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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Can class attendance affect my status at UIS?
Class attendance policies are set by faculty at the college, departmental or individual level and if deemed integral to the pedagogic process of the course, could affect your status at UIS.

In some cases, attendance is fundamental to course objectives; for example, students may be required to interact with others in the class, to demonstrate the ability to think and argue critically, or to participate in group projects. In other instances, faculty may determine that students can master course content despite some or many absences. 

Faculty may determine policies regarding make-up work, missed quizzes and exams. Faculty are not required to lower or effect substantial modifications of standards for accommodation purposes.

Are there polices for granting priority registration?
UIS does have an internal policy on early registration for students with a disability. Students with disabilities may be granted permission to register early, before their regularly assigned registration time, if they meet any one of the following criteria:

• They have a disability that would require the class(es) to be relocated if they are scheduled into inaccessible spaces. This is the preference for the Office of Physical Planning and Operations, to provide the maximum time possible to rearrange class spaces.

• They have a disability that requires an accommodation that takes an extensive amount of time to prepare - such as books on tape or the hiring of sign language interpreters. Note: early registration in this case may be granted for Fall registration and not for Spring registration, depending on the time needed to provide the accommodation. 

• They have a disability that requires their course schedule to be carefully planned with regard to the time of day that they take courses. For example, a student who needs an hour to rest between classes or only early morning classes due to a medical condition or disability. 

• They have a disability that requires early registration for a reason not listed, as deemed appropriate by the Director of ODS.

• Requires pre-arranged support services, such as e-text, pre-recorded audio, large print, Braille materials, readers or interpreters that are necessary for accommodation. 

• Imposes geographical constraints due to mobility speed and/or endurance.

• Imposes physical or cognitive restrictions due to fatigue, medication side-effects, or sustained concentration verified by the physician or medical reports.

• Necessitates preferential seating, selection of professors with certain speech patterns or teaching styles due to communication/learning issues as verified by the Director for Services to Individuals with Disabilities on a semester by semester basis.

• Requires extensive therapy or other medical treatment/intervention that impacts scheduling flexibility significantly (such as chemotherapy, renal dialysis, etc.).

All priority registration requests are reviewed and approved by the Director of ODS. Eligibility for priority registration will be periodically re-evaluated, and prior approval does not constitute automatic entitlement for on-going eligibility.

Consideration of graduation time limitation, financial need, sponsorship by programs such as Workmen's Compensation, Office of Rehabilitation, Veterans Benefits, private insurance, etc. are not justification for priority registration.

Priority Registration
Students registered for services with ODS may be eligible to register for classes during the first days of registration. This affords students a greater opportunity to arrange a preferred academic schedule, and/or to change an advance enrollment schedule before courses close, in order to accommodate specific disability-related concerns.

Students may priority register in the Office of Records and Registration, UHB 1076 or call (217)-206-6174 or toll-free 1-800-252-8533. 

Can I be eligible for Financial Aid with a reduced courseload?
Students with documented disabilities may enroll in less than full-time courseload as an academic adjustment to accommodate their disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the regulations accompanying Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Students are encouraged to discuss full-time courseload requirements with an academic advisor for their respective program. A financial aid counselor can determine how their aid will be affected by a reduced courseload.

Students should be aware that Federal Law requires the Federal Pell Grant funds be prorated based on the number of credits taken, and that the student financial aid budget will also be reduced accordingly. In addition, under the Federal Stafford Loan Program, or to have a previous loan deferred, the student must take at least six credits.

Students, whose disabilities warrant the adjustment of carrying less than a full-time load per semester, can be determined eligible for student financial aid. In such a case, these procedures must be followed:

• Students must provide appropriate documentation regarding their disability that substantially limits one or more major life functions to the Director for the Office of Disability Services.

• If a student is registered at the beginning of a semester for less than full-time credit load as an accommodation for a disability, this must be verified by the Director for the Office of Disability Services. Students must contact the Director for the ODS for this verification NO LATER THAN the last day of the University's ADD/DROP period.

• If a student is registered at the beginning of a semester for a full-time courseload, to accommodate his/her disability, the student can withdraw from a course within the approved drop period for the respective program and according to the procedures for dropping a course. He/she must discuss this with the Director for the Office of Disability Services NO LATER THAN the last day of the drop period for classes.

The Director for the Office of Disability Services will notify the Director of Financial Aid each semester regarding students with disabilities carrying fewer than a full-time courseload who are eligible for Financial Aid consideration under these procedures.

‡Students should be aware that, as always, eligibility for Financial Aid depends upon continued satisfactory academic progress.