Registration
Cross-Enrollment
Classification of Students
Prerequisites and Registration
Maximum Schedule
Adding Courses
Adding Courses after the Deadlines
Changes in Variable and Arranged Credit
Auditing Courses
Dropping Courses
Instructor's Option to Drop for Nonattendance
Mark of "W"
Dropping Courses After Deadlines
Withdrawal of Entire Semester Registration
Students are responsible for registering accurately and making changes in registration in a timely way. There is a "scheduled early registration" period each semester during which students may register for the next semester's courses. Registration times are allocated on the basis of hours earned and, if applicable, on the basis of special circumstances. Students may change their registration on ISIS , adding and dropping courses until midnight before a course begins. Once a course begins, students may no longer add and drop on ISIS but must file an add/drop form in person.
The College urges all students to consult an academic advisor (or advisors) before registration and before making any changes to that registration.
No one may attend classes without being properly registered. All students must register either as attending a course for credit or as an auditor. No one will receive credit for courses in which they are not registered. Students may register up to the deadline for adding courses and may petition the College for a late registration (see below).
Cross-Enrollment
Some rules on registration and some course rules vary across the University's different colleges. Under the leadership of the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education, the College has adopted policies to cover situations when students in one college take courses that are offered by another college. In brief, students should remember that for matters that involve transactions in the context of the student's participation in a particular course (adding, dropping, grading and so on) the rules of the college providing the administrative home for the course will govern. For matters that involve how a course applies (or not) to a student's academic standing and degree requirements, the rules of the college in which the student is enrolled will govern. In this academic handbook, we describe the policies that apply to students enrolled in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, who are taking courses offered by our College. (Here is a complete discussion of the "cross-enrollment" policy). Note: Graduate students are governed by the policies of the Graduate College no matter what college offers the courses in which they are enrolled.
Classification of Students
| First-year student: 0-29 s.h. earned | A1 |
| Sophomore: 30-59 s.h. earned | A2 |
| Junior: 60-89 s.h. earned | A3 |
| Senior: 90 or more s.h. earned | A4 |
| Nondegree student: any number of semester hours earned | A9 |
Prerequisites and Registration
Departments and instructors may establish a prerequisite or prerequisites for a particular course. A prerequisite may specify previous background, class standing, course work, a specific grade in a specific previous course, overall grade-point average, major status, or some combination of criteria required for the course. Departments are responsible for having all prerequisites accurately described on ISIS. Departments or instructors may, at their discretion, administratively drop from the course students who enroll in a course for which they do not have required prerequisites that were correctly printed in the Schedule of Courses and available on ISIS. These drops must take place during the first eight calendar days of the semester, the first two calendar days of the three- week summer session, or first four days of the six or eight-week summer session. These drop actions are made without the assignment of a W (Withdrawn; see below).
Maximum Schedule
Spring and Fall Semesters: The maximum permitted registration is 18 semester hours during a spring or fall semester. However, a student may only register for 16 semester hours during the "scheduled early registration" period. After the scheduled early registration period is complete, a student may register for additional hours up to the maximum 18 semester hours.
For purposes other than financial aid, full-time status is defined as 12 semester hours or more during a semester, 6 semester hours or more during summer session. (For more information on Financial Aid enrollment rules, consult the Financial Aid office.)
The recommended schedule for students who wish to complete a degree in eight semesters (four years) is 14 to 16 semester hours each semester.
Students in good academic standing may request permission to register for more hours than the maximum allowed. Requests are made at CLAS Academic Programs & Services. For more information, contact CLAS Academic Program & Services.
Summer Sessions: Maximum Schedule
Students may register for no more than 3 semester hours during the May three-week session.
Students who enroll only during the 6 or 8-week June-July sessions may take no more than 9 semester hours during those sessions.
The maximum total permitted registration during any year's summer sessions is 9 semester hours, or 12 semester hours if registration includes the May session.
Winter Session: Maximum Schedule
The maximum permitted registration is 3 semester hours.
Adding Courses
Once classes have begun, courses may be added before the add deadlines indicated on the "Academic Deadlines" calendar. To add a course after the beginning of the course, a student must obtain the signatures of both the academic advisor and the instructor of the course on a Change of Registration form. Forms are available at the Registrar.
"Off cycle" courses that start or end at times other than the beginning and end of the semester have add deadlines different from those of semester long courses. See the "Off Cycle" information on the "Academic Deadlines" calendar.
A student may add an independent study, a directed readings course, or an honors research course during the first eight weeks of the semester (or first half of a summer session); however, a dean's signature is required after the regular add deadline listed in "Academic Deadlines" calendar. A student may request the dean's signature at CLAS Academic Programs & Services.
Adding Courses after the Deadlines
Any student in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences who wishes to add a course after the printed deadlines must obtain the signature of the instructor and of the appropriate academic advisor on a Change of Registration form, and then request the dean's signature at CLAS Academic Programs & Services. Permission is granted if a student has not previously missed a registration deadline and if the instructor and advisor have signed the change of registration form. Students making a second request must present a compelling, persuasive justification for failure to meet the deadline. No request will be considered after the end of the semester in which the requested course is being offered.
