In our ongoing efforts to streamline the student transfer experience, we’re sharing information related to the process of course transfer. Two ways that you can help improve the student transfer experience are by:

• Increasing the number of course-to-course articulations that count towards specific student degree requirements instead of having transfer credits accepted as electives only, and 
• Renumbering UIS upper-division courses that are taught at the lower-division level at most other colleges/universities as lower-division.

Course Articulation Requests

Please use the Course Articulation Request Form (https://www.uis.edu/registrar/registrar-faculty-resources - “Course Articulation Request Form”) to formally articulate or change the current articulation for a transfer course. If you have questions or need assistance with the course articulation process, please email registrar@uis.edu, and the appropriate staff member will assist. Articulation requests will be reviewed for proper approvals, and all applicable changes will be subsequently made with an effective term of the appropriate fall semester (as all articulation changes are effective by academic year). The required approvals are as follows:

• General Education Courses:
  • Associate Vice Chancellor for Undergraduate Education

• Major/Elective Courses:
  • School/Department Chair

• College Core/Non-General Education Foundation Courses:
  • Dean (Currently, only CBM has college-wide courses)

Course Numbering

As Chancellor Gooch referenced in her email in August, we also need to look at course numbering, especially related to the historical course numbering approach from our Sangamon State University history. Courses with legacy upper-division numbers (300-400 level) that are equivalent to lower-division (100-200 level) courses at other universities need to be re-evaluated and updated accordingly. Additionally, courses with “Introduction” in the title need to be re-evaluated to determine if they are numbered correctly, as generally these should be lower-division courses. Improving our numbering system will not only help bring us in compliance with all Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI) major course requirements, but it will also eliminate the need for student petitions that create another barrier for incoming transfer students. Articulating and renumbering courses will also better align the institution with expectations across the state and will make a positive difference in the student transfer experience.

Course Articulation Process

Course articulation is the process by which one institution matches its courses or requirements to coursework completed at another institution. Here at UIS, when an applicant applies as a degree-seeking, undergraduate student and submits official transcript(s) from an accredited institution, the undergraduate, credit-bearing courses, hours, and grades are added to the applicant’s student record by an Admissions Processing evaluator. The evaluator then runs the applicant’s transfer degree audit to verify the GPA and determine if the courses are in our Degree Audit System. Those that have not been articulated will appear on the audit as “unknown.” Course articulation staff in Records and Registration review and articulate these “unknown” courses. Then, each course is built into the Degree Audit System accordingly. If an evaluator determines that a course is a lower-division English elective, it will appear on the degree audit as ENG 100. If it is determined to be a lower-division general elective, it will appear as ELE 100. Evaluators build articulations at the upper-division level as either departmental or general electives (no equivalents). If it is an upper-division English elective, it will appear as ENG 300, and an upper-division general elective will appear as ELE 300.

Thank you for your assistance. Please direct any questions to the Office of Records and Registration (217-206-6174 or registrar@uis.edu). 

Lea Smith
Director of Records and Registration/Registrar

Tena Helton
Interim Associate Vice Chancellor for Undergraduate Education

Rhyann Morris
Director of Admissions Processing