Course Registration and Withdrawal

Registration is one of the conditions required to maintain enrollment at the University. To register is to become an official member on a class roster. (Refer to II, Enrollment Categories.) To be officially enrolled, students must clear their fee bills and be registered in at least one course by the end of the add/drop period. Students who fail to do this are not eligible for University services or use of facilities. 

Enrollment in regular University courses is available through the regular University registration procedures, administered by the Registrar, to full-time and part-time degree-seeking students, and to non-degree-seeking students. Non-degree students who have previously enrolled in but not completed an undergraduate degree program in the University must register for regular University courses as nondegree students through the regular University registration procedures. 

Enrollment in regular University courses through University Without Walls is available on a space available basis only to BGS students; students enrolled in special academic programs identified and approved for such registration by the Provost's Office; non-degree-seeking students who have not previously been enrolled in an undergraduate degree program at the University, and students who are studying their senior year in absentia. 

A. Course Registration

Courses will be recorded and credits awarded on the permanent records of the University only if students have registered for such courses in accordance with procedures established by the Registrar. Course enrollments should be recorded in the term in which the work is performed. 

1. Students who register for University and Five College courses must do so in the designated period. 
2. Students on Academic Probation, returning after Academic Suspension or late withdrawal, or upon reinstatement after Academic Dismissal, must consult with their Undergraduate Dean. Students who wish to attend part-time during the next semester must declare their intent to the Registrar during the registration period. (See Section II Enrollment Categories, paragraph B. Part-Time Degree-Seeking Students, for restrictions.) 
3. The Registrar's Office will issue a credit alert to all students who have earned less than an average of 12 graduation credits per semester. Additionally, students who average fewer than 12 credits per semester in the fourth or later semester will be sent an alert prior to the registration period for the following semester. This alert will be based on students' current degree credits (including the semester in progress at the time students are pre-registering). Students who average fewer than 12 credits per semester in the fourth or later semester will not be permitted to register until they have obtained approval of an academic plan by the departmental chief undergraduate adviser or college/school undergraduate dean. Students who fail to fulfill the conditions of their academic plan in subsequent semesters may be prevented from registering for courses by their undergraduate deans. 
4. The course registrations of students who are administratively withdrawn will be deleted. 
5. Students who fail to satisfy an overdue financial obligation or to comply with certain administrative requirements may have a hold placed on their ability to register for the following semester. Students will be unable to register for courses until the hold is cleared. Students who do not clear such registration holds prior to the beginning of the following semester will be subject to the administrative withdrawal process. 

B. Five College Interchange Registration

1. With the exception of first semester freshmen, any full time or part time student in good academic standing who is enrolled in at least one three-credit course at the University may enroll in courses through the Five College Interchange Program. Special Students and University Without Walls Students are not eligible. Students who are not registered in at least one three-credit University course at the end of the Add/Drop period will be withdrawn from the Five College course. 
2. There are no additional costs except for laboratory or lesson fees where applicable. Credits count as University residence credits, and grades earned are recorded on the University transcript and factored into the University grade point average. (A separate transcript does not exist at the other institution.) 
3. No Five College course will be recorded on the permanent record of the University or University Without Walls transcript, nor will students receive credit for any classes attended, unless they have registered in accordance with the established Five College Interchange Registration procedure and University Registration guidelines as presented in this section. Students are advised to consult with the Five College Interchange Office in 512 Goodell. 

C. Registration Clearance

Students who have registered in accordance with Section A, Course Registration, above and have paid their bills by the due date are considered fully cleared for the semester. After the due date, all bills will be subject to an additional fee for late payment, and students may be prevented from accessing the registration system to change their schedules. Matriculated undergraduate students who do not clear their bills with the Bursar's Office prior the first week of add/drop will be withdrawn from the University. Such students' enrollment will be cancelled for that semester and all courses will be dropped from their schedules. This will make them ineligible for all University services, including financial aid, during that semester. 

D. Late Enrollment

As stated in the above paragraph, failure to clear registration in timely fashion will result in withdrawal from the University. The Registrar may grant a student permission to enroll late (to be readmitted) if there are extenuating circumstances. If the Registrar denies permission, the student may appeal for re-enrollment to the Committee on Admissions and Records, a process initiated through the student's undergraduate dean. 

E. Removal from Roster by Instructor Due to Non-Attendance, etc.

An instructor may not unilaterally cancel the registration of a student who has officially registered for a course, unless the student fails to appear for the first two meetings of the class following the official registration or unless the student lacks the prerequisites stated in the Guide to Undergraduate Programs, the online Course Catalog, or the online Schedule of Classes. To cancel a student's registration because of lack of prerequisite, the instructor must notify the student of his or her intentions. In either case, as early as possible during the Add/Drop period, the department must drop the student's registration in the course. Drops for these reasons must be completed by the end of the Add/Drop period. 

An instructor who wishes to dis-enroll a student for any other reason, including disruptive behavior, shall notify the student in writing of his or her intentions, with one copy to the Registrar and a second copy to the Dean of Students, to whom the student may appeal. 

F. Course Withdrawals

Students who wish to drop a course must do so officially according to the regulations governing the procedure at the particular time. Failure to do this will result in a grade of F for the course. 