Please Note: The rules of the college providing the administrative home for the course always govern, and this is especially relevant when dropping or adding a course after a published deadline. In this academic handbook, we describe the policies that apply to students enrolled in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences or who are taking courses offered by this College. For students taking courses offered by other colleges, different rules may apply . Please check with the college in question. (Here is a complete discussion of the "cross-enrollment" policy).Note: Graduate students are governed by the policies of the Graduate College no matter what college offers the courses in which they are enrolled.
Changes in Variable and Arranged Credit
Students who have registered for courses offered for variable or arranged credit may change the number of semester hours according to the rules for adding and dropping courses. Students may increase the number of hours during the period in which adds are allowed and may decrease the number during the time drops are allowed. To change the number of semester hours, a student drops the course and adds it for the desired hours.
Auditing Courses
Students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences may choose to take a course without earning credit. This is called auditing and may only be done with the approval of the instructor of the course and of the appropriate academic advisor. Audited courses do not meet College requirements and carry no credit toward graduation.
Registration as an Auditor
To register as an auditor during the scheduled early registration period, a student must obtain special permission approval from the instructor. To add a course as an auditor on or after the first day of the semester, a student uses a Change of Registration form to add the course and registers for 0 semester hours of credit.
Changes from credit to audit or from audit to credit may also be made, but must be made during the time in which adding is allowed. A Change of Registration form is used and must include both advisor and instructor signatures. No changes will be permitted after the add deadline for the course.
Tuition fees for audited courses are based on the number of semester hours for which the course is offered, with a minimum of one semester hour.
Dropping Courses
In the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, courses may be dropped at any time before the drop deadlines published in the "Academic Deadlines" calendar. Deadlines are different for full semester and "off cycle" courses. For more information see the Registrar's "Academic Deadlines" calendar.
Students who fail to attend class are not dropped from the course automatically. A student who wishes to drop a course must obtain the necessary signatures on a Change of Registration form and take it to the Registration Center, 17 Calvin Hall. Only under special conditions may an instructor drop a student from a course (see below, and see "Prerequisites," above).
Instructor's Option to Drop for Nonattendance
To provide vacancies in crowded classes, instructors may drop a student who has not attended class during the first eight calendar days of a semester, during the first two calendar days of the winter session and the three-week summer session, or during the first four days of the six- or eight-week summer session, unless the student has offered acceptable reasons for beginning the course late. This provision is for the benefit of students who otherwise would be unable to enroll in certain crowded classes; it should not be used when these circumstances do not exist. These drop actions are made without the assignment of a W. The Registration Center notifies each student dropped from a course; the student's advisor is also notified. Students should not assume that they have been dropped automatically from a course because they have not attended it.
Mark of "W"
Undergraduate students are assigned the mark of W (withdrawn) for any course in any undergraduate college dropped after the W deadline as indicated on the "Academic Deadlines" calendar. Deadlines are different for full semester and "off cycle" courses.
Limits on "W's"
Students admitted as degree candidates to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences are limited to an overall maximum of five W's while they are enrolled in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
However, students entering the University directly from high school with no prior full-time college experience are permitted to exclude from the limit of five W's any W's they receive during their first two sessions of enrollment. (Students admitted before 1991 should contact CLAS Academic Programs & Services for information on their W counts.)
Students who have extenuating reasons for dropping a course (e.g., disabling illness, death of an immediate family member) and can document that reason are permitted to exclude that drop from the maximum, but the W will not be removed from the record. Under the provisions of this option, the Office of the Registrar marks the grade report with the symbols WX to show that the W is not included in the maximum of five. The student's permanent record (official transcript) does not record the WX; all W's are shown. Requests for such exclusions are made at CLAS Academic Programs & Services.
Dropping Courses After Deadlines
In the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, approval to drop courses late is granted only in extraordinary circumstances and only with appropriate documentation.
Students who wish to drop courses after the deadlines must obtain the signature of the instructor and of the appropriate academic advisor on a Change of Registration form. The student must then request permission to drop the course late by obtaining the dean's signature on the form at CLAS Academic Programs & Services. A student might be asked to provide additional information or documentation before a late drop request is approved.
Please Note: The rules of the college providing the administrative home for the course always govern, and this is especially relevant when dropping or adding a course after a published deadline. In this academic handbook, we describe the policies that apply to students enrolled in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences or who are taking courses offered by this College. For students taking courses offered by other colleges, different rules may apply . Please check with the college in question. (Here is a complete discussion of the "cross-enrollment" policy). Note: Graduate students are governed by the policies of the Graduate College no matter what college offers the courses in which they are enrolled.
Withdrawal of Entire Semester Registration
Within the published deadlines (see the "Academic Deadlines" calendar), students may withdraw their entire semester registration. Withdrawal from an entire semester is noted on the transcript. Students in good standing who withdraw from an entire semester receive no credit, but are not assessed any academic penalty. Students considering withdrawing their entire semester registration should contact an academic advisor as soon as possible. Students on academic probation should discuss a decision to withdraw from all classes with a professional staff member at CLAS Academic Programs & Services. "Student Withdrawal Cards" are available at 17 Calvin Hall.