Student Services
Office of College Community Standards
The Office of College Community Standards (OCCS) supports student persistence, well-being, and academic and social integrity, while upholding the high standards and expectations of our community. OCCS assists students who are taking time away from the College; collaborates with campus partners to support students who are struggling academically and coordinates holistic responses to student health and safety concerns; and investigates and resolves student conduct concerns.
Quick Links
Maintaining Our Community Standards
Supporting Student Development, Success, & Persistence
- To request a Dean's Certification, please email your request (along with any supporting documentation) to collegestandards@uchicago.edu.
- Read more about Student Records and FERPA.
- College Academic Advising Office
- Center for College Student Success
- Housing & Residence Life
- UChicago HELP
- UChicago Student Wellness
- Office for Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Support
- Student Disability Services
- Office of International Affairs
- Health Promotion and Wellness
- Spiritual Life
- Financial Aid
From time to time circumstances might compel students in the College to interrupt their enrollment. These breaks in enrollment are formally recognized as leaves of absence (LOA). A leave of absence might be voluntary or involuntary, might occur while a student is in good standing or on academic probation, and may be associated with a medical condition.
On occasion, current and former students may be asked to verify their disciplinary and/or academic standing within the College. The Office of College Community Standards (OCCS) partners with students, alumni, other University offices, and external parties (such as graduate schools, employers, and professional associations) to provide timely certification of student academic and disciplinary records.
Requests for Dean's Certifications (and other similar verifications of standing) are processed in the order received, and typically require five business days once all required documentation and consents have been received by OCCS.
OCCS is dedicated to ensuring the privacy of your educational records and will only externally disclose information regarding your academic or disciplinary standing with your written consent or as required by law.
Students occasionally encounter challenges inside and outside the classroom which impact their ability to succeed and thrive in their studies.
OCCS supports students experiencing these challenges by connecting with campus and community support resources and (when necessary) helping to facilitate leaves from and returns to study.
Urgent matters regarding the health and safety of students in the College should be brought to Campus & Student Life's Dean-on-Call Program. In addition to the Dean-on-Call, OCCS partners with the Department of Safety and Security, UChicago Student Wellness, and other campus offices to coordinate prompt response and support of impacted students.
We expect faculty and staff to report concerns about academic misconduct.
Conduct involving violation of the Policy on Harassment, Discrimination and Sexual Misconduct should be brought promptly to the attention of the Title IX Coordinator for the University and/or the Associate Dean of Students in the University for Disciplinary Affairs in Campus and Student Life. Conduct that falls outside of the principles of free expression and meets the definition supplied by University Statute 21 for disruptive conduct should be brought promptly to the attention of the Associate Dean of Students in the University for Disciplinary Affairs in Campus and Student Life.
The Office of College Community Standards partners with many University offices and resources to support student well-being, health, safety, and success. Students experiencing challenges in these domains may find additional assistance through the following campus partners: