Course Information
Course Numbering System
Courses numbered 100 to 199 are first-year or freshman-level courses. Courses numbered 200 to 299 are second-year or sophomore-level courses. Courses numbered below 100 are preparatory, general studies or refresher courses and do not count toward graduation requirements. Credit may not be earned beyond the number of hours indicated.
Course Credit/Course Units
Credit is awarded as course credits/course units. The number of course credits/course units earned for completion of each course is indicated with the course description in the catalog and also in the class schedule.
To ensure that the units earned are applicable to a specific degree or certificate program, check with a counselor. In addition, colleges and universities have individual policies for the acceptance of course credit/course units. Check with transfer institutions and/or counselors to ensure the transferability of units.
Auditing Course
View full information about auditing courses.
Course Load
A student who is registered for 12 or more units (semester hours) during the fall and spring semesters or 6 or more units (semester hours) during the summer is considered a full-time student. Enrollment requirements for financial aid purposes may be different. The normal full-time course load is 15 to 18 units (semester hours). Registration for more than 18 semester hours during fall and spring semesters and 9 semester hours during the summer must be approved by a counselor. Students with a grade-point average of 3.0 (B) or better generally are considered for such approval.
The Veterans Administration and some other funding agencies designate minimum unit (course) loads for qualification purposes.
Dropping Courses
It is the student's responsibility to withdraw from classes when not in attendance. Failure to properly withdraw could result in a failing grade. Please note: Instructors can assign a W (Withdrawn) or WF (Withdrawn Failing) grade before the published last date to withdraw from a class.
Students may drop a course by notifying the Enrollment Services Office; 2500 Carlyle Avenue; Belleville, Illinois 62220 in writing or by completing an official Drop/Add Section Change form. Forms are available at any enrollment location or the Counseling Center.
Students wishing to withdraw must submit notification to Enrollment Services no later than two weeks prior to the last date of class for 16-week classes or the Friday before the last week of class for reduced length classes. A grade of W will be recorded for withdrawals.
Repeating Courses
Courses may be repeated in an attempt to improve a grade. When a course is repeated, only the most recent grade is averaged into a student's grade point average at Southwestern Illinois College. However, all attempts will remain part of a student's permanent academic record at Southwestern. It is important to note that each school a student may wish to transfer to may have its own policy on the way that repeated courses are calculated into a grade point average. Check with those transfer institutions prior to admission in order to determine calculation rules.
It is important to note that some classes have been identified by Southwestern and approved by the Illinois Community College Board as "repeatable" classes. In this case, the class would be factored into a student's grade point average each time it is repeated. As stated in the previous paragraph, it is important to check with transfer institutions prior to admission in order to determine calculation rules.