General Regulations and Procedures

This section includes Graduate School procedures and regulations applicable to all graduate students regardless of degree classification. Requirements unique to the master’s and doctoral degrees are stated in the section titled Degree Requirements. For information about specific degree programs, the student should consult the appropriate degree program description. Requirements unique to the non-degree classifications are stated in the section in this page titled “Nondeclared Students—Non-Degree”.

Registration

Registration Deadlines

Deadlines	16-Week Semester (Fall and Spring)	16-Week Session (Summer)
Late Registration ($15.00 fee)	First day of the semester
The deadlines listed below are for full-term courses
Deadline to add a course, or change sections (without the instructor's signature)	Week 1	Week 1
Deadline to change credit/audit status of a course	Week 2	Week 2
Deadline to drop a course with a full refund	Week 2	Week 2
Deadline to withdraw from the University with a full refund	Week 2	Week 2
Deadline to add a course	Week 2	Week 2
Deadline to withdraw from the University with 50% tuition and 100% fees refund	Week 3	Week 3
Deadline to withdraw from the University with 50% tuition and no fees refund	Week 4	Week 4
Deadline to drop a course with no refund (W grade)	Week 10	Week 5
Deadline to withdraw from the University with no refund	Week 10	Week 5

Only those students who have been officially admitted by the Graduate School will be permitted to register.

To begin the registration process, a student needs a network ID and a password. To claim your dawg tag, go to netid.siu.edu. If a student is not yet admitted to the Graduate School or does not have department approval to register or there is some other problem, the student is ineligible to register.

Degree-seeking students may be required by their graduate program to consult with an advisor and obtain a Registration User Number (RUN) to register online. Please consult the designated graduate program about advisement. Nondeclared, non-degree students are technically self-advised and may begin registration for the admitted semester after the registration period begins.

The Schedule of Classes for a particular semester is available online at https://registrar.siu.edu/schedclass/. The Registration dates, Course Drop (with full refund) dates, and Course Withdrawal (with W grade) dates are listed for every course.

Students can register themselves (via https://salukinet.siu.edu) for full-semester courses through the first week of the semester, and for late-starting courses up to the first day of the course. All adds sent to the Graduate Registration Office must be requested using a Course Request Form (CRF) signed by the Director of Graduate Studies and the Academic Dean, before the request will be processed. A CRF for a section change or to change a student's previously completed registration in a course to an audit (AU) can be processed through the 2nd week of the semester.

Late registrations will no longer be allowed beyond the second week of the term. In cases of genuine exceptions that arise, these exceptions will be reviewed rigorously and require approval from the Graduate School Dean and the Provost. To request an exception, the signed CRF and a memo, explaining why the add is being requested after the deadline, must be submitted to the Graduate Registration Office. After both documents have been received, they will be forwarded to the Graduate School Dean and the Provost for final review.

Students can drop a full-semester course with refund in SalukiNet through the second week of the semester and can withdraw from a course with a W grade in SalukiNet through the 10th week. After the tenth week, a Retroactive Academic Action Petition (RAAP), will need to be submitted to withdraw from a course. A CRF is required when a student with a registration hold needs to drop a course. A CRF is also used for an administrative drop initiated by the instructor or program when a student is determined to not be eligible to be in a course. The CRF must be signed by the Director of Graduate Studies before it can be processed. The RAAP form is available at https://siu.edu/admissions/graduate/resources/forms.php under Registration Forms.

The Course Request Form (CRF) is available at https://siu.edu/admissions/graduate/resources/forms.php under Registration Forms.

Late Registration

A late registration fee of $15 shall be assessed to all students taking on-campus classes who register the first day of classes or later. This fee shall be non-refundable and cannot be waived, except when it is clearly shown that the late registration was caused by faculty or administrative action. Off-campus classes and registration in 599, 600, and 601 shall be exempt from such fee.

Other Types of Registration in Graduate Courses

The following discussion concerns students who are either nondeclared for various reasons or are undergraduates wanting to take graduate-level courses.

Nondeclared Students—Non-Degree

A person may apply for admission to the Graduate School as a nondeclared student when the applicant does not seek a graduate degree or has applied too late to be admitted to a degree program for the term for which admission is sought, or does not meet the minimum GPA requirements for admission to a graduate degree program at this time.

