Enrollment Status & Academic Progress

ENROLLMENT STATUS

Undergraduate

Graduate

*9 or more credit hours is full-time
*6 to 8 credit hours is half-time
*below six hours: ineligible for financial aid programs unless enrolled in final graduate thesis course(s), or practicum. Contact the Graduate Office for more information.

Second Bachelor's Degree

Registration Type

*Undergraduate student: a student who has not earned a BA, BS, or BFA degree, and is seeking an undergraduate degree.
*Second BA student: a student who has earned a BA, BS, BFA degree and is seeking a second undergraduate degree.
*Graduate student: a student who has earned an undergraduate degree and is seeking a MA, MFA, or MAT degree.
*Student at large: a non-degree seeking student, and as such, is ineligible for financial aid.

Academic Good Standing and Satisfactory Progress

Federal regulations require that students must be in good academic standing and show satisfactory progress to receive financial aid.
A copy of Columbia College's policy on good standing and satisfactory progress is available from the Office of Academic Advising. This office keeps track of a student's academic progress and provides academic counseling. Financial aid will be withheld if a student fails to maintain satisfactory academic progress.

STANDARDS OF ACADEMIC PROGRESS

Undergraduate and Second Bachelor's Students

To maintain eligibility for financial aid, undergraduate and second bachelor's students must demonstrate a level of academic performance which indicates they are making progress toward their degree at Columbia College Chicago.
Academic progress is measured at the end of each semester. These measurements include cumulative grade point average at Columbia College, completion rate (the number of credit hours completed), and progress in terms of time towards a degree. Additionally, your cumulative grade point average must be 2.0 at the end of your fourth term of enrollment at Columbia College.
The Director of Academic Advising monitors standards of academic progress, his/her office communicates with students who begin to have problems meeting these standards. It is your responsibility to study, use the college tutorial services and the Academic Advising Office or the Freshman Center when you are experiencing academic difficulty.
If you wish more information about standards of academic progress, consult your catalog, student handbook or contact the Academic Advising Office.
You may petition the Director of Academic Advising if you believe that circumstances beyond your control caused your academic performance to fall below standards.

Students-at-Large

An undergraduate student-at-large who converts to degree seeking status is required to meet the undergraduate student Standards of Academic Progress. Cumulative grade point average, time-frame and completion rate considerations will be calculated at the time the student converts from student-at-large to degree seeking status. All processes and procedures associated with the undergraduate Standards of Academic Progress apply.

Second Bachelor's Degree Students

A second bachelors degree student is subject to Standards of Academic Progress policies. Since such a student is admitted to the college as a junior, maximum time frame, completion rate and cumulative grade point considerations are adjusted based on a two-year-to-degree schedule.
If the maximum timeframe expires, the completion rate fails to meet these standards, or the student's cumulative grade point average falls below 2.0 for two consecutive semesters, the student can lose financial aid eligibility.

Graduate Students

Graduate students must also demonstrate progress toward their masters degree and maintain a 3.0 GPA within Graduate School academic policies. Graduate students should be knowledgeable about Graduate School academic policies and procedures. The Associate Dean of the Graduate School monitors academic compliance for graduate students.

Graduate Students-at-Large

A graduate student-at-large who converts to degree seeking status is required to meet the Graduate Division's Standards of Academic Progress. The cumulative grade point average and timeframe considerations, adjusted for length of program, are the same for a degree seeking graduate student as for a graduate student-at-large.
At the time of conversion the cumulative grade point average and earned credit carry over to the student's degree seeking status. In order to establish graduate degree seeking status, a student must first be accepted as a graduate student with Academic Good Standing and Satisfactory Progress and then meet all Graduate Division and specific department requirements.