CS Course Repeat Policy
The Department of Computer Science strictly enforces the University Repeat Policy for all Computer Science courses offered by our department. Students in the following programs can be impacted by this policy: Computer Science (including all concentrations), Data Science (including all concentrations), Computer Science + Design, and Computer Science + Linguistics.
Summary of Policy
- Courses with A or B grades may not be repeated.
- Normally, courses with a C grade may not be repeated.
- Courses with D or F grades* may be repeated once without written permission.
- To repeat a course more than once requires written permission from the student’s college dean.
* CS department policy includes W (resulting from late drop) as part of the ‘D, F’ grade policy.
Within the Department of Computer Science, students are required to petition the CS Director of Undergraduate Studies (rather than the college dean) using the CS Undergraduate Student Petition in order to receive that written permission for a third attempt in a CS course. These petitions can be either approved or denied depending on the student’s situation (as described in their petition) and their overall academic performance.
Outcomes of Petitioning for a Third Attempt:
- If approved, students will have one final attempt to successfully complete their required CS course.
- If denied, students will be recommended to the College of Engineering to be dropped from their major by the end of that semester as they can no longer make degree progress.
- For more information on next steps once a petition is approved or denied, see the corresponding section below.
Repeat Policy Process
When in Your Second Attempt (First Repeat Attempt)
- Make sure to put your best foot forward in this attempt to avoid being subject to the repeat policy. You can do this by:
- Attending your Instructor/TAs Office Hours for support
- Utilizing the Engineering Learning Center CS Tutoring Services
- Checking out other tutoring services that may be offered across campus for CS.
- Be aware of the grade required for that particular course to move on to the next required CS course. Some CS courses require a ‘C’ or higher as the prerequisite, while others require just a passing grade of ‘D.’ For example, CS 211 requires a ‘C’ or better in CS 141, whereas CS 362 requires a ‘C’ in CS 211 but only a passing grade (D) in CS 261.
- You can check prerequisite grade requirements for CS courses utilizing the CS Flowchart , the CS Course Catalog, or by asking your assigned advisor.
- Reach out to your assigned advisor which you can find on iAdvise for support AS SOON AS POSSIBLE so they can help you understand your situation and explore your options for next steps.
When You Require a Third Attempt
- Once final grades are posted for each semester, the CS Department reviews each student’s performance.
- In order to continue in the CS program, students requiring a third attempt will need to complete a detailed CS Undergraduate Student Petition within strict deadlines. These deadlines will be relayed via iAdvise message to the students UIC email.
- Each semester, a strict deadline close to the start of the next semester will be set. If a student fails to submit this petition within that time frame, it will be assumed they do not intend to take the course for a third time and they will face the same consequences as those whose petitions were denied.
- If a student decides to take the next semester off or not take the class in the next semester, they are still required to submit the petition and have an approved petition on file to continue to stay in their current program.
- NOTE: It is critical that you submit this petition as soon as possible to allow sufficient time for petition review. If the petition is denied, you will need to make necessary course changes prior to the add/drop deadline.
- This petition will be your only attempt to request a third attempt and MUST include:
- The reason(s) for failing to successfully complete the course the first two attempts
- The steps that you have taken to resolve the above reason(s) in order to be successful in a third attempt
- We recommend having the UIC Writing Center review it or a friend proofread it prior to sending it to your advisor.
- If students have questions about the policy or their petition, they are highly encouraged to work directly with their assigned advisor.
Next Steps if Approved for Third Attempt
- Thoroughly review the message you received from the CS Director of Undergraduate Studies as a part of your approved petition. It explains that this third attempt will be your final opportunity to take this course and progress in your degree under the CS Umbrella. If unsuccessful in this third attempt, the department will send a recommendation to the College of Engineering (LAS for CS+LING majors) to drop you from your program, allowing you to remain at UIC but no longer as a CS, DS, CS+DES, or CS+LING major (note: CS+LING majors are housed in LAS).
- Ensure you are successfully registered in the next term for the course you petitioned for.
- If you are planning to take the course in a later semester or are taking a semester off, no changes should need to be made to your registration at this time. You should let your advisor know so they can receive a notification of this decision. In all cases, we highly recommend you complete the course ASAP.
- Make sure to put your best foot forward in this attempt to avoid being subject to the repeat policy. You can do this by:
- Attending your Instructor/TAs Office Hours for support
- Utilizing the Engineering Learning Center CS Tutoring Services
- Checking out other tutoring services (hyperlink “tutoring services” with tutoring.uic.edu) that may be offered across campus for CS.
- Reach out to your assigned advisor for support AS SOON AS POSSIBLE so they can help you understand your situation and explore your options for next steps.
Next Steps if Denied for Third Attempt
- Thoroughly review the message you received from the CS Director of Undergraduate Studies as a part of your denied petition. It explains:
- Your request for a third attempt has been denied, so will no longer be able to make progress in your current major associated with the CS department and will be recommended to the College of Engineering (LAS for CS+LING majors) to be dropped from your major by the end of that semester.
- Once dropped, you will be moved to an Undeclared major in your college if you have not successfully changed your major to another by that point.
- You must drop any CS courses you are registered for in the current semester, otherwise you will be dropped from them after the add/drop period with a ‘W’ (which will count towards your 4 total Ws allotted to you throughout your undergraduate career).
- Explore other options for your major by:
- Adjusting your current semester schedule to include courses that can count toward a different major or that allow you to explore other subjects.
- Watch this instructional video about Major Changes at UIC.
- Review the corresponding Intercollege Transfer (ICT) for the college that you are interested in pursuing a new major within for more information on admissions requirements, deadlines, and processes.
- Utilize UIC Career Services as well as the Engineering Career Center resources to explore alternative majors that align with your future career goals.
- Submit a “Change of Major form” if you wish to change your major to one within the College of Engineering (COE).
- Feel free to reach out to your College of Engineering advisor for more details about a major change within the COE.
- Continue to reach out to your assigned advisor for support with this process until you have been moved to a new major or Engineering Undeclared. At that point, please begin working with the new advisor assigned to you.