Except where noted, all information applies to both undergraduate and graduate students. Additional information concerning academic regulations applying only to graduate students is given in the Research and Graduate Studies section.
Student's official academic records are maintained permanently by the Registrar and are used for purposes such as academic advising, scholarship awards, admission to professional or graduate schools, and future employment.
Each student is responsible for carefully examining their enrollment and academic records and may do so throughout the academic year. Students must promptly notify the Registrar's Office if they find a discrepancy in their records.
Since each student's current quarter class enrollment is put directly into the academic record system from telephone enrollment or source documents completed by the student, it is extremely important for each student to complete these entries or source documents (e.g., Add/Drop/Change cards) carefully and accurately.
Student academic records may not be changed after one year or, in some cases, in less than one year if Academic Senate regulations specify a shorter time limit. For example, the notation "NR," which means that no grade has been reported, must be removed within one quarter of subsequent enrollment or it will automatically be converted to the grade "F" or "NP" (under Senate Regulation IR 345).
After a student's degree has been certified by the student's dean, the academic record may not be altered except in those cases where a procedural or clerical error on the part of an instructor has occurred.
A -- Excellent (4.0 grade points per unit)
B -- Good (3.0 grade points per unit)
C -- Average (2.0 grade points per unit)
D -- Lowest passing grade (1.0 grade point per unit)
F -- Not passing (no grade points)
I -- Incomplete
P -- Pass (equal to grade C or better)
NP-- Not Pass (equal to grade C- or below)
S -- Satisfactory (equal to grade B or better; graduate students only in courses designated by the Graduate Council)
U -- Unsatisfactory (graduate students only in courses so designated by the Graduate Council)
IP -- In Progress (restricted to certain sequential courses, so designated by the Committee on Courses or Graduate Council, for which the final quarter grade of a multiquarter sequence course is assigned to the previous quarter(s) of the sequence)
NR-- No Report (given when an instructor's final grade course report is not submitted or when the student's name was on the official class roster but the instructor did not report a grade for the student; NR becomes an F or NP after one quarter of subsequent enrollment or at the end of the quarter immediately preceding award of the degree, whichever comes first. The instructor, at the student's request, may replace an NR with a grade within one quarter of subsequent enrollment or may authorize the student to drop the class, which would result in the NR becoming a W).
UR-- Unauthorized Repeat. A UR notation is recorded for the grade when a student already has a passing grade for a nonrepeatable course and has repeated the course again.
W -- Withdrew. A W notation is recorded on a student's permanent record for each course a student drops after the end of the sixth week of instruction in a quarter. Courses in which a W has been entered on a student's record will be disregarded in determining the student's grade point average and will not be considered as courses attempted in assessing the student's satisfaction of the normal progress requirement.
Plus and minus suffixes may be attached to the grades A, B, C, and D.
Grade points are assigned on a four point basis: A, 4 points per unit; B, 3 points per unit; C, 2 points per unit; D, 1 point per unit; F and I, zero points. Plus or minus suffixes modify the above by plus or minus 0.3 grade point per unit, with the exception of the A+ grade which is assigned 4 points per unit.
Requirements for a bachelor's degree, with the exception of certain programs in Engineering, include the accumulation of baccalaureate credit for a minimum of 180 quarter units with an average of at least C (grade point average of at least 2.0). A course at UCI normally offers four quarter units of credit, and, in the following text, the term "course" may be understood to carry four units. The grade point average is the sum of all accumulated grade points (grade points earned in a course taken for a letter grade times the unit value of the course) divided by the sum of all units attempted. P, NP, S, U, NR, IP, and I grades, as well as workload credit, are excluded in computing grade point average.
Baccalaureate credit counts toward degree requirements and is used to compute the grade point average. Workload credit is used to determine full-time status for financial aid, housing, student loans, and other purposes. For most courses at UCI, baccalaureate credit and workload credit are identical. Courses differing in this credit or "workload credit only" courses are identified in the course description.
It should be noted that final grades as reported by professors are normally permanent and final. A professor may not change a final grade except to correct a clerical or procedural error. Clerical or procedural errors should be corrected within one regular academic quarter after the grade is assigned. No grade may be revised by reexamination or, with the exception of I and IP grades, by completing additional work. If a student is dissatisfied with a grade, the student should review their work with the instructor and receive an explanation of the grade assigned. A grade may be appealed on any reasonable grounds to the instructor, the chair of the department, and the dean of the school. If the matter is not resolved, the student may go for counsel to the Office of the University Ombudsman. Under circumstances explained in the Academic Grievance Procedures (Manual of the Irvine Division of the Academic Senate, Appendix II), a grade may be changed if the Academic Grievance Panel has determined that the grade was assigned on the basis of discrimination.
