Residence Requirements, Registration and Academic Records

Residence System for Students in Ph.D. Programs

To record the progress of students toward the Ph.D., the University uses a system of continuous registration that assigns students to residence statuses based on their years of enrollment in a doctoral program. During those years, and within that system of residence statuses, students complete Ph.D. program requirements as established by individual academic units. Program requirements vary by department or school, while the system of residence statuses is uniform across the University.

To receive a Ph.D., students in doctoral programs at the University must complete a minimum of twelve quarters in the status of Scholastic Residence. Following Scholastic Residence, students then maintain registration in the status of Advanced Residence (and, if necessary, in the status of Extended Residence) until the doctorate is awarded. In all statuses, satisfactory academic progress toward the doctorate, as determined by the specific programs, is a prerequisite for continued registration. Note particularly that in addition to setting degree requirements, with progress markers and deadlines, academic programs may set a time limit on degree completion. The registration statuses and other details of the registration system for doctoral students are described below.

Scholastic Residence

Students entering a Ph.D. program are registered in Scholastic Residence for each of their first four years of study, unless they earn the Ph.D. in fewer than four years. During each of those four years, students are required to be registered for at least three academic quarters: normally the Autumn, Winter, and Spring Quarters. Some programs require registration during the Summer Quarter as well. (This requirement for three or four quarters of registration for each year between entry into and completion of a Ph.D. program is how the University defines "continuous registration.")

During the early years of Scholastic Residence, students are engaged primarily in course work; during the later years, that typically changes to a combination of course work, examinations, and independent research and writing. The appropriate academic endeavors are determined by the academic programs, and not by the University. Scholastic Residence is defined by the University as a full-time student status.

During the period of Scholastic Residence, students have all the privileges associated with full-time status: access to student housing, full library privileges, use of athletic facilities, quarterly computer time, access to student health insurance and the services of the University's Student Care Center, ability to borrow under federal student loan programs (so long as the student is otherwise eligible to participate in these programs), and deferment of repayment of past federal student loans.

University residence requirements are distinct from academic program requirements. While course requirements vary by academic unit, most students will complete them well within the period of Scholastic Residence. Such an accomplishment does not exempt the student from any of the four years required in Scholastic Residence; it means that the final quarters spent in this status are likely to be occupied with independent research, the development of the dissertation proposal, and preparation for the dissertation. Some students enter a doctoral program at the University with a master's degree earned from another institution in the field they are studying for the Ph.D. While an individual academic program may choose to waive certain of its course requirements as a result of prior graduate work, such adjustments in program requirements do not exempt students from any of the required four years of Scholastic Residence.

In the professional schools, in cases where admission is based on prior graduate training, the period of Scholastic Residence is adjusted accordingly and the total number of years in Advanced Residence is held to the maximum of eight.

Scholastic Residence/Part-Time Registration

Although it is an option rarely chosen, students in Scholastic Residence can, with the permission of their academic programs, elect to be part-time students. As such, they pay half the regular tuition assessed for Scholastic Residence, and they double the length of time they remain in that status. To be more precise about the latter, the University defines two part-time quarters in Scholastic Residence to equal one full-time quarter in that status.

Once a student elects to register in Scholastic Residence/Part-Time for one quarter, the student is required to balance that registration with a later registration in Scholastic Residence/Part-Time status for a second part-time quarter. Part-time students may take up to two courses per quarter, but the tuition charge remains the same whether they take one course or two. Part-time students should check in advance with the Office of Student Loan Administration to see whether they are eligible to borrow or defer educational loans while registered in this status.

Scholastic Residence Beyond the Fourth Year

Depending on their duration and on a student's registrations in subsequent quarters, Leaves of Absence or Pro Forma registration may extend the period of registration in Scholastic Residence beyond four calendar years. Note, however, that this does not affect the total of twelve years of full-time student status, from the beginning of the doctoral program, for which that student is eligible. For example, a student registered in Scholastic Residence for three years and taking a Leave of Absence in the fourth will return to Scholastic Residence for his or her fifth year of study and move to Advanced Residence for his or her sixth through twelfth years. After that, the student will register in Extended Residence, if necessary.

Advanced Residence

At the completion of four years of Scholastic Residence, the student enters the status of Advanced Residence and remains in this status (or in Pro Forma status, if approved, and as described below) for a maximum of eight calendar years. During this period, students are typically engaged in the conduct of a scholarly research project, and in writing a dissertation based upon it. Students are expected to register in at least three of the four quarters of each year they spend in Advanced Residence, typically in the Autumn, Winter, and Spring Quarters.

Note, however, that some academic programs require registration in all four quarters of the academic year. Enrollment in such programs does not reduce the eight-year maximum span allowed for Advanced Residence; neither does voluntary registration during the fourth quarter of an academic year, even though that may not be required by an academic program.

The University defines Advanced Registration as a full-time student status. Students in Advanced Registration are eligible for all the benefits associated with full-time registration: access to student housing, full library privileges, use of athletic facilities, quarterly computer time, access to student health insurance and the services of the University's Student Care Center, ability to borrow under federal student loan programs (so long as the student is otherwise eligible), and deferment of repayment of past federal student loans. Students in Advanced Residence may register for formal course work during any quarter of any year spent in this status, or they can maintain the status with no course registration. During Advanced Residence, the choice to enroll in specific courses is made in accordance with program requirements and students' scholarly needs. Students may not use this as an opportunity to take courses to fulfill program requirements for a degree other than the one in which they are registered. Either way, the tuition associated with registration in Advanced Residence is a fixed sum that is not altered by enrollment in specific courses, and is much less than that for Scholastic Residence.