Students applying for admission as a nondeclared graduate student who hope to obtain admission in a particular graduate program at a later date, should meet with the Director of Graduate Studies of that graduate program before registering for courses and seek information as to what courses they may take which would be counted towards degree requirements if they are admitted to the program later. Once the student is enrolled in the graduate program, the graduate program must petition the Graduate School that graduate courses completed while a student was nondeclared be counted toward fulfillment of degree requirements. The student will be subject to the rules and regulations of the Graduate School and the graduate program concerned including the completion of at least nine hours after being admitted to a master’s degree program from nondeclared status.

Please note that nondeclared graduate students are not eligible for Graduate School fellowships or tuition waiver scholarships. Contact the Assistantship Office for details. Loans may be available for one 12 month period only, beginning when the student first enrolls in the nondeclared category and ending 12 months later. To determine eligibility, contact the Financial Aid Office.

Undergraduate Student Registration in Graduate Courses

Graduate Credit

An undergraduate student who wishes to register for a graduate course for graduate credit must file the standard application for admission to the Graduate School and submit a request for graduate credit. Forms are available at https://siu.edu/admissions/graduate/resources/forms.php under 'Registration Forms'. If the student is academically eligible for admission to a degree program, the student will be allowed to register as an undergraduate for graduate courses for graduate credit when within 12 semester hours of completing requirements for the bachelor’s degree. Permission of the instructor teaching the course must be obtained, and for 500-level courses, the permission of the director of the school offering the course.

An undergraduate student who meets these qualifications will be allowed to take graduate courses for graduate credit for one semester. If, at the end of the term, the student has not earned the bachelor’s degree, permission to enroll in graduate courses for graduate credit will be withdrawn until after the bachelor’s degree has been conferred. Graduate credit cannot be granted once a semester is complete.

All requests for graduate credit as an undergraduate must be processed by the Graduate School by the 10th day of the semester for which the student wishes to register.

Undergraduate Credit

The Graduate School has the responsibility of approving the registration of undergraduate students in 500-level courses for undergraduate credit. Undergraduate students should only be encouraged to take 500-level courses if they are properly qualified. In dealing with these requests the following procedures must be followed.

The student must:

Have a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
Receive approval from the director of the school offering the course.
Receive approval from the instructor of the course.
Submit a CRF signed by the undergraduate academic advisor.

The two forms required for this request are available at https://siu.edu/admissions/graduate/resources/forms.php under Registration Forms.

Forms need to be submitted to the Graduate Registration Office in the Student Services Building Room 325 or emailed to gradregistration@siu.edu.

School of Law Courses

A graduate student may enroll for graduate credit in designated law courses if the student has permission of the dean of the School of Law and the dean of the Graduate School. Registration must be processed through the Graduate School and the grades will be reported on the Graduate School letter grade system (A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, etc.).

A law student may register for law credit in graduate courses with approval of the dean of the School of Law and the graduate dean. Registration must be processed on School of Law forms and the grades will be reported on the Graduate School letter grade system.

A law student may not register for graduate courses for graduate credit unless the student has been admitted to the Graduate School in an approved concurrent program.

Residence-Center Credit

Credit earned at approved graduate residence centers will be entered on a student’s record as on-campus credit earned at SIU.

Students enrolled for credit in approved residence-center master’s degree programs or in specific residence credit courses must have been officially admitted (either in a degree program or nondeclared) to the Graduate School at SIU. For information about specific programs and courses, the student should consult the appropriate department.

Illinois Residency

Determination of residency status of each applicant for admission to the University is made at the time of admission. A student may petition for change to Illinois residency by contacting the Graduate Registration Office.

In order to qualify for in-state tuition at SIU, a student must be a citizen or permanent resident of the U.S. and must be a bona fide resident of the State of Illinois for the six-month period immediately preceding the start of the semester of which they wish to be classified as an Illinois resident. In order to qualify for in-state tuition, you need to be at least 18 years old at the time classes begin and move into Illinois and remain living in Illinois for six months prior to applying for Illinois residency. You must also change your driver's license to an Illinois driver's license, register to vote in Illinois, and if you are the sole owner of a vehicle you will be driving in Illinois, it must be registered in Illinois. You will need to complete an application for Illinois residency, and include with the completed application any appropriate documentation. Have the application notarized before you submit OR have your application notarized in the Graduate School office (requires two picture ID's). Visit https://siu.edu/admissions/graduate/academic-support/registration/illinois-residency.php to download the application and view a list of required documents.

