Academic Progress
MBA students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.75 or higher to continue in their studies. 
Students who have a cumulative GPA below 2.75 at the end of any semester of enrollment will be placed on academic probation (limited status). Once a student has been placed on probation, the student must raise the cumulative GPA to a 2.75 or above by the end of the next term of enrollment to avoid dismissal from the Graduate College and the Illinois MBA. Students are encouraged to seek assistance if they are having academic difficulty.

Advising
MBA Student Affairs advisers are available to provide guidance for all MBA students. In an effort to establish a rapport with incoming MBA students, they are required to meet with an MBA Student Affairs adviser each semester during their first year. These meetings are optional during the remainder of the program.  Please contact MBA Student Affairs at 217-244-6424 or MBAStudentAffairs@uiuc.edu to schedule an advising appointment.

Auditing Courses
Students wishing to audit a class must make the request using an Auditor’s Permit. An auditor is only a listener in the classes attended; he or she is not a participant in any part of the exercises and will not receive University credit for the course. Visit www.grad.uiuc.edu/gradhandbook/chapterII/section03.asp#topic3 for additional information.

Code of Conduct and Academic Integrity
We believe that honesty, integrity, and respect for people and property are the basis for an excellent academic community. Students are required to sign an acknowledgement that they understand they are required to read and adhere to the guidelines presented in the Illinois Student Code of Conduct.

Credit/No Credit
Courses that students wish to count toward their MBA degree may not be taken as Credit/No Credit.
Anything above and beyond the required minimum 72 MBA semester hours (60 semester hours for joint degree students) may be taken as Credit/No Credit.  Students must submit a Credit/No Credit form to MBA Student Affairs.  Visit http://www.grad.uiuc.edu/gradhandbook/chapterII/section03.asp#topic5 for additional information.

Degree Requirements
Students are required to complete a minimum of 72 MBA-approved credit hours in order to graduate.  In particular, students must complete 40 hours of credit during the first year, and at least 32 hours, 16 of which must meet a concentration requirement, during the second year.

• Grades/Minimum GPA/Grading Scale
  Graduate credit at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is measured using semester hours. Students must maintain a minimum cumulative graduate GPA of 2.75 in order to continue in the MBA program. Click here to view the grading scale.
• Concentration Requirement
  All students must satisfy a concentration requirement by completing at least 16 hours of approved courses within a designated area of study.  For a list of concentration options and corresponding courses, please click here.  Students may declare or change their designated concentration at any time by notifying Student Affairs at MBAStudentAffairs@illinois.edu.

Financial Aid
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is required to apply for financial aid.  All students are encouraged to apply for financial assistance as soon after January 1 as possible, and before the priority filing date of March 15.  Visit www.osfa.uiuc.edu for more information.

Graduate College Petitions
Students with special requests for exceptions to policy or procedure must submit a completed petition to the Graduate College to seek approval.  Examples of when students need to submit a petition include the following:  course overloads, curriculum change (joint degree students), and time extensions.  The petition decision is rendered by the Graduate College but the petition document should start with the MBA Student Affairs office.  Visit www.grad.uiuc.edu/admissions/petition_instruct.cfm for more information.

Graduation
Visit www.mba.uiuc.edu/m/curriculum/Program%20Requirements/ to review all degree requirements.  Any questions about the requirements should be directed to Student Affairs at MBAStudentAffairs@illinois.edu or 217-244-6424.

• Students will need to declare their intent to graduate in the campus registration system, Enterprise Self Service, when they register for their final semester of coursework.  Log on to Enterprise Self-Service at apps.uillinois.edu/selfservice and choose “Graduation Information.” 
• Joint Degree students must have both degrees conferred at the same time.  Since they may only declare intent to graduate for one department using Enterprise Self-Service, students must contact the other department directly to be placed on that department’s degree list.
• Convocation Ceremonies
  • December Convocation
    • The College of Business holds a ceremony for December graduates; however, there is not an additional individualized ceremony for Illinois MBA graduates.  December graduates are welcome to return to campus for the May ceremonies (MBA, College of Business and/or University-wide).  An accurate email address must be communicated to MBA Student Affairs in order to receive May Convocation information. 
  • May Convocation
    • Students may participate in the May Illinois MBA Convocation ceremony if they have graduated in the previous December or will graduate in May or August of the current year.  Students may also choose to participate in the College of Business and/or University-wide ceremonies.  Students who have declared their intent to graduate (see above) will receive information about the May ceremony and the MBA Tent Party. 
  • August Graduates
    • Students who will graduate in August may participate in the May ceremonies and will need to notify Illinois MBA Student Affairs that they wish to do so. 
  • Honors at Graduation
    Honors will be noted in the printed Convocation program.
    • Academic Excellence
      • Students graduating with a 3.85 or higher cumulative GPA in MBA coursework will be awarded Academic Excellence. 
    • Beta Gamma Sigma
    • Students graduating in the top 20% of their class will receive an invitation to join the business honor society.
  • View the Convocation information on the University-wide Web site: www.admin.uiuc.edu/commencement/
    • Answers to more questions may be found on the Office of Admissions and Records FAQ page: www.oar.uiuc.edu/current/faq/graduation.html
  • Hotel reservations for family/friends should be made early, as hotels usually are booked very early.  Visit the Champaign County Convention & Visitor’s Bureau Web site at  www.visitchampaigncounty.org/visitors for more information.