1. Fall and Spring Semesters:
   1. Add/Drop Period: Students may add or drop a course through seventh calendar day of the semester (counting from the first day of classes). A course dropped during this period will not be recorded on the student's transcript.
   2. Students cannot be penalized for activity missed before their official enrollment begins in the class (i.e., an instructor cannot take off attendance points for missed classes or deduct graded points for missed/late assignments prior to the student's official enrollment in the class). Instructors must provide the student an opportunity to start the class on their first official day of enrollment with 100% graded work, attendance, participation points available and provide reasonable accommodations for the student to make up missed assignments without penalty that were due prior to the student's official enrollment day in the class. 
   3. Withdrawal Period: Students may withdraw from a course, with the instructor's signature, from the eighth calendar day of the semester through the W drop deadline published in the academic calendar. Courses dropped during this period will be recorded as "W" (withdrawn) on the student's transcript. Students may drop the course in SPIRE, and instructors are notified when that drop occurs. 
   4. Late Withdrawal: After the W drop deadline, the student is responsible for completion of the course unless the student's undergraduate dean grants a late withdrawal for extenuating circumstances. 
   5. Course Transfers: With the approval of the course instructor, the course coordinator for multiple section courses, and the student, an academic department may transfer a student from a course in which the student is currently enrolled to a lower or higher level course in the same sequence, if the instructor or course coordinator determines that the student was either not adequately prepared or more than adequately prepared for the course in which the student is currently enrolled. Students may be transferred to a lower level course provided the student has not previously received credit for that course. Course transfers can be made by an academic department at any time during the semester, but should normally be done prior to the W drop date. Departments using the course transfer policy are encouraged to give early and frequent testing to ensure that an adequate evaluation of each student's ability is made prior to the middle of the semester. Determination of appropriate course sequences and designation of an appropriate approval authority shall be determined by the academic department offering the courses. Departments must notify the Registrar's Office of all course transfers made under this policy. 
   6. Course Withdrawals for Medical Reasons: Students may request a course withdrawal for reasons related to a medical concern which, in the opinion of the student’s treating physician or mental health professional, significantly impacts their ability to function in their role as a student. Before submitting a course withdrawal request, students are encouraged to first consult with their Undergraduate Academic Dean or Advisor about how withdrawing from the course may affect their academic status. 
2. UWW Summer Session and Winter Session
   1. Add/Drop Period: Students may add or drop a course, with the instructor's or authorized departmental officials' signature, through the Add/Drop period designated in the current University Academic Calendar. Courses dropped during this period will not be recorded on the students' transcripts. Students cannot be penalized for activity missed before their official enrollment begins in the class (i.e., an instructor cannot take off attendance points for missed classes or deduct graded points for missed/late assignments prior to the student's official enrollment in the class). Instructors must provide the student an opportunity to start the class on their first official day of enrollment with 100% graded work, attendance, participation points available and provide reasonable accommodations for the student to make up missed assignments without penalty that were due prior to the student's official enrollment day in the class.
   2. Withdrawal Period: Students may withdraw from a course by using the online ‘drop form’ on the University Without Walls website during the period designated in the University academic calendar. Courses dropped during this period will be recorded as "W" (withdrawn) on the students' transcripts. 
   3. Late Withdrawal: After the end of the designated withdrawal period, the student is responsible for the completion of the course unless the student's Undergraduate Dean grants a late withdrawal for extenuating circumstances. The UWW academic advisor acts as academic dean for non-degree students. 

G. Course Loads

1. The minimum credit load for a full-time student is 12 credits per semester. The usual credit load is 15 credits per semester. The maximum credit load for a semester is established by each school or college and usually varies from 17 to 19. Students wishing to register for more than the maximum or fewer than the minimum number of credits permitted in their school or college (see Section II Enrollment Categories, paragraph A. Full-Time Students) may do so only if they obtain the approval of their adviser and/or their Undergraduate Dean, depending on the overload. 
2. A part-time student may enroll in one to eleven credits per semester. The usual credit load for a part-time student is six credits per semester. Students involved in part-time study must complete their last sixty credits in five years, which means an average of six credits per semester. 
3. Students who will be registering for fewer than twelve credits during their last semester may apply for reduced billing. Applications must be received by the Registrar's Office no later than the end of the Add/Drop period (the first fourteen calendar days beginning with the first day of classes). No reduced billing will occur after that time. These students are considered part-time, which may affect their financial aid and insurance coverage. 

H. Auditing

A registered undergraduate student may audit a course and have that audit recorded on the official transcript (as a zero in the Units Earned column and in the grade column as "AUD") provided that: 

1. The student officially elects the class as an audit within the add/drop period by processing an official course registration change form on which "Audit" is clearly indicated and which the course instructor has signed. 
2. The instructor can accommodate the auditor in a class, and the student satisfies the instructor regarding his or her preparation and motivation for auditing the class. 
3. The student pays all special fees associated with the course. 
4. The student satisfies all criteria for a successful audit as stipulated in advance by the instructor. In the event that the instructor reports than an audit was not completed successfully, the course will be expunged from the student's record.

The student may not switch from audit to credit after the end of the add/drop period. The reverse is also true. 

I. Graduate Level Courses Taken by an Undergraduate

Undergraduates may register for graduate courses in the 600, 700, or 800 series with the permission of their advisor and the course instructor. Students register for these courses through the Registrar’s Office.

Source: Academic Regulations