Some rules on registration vary across the University's different colleges. Policies are in place to cover situations when students in one college take courses that are offered by another college.

For matters that involve transactions in the context of the student's participation in a particular course (adding, dropping, grading and so on) the rules of the college providing the administrative home for the course will govern.  To determine where the administrative home/department is, browse for any course in MyUI. Click on the course number for more information. Administrative home and department contact information will display at the top of the page. Additional administrative information can be found at the bottom of the course listing.

For matters that involve how a course applies (or not) to a student's academic standing and degree requirements, the rules of the college in which the student is admitted will govern.

A course is considered cross-referenced if it is offered under more than one academic department. A cross-referenced course will have different course numbers, however one academic department will serve as the administrative home.  All of the information contained in a cross-referenced course will be the same (semester hours, meeting times and days, instructors, descriptions, etc).

Departments may establish prerequisite courses or conditions that must be met before enrollment in a course. A prerequisite may specify course work, a specific grade in a course, or scores on a placement exam. Departments are responsible for having all prerequisites accurately listed on MyUI. Departments may, at their discretion, administratively drop from the course students who enroll in a course for which they do not have required prerequisites that were correctly identified on MyUI. These drops must take place during the first eight calendar days of the semester, the first two calendar days of the three-week summer session, or first four days of the six- or eight-week summer session. These drop actions are made without the assignment of a W (see Registration below).

Maximum course loads vary by session and are as follows: 

 
Students admitted to University College who are in good academic standing may request permission from University College Academic Standards Committee to register for more hours than the maximum allowed. 

Requests should be emailed from your University of Iowa email address to: uc-asc@uiowa.edu. In the email, include your University ID number, number of hours you are requesting, and the course(s) you wish to add. 

Permission to take excess hours is not guaranteed. 

Students on academic probation will not be given permission for excess hours. 

Students with marks of Incomplete (I) will not be given permission for excess hours. 

Criteria for Granting Excess Hours  
University College Academic Standards Committee may approve excess semester hours based on the following UI and overall cumulative grade point average guidelines; however, approval for excess hours is not guaranteed. If you perform poorly or drop any of your courses, then permission for excess hours may not be granted in a future semester. 

FALL/SPRING 
The maximum permitted registration is 18 semester hours. Students wishing to register for more than 18 semester hours must have special permission. 

Unless you will become eligible to graduate in the semester for which you're requesting to exceed the 18 semester hour maximum, you must wait until current session grades post in MyUI to request excess hours. 

If you will become eligible to graduate at the close of the summer session by adding additional hours to a spring semester you can submit your request before fall grades post in MyUI. 

NOTE: If adding a course requires instructor permission you must have proof of instructor and advisor permission for your excess hours request to be considered. 

Permission for 19 hours (fall or spring) requires: 

• 2.00 minimum UI cumulative and overall cumulative GPAs (academic good standing) 
• Evidence of previous substantial (15+ graded hours) and successful semesters (2.00 or higher UI Term GPA) at the University of Iowa 

Permission for 20 hours (fall or spring) requires: 

• 2.50 minimum UI cumulative and overall cumulative GPAs 
• Evidence of previous substantial (15+ graded hours) and successful semesters (2.00 or higher UI Term GPA) at the University of Iowa 

Permission for 21 hours (fall or spring) requires: 

• 3.00 minimum UI cumulative and overall cumulative GPAs 
• Evidence of previous substantial (15+ graded hours) and successful semesters (2.00 or higher UI Term GPA) at the University of Iowa 

Students may petition for permission to take 22 semester hours or more, but such permission is granted rarely and only in very special circumstances. 

Students on academic probation will not be given permission for excess hours. 

Students with marks of Incomplete (I) will not be given permission for excess hours. 

If evidence of previous substantial (15+ hours) and successful semesters (2.00 or higher UI Term GPA) is a combination of graded and ungraded hours permission is at the discretion of the University College Academic Standards Committee. 

SUMMER 
The maximum permitted registration is 12 semester hours. Permission for excess hours is granted only in extraordinary circumstances, not to exceed a total of 15 semester hours. 

Permission for excessive hours (summer) requires: 

• 2.50 minimum UI cumulative and overall cumulative GPAs 
• Evidence of previous substantial (15+ graded hours) and successful semesters (2.00 or higher UI Term GPA) at the University of Iowa 
  • If evidence of previous substantial (15+ hours) and successful semesters (2.00 or higher UI Term GPA) is a combination of graded and ungraded hours permission is at the discretion of the University College Academic Standards Committee. 

WINTER 
The maximum permitted registration is 3 semester hours. Excessive hours are not granted during the Winter session. 

Undergraduates may enroll in graduate-level courses (numbered 5000 and above) only with the permission of the instructor and after completion of any prerequisites. There are no restrictions on the number of graduate-level credit hours taken by undergraduates.

Graduate courses offered and taken by an undergraduate are counted as undergraduate credit for the degree and are applied to the hours of residence requirement.

Students should be aware that graduate credit earned as an undergraduate cannot be used as credit toward a graduate degree. Academic policies for undergraduate students apply to graduate courses taken by undergraduates.