Early Alerts Information for Students

The Early Alerts program at UIC is a system designed to help you get assistance if you are struggling in a select set of courses that you will likely take as a first-year student. Early Alerts uses iAlert, a component of our advising communications system called iAdvise.

Professors are asked to provide alerts in a specific set of courses for students who are on track to receive a D/F/U in the course.

If you are participating in a course with Early Alerts and receive an alerts, they are delivered to you to your email through iAdvise, which is powered by Starfish. You will get emails for each of the alerts that your professor provides and your advisors and academic coaches (if you are affiliated with them) will be able to view the as well so that they can help!

Alerts happen each semester between Week 3 and Week 8:

• First-Year Seminar Alerts – occur in Week 3
• First- Year Writing (English) – occur in Weeks 5 and 6
• Foreign-Language Courses – occur in Week 4 through the beginning of Week 5
• Math – occur in a range of weeks after your first exam, normally between Weeks 4 and 8
• Chemistry – occur in a range of weeks after your first exam, normally between Weeks 4 and 8
• Business Core– occur in Week 4 through Week 7
• Kinesiology and Nutrition – occur in a range of weeks after your first exam, normally between Weeks 4 and 8

NEW This Term:

Early Alerts Courses in Math, the First-Year Writing Program, and ENGR 100/101 will be entering a new “Never Attended” alert during weeks One and Two for students who have not attended (in hopes that those students will either start attending or drop the course before incurring penalties).

If you receive an alert, you will receive an email from “iadvise@uic.edu” with information, and you will see the alert in your Dashboard in iAdvise. You may need to contact your professor or advisor (or both) to work through how to resolve your challenges in your course. Your instructors are being asked to provide comments that will help you understand how you can take action related to the alert they’re letting you know about.

The Early Alerts are designed to provide you with the earliest official feedback possible (coordinated between your instructors and those in your network) so that you have the opportunity to resolve your situation most effectively.

An example of emails are below (items in italics are example text that will be replaced with the specifics of your course):

Early Alert: Please Take Action

From: iadvise@uic.edu
Subject: [iAdvise] Early Alerts – Information from your instructor in Academic Writing I: Writing in Academic and Public Contexts

Dear Rachel,

Your “Academic Writing I: Writing in Academic and Public Contexts” course is part of UIC’s Early Alerts program. Using iAdvise, your instructor Yasmin Gold provided helpful comments:  Early Alert: Please take action

—-

I am concerned because your current performance shows some struggle in this course. While it’s natural for students to encounter challenges in college, I want you to get the support you need to be able to address any issues early enough to be successful.

I’m informing your advisor as well, so that they know I am working with you on this issue. If there are larger issues affecting your performance, please work with those in your success network to get the resources and support you need.

—–

If needed, you can reply directly to your instructor by clicking “Reply” to this message.

You can visit Early Alerts Information for Students for more information about Early Alerts and to find resources. Your classmates have found helpful resources available in their My Success Network in iAdvise available through the my.uic.edu portal. Check it out!

Sincerely,

Office for Advising Development Staff
University of Illinois at Chicago
Chicago, IL 60607
oad@uic.edu

iAdvise powered by Starfish Solutions

Never Attended

From: iadvise@uic.edu
Subject: [iAdvise] Action Needed: You have never attended Academic Writing I: Writing in Academic and Public Contexts

Dear  Rachel,

URGENT: As of  8/27/2026 11:00 PM CDT, you’ve been flagged as NEVER HAVING ATTENDED  Academic Writing I: Writing in Academic and Public Contexts (ENGL-160-LCD-11343-220268).

Please get in touch if you plan to stay enrolled in this course.

Immediate action is required.

• If you plan to stay in the course: Contact your instructor today.
• If you need to adjust your schedule: Contact your advisor today.
• If you want to drop the course: You must do so before the 10th day of classes. (Caution: may impact financial aid and immigration status – contact advisor)
• If you’re not continuing at UIC: You must officially withdraw from all your courses.

You are responsible for the financial cost of being enrolled in this course and any academic impact it may have on your transcript.
If you believe this was raised in error, please reply to this message to reach out to your instructor.

Sincerely,

Office for Advising Development Staff
University of Illinois at Chicago
Chicago, IL 60607
oad@uic.edu

iAdvise powered by Starfish Solutions

• See more about iAdvise
• Go to MyUIC and select iAdvise to see alerts

NEW This Term: LARES is piloting a new “Let Us Know How We Can Help” To-Do that they will raise on LARES students in response to “Please Work With Your Advisor” level flags. This gives the you a method of responding to the outreach directly through iAdvise and informing those in the network at the same time.

Instructions on how to complete the To-Do:

• Video
• PDF Instructions
• One-page instructions for selecting the right response

Early alerts differ from midterm grades in a few different ways. Firstly, alerts are entered in a system so that your instructor or advisor can follow up with you. They are viewable in iAdvise, not in Blackboard or Canvas or in the MyUIC portal, like midterm grades. The key thing to remember is that if you get an email from a professor or advisor, don’t ignore it. Alerts are completed at a time in the semester where you have 75% of the semester left to improve your performance.

The following courses have Early Alerts:

First-Year Seminars
AHS 100
AHS 101
BA 101
BIOS 102
DHD 100
DLG 120
ED 151
ENGR 100 & ENGR 101
EPSY 150
HIM 101
HN 100
HON 101
ISA 100
KN 100
LAS 110
PUBH 105
SPED 100
UPA 120
UPA 121

ENGL 150 – ENGL 161

CHEM 101, 115, 122, 124, and 232

HN 202 and KN 230– KN 233, KN 350 and KN 351

MATH 105, 108, 110, 121, 125, 140, 141, 160, 165, 170, 180, 181, 210, 220, STAT 101 and STAT 130

Foreign Language Courses
CHIN 101 – CHIN 104
FR 101 – FR 104
GER 101 – GER 104
ITAL 101 – ITAL 104
JPN 101 – JPN 104
KOR 101 – KOR 104
LING 150, 160, 170
POL 101 – POL 104
RUSS 101 – RUSS 104
SPAN 101 – 104
SPAN 113 and SPAN 114

Business Core Courses
ACTG 210 & 211
BA 200
FIN 300
IDS 200, 270 & 355
MGMT 340 & 350
MKTG 360