College of Liberal Arts and Sciences: Advising Handbook

Catalog Choice

    A student must fulfill degree requirements under a specific catalog. The rules governing choice of catalog are outlined below:
  1. All students must conform to the general academic regulations of the most recent catalog; choice of catalog only pertains to the major, the minor and general education requirements.
  2. No student may graduate using a catalog more than five years old; exceptions to this restriction can only be approved by the student's major college.
  3. Students may choose to complete all requirements from one catalog or they may split catalogs, fulfilling major and minor requirements from one catalog and general education requirements from a second catalog.
  4. Freshmen should use the catalog current at the time of their first enrollment at NIU; they may, however, elect any later catalog which is in effect while they are enrolled.
  5. Transfer students may choose the NIU catalog in effect at the time of the original enrollment as freshmen at another institution or they may elect any later NIU catalog, provided they were enrolled during the catalog year of their choice. They may not, however, choose a Northern catalog that was in effect more than three years before their admission to NIU.
  6. Students who re-enter Northern after an absence of more than three years must use the catalog in effect at the time of their re-entry. Re-entering students who have attended other colleges or universities during their absence from NIU may select a catalog in effect up to three years prior to their term of re-entry, provided they were enrolled during the catalog year of their choice.
  7. Non-degree or visiting students who are later admitted to degree programs may use the catalog current at the time of their first NIU enrollment or any later catalog of a year in which they were enrolled, but, like transfer students, they may not elect a catalog that was in effect more than three years before their first enrollment at NIU.

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