Undergraduate Admission Requirements
General Requirements
The following general requirements for the bachelor's degree are minimum standards established by the university. Colleges and individual majors may determine additional, more specific requirements that will be incorporated into an approved student study plan.
To graduate with a bachelor's degree, an undergraduate student must meet the following minimum university degree requirements:
- Complete a minimum of 120 credit-hours.
- Satisfy the university writing and basic mathematics proficiency examination requirements.
- Complete a minimum of 45 upper-division credit- hours, which may include upper-division transfer credit.
- Satisfy the university general education requirements.
- Be in academic good standing with a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA.
- Satisfy the residency requirements.
- Demonstrate that all degree requirements, as defined in the approved
student study plan, have been met.
- Remove all grades of incomplete (I or E) by the graduation processing date.
- Meet all financial obligations to the university.
- Satisfy the university policy on technology outcomes for students.
- Complete the collegial and university procedures that cover implementation of the above requirements.
In addition to the requirements stated above, an undergraduate must:
- Apply to degree requirements no more than 12 credit-hours earned as an undeclared student.
- Apply to degree requirement no more than 12 credit-hours earned in the pass/no credit grading option.
- Apply to degree requirements no more than nine credit-hours earned in independent studies.
Transfer Credit for Undergraduate Students
The following requirements apply to courses being transferred from colleges and universities accredited by regional accrediting agencies. Students seeking to apply transfer credit from non-accredited institutions toward degree requirements must petition the dean of the college in which the major is offered. Transfer credits that are accepted toward degree requirements will be entered in the student study plan.
Transfer of Prior Credits
Credits earned in courses at other universities or earned as an undeclared student at Governors State University will be accepted in accordance with the following rules:
- Seventy-five semester-hours may be accepted upon review by the program faculty.
- Ordinarily only credits earned with a grade of "C" or better or "P" (pass) will be considered for transfer credit at the lower-division level. Credits with grades of "D" may be considered for transfer if the cumulative grade point average for transfer credit is at least 2.00 (on a 4.00 scale) or if the credit was accepted for the associate's degree.
- Only credits earned with a grade of "C" or better or "P" (pass) will be considered upper-division transfer credit or satisfactory completion of course prerequisite or corequisite.
- No more than 12 credit-hours earned as an undeclared student may be applied toward degree requirements.
- Only credits earned with a grade of "C" or better or "P" (pass) may be applied to meet university general education requirements.
- Transfer credits are applied toward specific degree requirements on a course-by-course basis by the academic advisor.
- Some individual degree programs have limited the time period within which transfer course credit must have been earned in order to be applied toward degree requirements.
Transfer credit should be reviewed before admission to Governors State University to avoid duplication of course work. The review of transfer credit must be completed no later than the end of the first trimester of enrollment as a degree-seeking student.
Transfer Credit Earned After Admission
Credits earned in courses taken at another institution, after admission to a degree program, will only be accepted if permission to apply such credit toward degree requirements was obtained from the student's academic advisor and the dean before taking course work at the other institution. Only courses with grades of "C" or better will be applied toward degree requirements.
University General Education Requirements
The general education requirement at Governors State University provides graduates with a broad foundation in the liberal arts and sciences. All undergraduate degree- seeking students are required to meet the university general education requirements before graduation.
Students may fulfill this requirement in any of four ways:
- Transfer to Governors State University having earned an A.A. or A,S or A.S.A. degree from a regionally- accredited Illinois community college. Please note: the Associate of Fine Arts (AFA), Associate of Engineering Sciences (AES), the proposed Associate of Physical Science (APS) and the Associate of Applied Sciences (AAS) do not meet this requirement.
- Complete the Illinois Articulation Initiative General Education Core Curriculum (GECC) and have it noted on their transcript.
- Complete an approved undergraduate teacher education program at Governors State University.
- Complete the following distribution requirements, with a grade of "C" or better in each course, either by presenting acceptable transfer courses or completing specific courses at Governors State University.
Communication: 3 courses (9 semester credits*), including two courses in writing (6
semester credits) and one course (3 semester credits) in oral communication
Mathematics: 1 to 2 courses (3 to 6 semester credits )
Physical and Life Sciences: 2 courses (7 to 8 semester credits) with one course selected from the life sciences and one course from the physical sciences, including at least one laboratory course
Humanities and Fine Arts: 3 courses (9 semester credits) with at least one course selected from humanities and at least one course from the fine arts
Social and Behavioral Sciences: 3 courses (9 semester credits) with courses selected from at least two disciplines
TOTAL:12 to 13 courses (37 to 41 semester credits)
Information on specific courses that may be applied to the general education course requirements may be obtained from the Admission Office or from academic advisors.