Graduate Student Course Loads

Financial Aid Awards

For financial aid awarding purposes, the following defines the number of semester hours for full-and half-time:

Financial Aid Awards
Status	16-week Semester	8-Week Session
Full-time	12	6
Half-time	6	3

Graduate students enrolled in fewer than six hours for fall and spring semesters or three hours for summer session are not eligible to obtain student loans.

Enrollment Certification

The following semester hours of credit are to be used to certify full-time and half-time attendance of graduate students.

Enrollment Certification
Status	16-week Semester	8-Week Session
Full-time	9 or more hours*	3 or more hours
Half-time	6 hours	Less than 3 hours
Less than half-time	Less than 6 hours

*Students who hold at least a quarter-time (25% FTE) graduate assistantship are considered as full-time if they have a minimum of 8 semester hours. Doctoral students who are admitted to candidacy and hold an assistantship are considered as full-time if they have a minimum of six semester hours (or 3 semester hours in an 8-week term, if it is the final term).

Minimum and Maximum Course Loads

Maximum coursework for graduate students is 16 hours each semester; 9 hours is considered a normal load. The minimum and maximum loads for graduate students under various types of financial support are summarized below, a graduate student must enroll in graduate-level course(s). Please consult the Graduate Catalog for available graduate courses. Audit work will not qualify to meet the minimum load. An exception to the 16 credit hour maximum load may be possible only with advanced written permission of the graduate dean.

Graduate students with a Graduate Assistantship must enroll in a minimum of eight graduate credit hours during the fall/spring to receive a tuition waiver for up to 12 hours. During the summer, a minimum of three graduate credit hours are required to receive a tuition waiver for up to 6 hours. Students with a Graduate Fellowship or SIU Scholarship must enroll in a minimum of nine graduate credit hours during fall/spring and three during summer.

Tuition Waivers shall cover up to twelve (12) credit hours per semester (Fall, Spring) during the academic year and up to six (6) hours in the Summer. Programs which require more than 12 credit hours per semester for graduation will have such credits covered by the tuition waiver, even in excess of these limits. Such exemptions to the wavier limits must be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies in the relevant program and/or by the Director/Dean of the relevant school.

Graduate Assistantship Enrollment Minimums

16-Week Semester
Type of Financial Support	Max	Min
No financial support	16
Graduate Assistantships
1/2 time appointments	12	8
1/4 time appointments	12	8
Full-time University employees	6
Graduate Fellowships	12	9
Full Veteran's Benefits	16	9
SIU Scholarships	12	9

8-Week Session
Type of Financial Support	Max	Min
No financial support	9
Graduate Assistantships
1/2 time appointments	6	3
1/4 time appointments	6	3
Full-time University employees	6
Graduate Fellowships	6	3
Full Veteran's Benefits	9	3
SIU Scholarships	6	3

All University employees who wish to use the employee tuition fee waiver (faculty and staff) and are classified as graduate students are only permitted to register for six hours. To request permission to take over six hours, a memo from their hiring department approving the extra hours must be submitted to the Graduate School Records Office. If graduate students' enrollments fail to meet the minimum hours required by their type of financial support, the financial support will be terminated.

Continuing Enrollment (601)

All students in a graduate program but not enrolled in at least one class by the Friday before the semester begins in the fall will be registered in 60 I by the Graduate School. Graduate students not registered by week 2 in the spring will be registered in 601. This hour will be dropped if the student subsequently enrolls in a class that semester or is granted a leave of absence by his/her graduate program by the 10th week of the semester. Each program has its own policy of whether and when to grant leaves of absence. Students on leave are not required to enroll in 601 for the leave period, but a leave of absence does not affect the time-to-degree requirement. Summer semesters are exempt from continuing enrollment (601) unless required by the program, or for international students in their final semester, who must be enrolled unless they have left the country or are on OPT.

Registration in 601 (one hour per semester) is required of all degree-seeking graduate students, whether in residence or not, who are not otherwise enrolled for fall or spring semester. Concurrent registration in any other course is not permitted.

