During the Autumn, Winter, and Spring Quarters, College courses are only offered in person. Remote arrangements are not permitted during the academic year. Remote course options are only available during the Summer term.
It is the expectation of the College that students will attend all classes for which they have registered. Nevertheless, it is up to the individual department, faculty member, or instructor to set the attendance policy for their individual courses. Students should keep in mind that attendance at the first class is required in many courses to confirm enrollment. Many courses will drop students who do not attend the first class meeting or even the entire first week of class meetings. The academic calendar can be found at academic-calendar.uchicago.edu.
Students in the College are permitted to enroll in a total of 12 quarters (i.e., four years if taken consecutively) to complete their degree requirements, with the exception of transfer students who are granted a prorated number of quarters based on the total units of transfer credit they were awarded upon admission. Summer Quarters and quarters of non-enrollment (e.g., leave of absence, suspension) do not count against the quarters allotted. Over the course of a typical four-year program, a student who registers for six four-course (i.e., 400 unit) quarters and six three-course (i.e., 300 unit) quarters will successfully reach the 4200 total units required to graduate. Examination credit, credit earned during the Summer Session, and courses not successfully completed by the student may also affect the rate at which a student moves toward completion of their degree.
Additional Quarters of Enrollment
In certain exceptional circumstances, students can seek approval to enroll in an additional quarter beyond their originally allotted number of quarters. For further information, students are encouraged to consult their Academic Adviser and submit an Additional Quarter of Enrollment Petition if appropriate.
Petitions are, by nature, special requests and approvals are granted on a case-by-case basis. Additional quarters of enrollment are ordinarily approved under the following limited circumstance:
- The additional quarter of enrollment is necessary for fulfillment of undergraduate degree requirements for purposes of graduation (fourth-year students only)
Should a petition be approved, tuition and other quarterly fees will apply.
Note about Summer Quarter: As Summer Quarter does not count against students’ allotted number of quarters, students do not need to submit a petition for an additional quarter of enrollment in Summer Quarter.
In order to make satisfactory progress toward the degree, in 12 quarters a student must complete the required 4200 units by taking six quarters at a three-course load and six quarters at a four-course load. Accreditation, AP, and IB exams, as well as transfer credits or credits earned during the summer session, may affect these numbers.
In certain exceptional circumstances, students who have been approved for ADA accommodations by Student Disability Services at the University may be eligible to consistently enroll in 300 units per quarter. Students with approved accommodations should consult with their Student Disability Services assigned staff member regarding their eligibility. If approved for a reduced course load, the student can petition for up to two additional quarters of enrollment beyond the College's regular policy for all degree-seeking undergraduates regarding petitioning for a single additional quarter to meet their graduation requirements.
In certain exceptional circumstances, students can seek approval to enroll in up to 500 units as a course overload during a given quarter. To be eligible, students normally must be in good academic standing. For further information, students are encouraged to consult their academic adviser and submit a Petition for a Course Overload if appropriate.
Petitions are, by nature, special requests and approvals are granted on a case-by-case basis. Course overloads are ordinarily approved under the following limited circumstances:
- All 500 units are necessary for fulfillment of a joint-degree program admission requirement (third-year students only)
- All 500 units are necessary for fulfillment of degree requirements for purposes of graduation (fourth-year students only)
Note: Petitions for course overloads due to not meeting joint-degree program admission requirements will not be approved.
- One or more of the courses includes a Reading and Research or B.A. Thesis/Colloquium course (third- and fourth-year students only)
- One of the courses is a 200-unit language course (students in any year)
Should a petition be approved, any necessary Registration Consent Forms or Reading and Research Forms will still apply. The tuition cost for the quarter will not increase.
Ordinarily, students may not enroll in courses whose class time overlaps given the expectation that all students attended courses for which they receive credit. However, in some cases, simultaneous enrollment may be permitted with the permission of both instructors and the approval of the Dean of Students in the College.
Students who wish to petition to enroll in courses with a time conflict should discuss the possibility with the instructors for both courses. Should a student receive permission from both instructors, they should submit a Simultaneous Enrollment Form during the add/drop period. Petitions are accepted at the start of each quarter's add/drop period and will no longer be accepted following the close of the add/drop period.
