Advising

Enrollment Options for Fourth-Years

On occasion fourth-year students may find that they do not need to remain enrolled in courses through their final quarter. Such students may consider alternatives such as Extended Enrollment status or No Further Enrollments Required status.

Options & Policies

    Extended Enrollment Status is an enrollment status that allows a student in the College to remain an active student without being enrolled in courses. A request for Extended Enrollment Status will be approved for students approaching completion of their studies who have no remaining course enrollments needed to meet graduation requirements and have met all the following criteria:  

    • No remaining course enrollments needed to meet graduation requirement
    • Have not exhausted their allotted quarters of enrollment thus far (e.g., twelve or prorated number of quarters as it may pertain to transfer students)
    • Remaining coursework to complete (e.g., thesis project or outstanding incomplete) 

    Students must submit the Extended Enrollment Status Request Form by Friday of the first week of the quarter in which the student intends to transition to Extended Enrollment Status.   

    While Extended Enrollment Status may only be utilized for a single quarter, students may request to transition to No Further Enrollments Required (NFER) Status for subsequent quarters if needed and until the student reaches a maximum of eight cumulative quarters of leave or non-enrollment, after which they will be administratively withdrawn from the College. However, petitions may be granted to extend a leave for up to 12 cumulative quarters for students as a reasonable accommodation for a disability or otherwise as required by law. Students seeking an exception to the eight-quarter maximum must submit a General Petition to the Office of the Dean of Students in the College at collegedos@uchicago.edu no later than the end of the eighth quarter of leave. 

    Eligibility for Degree Completion  

    Students on Extended Enrollment Status must apply to graduate via the my.UChicago portal prior to the end of the first week of the quarter in which they intend to graduate. Graduating students should follow the grading deadlines outlined here and resolve all outstanding balances with the Office of the Bursar by Friday of the eighth week of the quarter. Students who do not complete their remaining degree requirements by the end of the quarter will not be permitted to graduate and should consult with their Academic Adviser regarding next steps.  Students who withdraw their application to graduate past Friday of the fifth week of the quarter will be assessed a late cancellation fee. 

    Additional Terms and Conditions   
    • Tuition and fees: Students on Extended Enrollment Status are not charged full-time tuition but will be charged a one-time Extended Enrollment Status fee ($436), the student services fee ($541), and any other charges opted into individually by the student. Students residing more than 50 miles from the Hyde Park campus while on Extended Enrollment Status may petition for a waiver of the student services fee via the MyUChicago portal. Additional information regarding tuition and fees can be found here.   
       
    • Room and board: Students who are already living in on-campus housing under a current housing contract may continue in housing for the duration of the contract while on Extended Enrollment status. New contracts will not be initiated for students on Extended Enrollment status and they will need to make their own arrangements for housing. Students should contact UChicago Dining at dining@uchicago.edu for meal plan information based on their respective housing and enrollment status.  
       
    • Healthcare and insurance: Students on Extended Enrollment Status will remain eligible to receive services from Student Wellness and may remain enrolled in the University Student Health Insurance Plan (i.e., U-SHIP) if they have not already waived coverage for the academic year. 
       
    • International student visas: International students in F-1 or J-1 visa status are required to be enrolled full-time during the academic year. Students who will be completing their final quarter of full-time enrollment in advance of their I-20 program end date should prepare to apply for post-graduation employment authorization based on their final quarter of full-time enrollment. Extended Enrollment Status does not allow international students to maintain their visa status and students should reach out to their OIA adviser if they intend to enroll in this status.
       
    • Access and permissions: Students on Extended Enrollment Status will retain access to their UChicago email address, U-Pass, Gerald Ratner Athletics Center, and library resources necessary to complete their lingering coursework.  
       
    • Financial aid: Students who have taken out student loans should consult the Office of College Aid at college-aid@uchicago.edu prior to requesting Extended Enrollment Status. Less than half-time enrollment may result in loan repayments being due, though most loan programs provide a grace period before repayments begin. Past leaves of absence may impact the length of any grace periods provided by loan servicers. 
       
    • Campus jobs and internships: Students on Extended Enrollment Status are not eligible for Federal Work Study and may not begin or continue student-only campus jobs or internships. Students should check with current employers to confirm how the change in status will impact their work eligibility moving forward.
    • Student organizations: While students on Extended Enrollment Status can continue engagement with current student organizations, they are not eligible to hold leadership positions nor join new student organizations. 

