2023-2024 Academic Catalog

Legal Notices

The material contained in this catalog is for information only and does not constitute a contract between the student and the University. The University reserves the right to revise policies, amend rules, alter regulations and change financial charges at any time in accordance with the best interest of the institution. 

Annual Notice to Students  

Annually, Concordia University Chicago informs students of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974. This Act, with which the institution intends to comply fully, was designated to protect the privacy of education records, and to provide guidelines for the correction of inaccurate or misleading data through informal and formal hearings. Students also have the right to file complaints with The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act Office (FERPA) concerning alleged failures by the institution to comply with the Act.  

Local policy explains in detail the procedures to be used by the institution for compliance with the provisions of the Act. Copies of the policy can be found in the Office of the President and the Office of the Registrar. This policy is also printed on the following pages. The offices mentioned also maintain a Directory of Records which lists all education records maintained on students by this institution.  

Concordia University Chicago complies with the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, and its accompanying regulations (FERPA). FERPA protects the privacy of student education records and allows for the correction of inaccurate or misleading information. Students also have the right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Family Policy Compliance Office for noncompliance.

The University’s FERPA policy is provided below and available electronically on the portal. Questions concerning the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act may be referred to the Office of the Registrar. Date of publication: March, 1988.  

Institutional Policy Re: The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act  

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 is a Federal law which states that:

  • A written institutional policy must be established and
  • A statement of adopted procedures covering the privacy rights of students be made available.

The law provides that the institution will maintain the confidentiality of student education records. Concordia University Chicago accords all the rights under the law to students who are declared independent. No one outside the institution shall have access to nor will the institution disclose any information from student's education records without the written consent of students except to personnel within the institution, to officials of other institutions in which students seek to enroll, to persons or organizations providing students financial aid, to accrediting agencies carrying out their accreditation function, to persons in compliance with a judicial order, and to persons in an emergency in order to protect the health and safety of students or other persons. All these exceptions are permitted under the act. 

Within the Concordia University Chicago community, only those members, individually or collectively, acting in the student's educational interest are allowed access to student education records. These members include personnel in the Office of the Registrar, the Office of Financial Aid, the Office of Admission, the Office of the Dean of Students and academic personnel within the limitations of their need to know. 

At its discretion the institution may provide Directory Information in accordance with the provisions of the Act to include:

  • student name
  • date of birth
  • address
  • telephone number
  • major field of study
  • dates of attendance
  • enrollment status (full-time or part-time)
  • degrees and awards received
  • the most recent previous educational agency or institution attended by the student
  • participation in officially recognized activities and sports
  • weight and height of members of athletic teams

Students may withhold Directory Information by notifying the Office of the Registrar in writing. 

Request for non-disclosure will be honored by the institution for only one academic year; therefore, authorization to withhold Directory Information must be filed annually in the Office of the Registrar.

The law provides students with the right to inspect and review information contained in their education records, to challenge the contents of their education records, to have a hearing if the outcome of the challenge is unsatisfactory, and to submit explanatory statements for inclusion in their files if they feel the decisions of the hearing panels to be unacceptable. The Registrar at Concordia University Chicago has been designated by the institution to coordinate the inspection and review procedures for academic, cooperative education and placement records. Students wishing to review their education records must make written requests to the Registrar, listing the items of interest. Only records covered by the Act will be made available within 45 days of the request.

Students may have copies made of their records with certain exceptions; e.g., a copy of the academic record for which a financial hold exists, or a transcript of an original or source document which exists elsewhere. These copies would be made at the student's expense at prevailing rates. Education records do not include records of instructional, administrative and educational personnel, which are the sole possession of the maker and are not accessible or revealed to any individual except a temporary substitute, records of the law enforcement unit, student health records, employment records or alumni records. Health records, however, may be reviewed by a physician of the student's choosing.

Students may not inspect and review the following as outlined by the Act: financial information submitted by their parents; confidential letters and recommendations associated with admissions, employment or job placement, or honors to which they have waived their rights of inspection and review; or education records containing information about more than one student, in which case the institution will permit access only to that part of the record which pertains to the inquiring student. The institution is not required to permit students to inspect and review confidential letters and recommendations placed in their files prior to January 1, 1975, provided those letters were collected under established policies of confidentiality and were used only for the purpose for which they were collected. 

Students who believe that their education records contain information that is inaccurate or misleading, or is otherwise in violation of their privacy or other rights may discuss their problems informally with the Registrar. If the decisions are in agreement with the student's request, the appropriate records will be amended. If not, the student will be notified within a reasonable period of time that the records will not be amended; and they will be informed by the Office of the Registrar of their rights to a formal hearing. Student requests for a formal hearing must be made in writing to the university Provost who, within a reasonable period of time after receiving such requests, will inform students of the date, place, and time of the hearing. Students may present evidence relevant to the issues raised and may be assisted or represented at the hearings by one or more persons of their choice, including attorneys, at the student's expense. The hearing panels which will adjudicate such challenges will be the Provost, the Dean of Students and the Registrar. 

