Loyola University Chicago

Catalog

Academic Standards and Regulations - Credit Hour

Standards and Regulations Home

Credit Hour Limitation

Students may not carry more than 18 credit hours in one semester without approval of their dean.

First-year students and sophomores ordinarily are not given permission to carry excess hours.

Students on academic probation may be required to reduce their number of semester hours.

Students with outside employment are urged to carry reduced programs of study so as to ensure sufficient time for the academic preparation needed in obtaining their education.

Students who carry excess credit hours without the requisite permission may be denied the application of these credits toward their degree.

Credit by Examination

Loyola University Chicago subscribes to four plans whereby undergraduate students may obtain credit and/or advanced placement for college-level studies completed by examination:

  • Advanced Placement Program (AP),
  • College Level Examination Program (CLEP),
  • International Baccalaureate (IB), and
  • Cambridge International Exams.

All AP and IB examinations must be completed before a student matriculates to the University. Official test scores must be submitted via the Undergraduate Admission Office or the Adult & Transfer Center and verified by the Office of Registration and Records within 30 days of matriculation. http://www.luc.edu/academics/catalog/undergrad/reg_transfercrpol.shtml

Students may take CLEP examinations after they have matriculated, but only if they:

  • are not within 30 credit hours of graduation;
  • have not previously completed, failed, or received credit from Loyola University Chicago (transfer or otherwise) in a comparable or more advanced course in the specific examination area;
  • will not receive comparable credit in the CLEP examination area in the same term the examination is taken or in a subsequent term.

All official CLEP examination scores must be provided to the Office of Registration and Records at least one semester prior to anticipated graduation.

Repetition of Courses

Students may repeat a course in which they previously received a passing grade only with the specific authorization of their academic dean. Such repetition may be required if students received a "D+" or lower grade in a course in the major or minor field (e.g., biology courses only for biology majors), or if specific departmental regulations so require.

Authorization to repeat courses merely to improve the grade will rarely be given. The grade in a repeated course does not replace the original grade earned. The grades in both courses are averaged together. For example, if a student received a "D+" in a 3-hour course and a "B-" in the repeat, the quality points are added together (12.00) and divided by the total hours of both courses (6.00). This provides the course grade point (2.00).

In an authorized repetition of a course the student will not receive credit hours toward graduation for both courses. The student will only receive credit hours toward graduation for equivalent to one of the courses (3 hours) since credit hours in the course have already been earned. The repeated course, however, is counted for attempted hours and quality points for the accurate computation of grade point average for the term in which it is taken.

A student who repeats a course without permission of the dean earns neither credit hours nor quality points for the repeated course.

 

Enrollment in Courses

While academic advising is available the Office of University Advising and in each school and college, each student is responsible for developing an accurate and appropriate schedule of classes each term. Students are allowed to change their registrations in conformity with the guidelines established by the Office of Registration and Records and the Bursar's office. Students are responsible for maintaining the accuracy of their enrollment and understanding the academic and financial consequences of adding or withdrawing courses.

Registration

No one is permitted to attend any class without first officially registering for that class. Students may not register for classes after the late registration period. A fee is charged for late registration.

Registration at Loyola University Chicago is done through the LOCUS on-line registration system. For specific information on registration, please refer to www.luc.edu/regrec.

 

Registering for Courses at Another University or College

A degree candidate at Loyola University Chicago may not register for a course at another university or college during any term including summer except with the previous written consent of the appropriate dean or the Office of the Core Curriculum for core courses. Course work completed elsewhere without prior written permission will not be accepted for transfer credit. Transfer credit will not be accepted for courses taken elsewhere while the student is simultaneously enrolled at Loyola.

Students who are granted written permission to enroll in a course at another university will be issued a statement of good standing if the other institution requires it. This statement is not a transcript of record.

 

Transcripts of College Records

All official transcripts of Loyola University academic records are issued by the Office of Registration and Records. For specific instructions to obtain a transcript, please refer to www.luc.edu/regrec.

 

Withdrawal from the University

An enrolled student who wishes to completely withdraw from the university during any term must notify their academic advisor, academic program director, or assistant/associate dean of their college/school of their intent. The notification may be in person or in writing using their Loyola University Chicago email address. A student is considered to be in attendance until such notification has been received by the academic advisor and appropriate steps have been taken to completely withdraw a student from a term. The last date of class activity is the date utilized for both the “W” or “WE” grade and The Office of the Bursar’s withdrawal refund calendar.

A student may be required to withdraw from the university because of academic deficiency, lack of sufficient progress toward completion of degree requirements, failure to adhere to university requirements and/or degree requirements, failure to adhere to university requirements and regulations for conduct, or failure to meet financial obligations to the university.

Complete Emergency Withdrawal

Students facing a significant emergency circumstance (see “Definitions” section below) that prevents them from continuing in or completing an academic term may submit an Intent to Withdraw form to their primary academic advisor, program director or assistant/associate dean. All requests must be supported by appropriate documentation. The Intent to Withdraw form is reviewed by the academic dean's office of the student's primary college/school for approval and processing.

Requests for complete emergency term withdrawals are considered after the last day of a term to drop a course or courses without a grade of “W.” In cases where the student is incapacitated (see “Emergencies Resulting in Student Incapacitation" below for more details), the requests for complete emergency term withdrawals may be submitted by a parent, spouse or legal guardian.

