Registration

Students must register for each term in which they expect to engage in study. Registration is to be completed within the period specified for a given term. No graduate credit applicable to a degree will be allowed unless a student has formally registered for graduate work at the time of registration for that course. To facilitate the registration process, continuing students should consult with their advisor or academic coach and participate in the registration process through their N.E.S.T. account as specified for the coming term.

Graduate students, under the guidance of the program director, should plan their work carefully so that no changes in the student’s Plan of Study should be necessary. When changes seem advisable, they may be made with the approval of the program director or major advisor.

Special/ Terminal Registration

Graduate students who are working to clear an Incomplete grade, or who have completed all required courses but are still writing a thesis or dissertation may request to be registered as a special or terminal student. Special/terminal registration status will enable a student to maintain 'active' student status, allowing them to have building access and to check out materials from the University libraries without being officially registered for a particular semester. Special/terminal registration requires the permission of the graduate program director and the Graduate Dean.

Auditing Courses

Students will be permitted to register as auditors only for exceptional reasons and with the explicit authorization of the Dean. A graduate student may not enroll in more than 12 credits of coursework as an auditor. Not all courses are open to auditors. Auditors are not held responsible for the work expected of regular students, are not admitted to examinations, and receive no grade or credit for the course. Regular attendance and participation in class are expected, however, and auditors are subject the same as regular students to being dropped from the course for excessive absences (in this event auditors receive a "W"). Changes of registration from credit to audit or audit to credit will not be permitted after the deadline,  which is four weeks after the first day of classes in Spring and Fall traditional semesters (prorated for shorter terms).

A student who has previously enrolled as an auditor may not take the course for credit during any succeeding semester except by special permission of the Dean.

Charges for courses audited are one-half (50%) of the regular per-credit-hour tuition rate when the per-credit-hour rate is applicable. For Summer Session courses, the 50% reduction for auditors applies to the regular rate only, not to the Summer Session discounted rate. Also, special courses, workshops, and institutes offered at a special flat-rate tuition charge are excluded from the auditor discount.

Students seeking to change from credit to audit status will be eligible for a tuition adjustment (if otherwise applicable) only if the change is made with the dean’s approval within the period for late registration.

Changes in Registration (Adding and Dropping of Courses)

Any change after the student’s initial registration is permitted either with the written consent of the Dean upon recommendation of the graduate program director or the student’s advisor. Changes during the registration period may be made through the student's N.E.S.T. account.

Withdrawing from Courses

Withdrawal from any on campus course after the first week; or from a 7- or 8-week online course after day two, requires sufficient cause and may be made only with the approval of the Graduate Dean. After the period for registration has ended, any petition to drop a course or to change status from credit to audit must include the recommendation by the Graduate Dean. Course withdrawals with a “W” may not be made later than the date posted each semester. A student who drops a course without approval of the Dean receives “WF” for the course (failure because of unauthorized withdrawal).

Withdrawal from the University

A registered student is considered in attendance until he or she has formally notified the University in person or in writing of their withdrawal.

Permission to withdraw from the University is granted by the Dean of the School/College in which the student is registered. This is required as a condition of honorable dismissal.

A student will be considered as having withdrawn from the University after two consecutive weeks of unexplained absence. However, this policy is not to be considered as revoking the regulation that requires a student to notify the Dean in person or in writing of his/her withdrawal. Refunds are made to the student on the basis of the date he/she has formally notified the Dean in person or in writing of their withdrawal.

A student withdrawing from the University during any semester or summer session before the final examinations forfeits credit for work done in that term. Students who withdraw with permission of the Dean receive “W” on their official record; those who drop without permission of the Dean receive “WF” for all courses (failure because of unauthorized withdrawal).