University of Iowa

1. 1 Only 3 gen eds from one department

   In the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences: "With the exception of the World Languages requirement, students may not use more than three courses from any one department to complete the General Education CLAS Core requirements." Spread your GE CLAS Core courses across departments.

   CLAS Handbook — bachelor's degree requirements
2. 2 Credits past 56 in one department stop counting

   "Ordinarily, a maximum of 56 semester hours of credit from one academic department is accepted toward the minimum 120 semester hours needed for a Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of Science (BS) degree". "If you earn more than the maximum semester hours from one department, you will not receive credit toward graduation for those hours; the excess hours will, however, be used for all other purposes (GPA, registration, etc.)."

   CLAS Handbook — credit hours
3. 3 Your AP credit caps at 30 hours

   "A maximum of 30 semester hours of credit by examination from all approved sources is accepted toward the 120 semester hours required for graduation. A maximum of 15 semester hours of credit by examination may be awarded in the major; however, some departments may accept fewer hours of credit by examination." If you came in with a lot of AP or IB credit, count what actually applies before you plan an early graduation.

   CLAS Handbook — credit hours
4. 4 Your honors GPA locks before senior spring

   Graduation with distinction: "The criteria is based solely on a static GPA." The GPAs used are the ones "prior to the beginning of the final semester or session." Grades from your last semester cannot lift you into distinction, so aim high earlier.

   UI Catalog — grading
5. 5 Record the lecture — Gus makes the notes, flashcards and quiz

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One more thing