An I or Incomplete grade is assigned to a student by an instructor when the student's work is of passing quality but is incomplete because of circumstances beyond the student's control, and when the student has been temporarily excused by the instructor from completing the quarter's work.
For currently enrolled students, the maximum time limit for making up an I grade is three quarters of enrollment. After this time the I grade can no longer be replaced and will appear permanently on the record. The instructor is not obligated to allow the maximum three-quarter period. The student should consult the instructor to determine how the Incomplete may be made up. It is strongly recommended that the student and the instructor prepare a written agreement specifying how the Incomplete can be made up and the deadline for doing so. Once the work is completed within a time agreed upon by the instructor, the student should ask the instructor to submit a change of grade form to the counseling office of the school in which the course was offered. The student should not reenroll in the course to make up the Incomplete.
Students not currently enrolled at UCI have a maximum of one calendar year in which to replace an Incomplete grade. However, in exceptional individual cases involving the student's prolonged inability to pursue a course of study, extensions of up to two additional years may be granted by the instructor with the approval of the dean of the unit offering the course; students must petition for such an extension within one calendar year following the assignment of the Incomplete grade.
Courses graded I carry no grade points and are not included in computation of the grade point average which appears on the student's permanent record. Any I grade will remain indefinitely on the permanent record unless the work is completed and a grade assigned as described above.
University of California regulations require a grade point average of 2.0 for all units attempted in order to receive a bachelor's degree. Only when a check for satisfaction of graduation requirements is made are I's treated as F's. If the student's overall average is at least a 2.0, including the Incomplete grades computed as F's, then the student may graduate. If the Incomplete grades computed as F's decrease the student's average below a 2.0, the student may not graduate until enough I grades have been made up to bring the average up to a 2.0 and this must be done within the time limits specified above.
The Pass/Not Pass option is available to encourage students to enroll in courses outside their major field. Courses graded Pass or Not Pass are not included in computation of the grade point average which appears on a student's permanent record. However, if a student receives a Pass in a class, course and unit credit for the class is received, except as provided below. If a Not Pass is received, the student receives no credit for the class.
Some courses are designated by academic units as Pass/Not Pass Only. Students do not have the option of taking these courses for a letter grade.
The use of Pass/Not Pass is governed by all of the following provisions:
1. A student in good standing may take up to an average of four units per quarter on a Pass/Not Pass basis.
2. In addition, students may count a total of 12 units of courses designated Pass/Not Pass Only toward their graduation requirements.
3. A student who earns a grade of C (2.0) or better will have a Pass/Not Pass grade recorded as Pass. If the student earns a grade of C- or below, the grade will be recorded as a Not Pass, and no unit credit will be received for the course. In both cases, the student's grade will not be computed into the grade point average.
4. Courses taken under the Pass/Not Pass option may count toward the unit requirement for the bachelor's degree and toward the breadth requirement. With the exception of courses designated Pass/Not Pass Only, courses taken Pass/Not Pass may not be used to satisfy specific course requirements of the student's school and major, unless authorized by the appropriate dean. No more than two courses applied to a minor may be taken Pass/Not Pass.
Graduate students may take one course (up to four units) per quarter on a Pass/Not Pass basis. However, such courses are not considered part of the student's graduate program, may not be applied to the requirements for an advanced degree, and do not count toward the minimum number of units for which a graduate student must enroll.
5. Changes to or from the Pass/Not Pass option must be made during the enrollment period. No changes can be made after the first two weeks of classes without the approval of the dean of the student's school. No changes in the Pass/Not Pass option can be made after the last day of instruction of the quarter.
6. A student on academic probation may not enroll in a course with the Pass/Not Pass option unless the course is offered on that basis only.
Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory grading, unlike Pass/Not Pass, is not a student option. With the consent of the academic units involved, individual study and research or other individual graduate work undertaken by a graduate student may be evaluated by means of the grades S or U. With the approval of the Graduate Council, certain graduate courses are graded S/U Only. Also, the grade S or U may be assigned provisionally in each but the last quarter of a graduate course extending over more than one quarter. Upon completion of the last quarter, letter grades (A to F) replace such provisional grades. When a grade of S or U has been assigned on a provisional basis and the student does not complete all quarters of the course sequence, the instructor may assign a final letter grade or the grade of I to replace the S or U, or let the grade of S or U stand as a final grade. The grade S is defined as equivalent to a grade of B (3.0) or better. No credit will be allowed for work graded Unsatisfactory.
IP is a transcript notation, restricted to sequential courses which extend over two or more quarters, indicating that the final grade for the individual quarters will not be assigned until the last quarter of the sequence is completed. The grade for the final quarter is then assigned for all of the previous quarters of the sequence. No credit is given until the student has completed the entire sequence. IP notations may be given only for courses designated by the Academic Senate Committee on Courses or Graduate Council for use of this notation. IP notations are not included in computations of the student's grade point average and do not contribute to the number of quarter units completed.
A student who receives an NR must immediately contact the instructor and arrange for the removal or replacement of the NR. An NR becomes an F or NP after one quarter of subsequent enrollment or at the end of the quarter immediately preceding award of the degree, whichever comes first. NR transcript notations are not included in computations of the grade point average and do not contribute to the number of quarter units completed.
With approval from their school or program, undergraduates may repeat courses only when grades of C-, D+, D, D-, F, or NP were received or when the course has been approved for repetition. (A C- earned before fall quarter, 1984, is not repeatable.) Degree credit for courses so repeated will be given only once, but the grade assigned at each enrollment shall be permanently recorded. In computing the grade point average of an undergraduate with repeated courses in which a C-, D+, D, D-, F, or NP (if repeated for a letter grade) was received, only the most recently received grades and grade points shall be used for the first 16 units repeated. In case of further repetitions, the grade point average shall be based on all additional grades assigned.
All courses which were originally taken for a letter grade must be repeated for a letter grade. Courses originally taken on a Pass/Not Pass basis may be repeated for a Pass/Not Pass or for a letter grade if the course is so offered.
A graduate student may repeat only once a course in which a grade below B or a grade of U was received. Only the most recently earned grade shall be used in computing the student's grade point average for the first eight units of repeated work; thereafter both the earlier and the later grades will be used.
If a student repeats a course for which a passing grade has already been received and the course is not approved as repeatable for credit, the student will receive a UR and no credit will be given.
Information regarding the repetition of foreign language courses is available in the School of Humanities section.
Students enrolled at UCI may take only UCI courses in satisfaction of the lower-division and upper-division writing requirements. Continuing UCI students may not take summer courses at another institution to satisfy lower-division or upper-division writing requirements. The two courses taken to fulfill the lower-division Writing requirement must be completed with a grade of C or better.
1. Students who fail to attain a letter grade of C or better in English and Comparative Literature WR37 must repeat the course or enroll in the equivalent. It is recommended that these students enroll in WR39A followed by WR39B-C to assure completion of this requirement. Students who fail to attain a grade of C or better in WR39C must repeat the course.
2. Students who fail to attain a grade of C or better in one or both courses of the English and Comparative Literature WR39B-C sequence must repeat the course or courses in question.
3. Students who fail to attain a grade of C or better in at least two quarters of the writing component of the Humanities Core Course after satisfying the Subject A requirement should substitute English and Comparative Literature WR39C if they need one quarter of additional work to complete the requirement, or English and Comparative Literature WR39B-C if they need two quarters to complete the requirement.
The course taken to fulfill the upper-division writing requirement must be completed with a grade of C or better (or a Pass or Credit grade equivalent to C). See the UCI Requirements section for further information.
An enrolled student may obtain credit for many courses by taking a special examination administered by a faculty member who normally teaches that course. Detailed procedures for obtaining credit by examination may be obtained from the office of the dean of the school which offers the course. Approval of any petition for credit by examination must be obtained from the dean of that school before the examination can be administered. After the dean has signed the petition, the student must have it validated by paying a $5 Credit by Examination Fee at the Cashier's Office.
The instructor giving the examination retains the prerogative (1) to decide whether the course can be taken by examination, (2) to determine the form such an examination may take, and (3) to stipulate whether the grade will be reported as Pass/Not Pass or as a letter grade (e.g., A, B, C, etc.).
A student may take the examination for a particular course only one time. After receiving the grade, the student may accept it or reject it. If the student is not satisfied with the grade received on the examination, the student may choose not to receive credit or a grade. If the student does choose to accept the results of the examination, grades and grade points (if applicable) will be entered on the record in the same manner as those for regular courses of instruction.