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. Read more here.
Students planning a leave of absence should consult with their Academic Adviser and submit a Leave of Absence Request to the Office of the Dean of Students in the College. Leaves initiated prior to the beginning of the quarter will result in no tuition charges. Tuition refunds for leaves initiated after the quarter has begun are prorated. For more detailed information on tuition refunds, students should consult the prorated refund schedule available on the Office of the University Bursar’s website. For details about housing and meal plan charges, please contact housing@uchicago.edu.
Students requesting a leave of absence by the close of the add/drop period on Friday of the third week of instruction at 5:00 p.m. will have their course registrations processed as drops and no course enrollments will appear on their official transcript for the quarter. After that date, requests for a leave of absence submitted by the withdrawal deadline on Monday of the ninth week of instruction at 5:00 p.m. or the day before the final work for all courses is due, whichever is earlier, will be processed as withdrawals (e.g., W’s) for the quarter. Withdrawals will appear on the official transcript. Requests following that date are subject to ordinary grading policies for the quarter.
In connection with certain leaves (e.g., some medical leaves or leaves taken because of behavioral issues), the Dean of Students in the College may require, among other things, information from a physician or therapist as a condition for resumption of studies. All conditions are determined on a case-by-case basis.
Ordinarily, students who take a leave of absence after the end of fifth week are not eligible to return for a minimum of one full quarter.
For a complete overview of College policies and procedures regarding leaves of absence and withdrawals, visit college.uchicago.edu/advising/leave-absence-withdrawal.
Students planning to return from a leave of absence or an academic or disciplinary suspension should begin by submitting a Resumption of Studies Request to the Office of the Dean of Students in the College. It is recommended that this request be made a minimum of two weeks prior to the pre-registration period for the quarter in which a student plans to return.
For more information about the resumption process, visit https://college.uchicago.edu/taking-time-away/resuming-studies.
Advanced undergraduates may register for courses in the following professional schools at the University of Chicago: Booth School of Business, the Law School, the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice, the Irving B. Harris Graduate School of Public Policy Studies, and the Toyota Technological Institute. For details visit Registering for Courses.
Current students in the College may take certain courses at other institutions and transfer these credits back to the University of Chicago, provided the coursework follows the College's transfer guidelines. Beginning in Autumn Quarter 2020, courses taken at U.S. institutions, if they are similar to courses offered at the University of Chicago, are ordinarily not eligible for transfer credit. To be eligible, the course should offer a special opportunity that cannot be pursued at the University of Chicago. Such courses must follow the eligibility guidelines listed below, as applicable. A “special opportunity” is an exceptional circumstance; accordingly, only a small number of such petitions will be approved.
For incoming transfer students, information can be found in the College Catalog under the Transfer Student page.
Grades for courses taken elsewhere do not contribute to the official College grade point average and therefore do not affect eligibility for Dean’s List, general, or departmental honors. Only institution name, year(s) of attendance, and the number of transfer credits approved appear on the University of Chicago transcript. It is likely that an applicant to graduate school or a scholarship will be asked to produce transcripts from all institutions attended.
Procedures for Transfer Credit Approval
- Discuss plans to transfer courses with your College adviser before registering for the course(s) in question.
- Petition the College for approval before classes begin. If you are petitioning to count a course as a general education requirement, or for your major or minor, there are additional considerations. Please submit your petition for transfer credit online at petition.uchicago.edu. Petitions must include course information as well as copies of course descriptions or (preferably) syllabi. Petitions that are incomplete or do not include appropriate documentation will be returned.
- When a decision has been reached, the online petition will be updated and you will receive an email with the outcome of the review and next steps, if applicable. Expect to wait up to two to three weeks for a decision, depending on the time of year.
- Once the pre-approved course work is complete, request an official transcript be sent to your College adviser at the University of Chicago, 1116 E. 59th St., Chicago, IL 60637-1513. You may also send a secure electronic copy of your transcript directly to your adviser instead. The telephone number is 773-702-8615. Credit cannot be posted until your transcript has been received. Should course plans change after pre-approval, contact your College adviser immediately.
See the College Catalog for the full set of rules and guidelines for transfer credit. Students are encouraged to discuss both the petition process and course selection with their College adviser.