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CG.04.03
December 8, 2003

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
URBANA-CHAMPAIGN SENATE

Conference on Conduct Governance

CG.04.03 Proposal to Amend Section 75 (A) of the Code of Policies and Regulations Applying to All Students; Separate Transcript Policy

Also: EP 04.09 (approved by Educational Policy, Oct 13, 2003)

Submitted By: Brett H. Pyrdek, Senator, College of Law
Supported By: Student Senate Caucus

BACKGROUND

It is the current practice of the Office of Admissions and Records not to provide separate transcripts for undergraduate and graduate, post-graduate or professional coursework. The basis behind this practice is the language found in Section 75 (A), Code of Policies and Regulations Applying to All Students.

For graduate and professional students at the University who attended Illinois for both undergraduate and graduate, professional, or post-graduate studies, the current practice sometimes forces such students to use an unnecessarily lengthy document which does not provide a great deal of clarity as to where undergraduate coursework ends and graduate coursework begins.

Behind a great number of transcript requests for graduate and professional students, for example to satisfy the requirements of a potential employer, the only pertinent coursework is the graduate level work. The current practice of not allowing separate transcripts disadvantages students who have studied here for multiple levels of coursework for two primary reasons.

First, the current practice creates the distinct possibility that third parties using these lengthy and confusing transcripts cannot always clearly distinguish between undergraduate and graduate level coursework. Second, the current practice disadvantages students who have attended Illinois for both undergraduate and graduate level studies compared to those who only attend Illinois for graduate level work, because under the current practice, undergraduate coursework will always be open for scrutiny for the former students regardless of whether that coursework is relevant, requested, or required.

RECOMMENDATIONS

For these reasons, it is proposed that the following language be inserted into Section 75 (A), Code of Policies and Regulations Applying to All Students :

"Upon request, however, separate transcripts shall be issued that include only the academic record for undergraduate programs or the academic record for graduate, veterinary medicine, or law programs. Any separate transcript shall be appropriately labeled."

CURRENT LANGUAGE of Section 75 (A), Code of Policies and Regulations Applying to All Students:

75. Availability of Transcripts A. Students who have paid their University fees and charges are entitled to receive, upon written request, a transcript of their academic records. Upon graduation, or withdrawal from the University, students with outstanding loans will not be issued a transcript until they have completed an exit interview with the Office of Business Affairs. Transcripts that are provided directly to students are marked "Issued to Student" to distinguish them from transcripts that are sent by the Office of Admissions and Records to other recipients. Each transcript includes a student's entire academic record to date and current academic status. Partial transcripts are not issued. The charge for an official transcript of $5 per copy. The charge for a written certification of enrollment or other data is $4 per copy. The charge for additional copies ordered at the same time and sent to the same address or picked up is $2 per copy.

PROPOSED CHANGE to Section 75 (A), Code of Policies and Regulations Applying to All Students (this also clears up a minor typo):

75. Availability of Transcripts A. Students who have paid their University fees and charges are entitled to receive, upon written request, a transcript of their academic records. Upon graduation, or withdrawal from the University, students with outstanding loans will not be issued a transcript until they have completed an exit interview with the Office of Business Affairs. Transcripts that are provided directly to students are marked "Issued to Student" to distinguish them from transcripts that are sent by the Office of Admissions and Records to other recipients. Each transcript includes a student's entire academic record to date and current academic status. Partial transcripts are not issued. Upon request, however, separate transcripts shall be issued that include only the academic record for undergraduate programs or the academic record for graduate, veterinary medicine, or law programs. Any separate transcript shall be appropriately labeled. The charge for an official transcript of [is] $5 per copy. The charge for a written certification of enrollment or other data is $4 per copy. The charge for additional copies ordered at the same time and sent to the same address or picked up is $2 per copy.