Students registering for 601 are assessed only in-state tuition for the credit hour associated with the registration. Since student fees are not assessed for 601, the students are not eligible for the benefits of any other programs such as Recreation Center use, Health Service and Student Medical Benefits, Students’ Attorney Program assistance, etc. Students needing the above benefits that require fees may instead register for additional research, thesis, or dissertation hours.

601 Credit hours are not eligible to be used toward meeting coursework degree requirements.

Leave of Absence

Graduate students may request a leave of absence through their school, with approval from the graduate school dean. During the leave, the student’s status is put on hold, with the option to return to the program at a specified time. The purpose of the LOA can be for personal reasons that do not need to be disclosed to SIU. Requests for a leave of absence can be submitted before the start of the Fall or Spring semesters and can be renewed for one additional Fall or Spring semester. Students approved for a LOA will not be registered for classes, which will affect their access to university services. They will no longer have access to campus facilities and services. Upon their return, students will not need to apply for re-admission, however, they are not guaranteed financial support. The student and academic program must also submit a plan of study to the Graduate School.

Students who have not paid their bills and owe more than $1500 will not be allowed to enroll, and this may affect their graduate standing. They should enroll as soon as their Bursar hold is lifted.

Transfer Credit

Up to 9 graduate credits earned by a student in good standing at an accredited university, which have not been applied toward fulfillment of requirements for another degree, are eligible for transfer to that student's degree program, subject to general limitations of Graduate School regulations, residency requirements for doctoral degree programs, and acceptance by the student's graduate program. This rule applies throughout the Graduate Catalog to any mention of graduate courses transferred from other institutions. All transfer credits are subject to final review by the graduate dean. No transfer credit will be given for work bearing a grade below B or graded "satisfactory" without express permission of the graduate dean in response to written petition from the student's graduate program. Credit towards a degree may be earned by online and off-campus courses at another accredited university. In the case of a master's degree, the student must earn all but 9 hours of the credit applied toward fulfillment of degree requirements in courses offered by SIU. Grades for coursework transferred to SIU from an outside university will not be calculated in the cumulative SIU grade point average.

The program recommending the graduate degree shall administer all required general and final examinations, and a member of the graduate faculty at SIU shall direct the student’s master’s thesis, required research paper, capstone report, or doctoral dissertation.

Graduate Grading System

Graduate Grading System
Grade	Definition
A	Excellent. 4.00 grade points
A-	Excellent. 3.667 grade points
B+	Good. 3.33 grade points
B	Good. 3.00 grade points
B-	Conditional, not fully satisfactory 2.667 grade points
C+	Conditional, not fully satisfactory 2.333 grade points
C	Conditional, not fully satisfactory 2.00 grade points
C-	Conditional, not fully satisfactory 1.667 grade points
D+	Poor, not satisfactory 1.333 grade points
D	Poor, not satisfactory 1.00 grade point
F	Failure. 0 grade points
S	Satisfactory. Used for thesis and dissertation credit and certain designated and approved 500-level research, internship, and practicum courses. Is not counted in calculating grade-point average.
U	Unsatisfactory. Used for thesis and dissertation credit and certain designated and approved 500-level research, internship, and practicum courses. Is not counted in calculating grade-point average.
W	Authorized withdrawal made through a program change. Work may not be completed. Refer to grade explanation below.
INC	Incomplete. Has permission of the instructor to be completed within a period of time designated by the instructor. Refer to grade explanation below.
DEF	Deferred. Used only for certain designated and approved 500-level courses of an individual continuing nature such as research, thesis, or dissertation. Refer to grade explanation below.
AU	Audit. No grade or credit earned. Refer to grade explanation below.
NR	Grade not recorded. A student’s degree may not be posted to the transcript if a grade of NR exists on the transcript.
WU	Unauthorized withdrawal at instructor’s discretion for student in good standing in class who stopped attending class during first 60% of the semester. This grade cannot be made up.

Grading System Explanation

Only courses for which the grades of A+, A, A-,B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, or S have been received are acceptable in fulfillment of graduate degree requirements. The letter grades A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-, and F are included in computing the grade-point averages for academic retention. If a graduate student repeats a course with the permission of the graduate dean, only the most recent (last) grade will be counted in the grade-point average. Graduate students will not receive graduate credit for Pass/Fail grades.

