1. courses taken to satisfy a general education requirement
2. courses taken to satisfy the foreign language requirement for the B.A. degree
3. courses required for the major department as well as any course offered by the major department
4. courses required for the minor program, both from within the minor department and outside the minor department
5. professional education courses required for certification
6. courses involving extensive use of student teams in the instructional process (these courses will contain the restriction in the course description)
7. courses taken to fulfill the special college requirement for the B.S. degree (see section above)

Pass/Fail Grading
Northern offers a pass/fail (P/F) option to encourage students to explore areas of academic work that they might otherwise not undertake because of concern about affecting their grade point average in courses far afield from their academic strengths. To elect courses on a pass/fail basis, students indicate their intention in TRACS; they also may notify the Office of Registration and Records no later than the end of the third week of the semester. If the student wishes, the student may change to a regular grading option any time up until the end of the sixth week of the semester by notifying Registration and Records. Instructors are not informed regarding which students have elected the P/F option for their course. If the student earns a grade of D or higher, that grade will be recorded as a Pass; if the student earns an F, the grade is the same as an F under the regular grading option. Students may not take more than one course on a pass/fail basis in any one semester; no more than twelve hours of credit earned on a pass/fail basis may be applied toward the minimum 120 required for the baccalaureate degree. Students may not take any course on a pass/fail basis that fits any of the categories noted as requiring regular grading above. In addition, students should be aware that some graduate or other professional schools require a student to report all grades earned in pass/fail courses to be considered for admission. If the student must comply with this admission requirement, grades in all P/F courses must be reported.

Faculty Role
Faculty are not informed which students are taking a course on a pass/fail basis. Faculty who teach courses that do not allow pass/fail registrants should highlight that restriction on the syllabus for the course. Advisors should counsel students about using pass/fail wisely; if a student elects the pass/fail basis in a course closely related to but not required by the major, the student should be cautioned that that choice may seem to future employers and/or graduate schools an avoidance of rigor. Occasionally, Students taking a course pass/fail will ask the instructor if they have earned a 'D' (P) with out completing the extant requirements of the course; clarity on grading standards at this juncture is crucial for both faculty and student.

Student Role
Students should elect pass/fail courses carefully. Ideally this credit option allows the humanities major to explore a physics course without concern about affecting his/or her grade point average.

Faculty Role
If a student is auditing a course, the audit is noted on the class list. At the point of the student's registration, the faculty member should clarify in writing the expectations of what constitutes a successful audit. Some faculty require attendance for auditors; others expect attendance and participation, and it is not inappropriate to expect the auditor to read material for the course and do some of the required work.

Student Role
It is usually wise for students to explain to faculty members their reasons for wishing to audit the course when asking permission. Perhaps the student needs to refresh his or her knowledge in a course prior to taking another course on which the audited course depends. Students should remember that an audit requires the faculty member's permission; students should clarify their roles in any audited course at the beginning of the term or prior to the beginning of the semester.

Credit Minima-40 Upper-level Hours
The minimum number of hours needed to fulfill key components of the baccalaureate degree (general education, the major, the B.A. requirement, the B.S. requirement) have been outlined above. To take a baccalaureate degree, a student must also have a minimum of forty hours of upper-level (300-400 level) course work. For some departments, the 40-hour requirement is fulfilled within the major and/or extra-departmental major requirements. In other departments, however, students who fulfill the minimum requirements within the major will need to elect additional upper-level course work to fulfill the 40-hour minimum.

Incomplete Grades At the discretion of the instructor, a grade of I (Incomplete) may be assigned when illness, a death in the family, or other unusual and unforeseeable circumstances not encountered by other students in the class prevent completion of the course requirements by the end of the semester. Such a grade may only be assigned, even under these circumstances, if it is possible that the completion of the extant work could result in a passing grade. To assign an incomplete, the instructor of the course must file, at the time of recording the grade of I on the grade roll, a written statement that clarifies the remaining work that must be addressed to clear the incomplete; such a report must be filed with the chair of the course department. If a student earns an incomplete, he or she may request a copy of that statement regarding the incomplete from the instructor or from the department chair. The faculty member has the right to assign an early date for the completion of all extant requirements. If no earlier date is assigned, a student must clear an incomplete from the fall semester no later than the end of the tenth week of the spring semester if the student is enrolled for that term. If the I is assigned in the Spring semester, that grade must be cleared no later than the tenth week of the Fall term if the student is enrolled at NIU. In no case may the incomplete stand for more than a year. If the incomplete is not addressed within the appropriate time limits, the grade will automatically become a F.