Complete emergency term withdrawals constitute a withdrawal from all classes and may result in final grades of "WE" in all classes for the given academic term. The University does not grant partial withdrawals (i.e., requests to withdraw from some classes but not others) for emergencies. Grades of “WE” have no impact on a student’s cumulative GPA. The “WE” grade has no earned or attempted hours associated with the grade; however, "WE" counts towards attempted hours when determining Satisfactory Academic Progress for continued financial aid eligibility. This policy does not apply in cases where the student has completed final exams or final projects for classes in the term impacted by the significant emergency circumstance. When final grades have posted, students should utilize the Appeal for Change of Academic Record form and submit to their primary academic advisor, program director or assistant/associate Dean.

The Office of the Bursar will determine the impact of the Withdrawal on the student's account balance in LOCUS. The Student Account Balance will be determined by the University withdrawal calendar Loyola Withdrawal Schedule. The Bursar will not assess any late payment fees after the date of Withdrawal.

Emergencies Resulting in Student Incapacitation

It is required that a complete emergency term withdrawal request be submitted by the student. However, if an emergency situation has resulted in the student's temporary or long-term incapacitation for a period that may extend beyond the one-calendar-year deadline of this policy, the student's college/school academic dean's office, the Office of the Dean of Students, a parent (for minors), emergency contact person, or other legally assigned designee may submit a request on the student's behalf. In such cases, the student's college/school academic dean's office may require additional documentation (e.g., letter from medical doctor, hospitalization forms, power of attorney).

Potential Implications

The section below provides a non-exhaustive list and general information on the potential implications of a complete emergency term withdrawal. While the University offers a number of considerations that help support students who are facing emergencies, there are other important factors that should be taken into consideration before submitting a request for a complete emergency term withdrawal. Whenever possible, it is strongly recommended that a student discuss all possible options, including the potential implications of a complete emergency withdrawal with their primary academic advisor.

Financial Implications: Tuition and Financial Aid

Students are strongly encouraged to purchase tuition insurance (e.g., A.W.G Dewar, Inc.) prior to the start of the academic term.

Note that a complete emergency withdrawal does not automatically result in tuition credit. Please refer to the withdrawal schedule on the Office of the Bursar's website.

Complete Emergency Withdrawal Procedures During an Academic Term

  1. Initial Step - Submit Intent to Withdraw form to primary academic advisor

    Although it is recommended that the student submit as much information as possible, documentation does not need to specify details of the emergency that may be protected by law or considered private. Documentation must come from a verifiable authority (e.g., community/licensed healthcare provider, police agency, court of law, US military, etc.) and minimally confirm the following:
    • general description,
    • date (or time span),
    • time, and
    • location (if appropriate) of significant emergency circumstance.
  2. Review and Decision

    Requests for a complete emergency withdrawal will be reviewed and decided by the student's college/school academic dean's office. Other areas, such as the Office of the Dean of Students, the Office for Equity & Compliance, or Student Accessibility Center, may be consulted in cases where the student was either referred or is being supported by said office. Additional documentation and/or information may be requested of the student before a final decision is made.

    The student will receive a written decision notification no later than 14 business days after receipt of original request via LUC email. If the school is unable to meet the 14-business-days deadline, the student will be notified in writing of the new deadline. If the request is denied, the notification will include a rationale. If the request is approved, the effective date and further instructions before returning to campus (if necessary) will be provided. The date of the complete emergency withdrawal will be determined by the primary college/school dean's office based on the date of the last academically related activity.

Post-Emergency Complete Withdrawal Re-Entry Process

Unless otherwise indicated in the approval notification or by the Office of the Dean of Students in lieu of the Loyola University Chicago Behavioral Concerns Team (BCT), the process for returning to the university will follow standard policies and procedures for re-enrollment. Students who were being supported by BCT before withdrawing or are returning because of a mental health hospitalization are required to consult the Office of the Dean of Students for instructions on potential re-entry requirements.

Definitions

Significant Emergency Circumstance - an unforeseen emergency situation that prevents a student from continuing in or completing an academic term. Some examples include but are not limited to:

  • Chronic illness of withdrawing student
  • Death of parent/legal guardian or medical issue of a family member and the withdrawing student must become a part-time or full-time caretaker of family member
  • Extreme financial hardship
  • Mental health condition, serious injury or illness of withdrawing student
  • Sudden or consistent lack of transportation which affected the withdrawing student's ability to meet in person attendance requirements.
  • Other situations, at the University's sole discretion, which are deemed to result in significant hardship to the withdrawing student.

This list includes examples of emergency situations that directly affect the student.

Withdrawal from a Class

After the last day to drop without a "W", students may withdraw from a class or classes with the grade of “W” based on calendar dates noted for each term on the official university academic calendar.

Most students do not need permission to withdraw from a class or classes during any term. Students that are blocked from dropping a class or classes during an academic term should meet with their academic advisor, program director, or associate/assistant dean.

Students who stop attending a class but have not officially withdrawn will not earn a grade of "W".  A student in this situation will earn a grade based on coursework completed minus any work, including a final exam, that is not completed. This includes students that make the decision to stop attending after the final date to earn a “W”.

The bursar maintains the withdrawal schedule for any tuition credit for a class or classes that a student withdraws from during any term. This schedule is posted on the Bursar website.

Students contemplating official withdrawal from a class or classes and receiving or expecting to receive financial assistance should consult with the Office of Student Financial Assistance.

 

Military Service

Students who have been called into the armed services of the United States and who are consequently withdrawing from the university before the end of the withdrawal period will receive a refund of all tuition and fees paid for the period in question but no academic credit. If they withdraw after the end of the withdrawal period, they will receive full academic credit for the semester with grades as of the date of withdrawal but no refund of tuition.