Policies & Procedures

Academic Policies & Procedures

Graduate-Level Coursework

Under normal circumstances undergraduate students should not be enrolled in graduate-level courses. If, however, the instructor, the department and the student agree that the course is appropriate given the student’s academic goals and interests and that s/he is qualified to take the course, the student may enroll. The student must accept full responsibility for fulfilling the course requirements and for the grade earned. All graduate-level courses taken as an undergraduate student apply to the College cumulative Grade Point Average.

Even if the student has successfully completed a graduate-level course, it will satisfy degree requirements for a bachelor’s degree only by special permission of the Dean. Approval for graduate-level courses to be applied toward the requirements for a bachelor’s degree is not guaranteed, but rather is granted on a case-by-case basis. To request such approval, the following procedure should be followed:

  1. The student obtains permission from the instructor of the course and the department to enroll in the graduate-level course;
  2. The student asks his/her academic advisor to submit an exception in the College database;
  3. The Dean reviews the  exception request and notifies the academic advisor of the decision;
  4. The academic advisor notifies the student of the decision.

In those cases in which undergraduates are permitted to count graduate-level coursework toward a bachelor’s degree, no more than 12 credit hours will be counted. Graduate courses taken while an undergraduate and counted toward the requirements of a bachelor’s degree may not count toward a graduate degree at Indiana University (and may also not count toward graduate degrees at other universities).

Note: The above policy does not apply to graduate credit earned by students participating in a College-sponsored accelerated five-year undergraduate/graduate degree program. 

Students in Accelerated Undergraduate/Graduate Degree Programs

Students who earn graduate credit through participation in a College-sponsored accelerated undergraduate/graduate degree program are not subject to the same limits on coursework taken at the graduate level as other students in the College. However, no graduate work beyond what is specified for the graduate portion of the degree may count toward any undergraduate portion of the degree, including the minimum of 90 credit hours required in the College of Arts and Sciences.

All courses taken at the graduate level through participation in an undergraduate/ graduate degree program will count toward the College Cumulative GPA.