social Service Administration, or the Irving B. Harris Graduate School of Public Policy Studies. Approval of a petition to the dean of students in the College must be received prior to the quarter of planned registration. For more information about requirements and registration procedures, students should consult their College advisers. NOTE: Professional school courses generally do not substitute for courses in the major; and no more than four can count toward the forty-two credits required in an undergraduate degree program.

Transfer Credit

Current students in the College may take courses at other institutions
and transfer these credits back to the University of Chicago. Read more about Transfer Credit »