Who is eligible for a UIC CTA U-PASS?

According to the agreement between the CTA and UIC, the UIC CTA U-PASS is available each semester only to undergraduate students, and graduate students from the Graduate College, College of Dentistry, College of Medicine, College of Pharmacy, School of Public Health, and Doctorate of Physical Therapy Program who are registered at UIC full time for that semester. Students from the Graduate College must be registered for at least 9 credit hours (5 credit hours in summer) to be considered full time.  All other students must be registered for at least 12 credit hours (6 in summer).   (Note:  Graduate students from the School of Public Health will need a minimum of 9 credit hours for fall and spring, and 5 credit hours for summer beginning in the Fall 2007 semester.)

Part-time students are NOT eligible nor are they assessed the fee.

Students in the Executive MBA program and other special programs that do not charge service fees are not eligible for the U-PASS program, nor are they assessed the fee.

Why do I have to be full-time to be eligible for a U-PASS?

The CTA requires that students must be full-time to participate in the program. Full-time status must be based on tuition and fees assessment. Students from the Graduate College are assessed full time tuition and fees if they have at least 9 credit hours (5 credit hours in summer).  All other students are assessed full time tuition and fees if they have 12 or more credit hours (6 in the summer).  Students who do not mee these requirements are not assessed full-time tuition and fees, and are not assessed the U-PASS Transportation fee. 

Am I eligible for a U-PASS if I am a full time student but not taking all of my credit hours at UIC?

No.  You must be a registered as a full-time student at UIC, which does not include any course work outside this university. There are no inter-university U-PASS programs.

I am a graduate student taking 8 credit hours and I have a 50% assistantship. The Graduate College considers me full-time. Why am I not eligible for a U-PASS?

UIC must provide the CTA with a list of full-time students who are eligible for this program. This is the official list provided by the Office of Registration and Records and reported to the Illinois Board of Higher Education. Beginning fall 2006, this list will include Graduate College students with 9 or more credit hours (5 or more credit hours in summer).

What if I pickup my U-PASS, but then drop a course and fall below full-time status?

After the add / drop period each semester, we send an updated list of eligible students to the CTA.

If you have fallen below full-time status during the add / drop period, your name will not be on this list, and CTA will deactivate your U-PASS. The U-PASS fee assessment will be credited to your account.

After the add / drop period each semester, there are no refunds given for tuition and fees, including the U-PASS fee. If you drop or withdraw from a course and fall below full-time status after the add / drop period, you will still be responsible for the U-PASS fee, and your U-PASS will NOT be deactivated.