Withdrawal

Except for the WU grade, a W indicates authorized withdrawal from a course prior to the date indicated in the Schedule of Classes for the term in which the course was taken. The student’s record will reflect the courses from which the student had withdrawn with the symbol W and the week of withdrawal. Program changes to drop a course during the first two weeks of classes result in no entry being made on the student’s record (consult the section titled “Withdrawal from Courses and from the University” for additional information on withdrawal procedures and deadlines).

Incomplete

An INC grade should be assigned when, for reasons beyond their control, students engaged in passing work are unable to complete all class assignments. INC is not included in gradepoint computation. An INC must be changed to a completed grade within one year from the close of the term in which the course was taken or graduation, whichever comes first. Should the student fail to complete the course within the time period designated, that is, one year from the close of the term in which the course was taken or graduation, whichever comes first, the Incomplete will be converted to a grade of F and the grade will be computed in the student’s gradepoint average.

To complete the work from the original registration, a student should not register for the course again, but should complete the work for the original registration if the original registration is within the normal time limits established for the degree.

A contract for an INC grade must be established between the instructor and student at the time the INC grade is assigned.

An extension may be granted if the request for the extension is made within the first year and approved by the Dean of the Graduate School and the Provost.

Deferred

When the work is completed in a course for which DEF has been assigned, the grade is changed to a letter grade by the instructor, except in the case of theses and dissertations. When a thesis or dissertation has been submitted to the Graduate School as approved, the grade is automatically changed to S. If a thesis or dissertation is found unacceptable and the student is dismissed from the program, the grade of U is automatically assigned upon receipt by the Graduate School of the action dismissing the student.

Audit

A student registering for a course on an audit basis receives no letter grade and no credit hours. The student’s registration must indicate audit registration and the same fees are paid as when registering for credit. During the first two weeks of a regular semester, a student registered for a course for credit may change to audit status or vice versa through the official program change process. Thereafter, the change may not be made.

Changing of Grades

At the completion of a course, the final grade assigned to a student is the responsibility of the instructor of the course. Grades given at the end of the course are final and may not be changed by additional work or by submitting additional materials; however, clerical errors in recording grades can be corrected. To correct a clerical error, the assigned instructors should submit a grade change card together with an explanation and justification of the grade change for the approval or disapproval of the program director, the appropriate college dean, and the dean of the Graduate School. In cases of theses and dissertations, for which DEF grades are given, the Graduate School changes the DEF grades upon presentation and acceptance of the thesis and dissertation and receipt of the departmental approval papers. In courses for which INC and DEF grades have been given, the assigned instructor has the responsibility of determining the final grade to be assigned and notifying the Registrar’s Office of the final grade by means of the grade change card.

Withdrawal from Courses and from the Semester

Dropping Courses

Students officially registered for a session must officially withdraw from that registration in a timely manner to avoid being charged as well as receiving a failing grade for those classes. An official withdrawal must be initiated by the student and processed by the Graduate Registration office. Outlined below are the procedures to be followed by graduate students when withdrawing from the University and/or Program.

Deadlines for Dropping from a Course(s)

Deadlines for Dropping from a Course(s)
If Classes Meet for*	Deadline for Withdrawal to Receive Full Refund	Deadline to Withdraw
13-16 weeks	2nd week	10th week
9-12 weeks	2nd week	8th week
8 weeks	2nd week	5th week
7 weeks	1st week	4th week
4-6 weeks	1st week	3rd week
2-3 weeks	1st day	1st week
Less than 2 weeks	1st day	2nd day

*Students must drop a course or withdraw from the University by these deadlines to receive an account credit equal to a full refund of tuition and fees. Students who drop courses after the full refund deadline but remain enrolled in the University will not receive any refund. Student who withdraw from the University after the full refund period will receive an account credit up to week four (see chart below).

Course Drops

All students that wish to officially add or drop classes will do so within the SalukiNet portal. If the
student has a hold on their registration, an email can be sent to the Graduate Registration Office, gradregistration@siu.edu, requesting assistance. Graduate students may drop from a course
through the 10th week of the fall and spring semesters. Drop deadlines for shorter sessions are
correspondingly earlier (see schedule). Course drops after the refund deadline but prior to
the deadline to withdraw will result in the course listed on the student's record with the symbol
W. Unless a student has processed an authorized drop from a course by the deadline in the
schedule above, the student will not be allowed to drop the course. It is the student's responsibility
to ensure that the drop process is officially completed. It is probable that a student, who does not
drop by the deadlines, but stops attending, will receive a grade of WU (unofficial withdrawal). Nate:
ceasing to attend a course may affect a student's financial aid eligibility (student loans and tuition
waivers). Students who drop courses after the full refund deadline, but remain enrolled in the
University, will not receive any refund.

