I've recently started debating adding limitations to university beyond just "do stuff, fill meter, get grades". It'd involve lots of fiddling manually with mods, but I think it'd make university more interesting.

I'm thinking both in terms of what you must do with the already existing things (term paper, lectures, assignments) and adding extracurricular activities. It'd be nice if there was some variety between the different majors, apart from class-hours. For example, to me it makes sense that someone studying math or physics has to attend lectures, whereas someone in drama/arts can do it via other venues.

So far I'm thinking
- Some business-based majors require having a part-time job
- Some majors requires full attendance to lectures to be allowed to take final exam
- Top grades requiring having written a term paper
- Some requiring having produced something each semester (art for example should require a painting, or something crafted, as your "portfolio")

I'm sure there are people who already do this, with lots of interesting put and ideas I could be inspired by. I'd love to hear about what you guys do.

I will direct you to the long reply I just did on the other thread. https://www.modthesims.info/show...stpost&t=550599 Since I use 48 hour uni and am thinking of switching to 36 my students don't have a huge amount of free time and what they do all depends on what they roll. Unless they are highly motivated, then they will be made to study. My teens have the opportunity to do a portfolio for UNI entrance but not after. I have on harder grades for uni now as well.

I do not place additional requirements on the grades, as grades do not really matter in game (At least not beyond the bonus career levels that the game itself applys to graduates). Often enough I´m not running a proper university anyway or I involve the students in sidequests, so keeping track of their academic advancement would be too much work.
I have, however, fun playing with Student Clubs (Greek Houses), mostly by putting them against each other in competitions. To join the sims need to have certain badges, skill ranks, specific friends or posessions and sometimes a house specific rite needs to be performed in addition to passing the application minigame.
An example of a basic Student Club requirement is this: http://enkisstories.tumblr.com/post...les-spreadsheet

I use Ancient Highway's mod where they have to write a term paper. Otherwise it's just too easy.

Just as a data point, I don't do anything o make it harder and I probably wouldn't. My students spend all their time going to class, skilling, studying, and writing papers as it is. I seriously don't know how other players get their sims to party and hang out at University community lots, where the time passes just like at home. Just not enough time in the day as it is. And yow! shortened semesters!

Overwhelming.

Well, if they go to class, study and write term papers they should all have full meters and all get top marks, yes? Those of us who let our sims party are not bothered by top grades. So long as your sims have the needed skills they will get a decent grade if all they do is go to class and final exam. Even if they go to the final exam with half a meter full they will still do well at exam time, try it and see. Yes maybe that won't be top grades, but do they all need top grades? In real life not everyone makes top grades. To get on academic probation for most sims isn't easy, they have to basically do nothing to get that. Even if they are missing a skill but go to class and exam they are likely to pass.
Another fun thing to do, depending on the sim is instead of study, is sleep with professors, hack grades or influence a dormie to do your term paper. Change things up depending on your sims personality or aspiration and UNI becomes a lot more fun.

My business majors all start some sort of business of their own - eg a market stall on a small lot and get their funds from their perks to advance
My art students all have to sell at least one masterpiece
My students who want to become "farmers" all live together in one house and run a model farm on the lot and run a market stall off-campus.
My music students all perform for tips

@lucy kemnitzer
If time is an issue in your game, have you considered sending your students to a field trip where they can socialize (aka a vacation)? Some of my universities provide vacation homes, so the kids can work on their skills there (a bit cheaty, I confess, but it´s a high prestige university).
Or have them hit town (downtown, shopping district, maybe even their hometowns, depending how far away the college is) for their dates/outings - they live at college, not in a prison, after all

I also let my sims decide what major they want to study - its fun to see which they want and fear

I let my Sims decide what major they wish to study, unless they have done a degree prior to uni (which itself has special rules) or they roll a want/are given a major that is the same as another student in the same accommodation. Then their faculty (cluster of degree choices - my university has eight, ranging from Law to Applied Sciences) is decided according to a combination of interests, hobbies and skills. Within that faculty, I pick whichever major my Sim would be most likely to choose that no other Sim in that accommodation has yet chosen. A student with a degree prior to uni may also take a Masters' degree (in one of 5 subjects) instead of a (second) standard degree.

If two seniors in one place have the same major, one must move out. Harsh but interesting.

Only students doing degree subjects beginning with "P" may join the training monastery. They must attend collective worship at 9 am sharp (tough luck for those whose lectures or finals clash!), do some study of books (that are not university books) in their dorm reading hall each evening and must abide by all the rules of the monastery to retain their place at university.

Students who have not paid their tuition may not begin studying for their degrees, except to attend classes. Students receiving a tuition grant may begin studying immediately but will be obliged to become Palace servants if they do not make enough friends of sufficiently high status during their time at university (this is checked every semester, with the requirement increasing each year).

Students who were employees must continue to go to work each day unless their employer releases them. If they are employed during their studies, that employment must come first.

Students must not commit a crime during their studies or they are kicked out of uni and sent to prison.

I am considering reducing the amount of time suboptimal non-probation students get to study (having 72/60/48/36/24 hours for students with GPAs of 3.6+/3.1+/2.6+/2.1+/2.0 and below), but do not know of any mod that changes the "Time to Final Exam" time for individual Sims.

I do something like that. Term paper is always required, the rest depends on the major. No set rules. Art needs art paintings, biology needs something biological (like creating a dragonsnap flower, which requires a gold badge).

I allow sims to push their education further, too, those who stay extra 72 (or was it 74?) hours on campus after finishing uni typically write a novel as a thesis and get a new title. In order to be allowed to do that a sim needs a relevant skill maxed out, though (otherwise all sims could easily write a novel and get a higher degree).

To make it all sensible and rewarding, I later rate top10 students and give huge monetary rewards to them. They're rated by degree, inventions, skills, marks, and extra job on campus in case they've earned over 10.000s as barista or cook. I rate them across all three default unis, rather than top10 in each one, that encourages competition.

P.S. But guys, how do you manage to send students to work? Mine can't take on any jobs once they're YAs. Is it a hack?

Yes, it requires the use of a mod I use one that was posted on simbology. It has a inteen-compatible version, and also comes with edited versions of maxis jobs that don't require as many hours. You can find it in this thread.

Regular jobs do. However, teens employed by businesses run by fellow playable Sims don't lose their jobs on becoming Young Adults. The carpool continues to come for them as if nothing had happened. Also, it's possible for Young Adult Sims to be hired (though I'm not sure if that requires a mod I've forgotten I've got, or is available in vanilla).

Sims may also buy community lots and run their own businesses.

My students have to earn their skills by going to communitylots to for example repair cars or work on some sort of machine. (Simulation factory)
There's also a creative center for the same purpose. It's like taking courses that has to supplement their education.
Another mandatory course: parenting education. Has to be completed in the first two years of the uni.
Other than that I don't really have rules for uni.

One thing I don't do for Uni students is cheat there grades, they have to do all the work needed for there grades but once they get to a A then I will either let them party there butts off or go ahead and set the finals with the Collage Adjuster from Simbology.

No I just push them very hard academically ad children and early teens so they have most of the major skill requirements completed or almost done by the time I send them off to college. That way they can focus on extracurricular activities and their hobbies.