Policies & Procedures

Students who are not enrolled at least once during three consecutive quarters, prior to the end of the third week of the third quarter, are subject to being discontinued from their programs. Students who are discontinued but who want to return at a later date must apply for readmission. Note:  Because SCPS' competency-based BA programs (Individualized Focus Area, Computing, General Business, and Early Childhood Education) are being retired, students in those programs who do not maintain active status cannot be readmitted to the competency BA programs. Instead, those students can be considered for readmission to one of the other continuing BA programs (Business Administration (BAPS), Computing (BAPS), Applied Behavioral Sciences, Decision Analytics, and Leadership Studies). Students in the competency BA programs who maintain active status will have through Spring 2023 to complete their degree requirements and graduate. For more information, see the FAQ for this update to our programs. To maintain Active Status, consider the following enrollment options:

• Register for a class
• Be registered for a Proficiency Exam fee
• Be registered for an Independent Learning Pursuit fee
• Be registered (by permission-only) for Active Status Continuation

Active Status Continuation (LL 050) is a 0-credit, ungraded enrollment available to students who are working on independent projects that will be submitted in fulfillment of degree requirements but otherwise will not be enrolled and would be subject to discontinuation. To request registration in LL 050, students should first discuss their plans with their faculty mentor, whose approval is required, and then submit a registration request using the Registration Form. All LL 050 registration requests are subject to Associate Dean permission.

To officially change your college, major, minor and/or concentration use the Declarations and Inter-College Transfer Tool. To use the tool you must be a current, degree-seeking student and not currently applied for degree conferral/graduation.

How to Use the Online Declaration Tool Guide

See the Undergraduate student Handbook

Because of federal regulations regarding financial aid, DePaul is unable to drop a student with credit from a class after the posted deadline dates regardless of financial arrangements or status. SCPS students who need to withdraw from courses must consult the Academic Calendar for deadlines. Additionally, students who withdraw from 11-week late-starting classes within the first two weeks after class has started should contact SCPSregistration@depaul.edu, and students who withdraw from five-week classes within the first week after class has started should contact SCPSregistration@depaul.edu.

The Exceptions Committee is a college-based committee mandated by DePaul’s Faculty Council. It considers requests on a case-by-case basis when events beyond the control of the student make an exception necessary out of fairness. Requests for exceptions must be sent  to scpsexceptions@depaul.edu In each instance, the decision of the committee is final. If approved, a student can receive only one exception during matriculation at SCPS. This committee does not duplicate the work of the Grade Appeals Committee.

Students who seek to challenge a grade or have questions about the grade challenge process should review the policy and contact SCPS' Office of the Dean at SCPSDeansOffice@depaul.edu.

Grade challenges can be initiated through this form.

Grades are submitted online by faculty through Campus Connect and are available to students online after posting. In general, grades are due one week after the 11th week of the quarter. According to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (Buckley Amendment), SCPS cannot report grades over the phone or email. Grades below C- in SCPS and transfer courses do not satisfy competence and are not counted toward graduation. R grades can be submitted only for LL 250, LL 300, LL 390, FA 303, Guided Independent Studies and SCPS Study Abroad courses.

Grades are not changed because of a reassessment of course work, the submission of extra work or by the retaking of an examination. In very rare cases, an instructor may request to make a change of grade, but it requires approval by the SCPS Exceptions Committee (see Exceptions above).

The SCPS Exceptions Committee will entertain grade change requests from instructors but only where either the student or the instructor has made a compelling case with adequate written supporting documentation that a grade change is warranted for equitable considerations. The mere fact that a student's IN or R grade has reverted to an F is not, in and of itself, sufficient grounds to warrant such an exception.

If a grade change is deemed appropriate by the Exceptions Committee or through an incomplete contract, faculty enter the grade change directly in Campus Connect. Assessment forms must be submitted to scpscourseassessment@depaul.edu.

The university has created specific procedures for filing a grade challenge. See Undergraduate Student Handbook for more information. Typically, a situation involving a grade challenge is considered only if it meets at least one of the following criteria: (1) the methods or criteria for evaluating academic performance, made explicit in advance, were not applied or were applied unfairly in determining the grade; and/or, (2) the grade was determined or influenced by criteria other than those outlined in the syllabus or program materials or by criteria not relevant to academic performance.”

When a SCPS competency is repeated, a GPA recalculation is automatically triggered after grades have been posted at the end of the quarter. Courses must be completed with a letter grade that is not  W, IN or R.

Most undergraduate courses at SCPS are graded on the A/F grading scale unless otherwise specified.  Students can request to take courses from any university department on a pass/fail (P/F) grading basis by contacting their academic advisor for approval.

The following university guidelines apply to SCPS students as found in the Grades, Pass/Fail entry in the university student handbook to qualify for the P/F option. For more information about how P/F grades are recorded and implications for student records, please see the student handbook explanation.

• Sophomore Standing (at least 44 quarter hours)
• A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher
• One P/F course can be taken per quarter
• Only one course can be taken P/F from any department
• A maximum of 20 credit hours can be taken as P/F
• Courses in the major/minor or certificates are not eligible for P/F option

A grade of pass in SCPS courses represents the university standard of D or better. Pass grades recorded for Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) credits are excluded from the maximum 20 credit hour limit on P/F grades. LL 261: Essay Writing requires needs C- or better and does not qualify to be taken P/F.  SCPS courses considered to be in the major include those in the  Professional Studies Core, the Major Core and the Major Electives whether taken through SCPS or from other colleges.

Courses taken for P/F grades using the D or better standard can be applied to any competence program requirement including Focus Area requirements but excluding course requirements from non-SCPS colleges in competence based joint degree programs. Courses taken in  competence programs for Lifelong Learning requirements do not count toward the 20 credit hour P/F limit.

Students are subject to all regulations and policies as published in the DePaul University Bulletins and Student Handbook, and the SCPS Student Handbook.

See Current Tuition.
Assessment Fee for Prior Learning Assessment: $300 - note PLAs carry no tuition credit and do not count for half-time status.  
Financial aid disbursements require students to be registered at least half-time per quarter (6 undergraduate credit hours).