Faculty Role
To determine if an incomplete grade is appropriate, the faculty member should evaluate the student's special circumstances to see if the situation warrants an extension of time to that student beyond the limits of the course. The faculty member should also calculate the possibility of the students earning a passing grade. Faculty may also wish to consider whether the nature of the course is one that would lend itself to the sort of independent, individual approach a student might need to use to complete the extant work. In recording the Incomplete, the faculty member should indicate what work must be completed and the percentage that that work reflects of the total grade for the course.

Student Role
If there is an illness or a death in the family or some major unforeseen circumstances that make it impossible for the student to complete a course, the student should talk with the professor to see if he or she would be willing to assign an incomplete. Such a grade is solely up to the discretion of the individual faculty member, who may determine that the circumstances do not warrant greater latitude than other students in the course or that the course requirements cannot be completed after the term is over. If a student is assigned an incomplete, the student should be certain of the expectations of the faculty member regarding the date of submission of extant work and the specific nature of the work to be completed.

1. a student takes the same course (virtually identical course titles and course descriptions) at two institutions
2. a student takes a course at Northern and then retakes that same course also at NIU

Repeated Courses in Transfer
In calculating the grade point average of a transfer student applying for admission to Northern Illinois University, the credit evaluator will use only the second attempt in those instances where the student retakes a course in which the grade originally earned was a grade of D or F. If the student has taken the same course (virtually identical title and course description) at two different institutions, the credit from the first course only will be counted towards the total hours transferable to NIU. If the student elects to repeat at Northern a course for which he or she has already received transfer credit, the student will forfeit any credit earned for the equivalent course in transfer.

Repeating Courses at Northern Illinois University
This policy pertains only to courses originally taken at and then repeated at NIU. Although students should be aware that some limited admission programs, professional schools, and/or graduate schools will have differing policies on this issue, the NIU cumulative grade point average will be calculated according to the policy quoted verbatim below: A student may repeat any course in which a grade of D or F was received. If this repeat commences within a 13-month period from the end of the semester in which the course was first taken, the GPA of the student will include only the grade for the second enrollment. For any repeat of a course for which a student has received an F that does not commence within a 13-month period, the GPA will include both enrollments. For any repeat of a course for which a student has received a D that does not commence within a 13-month period, the GPA will not include the second grade and additional credit will not be awarded. In all cases, the permanent record of a student repeating a course will report each enrollment in the course. (NOTE: A course withdrawal does not count as a repeat.) A student may not repeat a course taken at Northern Illinois University in which a grade of C or better was earned, unless the contrary is stated in the catalog description of the course. If a student has not earned a grade of C or better in two enrollments and wishes to enroll in the course again, he or she must gain approval of the department in which the course is offered and secure permission of the advising office of his or her college prior to the third enrollment. In no case may it be assumed that third enrollments will be granted or that repeat benefits will be awarded. If a third enrollment is approved, the GPA will include only the second and third enrollments, except in the event that the first or second enrollment yields a grade of D.Then the record will show all enrollments; however, credit will not be granted nor will the GPA contain any grades earned after the D. Exceptions to these GPA calculation guidelines an third enrollments may be granted only by the student's major college off ice based on individual circumstances. All students repeating courses under the provisions outlined above must so indicate on the appropriate registration form or notify the Off ice of Registration and Records by the end of the sixth week of each term (third week for summer session).

Faculty Role
Faculty may wish to advise students who earn grades of D or F in their courses regarding the viability of repeating the course. If the course is specifically required for the student's degree program (ENGL 103, for example) and the student has earned an F, a repeat will be essential for the student to earn the degree. The faculty member might, however, want to advise the student as to whether the repeat would be successful if undertaken immediately or if there is background preparation that should be addressed prior to retaking the course. In a sequenced course such as MATH 229, for example, a student who earns a D may be better served by taking MATH 155 prior to a repeat of the MATH 229. Faculty advisors should be particularly cognizant of the uses of the repeat policy in addressing major requirements. If a student does not have compensatory grades of B or A in major courses, repeats of D's may be advisable.

Student Role
Students should be certain they understand the repeat policy; if they have questions regarding the logistics of the policy, they should meet with a member of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences advising office staff. In electing to repeat a course, the Student should be clear about what led to the originally less-than-satisfactory performance so that the outcome of the second enrollment will be more likely to be successful. In some instances, where the course is a free elective, for example, the student may choose not to repeat the course but to elect one better suited to his or her abilities. Approval of third enrollments is rare and never automatic. If a student is repeating a course, the student must take advantage of what may be his or her last opportunity to complete the course successfully.