Withdrawal from the University

Students registered for academic work must obtain a withdrawal if they contemplate leaving the University. Semester withdrawal occurs when all courses for which the student is registered are dropped. If the student as a graduate assistantship, the student must resign from the contract.

Withdrawal from the University is a serious decision, which, in many cases, affects financial assistance status and academic records. Students are not allowed to drop all of their courses in a given semester via SalukiNet. Semester withdrawal is processed through the Graduate Registration Office, gradregistration@siu.edu. A withdrawal will not be issued beyond the tenth week of the semester unless the reasons for the withdrawal are beyond the student's control and verified in writing. Warning: if a student obtains a withdrawal after the 100% refund period and is receiving financial assistance, the student may be in violation of the Satisfactory Progress for Financial Assistance policy since no academic credit will be earned for the semester. The accompanying table provides the deadline dates for withdrawal. All credits or refunds are determined by the effective date of the withdrawal and are subject to the direction of the USDOE for the distribution of Title IV funds, if applicable.

Students receiving a withdrawal from a full semester length course within the first two weeks will, under normal circumstances, receive a refund of all tuition and fees paid by the student. Some or all financial assistance funds, depending on the source, will be returned to their original sources if the student withdraws during the 100% period.

Students who withdraw after the full refund deadline will receive an account credit equal to the appropriate refund of tuition and fees for student loans. Students with an assistantship will lose the tuition waiver at the time of withdrawal. An administrative fee will be assessed to all students who withdraw from the University and receive a refund beyond the full refund period. The amount of the fee will be a fixed charge of $100. See the following SIU refund policy.

Refund Schedule for Withdrawals from the University

SIU Refund Policy

This chart is based on refunding for full semester length course.

Percentage of Refund

Percentage of Refund
Week	Tuition	Fees
Week One	100%	100%
Week Two	100%	100%
Week Three	50%	100%
Week Four	50%	0%
Week Five and after	0%	0%

No tuition refund will be given after week four; no refund of fees will be given after week three. Student fees are charged as a condition of enrollment.

Special consideration is extended to individuals who leave school for extended military service (six months or longer). These students may choose to withdraw completely and have the withdrawal backdated to show no enrollment. If withdrawing during the third through tenth weeks of school, these students may receive WMS grades in all classes, with the appropriate refund. When the withdrawal occurs after the tenth week, students will receive both grades and credit hours for the courses in which they are passing. In all instances, a copy of the military orders or a letter from the commanding officer is required for verification of impending military service. To be eligible for these benefits, students must remain in school to within ten days of their military reporting date.

Students in military service with the State of Illinois pursuant to the orders of the Governor have the right to receive a full monetary credit or refund for funds paid to any Illinois public university, college or community college if the person is placed into a period of military service with the State of Illinois in the event of state emergencies pursuant to the orders of the Governor and is unable to attend the university or college for a period of seven or more days. Students may elect to receive course credit for all of their courses rather than a refund.

Students who have a graduate assistantship and resign from their contract will not be automatically withdrawn from their courses. Students must complete the withdrawal process.

Withdrawal from the Program

Students who want to withdraw from their program are responsible for contacting the Graduate School by sending an email to gradschl@siu.edu. Failure to withdraw from the program will result in auto-enrollment of Continuing Enrollment, 601 during fall and spring semesters.

Retention

Any graduate student whose cumulative grade point average falls below 3.00 will be placed on academic probation. Faculty of a degree program-unit may determine its own grade point average requirements (above the grade point minimum for retention in their particular program.) All 500-level courses taken after a student is admitted to the Graduate School are considered graduate level, unless the course is specifically designated, “Not for Graduate Credit”, for all students. Grade point averages for doctoral students are based on graduate credit work completed at SIU after admission to the doctoral program. Grade point averages for master’s degree students and nondeclared graduate students are based on all graduate credit work completed at SIU.