Students in Advanced Residence status who withdraw or are withdrawn from their programs, and who subsequently are readmitted, must register retroactively for three of every four of the intervening quarters from the time of withdrawal until the time of resumption of study and to pay tuition at whatever rate is current at the time of reentry.

Pro Forma Registration

Pro Forma registration is a limited privilege designed to provide full-time status to doctoral students who must move away from the Chicago area, usually abroad but otherwise a substantial distance, in order to conduct the preparatory field research, archival research, or data collection which their dissertations will require. Students who are engaged in formal programs of intensive language training instruction abroad, as needed for completing their doctoral programs, are also eligible to apply for Pro Forma status. Note, however, that the choice to reside at a substantial distance from the University does not, in and of itself, qualify a student for Pro Forma status; neither does engagement in the research activity which continues throughout the dissertation stage qualify a student for Pro Forma status. All students other than those for whom the preparatory dissertation research requires a substantial geographic relocation are required to register in either Scholastic Residence or Advanced Residence, in accordance with the number of years of doctoral study completed.

Applications for Pro Forma registration must be recommended by the chair of the student's academic department and approved by the dean of students of the student's school or division. Normally, applicants for Pro Forma status will have been admitted to candidacy for the Ph.D. Pro Forma registration can be approved for up to one year; applications for the renewal of Pro Forma status must be accompanied by a statement explaining why an extension is needed to carry out the research objective as originally defined. No student may be registered in Pro Forma status for more than the number of quarters of registration that are standard over two calendar years for the student's department (six or eight quarters).

Students in Pro Forma status are entitled to access to e-mail and the University's electronic network, to student loan programs and deferment of past loans (if they are otherwise eligible to participate in such programs), and to student health insurance. Library privileges and access to student housing are not available to Pro Forma registrants, by virtue of their absence from the University.

Extended Residence

After the elapse of twelve years from the date on which they began their doctoral programs, students who have not completed their Ph.D.s must enter the status of Extended Residence. Students are expected to register in at least three of the four quarters of every year that they spend in Extended Residence, typically the Autumn, Winter, and Spring Quarters. Extended Residence is not defined by the University as a full-time student status. Students in Extended Residence are entitled to use of the University libraries, as well as access to faculty, e-mail accounts, and the University electronic network. They are not eligible for any of the other benefits associated with full-time student status. Students remain registered in Extended Residence until they complete their Ph.D.s. NOTE: If a student in Extended Residence receives a grant or fellowship requiring registration in a full-time student status, the student will register in Advanced Residence for the duration of the grant or fellowship.

Students in Extended Residence status who withdraw or are withdrawn from their programs, and who subsequently are readmitted, must register retroactively for three of every four of the intervening quarters from the time of withdrawal until the time of resumption of study and to pay tuition at whatever rate is current at the time of reentry.

Leaves of Absence

Leaves of absence can be requested by and granted to students in Ph.D. programs during either the Scholastic Residence or the Advanced Residence stages, subject to the conditions and procedures described below. Note, however, that such leaves do not extend a doctoral student's eligibility for full-time student status (in either Scholastic or Advanced Residence) beyond the total of twelve years from entry into the Ph.D. programs. Three types of leave of absences are available to students in the Ph.D. programs.

1. During Scholastic Residence, a student who has completed three or fewer years in this status may apply to the dean of students of his or her division or school for a leave of absence of up to four academic quarters. Upon returning from such a leave, the student will be required to register in Scholastic Residence until the requirement of four years of registration in that status has been fulfilled.
   
   
2. A student in Advanced Residence may apply for a Leave of Absence only if temporarily incapacitated by major illness or injury. Applications for such a leave must be endorsed by the dean of students of the student's school or division; they can only be granted by the Dean of Students in the University. A student may take such a medical Leave of Absence for no more than four academic quarters.
   
   
3. A female student in either Scholastic or Advanced Residence who becomes pregnant may request a one-quarter Leave of Absence for childbirth. Such a leave may be granted by the dean of students of the student's school or division.

Availability of student medical insurance during a Leave of Absence, and other issues that may arise about that coverage, will be governed by the operative benefits rules and policies at the time the leave is taken. Other University facilities and services are not available to students on Leave of Absence.

Grading System

The marks A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, and P are passing grades. The numeric value of grades is as follows: A = 4.0, A-= 3.7, B+ = 3.3, B = 3.0, B-= 2.7, C+ = 2.3, C = 2.0, C-= 1.7, D+ = 1.3, D = 1, F = 0.

The mark "P" indicates that the student has submitted sufficient evidence to receive a passing grade; in some courses it may be the only grade given. The mark "I" (meaning Incomplete) indicates that the student has not yet submitted all the evidence required for a final grade. Reports on examinations sometimes use the mark H to indicate work of honors quality, P* to indicate pass at a high level and P to indicate pass.

The mark "R" is used when the student has registered for a course but has submitted no evidence of the quality and quantity of his work in the course. This mark confers no academic credit but courses in which the mark is given may be counted toward total course registration requirement. No stigma is attached to the mark R. Work taken at the graduate level for R may in some instances be validated by an examination in some areas of the University. An R once entered on the student's record for a course may not be changed.

Transcripts of Academic Records

Transcripts of academic records may be requested from the Registrar’s Office. There is a charge of $6 for each copy of an academic record if requested in person, $7 if requested by mail or fax. The Registrar will not issue a transcript of record or release other nonpublic information except upon the written request of the student. The Registrar will not issue a transcript of record or release other information related to a student’s status if the student has an outstanding financial obligation to the University. Partial transcripts will not be issued.

This text was last revised on 7/2/2001.