Course Load

A full-time graduate student course load at CUC is defined as being enrolled in six (6) or more credit hours per semester. A half-time graduate student course load is three (3) to five (5) credit hours per semester. A less than half-time status is defined as any credit value less than three (3) credits per semester. CUC’s course load is aligned with the U.S. Department of Education’s financial aid standards for the awarding of full-time and half/part-time financial aid. Veteran’s Benefits, military aid, state aid and institutional aid are also aligned to these standards to determine eligibility for financial aid.

The standard graduate student load at CUC is six (6) to nine (9) credit hours per semester. Graduate students who wish to enroll in more than nine (9) credit hours per semester must seek approval from their program’s division chair via their Graduate Program Specialist (GPS).

Prerequisites

A prerequisite is a requirement that students must successfully complete prior to taking a course. Please note that not every course has a prerequisite – prerequisite information is found in the catalog course description. With student success being the focus at CUC, if a student has not yet completed the prerequisite, they will be required to meet the minimum prerequisite at the time of registration based on the current catalog. Students who completed the prerequisite requirement prior to the standardization will not have to retake the prerequisite if they previously earned a lower eligible grade or score than currently required.

Students are responsible for checking prerequisites prior to course registration. Students who fail to meet the course prerequisite will be administratively dropped from the course.

In order to keep programs and coursework relevant and current, the College of Health, Science & Technology at Concordia University Chicago has implemented a "6-Year Rule," which allows a student to utilize completed prerequisite course credits towards subsequent coursework for up to six years after a course is successfully completed. Courses falling outside of the 6-year timeframe must be repeated unless successfully appealed to the Assistant Dean of the College of Health, Science & Technology. If the expired course no longer exists in the program’s current curriculum, the student must take the designated replacement course to satisfy the prerequisite requirement. The 6-Year Rule applies to all College of Health, Science & Technology coursework and programs of study. Transfer credits from courses taken externally are subject to the same rules based on the date the credits were posted to a student’s transcript.

Course Audits

Registration for course audits should occur at or before final registration deadline. Students may change from credit to audit or audit to credit up to and including the 20th day of classes in a 16-week term and the 10th day of classes in an 8-week term by submitting an add/drop form to the Office of the Registrar. A grade of audit (AU) will be assigned at the completion of the course. Students should be aware that audited courses are not eligible for financial aid. 

Auditors are welcome in many classes at Concordia-Chicago, except the MUSA courses. However the exact terms of participation in class activities will be determined upon agreement with the instructor of the course. Depending on the discipline and the type of the course (e.g., lecture; seminar; studio courses in art, music or theater; physical education courses; lab; independent/directed study; service learning, etc.), participation may be limited at the discretion of the instructor. Likewise, students cannot expect to be given a grade and feedback on assignments (e.g., papers, tests, homework, labs, etc.) or to receive individual assistance from the instructor outside of class. Exams and papers assigned to students taking the course for credit do not apply to audit students; all other expectations are the same. A grade of audit (AU) will be assigned at the completion of the course. Graduate students are not allowed to take regular undergraduate courses as audit, with the exception of music courses.

Course Add/Drop Policy

Once the term has started, courses can be added to or dropped from a student schedule only during the first five days of the term. All registration documentation must be accompanied by a student's official signature or must be done electronically via the student portal. Non-registered students may not participate in the course after the first week of the course.

Graduate students who have not connected in Blackboard with their course/instructor within the first ten (10) business days of the term, and cannot be reached by their GPS advisor or who do not respond to their GPS advisor regarding their course participation status within the first ten (10) business days of the term, will be administratively dropped from the course. See the Administrative Drop section for more information.

NOTE: Failure to attend class after the 100% refund period does not constitute an automatic withdrawal from the course. Graduate students MUST drop courses via their GPS advisor after the 100% refund period. Failure to drop a course will result in no refund and a grade of "F" on the student's transcript after the 100% refund period.

Dropping a Course 

If a student no longer wishes to attend a course and it is prior to the withdrawal deadline, that student must officially drop the course. Dropped courses are not included on the student transcript. If a student wishes to drop a course, a student must do so in via the official procedure outlined below by the drop deadline that is published in the Academic Calendar. Prior to dropping a course a student should speak with their academic advisor to understand how this may impact the student’s schedule, academic standing, financial aid, bill, athletic eligibility, housing, visa, and more. 

Withdrawing from a Course 

If a student no longer wishes to attend a course and it is after the drop deadline and prior to the withdrawal deadline, that student must officially withdraw from the course. Withdrawn courses are included on the student transcript. If a student wishes to withdraw from a course, a student must do so via the official procedure outlined below by the withdrawal deadline that is published in the Academic Calendar. You will receive a "W" grade for the course when you withdraw. If you wish to withdraw from a course, you must do so by the withdraw deadline that is published in the Academic Calendar. A student who remains enrolled in courses after the withdrawal deadline has ended will be assigned a final grade. Prior to withdrawing from a course a student should speak with their academic advisor to understand how this may impact the student’s schedule, academic standing, financial aid, bill, athletic eligibility, housing, visa, and more. 

The following procedures will be used in the event of the dropping or withdrawing from a class: 

• A student may drop from a course online via Banner Self Service when web registration is open. 
• Once web registration is closed a student must submit an Add/Drop form to their academic advisor before the respective deadline. 

Please see the Academic Calendar for graduate term policies.