Registration

Students must be enrolled as graduate students to be eligible to receive graduate credit. Graduate students planning to enroll for courses offered outside the unit in which they will receive their degree must receive written permission to enroll from a representative of the unit offering the course. Permission to enroll must be obtained prior to enrollment. Failure to receive prior written permission may result in cancelled enrollment because of space or program requirements.

All students and prospective students are responsible for consulting and following the academic calendar, which includes dates for the registration periods.

Adding Courses/Schedule Changes

The academic calendar specifies the last day for adding or changing courses each semester and each summer session. Any changes in schedule after the posted deadlines, including section changes, require permission from the student's dean.

Withdrawal from Class

The purpose of student-initiated withdrawal from courses is to enhance the learning opportunity in a program of study. On recognition that a student may lack the background needed for the mastery of course content, the subject matter in a course does not match student need or interest as anticipated, or that course requirements will limit effective appropriation of learning in a semester's overall program of study, a student may officially withdraw from a course.

Mere absence from a class does not constitute withdrawal. In order to withdraw from a course, a student must go through official established procedure.

Students may withdraw from classes with no academic penalty through 70 percent of class days. The last day to declare P/NC will be the day following the last day to withdraw. (Exam days are considered class days. The last day to withdraw will be the last whole day not to exceed 70 percent.) Consult the official academic calendar for withdraw dates during summer terms. The date of withdrawal for all purposes, including tuition adjustment, shall be the date of official withdrawal. No withdrawals are allowed after this date during the fall and spring semesters, or a comparable period during a shorter term.

There will be no withdrawals after this date during the fall and spring semesters, or a comparable period during a shorter term.

Any student who experiences unusual hardship may seek special consideration through a written petition to the dean of the school/college of his/her major. Petitions should, where possible, be documented with supporting statements from a doctor, counselor or family member. That a student is doing unsatisfactory work in a course will not be taken as sufficient reason for special consideration. If, in the opinion of the dean, the request is justified, a grade of "Q" (dropped by the dean's permission) may be assigned by the dean after consultation with the instructor of the course, the chair of the department and the dean of the school/college in which the course is offered. Any dean assigning a "Q" will notify the Office of the Registrar.

Academic Load

A student must be enrolled for a minimum of six hours of graduate courses to be considered a full-time student. However, 12 or more hours are required in some programs to meet the special regulations under which some students attend; these cases will be considered individually by the department chair and the appropriate dean. A graduate student registering for a total of six semester hours during the three summer terms will be considered a full-time graduate student.

If a student has successfully completed all coursework, including thesis and dissertation hours and lacks only the thesis or dissertation completion, the student must be engaged in full-time research and enrolled for a minimum of one hour of thesis or dissertation credit during any fall or spring semester in which the student is working with his/her committee or using University facilities. A student working with the committee or using University facilities during the summer must enroll for at least one thesis or dissertation hour during one summer session. In addition, students must enroll for at least one hour of thesis or dissertation in the semester during which he/she plans to complete the thesis or dissertation and take the final oral examination.

A student holding a full-time teaching assistantship or a fellowship may have additional enrollment restrictions and requirements. A combination of coursework, research and/or teaching may be part of the assistantship/fellowship requirement. Approval by the department chair and the appropriate dean are needed in these special cases, and the student should consult with the chair and dean to be sure their academic load meets the requirements.

A graduate student doing no outside work may carry a maximum of 15 semester hours during each of the fall and spring semesters.

The University reserves the right to suspend or restrict the re-enrollment of any student who demonstrates that he/she is suffering an emotional, nervous or mental disorder or impairment that renders the student unable to profit from or contribute to the educational program of the University or that is harmful or disruptive to others.

Determining Full and Part Time Enrollment

Graduate Students

Full-time enrollment for graduate students is 6 hours.

4.50-5.99 hours is 3/4 time

3.00-4.49 hours is 1/2 time

.50-2.99 hours is 1/4 time

Round down to nearest cutoff.

Graduate students enrolled in the last semester necessary for graduation may be considered full time if their enrollment is less than 6 hours except for purposes of federal financial aid.

Audit Enrollment

Occasional visitation of classes by students is allowed with the consent of the instructor. Any extended attendance requires enrollment as an audit.

Auditors are admitted to classes on a space-available basis only. A non-refundable audit fee is charged. Students wishing to audit graduate courses must be admitted for graduate study in the appropriate program and have written approval of the instructor of the course for which they wish to register. Non-degree graduate students wanting to audit graduate courses must be admitted to graduate study through the dean of the appropriate school/college and have written approval of the instructor of the course prior to registration. Students wishing to audit MLA courses must be admitted to the MLA Program and have written permission from the instructor of the course prior to registration. The following regulations are applicable:

Certain classes - Laboratory and clinical classes; day ranch management classes; laboratory sections of lecture classes; activity and performance classes, such as in studio art, music and ballet classes - may not be audited.
Registration to audit or change a credit class to audit is from the second day of late registration to the last day of late registration as published in the University's academic calendar.
Classroom recitation and participation may be restricted at the discretion of the instructor; no grade is assigned and no credit is awarded.
If credit is desired, the student must register for and repeat the regular course after paying regular tuition.
The student's name will appear on the instructor's class roll. In order for "AU" to appear on the transcript, however, the instructor must certify at the end of the semester that the student has attended as an auditor. Audits not certified by the instructor as a final grade will be omitted from the student record.

Part-Time Attendance

Although the University encourages full-time graduate study, registration for part-time study is appropriate in several degree programs, including business, education, MLA and others.

Evening Classes

In some fields, graduate work is offered in evening classes; in others, the work is given in day classes only. Prospective students should consult the schedule of classes for graduate courses offered during the evening. To receive graduate credit for such courses, students must register through the appropriate school/college and not the Office of Extended Education.

Summer Enrollment

A student may not enroll in more than three hours in the mini-term or more than six hours during either a five-week term or eight-week term. When enrollment includes both an eight-week term and either a mini- or five-week term, the student's enrollment may not exceed a total of nine hours.

Policies and Procedures