Welcome to the group of Graduate Contacts at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. If you are new to the position, it may seem daunting, but there many resources available for you to use and learn from. The duties of Graduate Contacts are as varied as the departments they serve, so many resources are available, but you might not need them all.
What immediately follow are the steps you need to take to get started if you are a new contact, or if you missed these steps when you began in your position. When you first accept your position, try to see if training from the former graduate contact is available, and if it’s possible, take advantage of it! And always remember that the staff of the Graduate College can always help you. Call the front desk at 333-0035 with your questions, and they will be able to answer them or direct you to someone who can.
Getting Started
- The first thing to do is to let the Graduate College know you are new in your role. The unit does this by updating their Authorized Signatories in the GC Roles and Access Manager.
- Banner is the university’s database, and contains all the student information, HR information and financial records information for the University. If you have any roles in student records, human resources, or business/accounting, you will need access to Banner. Access is requested by your Unit Security Contact to the needed Enterprise Applications. Ideally your Unit Security Contact will be able to set you up with the same access as the previous Graduate Contact.
- In addition to Banner, your Unit Security Contact can also request access to Eddie and MobiusView for you. Eddie and MobiusView allow you to access standard reports about student and catalog/schedule data.
If you will be viewing any student records, you are required to complete Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) training.
- If graduate admissions are part of your role, you will need to contact the Admissions and Enrollment unit, 244-4637 to enroll for training and be given access to the Slate application system.
- If graduate petitions are part of your role, contact Academic Affairs at the Graduate College at 333-2364. These permissions are part of the Graduate Contact role, but you will have to be added to the Petition Portal user group for your department.
- If certification of graduate degree requirements is part of your role, you will need to sign up for training and access to the Graduation Certification Process (GCP) database with Academic Affairs at the Graduate College, 333-2364.
Contact the Graduate College with questions at grad@illinois.edu or 333-0035.
Departmental Degree Certifier: The individual responsible for verification that program degree requirements for graduation have been met by all students graduating from a unit’s programs. Persons new to this role will be contacted for required training before access to the system is granted.
A Departmental Degree Certifier is named by the Executive Officer of a unit using the GC Roles & Access Manager.
Resources for Departmental Degree Certifiers
- FERPA online tutorial
- Degree requirements can be found in the Academic Catalog. Students must meet the program requirements that were in place during their term of admission to the program, or they may elect to meet the current program requirements. If the current program has a different name than the one a student was admitted to, then they must petition to Change Curriculum.
- Degree Certification Letter Request Form for students with an employer or visa need for proof of graduation
- Grades - Grade Corrections and Submissions After the Grade Entry Deadline from the Registrar's Office
- Graduate Degree and Graduation Requirements (Graduate College Handbook)
- Link for GCP Website
Don’t hesitate to contact Academic Affairs with questions regarding the graduation certification process at 217-333-2364 or gradgcpaudit@illinois.edu.
Resources for Graduate Admissions Contacts
Admissions Resources for Slate, Credential Evaluation, English Proficiency Evaluation, SEVIS & Financial Evaluation, and Admissions Policy and Forms are available online.
The Office of Academic Human Resources has Graduate Assistantship Resources online, including minimum stipends, assistantship offer templates and the GEO contract.
Don’t hesitate to reach out to Graduate College Admissions and Enrollment Services with questions at 217-244-4637 or grad@illinois.edu.
What did you say?
Faculty, staff and students might seems like they are speaking a foreign language, but here is a key to some of the more common acronyms and terms related to to role of graduate contact.
