College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Northern Illinois University: Advising Handbook

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences: Advising Handbook

Residency Requirement

To insure that the recipients of baccalaureate degrees complete their substantive final degree requirements at Northern Illinois University, all candidates for degrees must earn their last thirty hours of credit in course work offered by NIU. Exceptions to this requirement will only be considered for substantial reasons by the dean or the dean's designee of the student's major college. To request a possible waiver of the residency requirement in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the student must initiate an inquiry in writing prior to enrolling at another institution. Exceptions to the final thirty-hour residency requirement will still require that at least 30 hours of credit be earned at Northern Illinois University after a minimum of 80 semester hours is earned.

Faculty Role
If the dean or the dean's designee approves a residency waiver, faculty members may be asked to evaluate a course for possible equivalency to a major requirement. If such a request is made, it is the student's responsibility to provide a course description from the catalog of the transfer institution; the faculty member may also require the student to provide a syllabus, text lists, and any other information needed to make a judgment of possible equivalency.

Student Role
Because an exception to the residency requirement is rarely granted, students need to provide reasons for their wanting to complete course work at another institution other than Northern. Students will be required to supply the number and title of the course, the specific college or university the student plans to attend, and the term of enrollment. In no case should a student presume approval; the student should plan, therefore, to complete final degree requirements at NIU.

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences: Advising Handbook

Residency Requirement

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