Registration for the academic year*  is held both online and in person for all undergraduate students currently in attendance. New freshmen students register through Jump Start, while new transfer students register online with assistance from the Academic Advising office. All students will be assigned an Academic advisor and a program advisor. It is strongly recommended that the student meet with his/her advisor before registering for courses to plan for appropriate coursework to be taken. It is important to make frequent contacts with the advisor, who will assist the student in an orderly progression from enrollment to graduation. The ultimate responsibility for compliance with academic requirements for graduation, selection of courses, prerequisites and class registration rests with the student. Undergraduate students choosing not to register for subsequent semesters must adjust their status accordingly. They may either withdraw from the University altogether or move to Leave of absence status. Please consult the Academic Status section of this catalog for more details. By registering, the student accepts the responsibility to subscribe to all University policies, financial and otherwise. Fulfillment of registration requirements is the individual student’s responsibility and must be completed in accordance with procedures established by the Office of the Registrar. 

Payment or arrangement for payment must be made with the University’s Students Business Services Office by the published deadlines for payment. Failure to meet published payment deadlines will result in the cancellation of the student’s course registration for that term.

Academic Year Definition

Concordia University Chicago’s Academic Year consists of three 16 week semesters (Summer, Fall, and Spring with Summer acting as a header to the Academic Year). The undergraduate Academic Year is 24 credit hours and 32 weeks long. Summer semester courses typically run from early May through late August, Fall semester courses typically run from late August through mid-December, and Spring semester courses typically run from mid-January through early May. 

Course Addition

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. No student may enroll in a class after the first five days. The Add/Drop may be completed online via Banner Self Service or a form must be submitted to the Academic Advising Office.  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.  Due to the unique nature of applied and ensemble music courses, exceptions for enrollment and schedule adjustments may be approved and processed by the Office of the Registrar  through the second week of the fall and spring semesters. All other registration rules and restrictions apply with regard to holds, maximum hours and Student Business Services Approval. Additionally, students eligible for an exception are required to obtain an approval from the instructor, music division chair, or music department administrative assistant. Completed add forms must be submitted to the registrar’s office by noon on the second Friday of the term for review and processing. This extension for adding a course also applies to 16 week courses,  COM-4450 WCGR Practicum I , COM-4451 WCGR Practicum II ,  JOU-4891 The Spectator Practicum I and JOU-4892 The Spectator Practicum II Practicum courses. They still have the exception to be added to a student’s schedule until the semester’s census date week 2. This is done with a drop/add form and signed by the instructor and approved by Business Services. The course will be added by the Registrar Office. Any questions work with your academic advisor. 

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. If a student fails to meet the prerequisite of a course, the course will be Administratively Dropped.

Co-Requisites

Co-Requisites are courses or other requirements that must be taken at the same time.   

Course Drop and Withdrawal Policy

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 to avoid receiving a failing grade. Dropped courses are not included on the student transcript. If you wish to drop a course, you must do so by the drop deadline that is published in the Academic Calendar. Courses can be dropped in CUConnect through the first week of classes.

Withdrawing a Course

Dropping a class after the drop/add period has ended is considered a Withdrawal. You may withdraw from a course after the add/drop period has ended with no grade penalty, however, you will not be eligible for a tuition refund and must pay any outstanding balances owed to the college. 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. Withdrawals are counted as an attempt for a course. Students who remain enrolled in courses after the withdrawal deadline has ended will be assigned a final grade in the course from the faculty.

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

For degree-seeking students:

Traditional Undergraduate

• 16-Week Courses

  • Drop during the first week: A student may drop from a course online via Banner Self Service or by submitting an Add/Drop form to the Academic Advising Office. Such courses will not be recorded on a student’s transcript.
  • Drop from second week to census date (second Friday of the semester): A student may drop from a course during this time. Such courses will not be recorded on a student’s transcript.
  • Withdrawal from census date through the 10th week: A student may withdraw from a course during this time. Students must submit an Add/Drop form to the Academic Advising Office. A grade of W will be recorded on the student’s transcript.
  • After the 10th week: Students will not be allowed to withdraw courses after this point. After the 10th week, the instructor will issue all registered students a grade. A grade of W will be granted only for extraordinary circumstances approved by the office of the Dean of Students.

• 8-Week Courses

  • Drop during the first week: A student may drop from a course online via Banner Self Service or by submitting an Add/Drop form to the Academic Advising Office. Such courses will not be recorded on a student’s transcript.
  • Drop during the second week: A student may drop from a course during this time. Such courses will not be recorded on a student’s transcript.
  • Withdrawal from the third through the fifth week: A student may withdraw from a course during this time. Students must submit an Add/Drop form to the Academic Advising Office. A grade of W will be recorded on the student’s transcript.
  • After the fifth week: Students will not be allowed to withdraw courses after this point. After the 10th week, the instructor will issue all registered students a grade. A grade of W will be granted only for extraordinary circumstances approved by the office of the Dean of Students.

Unauthorized withdrawals: Failure to attend class does not constitute withdrawal. In such cases, the instructor will assign a grade.

