The Graduate College Handbook for Students, Faculty and Staff
Chapter III: Academic Record
Beginning in Fall 2004, graduate credit at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is measured using semester hours.
A. Grading System
1. Course Grades: See article 3-102 and article 3-104 of the Student Code for more information on course grades. Points used in the computation of grade point averages are as follows:
| A+ | 4.00 | D+ | 1.33 | |
| A | 4.00 | D | 1.00 | |
| A- | 3.67 | D- | 0.67 | |
| B+ | 3.33 | F | 0.00 | |
| B | 3.00 | F by rule | 0.00 | |
| B- | 2.67 | ABS | 0.00 | |
| C+ | 2.33 | |||
| C | 2.00 | |||
| C- | 1.67 |
A grade of F may be assigned to courses dropped for academic irregularities.
F by rule is automatically assigned when a grade of Incomplete has not been replaced by a letter grade by Reading Day of the next semester in which the student is registered. Incomplete grades earned in the spring semester will not be converted to F by rule until the end of the following fall semester, whether or not the student registers for the summer term.
The grade of ABS may be assigned when the student is absent from the final examination without an acceptable excuse. A grade of ABS counts as a failure and is not acceptable for degree credit.
In addition to assigned grades that are included in the computation of Grade Point Average (GPA), the following notations may be used, but are not included in computation of GPA:
| AU | No Points |
| CR-NC | No Points |
| DFR | No Points |
| I | No Points |
| NR | No Points |
| NV | No Points |
| S/U | No Points |
| W | No Points |
- AU - Audit. A permanent notation that indicates attendance as a visitor only. Information on how to audit a course is located in chapter II (see chapter II.C.3).
- CR-NC - Credit earned-No Credit earned (see chapter II.C.5).
- DFR - Grade temporarily deferred. A temporary notation used only in approved courses, such as research and special problems courses extending over more than one semester. Some special problems courses are approved for use of DFR for two semesters only and the DFR must be converted to a permanent grade no later than Reading Day of the next semester in which the student is registered. The DFR recorded for thesis courses (research) stands indefinitely until the successful or unsuccessful completion of the thesis.
- I – Incomplete. A temporary notation assigned when the student has received an approved extension of time to complete requirements of the course. The instructor may authorize such extension of time for a graduate student regardless of the level of the course. A grade of Incomplete must be replaced by a letter grade no later than Reading Day of the next semester in which the student is registered or it automatically becomes an F grade. If the student does not enroll the following semester, in a graded course, the incomplete grade becomes an F after one year. Incomplete grades earned in the spring semester will not be converted to F by rule until the end of the following fall semester, whether or not the student registers for the summer term. Requests for extensions of time to complete the course requirements are made by petition to the Graduate College. A student will not be certified for a degree with an Incomplete grade in their academic record.
- NR – Not reported. This temporary notation is automatically entered if an instructor does not report a grade by the deadline.
- NV – Not valid. This temporary notation is used when an instructor reports a grade in a mode that has not been approved for use with that course.
- S/U – Satisfactory-Unsatisfactory. A permanent notation used as a final grade only in courses (generally thesis research or seminar courses) approved for this grade mode.
- W – Withdrawal. A permanent notation signifying an approved withdrawal without credit, (see chapter VII.C for more information)
2. Repeated Courses: If a graduate student receives a grade below C, the student should check with his or her adviser or department to see if the department requires that the course be repeated to achieve a certain minimum grade. A student may also choose to repeat a course. When a graduate student repeats a course, the grade for the course when first taken is the grade that is used in computation of the GPA. The accumulated hours for the first attempt count toward a degree, unless the course is failed. Hours and the grade for the repeated course are not counted.
3. Transfer of Credit: A student must have successfully completed at least eight semester hours of graded graduate work at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign before submitting a request for transfer of credit. Additionally, credit may not be transferred to count toward Stage II or Stage III of a doctoral program (see chapter VI.A). The only credit that will be considered for transfer is credit:
- that has not previously been applied toward a degree,
- that is graded graduate level course work from an accredited institution,
- in which the student has achieved a grade of B or better, and
- that would not be more than five years old for a master’s degree or Certificate of Advanced Study or seven years old for a doctoral degree at the time of degree conferral.
There are two types of credit that a graduate student may wish to transfer. Students may wish to transfer credit from one graduate degree to another graduate degree within the Graduate College at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Alternatively, graduate students may wish to transfer credit completed outside the Graduate College. Different rules apply for each type.
Generally a maximum of twelve semester hours of graduate work completed outside the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Graduate College may be counted toward a graduate degree. Work completed outside the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Graduate College that can be transferred includes:
- graduate level work taken as an undergraduate at Urbana-Champaign, but not used toward a degree,
- graduate level work taken through guided individual study at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,
- graduate work done while a non-degree student, either at Urbana-Champaign or at another accredited university or accredited institution, or
- graduate level work taken at another accredited institution, but not used toward a degree.
To request transfer of credit from outside the Graduate College, a student should submit a Graduate Student Petition, accompanied by official transcripts if such are not already available in the student’s file, and validation by specialists in the area of the course work in the student’s department that the course work is applicable and of an appropriate level of difficulty.
Most transfer credit will be reflected on the transcript without course titles and grades. The exceptions are:
- graduate credit transferred from the University of Illinois at Chicago or from the University of Illinois at Springfield,
- graduate credit earned through the CIC Traveling Scholar Program,
- credit earned in the Illinois College of Medicine that is approved for application to the student’s graduate program for students in the Medical Scholars Program, and
- graduate credit earned through an Urbana-Champaign off-campus course or program.
Distinct from credit transferred from outside, credit may be transferred from one graduate program at this University to another graduate program at this University as long as it was not applied toward another degree. To request a transfer of credit from one program to another within the Graduate College, a student should submit a Graduate Student Petition which specifies that the departments involved approve of the transfer of work from one program to the other, and shows that courses will only be applied to one degree program. For these petitions, there is no limit on the number of hours that a student may request be transferred. Credit taken while in the CIC Traveling Scholar Program is considered to be within the Graduate College.
4. Holds: Holds can be placed on a student’s record for several reasons, including departmental deficiencies, immunization requirements, disciplinary reasons, financial encumbrance to the University, lack of academic progress, failure to submit transcripts, or low GPA. Holds may prohibit the student from making changes to their registration, from receiving a transcript, or from graduating. Holds and information about the hold can be viewed in the Registration section of a student’s UI Integrate profile.