Any graduate student on academic probation whose grade point average remains below 3.0 for two consecutive semesters in which she or he is enrolled, excluding summer sessions, will be permanently suspended from the Graduate School, unless the department and the collegiate dean petition the graduate dean for an exception.

Graduate students who have a grade (or grades) converted from an INC to an F due to the INC grade policy which results in a retroactive change in GPA below 3.0 for the semester the course was taken, and any subsequent semesters, will be placed on Retroactive Academic Probation. The term Retroactive Academic Probation will appear on the students’ transcripts to show that they were not in good standing in the Graduate School during the semester(s) effected.

Graduation

Graduation ceremonies are held each year at the end of each spring semester and fall semester. Degree candidates must apply for graduation with the Graduate School typically by the fourth Friday after the semester begins. Late graduation applications for extenuating circumstances beyond the student’s control will be considered through the end of the eighth week of fall and spring semesters. No applications will be considered beyond the eighth week of fall and spring semesters and the fourth week of the summer term. Graduation application forms are available in the Graduate School and may be obtained by downloading from the Graduate School web page: gradschool.siu.edu.

Candidates who do not meet graduation requirements will automatically be rolled to the next graduation term (May-to-August, August-to-December, December-to-May) with no additional fee, not to exceed one term. Candidates who fail to meet the degree requirements by the deadline for that graduation term will be removed from the pending graduation list. It will then be the student’s responsibility to submit a new Graduation Application form by the deadline for the term in which they now plan to graduate. The new application will result in the assessment of another Graduation Application fee. Commencement ceremonies are held only in May and December. August graduates should consult the graduation application for commencement information.

Any financial obligations with the University must be cleared by the Bursar’s Office before the release of diplomas and official transcripts. Diplomas are mailed to the address on the graduation application form within four to ten weeks after the end of the term.

A $50 graduation fee is established for all persons receiving degrees. The fee is payable at the time of application or the fee will be charged to the student’s account. Late applications will be assessed a $75 Graduate Application fee. The fee does not cover the rental fee for the cap, gown, and hood, or the cost of the invitations. These items are ordered through the University Bookstore in the Student Center and questions regarding them should be referred to the University Bookstore. Doctoral and Master’s students are required to pay a library fee. Theses and dissertations are submitted electronically (pdf) to UMI ETD Administrator. Research papers should be electronically submitted to OpenSIUC.

Submission of research papers, theses, and dissertations are due in the Graduate School office by the published deadline date. Contact the Graduate School for dates. Doctoral students must also submit the survey form of earned doctorates at the time the dissertation is submitted.

The Graduate School Guidelines for the Preparation of Dissertations, Theses and Research Papers is available at the Graduate School website (gradschool.siu.edu). Since each program has chosen a manual style that must be used in conjunction with the Graduate School guidelines, the student should contact the department for additional departmental information.

Although attendance at commencement is not compulsory, students who wish to graduate in absentia must notify the Graduate School in advance. This information is needed for seating arrangements and for mailing purposes.

Posthumous Degree Policy

Degrees may be awarded posthumously to any student who, at the time of death, has completed the necessary work for a degree as outlined in this policy. Each university shall file guidelines in the office of the president for implementing this policy (SIU Board of Trustees Policies 1.4.D.1.c.).

Southern Illinois University Carbondale has established guidelines as follows for recommending the posthumous awarding of degrees (such guidelines were filed with the office of the Board of Trustees at the time the Board initially adopted the above policy on December 8, 1977).

Undergraduate
An undergraduate degree may be awarded posthumously when the student has completed approximately 75% of the requirements of their degree program, is currently enrolled and/or actively pursuing the degree and is in good standing with the institution at the time of death. This determination rests with the dean of the degree-granting program [Approved by SIUC Faculty Senate February 12, 1974].
Graduate
A graduate degree may be awarded posthumously when the student has completed approximately 75% of the requirements of their degree program, is currently enrolled and/or actively pursuing the degree and is in good standing with the institution at the time of death. For graduate degrees requiring a research project, thesis or dissertation, the student should have made substantial progress toward the completion of the above as supported by the student’s advisor and/or advisory committee. PhD students must have been admitted to candidacy. This determination rests with the Graduate Dean in consultation with the administrative officers and faculty of the degree program in which the student had been enrolled. [Approved by SIUC Graduate CouncilJune 7,1974]