Another class option is available primarily to upper-division students at UCI. The independent-study option allows the student to plan with the instructor a course having a clear relationship to the student's academic program. The plan for the course will include a reading list, a group of assignments, examinations, papers, or similar evidence of intellectual achievement on which academic credit will be based. A description of the course and of its requirements must be approved by the instructor responsible for it and by the department chair or dean. Independent-study credit for undergraduates is limited to five units per quarter.
Final examinations are obligatory in all undergraduate courses except laboratory and studio courses, or their equivalent, as individually determined by the Committee on Courses. In laboratory and studio courses, the department concerned may at its option require a final examination subject to prior announcement in the Schedule of Classes for the term. Normally each such examination shall be conducted in writing and must be completed by all participants by the announced time shown in the Schedule of Classes for the quarter in question. These examinations may not exceed three hours duration. Special arrangements may be made for disabled students.
Final grade reports from professors are due in the Registrar's Office within 72 hours after the final examination.
After each quarter, a copy of the student's permanent record is available from the Registrar's Office. On the copy, the student will find grades for all the quarters taken at UCI, a computation of grade point average at the University of California, and a list of the University requirements completed (Subject A, American History, and American Institutions).
Requirements for a bachelor's degree, with the exception of certain programs in Engineering, include the accumulation of credit for a minimum of 180 quarter units with an average of at least C (grade point average of at least 2.0).
Undergraduate students are classified as freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior students, based on the total number of units acquired, as follows:
| Freshman | 0 | -- | 44.9 |
| Sophomore | 45.0 | -- | 89.9 |
| Junior | 90.0 | -- | 134.9 |
| Senior | 135.+ |
An undergraduate may enroll in as few as 12 units or as many as 20 units. To enroll for more than 20 units or fewer than 12 units, students must obtain the authorization of their dean or, for undecided/undeclared students, the Dean of the Division of Undergraduate Education. Refer to Part-time Study in the Index.
To remain in good academic standing a student must maintain a grade point average of at least 2.0 and make progress toward the degree at a satisfactory rate.
An undergraduate student normally is subject to academic probation if at the end of any quarter the grade point average for that quarter, or the cumulative grade point average, is less than 2.0.
A student whose grade point average falls below a 1.5 for any quarter, or who after two consecutive quarters on probation has not achieved a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 or a satisfactory rate of progress, is subject to disqualification.
Regular undergraduate students will become subject to probation or subject to disqualification from further registration in the University if they fail to make normal progress toward the baccalaureate degree.
1. Normal progress for all regular undergraduate students is defined in the following table, in terms of quarter units completed at the end of quarters enrolled.
| Normal | Subject to | Subject to | |||||
| Quarter | Progress | Probation | Disqualification | ||||
| 1 | 1215 | 811 | 7 | ||||
| 2 | 2430 | 1623 | 15 | ||||
| 3 | 3645 | 2435 | 23 | ||||
| 4 | 5060 | 4049 | 39 | ||||
| 5 | 6575 | 5664 | 55 | ||||
| 6 | 8090 | 7279 | 71 | ||||
| 7 | 96105 | 8995 | 88 | ||||
| 8 | 112120 | 106111 | 105 | ||||
| 9 | 128135 | 124127 | 123 | ||||
| 10 | 145150 | 142144 | 141 | ||||
| 11 | 162165 | 160161 | 159 | ||||
| 12 | 180 | -- | -- | ||||
2. A student who at the end of a given quarter of enrollment has completed the number of units in the range specified in the "Normal Progress" category under (1) is making normal progress. A student who at the end of a given quarter of enrollment has completed a number of units in the range specified in the "Subject to Probation" category under (1) is subject to being placed on probation by the faculty of that student's school or program or its designated agent or, for undecided/ undeclared students, by the Faculty Board for Unaffiliated Students or its designated agent. A student who at the end of a given quarter of enrollment has completed no more than a number of units in the range specified in the "Subject to Disqualification" category under (1) is subject to disqualification by the faculty of that student's school or program or its designated agent or, for undecided/undeclared students, by the Faculty Board for Unaffiliated Students or its designated agent.
3. Students who have completed two consecutive quarters on academic probation without having achieved at the end of that period at least the normal rate of progress specified under (1) are subject to disqualification.