    No Further Enrollments Required (NFER) Status is an enrollment status that allows a student in the College to remain an active student without being enrolled in courses. A request for NFER Status will be approved for students approaching completion of their studies who have no remaining course enrollments needed to meet graduation requirements and have met at least one of the following criteria:  

    • Exceeded their one quarter of Extended Enrollment Status but have coursework to complete  
       
    • Exceeded their 12 quarters of course enrollment (excluding summer) but have coursework to complete  
       
    • Have no remaining coursework to complete but either missed the deadline to apply for graduation during the prior quarter or have not yet exceeded their allotted 12 quarters of enrollment  

    Students must submit the NFER Status Request Form by Friday of the first week of the quarter in which the student intends to transition to NFER Status.  

    This is a status that allows a student in the College to remain an active student without being enrolled in courses. The status may be continued during subsequent quarters if needed and until the student reaches a maximum of eight cumulative quarters of leave or non-enrollment, after which they will be administratively withdrawn from the College. However, petitions may be granted to extend a leave for up to 12 cumulative quarters for students as a reasonable accommodation for a disability or otherwise as required by law. Students seeking an exception to the eight-quarter maximum must submit a General Petition to the Office of the Dean of Students in the College at collegedos@uchicago.edu no later than the end of the eighth quarter of leave. 

    Eligibility for Degree Completion  

     Students on NFER Status must apply to graduate via the my.UChicago portal prior to the end of the first week of the quarter in which they intend to graduate. Graduating students should follow the grading deadlines outlined here and resolve all outstanding balances with the Office of the Bursar by Friday of the eighth week of the quarter. Students who do not complete their remaining degree requirements by the end of the quarter will not be permitted to graduate and should consult with their Academic Adviser regarding next steps.  Students who withdraw their application to graduate past Friday of the fifth week of the quarter will be assessed a late cancellation fee. 

    Additional Terms and Conditions   
    • Tuition and fees: Students on NFER Status are not charged full-time tuition, the student services fee, nor other charges beyond those opted into individually by the student. Additional information regarding tuition and fees can be found here.   
       
    • Room and board: Students who are already living in on-campus housing under a current housing contract may continue in housing for the duration of the contract while on NFER status. New contracts will not be initiated for students on NFER status and they will need to make their own arrangements for housing. Students should contact UChicago Dining at dining@uchicago.edu for meal plan information based on their respective housing and enrollment status.  
       
    • Healthcare and insurance: Students on NFER Status are not eligible to receive services from Student Wellness nor remain enrolled in the University Student Health Insurance Plan (i.e., U-SHIP) and will need to make their own arrangements for healthcare and insurance. For information about short-term U-SHIP continuation coverage, click here. 
       
    • International student visas: International students in F-1 or J-1 visa status are required to be enrolled full-time during the academic year. Students who will be completing their final quarter of full-time enrollment in advance of their I-20 program end date should prepare to apply for post-graduation employment authorization based on their final quarter of full-time enrollment. NFER Status does not allow international students to maintain their visa status and students should reach out to their OIA adviser if they intend to enroll in this status.
       
    • Access and permissions: Students on NFER Status will retain access to their UChicago email address and library resources necessary to complete their lingering coursework. Students on NFER will not retain access to Gerald Ratner Athletics Center, though an individual membership may be purchased here. Students on NFER Status will also no longer be eligible for a U-Pass.  
       
    • Financial aid: Students who have taken out student loans should consult the Office of College Aid at college-aid@uchicago.edu prior to requesting NFER Status. Less than half-time enrollment may result in loan repayments being due, though most loan programs provide a grace period before repayments begin. Past leaves may impact the length of any grace periods provided by loan servicers. 
       
    • Campus jobs and internships: Students on NFER Status are not eligible for Federal Work Study and may not begin or continue student-only campus jobs or internships. Students should check with current employers to confirm how the change in status will impact their work eligibility moving forward. 
       
    • Student organizations: While students on NFER Status can continue engagement with current student organizations, they are not eligible to hold leadership positions nor join new student organizations. 

    Students may request Enrollment Certifications through my.uchicago.edu. Students who encounter problems with this procedure should contact the Office of the University Registrar at 773.702.7891 or registrar@uchicago.edu.