| Acronym or Term | Explanation |
| AAG | The Graduate College Administrative Advisory Group is a group of departmental administrators whose work focuses primarily on the operational aspects of Graduate College policies and procedures. |
| Academic Catalog | The Academic Catalog lists the official current requirements for every program on campus. The Programs of Study are updated each January for the following academic year beginning in August. |
| AITS | Administrative Information Technology Services helps responds to emails with requests or issues about all administrative IT systems including Banner, HR Front End, Decision Support, OBFS Payroll and iBuy. In addition, they manage enterprise accounts and passwords, assist users with basic desktop or laptop issues, and direct users to appropriate campus or departmental resources for problems with networks or business processes we are not authorized to assist with. |
| Banner | The campus wide integrated computer system. |
| Business Objects | A way for you to query the EDW to create reports for your unit or use pre-prepared reports that others have created. (need to attend training to access) |
| COAR | COAR users have increased ability to make edits to Banner screens, (for example dropping a student from a course). Departments generally do not have COAR users. Graduate COAR functions are usually done at the Graduate College or at the Office of the Registrar. |
| CPT | Curricular Practical Training may be authorized under certain circumstances to allow F-1 students temporary off-campus employment. |
| DARS/DARwin | The program that accesses undergraduate academic history and audits it for degree completion, not used for graduate students |
| DGS | Director of Graduate Studies; in each department, the person, usually a faculty member, that oversees the graduate program in a unit or department; sometimes called the graduate coordinator. |
| EDDIE | The program that allows you to access EDW data using prepared reports that campus extracts on a regular basis. Log In to EDDIE |
| EDW | Enterprise Data Warehouse where data from all three campuses is stored. |
| EnterpriseID | The EnterpriseID may look the same as the NetID. The NetID and password are needed to set up the EnterpriseID. The EnterpriseID allows access to the statewide University of Illinois administrative system for official records in Student Services, Financial Aid, and Billing, also known as UI Integrate Self-Service. The EnterpriseID and password are needed to register for classes. |
| EPI | English Proficiency Interview; an English oral proficiency interview for new Teaching Assistants, administered by the Center for Teaching Excellence. |
| EPT | English Placement Test- used to determine English Proficiency; administered to all incoming international graduate students that score below 613 on the TOEFL. |
| FERPA | Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act was enacted to guarantee students access to their educational records and to prohibit dissemination of educational records without the student's consent. Anyone with access to student records should take the FERPA tutorial, found at https://registrar.illinois.edu/tutorial |
| GCP | Graduation Certification Process; used to certify degree requirements for graduate students. |
| Graduate Faculty | Faculty on tenure-track appointments or those granted term membership for the purpose of voting on doctoral examination committees. |
| i-card | The i-card is the University's official photo ID. The i-card is used to access certain services and facilities, such as library borrowing, computer labs, printing and copying, campus recreation facilities, health care, residence halls and dining facilities, and student elections. It also serves as a library user card and a bus pass. |
| I-9 | The I-9 is the Employment Eligibility Verification form for international students that is required by the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The I-9 is extremely important in the hiring process and not following the guidelines for completion can delay an employee’s start date. |
| ISSS | International Student and Scholar Services |
| NESSIE | Many students, particularly those with assistantships and fellowships, will need to complete payroll information in an online system called NESSIE at https://nessie.uihr.uillinois.edu/cf/. Departments will provide students with a special login and password to do this. Students will not be paid until information in NESSIE is complete. |
| NetID | The NetID and password gives access to sites and services specific to the Champaign-Urbana campus such as computer labs and e-mail. Student e-mail accounts are provided CITES. |
| NSLC | National Student Loan Clearinghouse; often called The Clearinghouse |
| OPT | Optional Practical Training, Optional Practical Training (OPT) allows F-1 students to work one year after completion of studies. Graduate students may apply for OPT after finishing all coursework but prior to thesis deposit. Contact ISSS for details. |
| PDL | PDL - Pending Degree List. Now also called the Degree Certification List. |
| UI Integrate Self Service | The program students use to input data to Banner, pay their student bills, access financial aid, register for classes, etc. |
| View Direct | The program that allows you to access EDW data using prepared reports that campus extracts on a regular basis. Log in to ViewDirect |
| Web for Faculty | The way faculty view Banner data, check class rosters, email enrolled students, see advisee records, and submit course grades. |
Help with Banner!
Banner screens by title and what information they provide.
Banner terms to explain how Banner defines some common terms.
Banner Aids and Training for Course Schedulers from Facility Management and Scheduling
What Course Level means in Banner and how it can be used.