Illinois Business Consulting (IBC)
Illinois Business Consulting is a student-led, staff-supported consulting organization that provides students the opportunity to develop project management, leadership, business planning, market research, and financial analysis skills.  For more information visit www.ibc.uiuc.edu.

Independent Study
Independent Study allows a student to pursue a topic of his or her own area of interest or to pursue a course that may not be offered during a particular term.  Students must receive a letter grade if they want the course to count towards their MBA degree.  Independent study courses may be taken as part of the overload policy as long as all criteria are met.  The student must obtain written permission from the program prior to enrollment.  For more information, please contact MBA Student Affairs.

Late Add/Drop
Students choosing to add or drop a course after the official deadline must complete a Late Course Change form.  For a schedule of academic deadlines, visit www.oar.uiuc.edu/current/registration/deadlines.html.  The Late Course Change form can be found at http://www.oar.uiuc.edu/staff/pdf/records/Late_Crs_Change_v2.pdf.  Please submit this completed form to MBA Student Affairs.

Leave of Absence
A student who has a need to interrupt his or her graduate program should make arrangements with the MBA Program and adviser prior to departure. Because of SEVIS regulations, policies concerning leaves are different for international students than for domestic students. When you are ready to resume your studies after  more than one calendar year of non-registration, you must submit a Graduate Student Petition requesting re-entry. A student holding educational loans should consult the lender before choosing not to enroll for a fall or spring semester.

Limited Status
All entering MBA students begin in Limited Status designation.  After the first semester, students who have a GPA of 2.75 or higher at the end of the first semester will be upgraded to "full status." Should a student fail to meet the minimum acceptable academic performance during the first semester, s/he will be prohibited from further registration and may be subject to dismissal from the Illinois MBA and the University.

Overloads
The Graduate College allows all graduate students to take up to 20 semester hours of credit, but requires a petition, approved by the student’s program/department, for any credit hours in excess of 20.  First and second year MBA students must have earned a cumulative MBA grade point average (GPA) of 3.4 or higher at the end of the semester prior to the semester when the overload is desired.  Please click here for more information.

Practical Training for International Students
International students in F-1 status are not permitted to accept off-campus employment without special authorization.  F-1 students may be eligible to apply for Curricular Practical Training (CPT) to pursue a summer internship while enrolled as an MBA student, or Optional Practical Training (OPT) to engage in employment for up to 12 months after completing the MBA.  Before a student can be approved for CPT or OPT, s/he must meet certain eligibility requirements.  For more information about these requirements, please contact International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) at 217-333-1303 or visit www.ips.uiuc.edu/ISSS.

• CPT
  • Once a student has received an offer for an internship, the student must obtain a letter from his/her employer stating the job title, nature of the work to be performed, supervisor’s name, salary, beginning and ending dates of employment, and the number of hours of work per week.  The student should then contact MBA Student Affairs at MBAStudentAffairs@illinois.edu to request a Curricular Practical Training letter.  This letter must be submitted to ISSS. After the letter is reviewed and approved by an ISSS advisor, the student will be issued a new Form I-20; the student must have this new document in hand before beginning his/her employment.  Please visit www.ips.uiuc.edu/isss/pages/index.php?catID=2&pageID=36 for more information about CPT.
• OPT
  • OPT is employment authorization that permits a student to take a job that is both directly related to the student's field of study and commensurate with educational level.  A student does not need to have a job offer in order to apply for OPT.  To begin the OPT application process, the student must apply for a new Form I-20 from ISSS by submitting a completed OPT Certification Form from an MBA Student Affairs adviser.   The student is then required to meet with an ISSS adviser or attend an OPT workshop to submit the form and learn more about the OPT regulations and application process.  Students must apply for OPT before graduation.  For more information about OPT, please visit www.ips.uiuc.edu/isss/pages/index.php?catID=2&pageID=35).

Registration
Students will participate in early registration for spring and fall courses in November and April respectively using the Enterprise Self-Service online registration system.  Information regarding registration dates and process will be posted on Compass.  Students are advised to clear any holds from their accounts prior to the registration periods since holds will prohibit registration.

Study Abroad
Frequently, during winter break, the Illinois MBA offers a one week-long study abroad opportunity.  Previous destinations have included Warsaw, Poland; Mexico City, Mexico; and Sao Palo, Brazil.   Study abroad courses over winter break are graded as satisfactory/unsatisfactory and count as two semester hours toward the MBA degree.  Please note that this is an exception to the grade requirement for courses that count toward the MBA degree.  You may contact MBA Student Affairs at 244-6424 or MBAStudentAffairs@illinois.edu for information about other study abroad options.

Tuition
Tuition rates are based on the following:  college and curriculum, residency classification, and credit range.  Tuition and fee charges for fall and spring terms are billed in September and February respectively.  Visit www.oar.uiuc.edu/current/financial/tuition_details.html for more information.