Decisions of the hearing panels will be final, will be based solely on the evidence presented at the hearing, will consist of written statements summarizing the evidence and stating the reasons for the decisions, and will be delivered to all parties concerned. The education records will be corrected or amended in accordance with the decisions of the hearing panels, if the decisions are in favor of the students. If the decisions are unsatisfactory to the students, the students may place with the education records statements commenting on the information in the records or statements setting forth any reasons for disagreeing with the hearing panels. The statements will be placed in the education records, maintained as part of the student's records, and released whenever the records in question are disclosed. 

Students who believe that the adjudications of their challenges were unfair, or not in keeping with the provisions of the Act may request in writing assistance from the President of the institution. Further, students who believe that their rights have been abridged may file complaints with FERPA  concerning the alleged failures of Concordia University Chicago to comply with the Act. :

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act Office (FERPA)
Department of Health, Education and Welfare
Washington D.C. 20201

Revisions and clarifications will be published as experience with the law and institutions policy warrants. 

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Privacy Notice

Concordia University Chicago (CUC) is committed to protecting the privacy of students, employees, and other individuals interacting with the University.  This notice specifically pertains to the collection and processing of personal data of those individuals who are protected by the European Union’s (EU’s) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and contains information regarding the types of personal information CUC collects and how that information might be used.

Types of Personal Information CUC May Collect

  1. Student Application—Upon applying to CUC, the university may collect an individual’s demographic and contact information, educational history, test scores, financial information and additional information needed for processing the application.
  2. Enrollment Data—Upon enrolling at CUC, the university may collect an individual’s contact and financial information, housing and meal preferences, if applicable, and additional information as needed for enrollment purposes.
  3. University Inquiry—Upon requesting information about CUC, the university may collect that individual’s contact information and other information relevant to the inquiry.
  4. Employment—Upon applying for employment and/or being hired by CUC, the university may collect information such as the individual’s social security number and other personal information relevant for employment and conduct a criminal background check on the applicant.
  5. Research—Upon participating in a research study with CUC, an individual’s personal information that is relevant to the study may be collected by the university.
  6. Campus Event—Upon registering for an event on campus, CUC may collect an individual’s contact and billing information and other types of information relevant to the event.
  7. Donation—Upon donating to CUC, the university may collect the donor’s contact and billing information
  8. Vendor—To maximize operating efficiency, CUC may need to collect an individual’s personal information to enable vendors to provide goods and services in support of university operations.
  9. Cookies—Upon visiting a CUC website, cookies may be utilized to allow the website to function properly. The cookies are used to customize content, allow authorization and access to secure areas, or to analyze how the university website performs through various analytics tools.
  10. Email—Upon opening an email from CUC, the university may collect time data related to when the message was opened and any links or banners within were clicked.
  11. Feedback—Upon providing feedback to CUC, an individual’s name, email address and other personal information may be collected in order to reply accordingly.
  12. Health—To assist with accommodations, health information may be collected from an individual.
  13. Mailing List—Upon signing up for a CUC mailing list, an individual’s name, email address and other pertinent personal information may be collected.
  14. Publications—Personal information in relation to the publication may be collected from those who submit materials for publication, those who appear in the publication and those who subscribe to the publication.
  15. Surveys—Upon participating in a CUC sponsored survey, an individual’s personal information as related to the survey questions and submission may be collected.
  16. Web Logs--Upon visiting a CUC website, the following types of information may be collected: date, time, IP address, referring site, and browser version.

Primary Purpose for Collecting Personal Information
CUC collects personal data for many purposes, including, but not limited to the following reasons:

  1. To improve university services and procedures
  2. For conducting research
  3. For identification
  4. For marketing
  5. To meet contractual and/or legal obligations
  6. For responding to inquiries
  7. To provide educational instruction

Sharing of Personal Information

CUC may share information with affiliates, third parties with consent, service providers and to comply with legal requirements and processes.  In addition, the institution at its discretion may provide Directory Information as per school policy.

Personal Information Retention

Personal information will be retained in accordance with university policy and state and federal law. 

Protection of Personal Information

The University has put in place reasonable physical, technical, and administrative safeguards designed to prevent unauthorized access to or use of personal information that is collected.

Rights Under GDPR

The GDPR notes the following rights:

  1. Right of access to personal information
  2. Right of rectification of personal information
  3. Right to erasure (right to be forgotten)
  4. Right to restriction of processing of personal information
  5. Right to data portability (request a copy of personal information)
  6. Right to object to processing of personal information

Contact Information

Please contact the Office of the Registrar by email at registrar@cuchicago.edu or by phone at 708-209-3165 with any questions.

Public Notice Designating Directory Information   

Concordia University Chicago hereby designates the following categories of student information as public or Directory Information. Such information may be disclosed by the institution for any purpose, at its discretion. 

  • Category I: Name, address, telephone number, email address, dates of attendance, class, and photo.
  • Category II: Previous institution(s) attended, major field of study, awards, honors (including Deans list), degree(s) conferred (including dates).
  • Category III: Past and present participation in officially recognized sports and activities, physical factors (height, weight of athletes), date and place of birth.