Administrative Drop 

Students who fail to meet the course prerequisite will be administratively dropped from the course. Additionally, students who have not participated in their course within the first fourteen days of the term and cannot be reached by their academic advisor or do not respond to their academic advisor regarding non-participation will be administratively dropped from the course. Course participation is measured by the following: 

• physical presence in the classroom for face-to-face courses 
• presence in the virtual classroom for online synchronous and hyflex courses 
• submission of a discussion post, assignment, and/or exam in hybrid and online asynchronous courses.  

Students who are administratively dropped will not be charged tuition or course fees for the course nor will the course appear on their transcript. Students who are administratively dropped will not be readmitted into that course for the remainder of the term. Students who have had their degree/credential conferred are not eligible for an administrative drop. Questions regarding the implications of an administrative drop on financial aid can be directed to the Office of Financial Aid at Financial.Aid@CUChicago.edu or at 708-209-3113. 

Administrative Withdrawal

Students who initially participate in the course and then are reported as not having participated in the course for at least fourteen consecutive days and cannot be reached by their academic advisor or do not respond to their academic advisor regarding non-participation, may be administratively withdrawn from the course. Course participation is measured by the following:

• physical presence in the classroom for face-to-face courses.
• ​presence in the virtual classroom for online synchronous and hyflex courses. 
• submission of a discussion post, assignment, and/or exam in hybrid and online asynchronous courses.  

Students who are administratively withdrawn will be assigned a grade of AW for the course on their permanent academic record, will not receive a refund of any kind, and will not be readmitted into that course for the remainder of the term. If a student receiving an AW reenrolls in the course, all attempts will appear on the student’s permanent academic record and will be counted toward the completion rate for financial aid purposes. A grade of AW will be considered as coursework attempted but not completed. In addition, repeated courses are counted in the “hours attempted” calculation for financial aid purposes. Students will be considered to have earned all of their federal financial aid after the completion of at least sixty-seven percent of the payment period and overall completion rate. Administrative withdrawals will be processed during the term before final grades are posted. Students who have had their degree/credential conferred are not eligible for an administrative withdrawal. 

Students that have faced the following circumstances within the term are not eligible for an administrative withdrawal which may include, but are not limited to:

• Job/internship-related conflicts or challenges.
• ​Travel issues/delays 
• Incarceration. 

Questions regarding the implications of an administrative withdrawal on financial aid can be directed to the Office of Financial Aid at Financial.Aid@CUChicago.edu or at 708-209-3113. 

Refunds

For refund information, see the Student Fees section of this catalog or look for exact dates to be posted on CUC’s website, CUChicago.edu, or posted in the Student Business Services Office.

For non-degree seeking students:

All regulations on a grade of W will be the same as stated above for degree-seeking students with one exception: non-degree seeking students are to report directly to the Office of the Registrar, not to Academic Advising. Time restrictions are reduced proportionately for summer sessions.

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.

Directed Study

A Directed Study Course is a means by which students may take established Concordia-Chicago courses that they are unable to take in a traditional format or at a time/semester the course is being offered. The use of a Directed Study can be considered as an option for students if they find that a course required for completion of their academic program has not been included in the course offering schedule for a particular semester or is offered at a time that conflicts with another course required in the student’s program. Please consult with your academic advisor and division chair for more information and the appropriate paperwork needed.  

Independent Study

Independent study is designed to provide students with an opportunity to pursue a specific academic interest that is related to, but not included in, a department’s curriculum.

Independent study is offered in all of the departments to full-time degree-seeking students only. The application form is available in the Office of the Registrar or with your academic advisor and is to be presented to the division chair, with the proposal, in the semester prior to the beginning of the semester of enrollment. The proposal should include:

• Title
• Objectives
• Rationale
• Outline
• Basic resources
• Time schedule

A course in the curriculum may not be taken as independent study, nor can an independent study duplicate the content of an established course. Grading procedures and policies concerning incomplete grades also apply to independent study courses. A student should enroll in the 4950 course for the credit hours desired in the program for the term in which the independent study is created. EX: PSY-4950. 

Undergraduates also are subject to the following limitations:

• Junior or Senior class standing
• One independent study per semester
• Cumulative GPA of at least 2.00
• A 2.75 GPA in the pursued discipline
• Completion of all general education requirements in the pursued discipline

Graduate Courses

Students who have reached senior status (90 earned semester hours) are eligible to take a 6000-level course and apply it to their undergraduate program requirements provided they:

• Have a major or minor in the discipline or substantive area of the course being requested
• Have a 3.0 cumulative grade-point average
• Obtain permission of the course instructor and the Registrar after other requirements have been met.
• A limit of 25 percent of undergraduates has been established for any 6000-level graduate course. If a student’s registration would exceed this limit, the registration will be denied. Students will be granted no more than two such course registrations to be included in their undergraduate program.

The above may not be applied to a graduate program. A 6000-level course may not be taken on the Pass/Fail grade option.

In the last semester before graduation, a senior student with a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0, and a 3.0 average in the department in which the graduate course is to be taken, is eligible to register for a 6000-level course. The course may be applied to the completion of an undergraduate degree or toward a graduate degree, but not both. Permission of the Registrar and the respective instructor is required to register for the course.

Students wishing to apply the graduate-level course to a graduate degree at Concordia-Chicago simultaneously must apply for graduate admission and receive confirmation that the course will fulfill graduate degree requirements.