A student will be allowed to continue on probation only if the record indicates likely achievement of the required scholastic standing within a reasonable time.
4. For purposes of calculating "Normal Progress," "Subject to Probation," and "Subject to Disqualification," students admitted to the University with advanced standing will be classified with respect to quarter of enrollment at entrance in accordance with the following table:
| Quarter at | Advanced Standing | |
| Entrance | Quarter Units at Entrance | |
| 1 | 014 | |
| 2 | 1529 | |
| 3 | 3044 | |
| 4 | 4559 | |
| 5 | 6074 | |
| 6 | 7589 | |
| 7 | 90104 | |
| 8 | 105119 | |
| 9 | 120134 | |
| 10 | 135149 | |
5. Units earned under the following two circumstances are not to be counted toward determination of the quarter at entrance under (4) above: (a) Advanced Placement Examination; (b) concurrent enrollment in college courses while in high school.
6. The quarter of enrollment at entrance of students (including baccalaureate degree candidates who already hold a baccalaureate degree) seeking admission to the University with 150 or more advanced standing units will be determined by the faculty offering the curriculum in which such students seek to enroll. This determination will be made consistent with the program required for such students to obtain the desired degree and with University residence requirements.
7. The Normal Progress requirement described above is not to be confused with the Normal Academic Progress requirement for Financial Aid. The former has to do with academic standing, the latter with receipt of financial aid. (Additional information is available in the Financial Aid at UCI handbook.)
Probation is not a necessary step before disqualification. If a student becomes subject to disqualification, the complete record of grades and other accomplishments will be carefully reviewed by the responsible faculty authorities of the student's school or, for undecided/undeclared students, by the Faculty Board for Unaffiliated Students. If the record indicates little probability that the student will be able to meet the academic standards of the University of California, the student will be disqualified from further enrollment. Each school and department is obliged by Academic Senate regulations to maintain a procedure under which a student may appeal probation and disqualification actions.
In order to transfer from one campus to another in the University of California or from one UCI school to another, a student who has been disqualified or who is on academic probation must obtain the approval of the appropriate faculty, or its designated agent, into whose jurisdiction the student seeks to transfer.
Information about honors opportunities at UCI is found in the Planning an Undergraduate Program section and the academic unit sections.
Quarterly Undergraduate Honors
Quarterly undergraduate honors are awarded in each school to students who achieve a quarterly grade point average of 3.5 or better in a minimum of 12 graded units.
Honors at Graduation
Students may graduate with honors, summa cum laude, magna cum laude, or cum laude. The criteria used by each school in selecting candidates for these honors are included in each school's section of the Catalogue. A general criterion is that students must have completed at least 72 units in residence at a University of California campus. Additional information is available in the Division of Undergraduate Education section of this Catalogue.
For a graduate student, only the grades A+, A, A-, B+, B, and S represent satisfactory scholarship. Information concerning graduate student course load requirements and satisfactory academic progress is given in the Research and Graduate Studies section.
If a UCI student wishes to enroll in a University Extension course concurrently with enrollment in regular courses, the entire program of study must be approved in advance by the dean of the student's school (in the case of graduate students, by the Dean of Graduate Studies). Fee information is available from the University Extension Registration Office.
UCI undergraduate students who plan to enroll in courses at another institution in either a summer or regular session and to use such courses to satisfy any UCI requirements should first consult with and secure prior approval from the academic dean or chair of their major who will determine if the credits are applicable to major and breadth requirements.
UCI undergraduate students must submit an official transcript of all course work earned at another institution or college to the Office of Admissions and Relations with Schools. If such courses are determined by the Office of Admissions and Relations with Schools to be transferable, do not duplicate other credit granted, and do not exceed limitations of credit, then the units earned may be applied toward the total required for graduation.
Graduate students may be granted unit credit (not grade credit) toward a master's degree for a limited number of acceptable graduate-level courses completed at another institution or through University Extension before enrollment in graduate study at UCI. To receive such credit, the student must submit a formal petition, including an original transcript, after enrollment in graduate study. Approval of the student's graduate advisor and the Dean of Graduate Studies is required.
While enrolled at UCI or on a leave of absence, a graduate student may receive unit credit for graduate-level courses completed at another institution or through University Extension only with the prior approval of the student's graduate advisor and the Dean of Graduate Studies.
See the Research and Graduate Studies section for further information about graduate transfer credit and the University's Intercampus Exchange Program.