Nomination/Approval Process

Anyone may identify a student for a posthumous degree. To begin the formal process, a request must be made to the Dean of the appropriate college. The Dean of the college in which the student was enrolled will recommend the student for a posthumous degree in the form of a formal written request to the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. The request must include the name and ID number of the student, the degree/program plan to be awarded, a copy of a completed graduation clearance form and the recommended semester for degree conferral.
If supported by the Provost, they will submit the recommendation to the Chancellor for formal approval. If supported by the Chancellor,
1. The Chancellor will notify the Registrar’s office or the Graduate School via memo to begin the process for degree posting. The Registrar’s office will notify Events and Outreach for degree conferral arrangements.
2. The immediate family will be informed of the University’s decision and desire to recognize their student with this honor.

Award Considerations

The Registrar or the Graduate School will mail the diploma to a family member or, if preferred, provide it to the dean or another appropriate university official for presentation at a private gathering of the university, college and/or school’s choosing. Events and Outreach will assist in coordinating this setting and conferral.
A posthumous degree will be printed in the commencement program within the appropriate college section.
The statement “awarded posthumously” will be printed on the student’s academic record, but not on the diploma.

Exceptions

In special circumstances, an exception to the Posthumous Degree Policy may be made by the University Chancellor. Such requests should follow the process outlined here in the policy.

Release of Student Information and Issuance of Transcripts

The University follows a policy for release of student information in compliance with federal regulations. More specific information may be obtained from the Registrar’s Office or from the Graduate School.

A transcript of the student’s official educational record is issued by the Registrar’s Office under the following conditions: a transcript is sent, issued, or released only upon a student’s request or explicit permission, except that such permission is not required when the University faculty and administrative officials or other educational institutions request transcripts for official purposes.

In addition, requests will be honored from a philanthropic organization financially supporting a student and from a recognized research organization conducting educational research provided the confidentiality of the transcript is protected. A transcript will be issued directly to a student upon request. The transcript will have the statement, Issued to the Student, stamped on its face. Transcripts will be sent to recipients other than the student as requested in writing by the student. A transcript fee of $5 will be payable in advance for every transcript the student requests. A transcript will not be sent, issued, or released if a student owes money to the University as verified by the Bursar’s office upon request. The transcript will have the statement, Issued to the Student, stamped on its face. Transcripts will be sent to recipients other than the student as requested in writing by the student. A transcript fee of $5 will be payable in advance for every transcript the student requests. A transcript will not be sent, issued, or released if a student owes money to the University as verified by the Bursar’s office.

Policy

SIU recognizes that many of its students use a name other than their legal name. As long as the use of a preferred name is not for the purpose of misrepresentation, the university acknowledges that a preferred name should be used whenever possible in the course of university business and education. Therefore, the university will permit any student who wishes to choose to identify themselves within the university’s student information systems with a preferred name in addition to their legal name. Some records, such as paychecks, financial aid, or the official transcript, that require use of a legal name, will not change to preferred name. However, whenever possible, preferred name will be used except in the following areas where the use of the legal name is necessitated by university business or legal requirement.

Legal Name Used:

Student Accounts (Bursar)
Financial Aid
Responses to enrollment or degree inquiries such as verification requests
Official Transcript
College of Education Teacher Certification Records (US Dept. of Education)

A preferred name is a first name (i.e., given name) that may be chosen to be used instead of legal first name. You may specify a preferred name within SalukiNet which will then replace your first (given) name in your directory profile and other records identified earlier. However, you must request that your preferred name once established also to be reflected on your Student ID card, SIU e-mail address, and on your diploma when you are ready to graduate.

Preferred First Name Used:

Class Roster
Grade Reports
Advisor/Advisee Lists
Unofficial Transcripts
Directory Listing (unless FERPA exclusion)
SIU Student ID Card (legal name discreetly presented on back)
Diploma
SIU email account

SIU is committed to maintaining an environment where inquiry and growth are supported by a shared sense of responsibility and respect toward one another and with this understanding in mind the university maintains the right to decline a preferred name when it is recognized to be offensive to the institution or inflammatory to the student body. Authority to terminate or deny the use of a preferred name resides with the Dean of Students who maintains and has oversight for the Student Conduct Code.