Currently enrolled students may withhold disclosure of any category of information under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974. To withhold disclosure, written notification must be received in the Office of the Registrar prior to the fifth class day of each academic year. Forms requesting the withholding of Directory Information are available in the Office of the Registrar. 

Concordia University Chicago assumes that failure on the part of any student to specifically request the withholding of categories of Directory Information indicates individual approval for disclosure. 

Anti-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment  Policies   

Concordia University Chicago does not discriminate, or tolerate discrimination, against any member of its community on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, age, religion, disability, pregnancy, veteran status, marital status or any other status protected by applicable federal, state or local law in matters of admissions, employment, or in any aspect of the educational programs or activities it offers. Harassment, whether verbal, physical or visual, that is based on any protected characteristic(s), is a form of discrimination. This includes harassing conduct affecting tangible work or educational benefits, interfering unreasonably with an individual’s job or academic performance, or creating what a reasonable person would perceive is an intimidating, hostile or offensive work or learning environment. Examples of discrimination and harassment may include (but are not limited to):  refusing to offer educational opportunities to someone because of the person’s protected status;  making a grading decision because of the person’s protected status;  jokes or epithets about another person’s protected status;  teasing or practical jokes directed at a person based on his or her protected status;  the display or circulation of written materials or pictures that degrade a person or group based upon a protected characteristic; and  verbal abuse or insults about, directed at, or made in the presence of an individual or group of individuals in a protected group. Additional information regarding the University’s prohibitions against sex discrimination (including sexual harassment, sexual assault and sexual violence) and disability discrimination are set forth below. It is the policy of the University to provide a work and educational environment free of all forms of sex discrimination, including but not limited to unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct or communications constituting sexual harassment, as defined in this policy and as otherwise prohibited by state and federal statutes. Sexual harassment, including acts of sexual assault and sexual violence, is a form of sex discrimination and is prohibited by the University. This prohibition against discrimination on the basis of sex applies to all students, faculty and staff, to other members of the University community, and to contractors, consultants, and vendors doing business or providing services to the University. Prohibited conduct includes all forms of sex discrimination and sexual harassment, as well as sexual assault, sexual violence, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking. Sexual harassment, which includes sexual assault and sexual violence, may take many forms.

 Statement Regarding Student Records

In accordance with our religious beliefs, Concordia University Chicago maintains the view that all official student data (including, but not limited to admissions applications, enrollment data, alumni records, and transcripts) and decisions (including, but not limited to housing assignments and the application of other residential policies) will reflect a student's biological sex.

Illinois Office of Education Approved Teacher Education Programs

  • PEL: Early Childhood Education (Undergraduate) 
  • PEL: Elementary Education (1-6)
  • PEL: Middle Grades (5-8)
    • Science
    • Mathematics
    • English
    • Social Science
  • PEL: Secondary (9-12):  
    • English 
    • Mathematics 
    • Science  
    • Social Science - History  
  • PEL: (PK-12):
    • Art (Undergraduate)  
    • Foreign Language – Spanish (Undergraduate)
    • Music (Undergraduate) 
    • Physical Education
  • PEL: Special Education (Undergraduate)
  • PEL: School Counselor (Graduate)
  • PEL: Chief School Business Official (Graduate)
  • English as a Second Language Endorsement
  • Bilingual Endorsement (Graduate)
  • Gifted Teacher Endorsement (Graduate)
  • Special Education (LBS1) Endorsement
  • Reading Specialist Endorsement (Graduate)
  • Reading Teacher Endorsement (Graduate) 
  • School Counseling Endorsement (Graduate)
  • Teacher Leader Endorsement (Graduate)
  • Technology Specialist Endorsement (Graduate)
  • Administrative: Chief School Business Official Endorsement (Graduate)
  • Administrative: Principal Endorsement (Graduate)
  • Administrative: Superintendent Endorsement (Graduate)
  • PEL: Early Childhood Education (Undergraduate) 
  • PEL: Elementary Education (1-6)
  • PEL: Middle Grades (5-8)
    • Science
    • Mathematics
    • English
    • Social Science
  • PEL: Secondary (9-12):  
    • English 
    • Mathematics 
    • Science  
    • Social Science - History  
  • PEL: (PK-12):
    • Art (Undergraduate)  
    • Foreign Language – Spanish (Undergraduate)
    • Music (Undergraduate) 
    • Physical Education
  • PEL: Special Education (Undergraduate)
  • PEL: School Counselor (Graduate)
  • PEL: Chief School Business Official (Graduate)
  • English as a Second Language Endorsement
  • Bilingual Endorsement (Graduate)
  • Gifted Teacher Endorsement (Graduate)
  • Special Education (LBS1) Endorsement
  • Reading Specialist Endorsement (Graduate)
  • Reading Teacher Endorsement (Graduate) 
  • School Counseling Endorsement (Graduate)
  • Teacher Leader Endorsement (Graduate)
  • Technology Specialist Endorsement (Graduate)
  • Administrative: Chief School Business Official Endorsement (Graduate)
  • Administrative: Principal Endorsement (Graduate)
  • Administrative: Superintendent Endorsement (Graduate)