Master’s, doctoral, and certificate students must begin their programs with coursework and must maintain registration in each semester thereafter (except summer sessions) until all requirements for the degree have been completed. Registration may be maintained either by taking coursework for credit or by registering for one of the five Non-Credit Registration courses.

Failure to maintain registration during the spring and fall semesters results in the student’s inactivation. Reinstatement is possible (although not guaranteed) within a year of last registration and payment of a reinstatement fee. Students who do not register for longer than a year will be required to reapply for admission. A letter from the major advisor justifying the use of previous coursework to satisfy current degree requirements is required to count previous coursework towards the new enrollment. Registration is not required during the summer or for the semester during the first 10 class days of which the student completes all requirements for a degree (if it is the only degree the student is pursuing). Note, however, that to receive most forms of summer financial aid for study or research, a student must register for either five credits of coursework or one of the full-time research courses (GRAD 5960 Full-Time Master's Research or GRAD 6960 Full-Time Doctoral Research).

Registration Procedures

Both new and continuing students should make appointments with their major advisors to determine the courses in which they plan to enroll. Courses selected shall be consistent with the student’s objectives and related to the program in which the student is enrolled.

Dates for registration are published in the Academic Calendar. Whenever possible, all students in degree or certificate programs must register for courses using the Student Administration System and pay all tuition and fees either through the Office of the Bursar at bursar.uconn.edu or online using the Student Administration System. Non-degree students must register through the Office of the Registrar at nondegree.uconn.edu. Students encountering problems during registration (including enrollment in restricted courses) should contact the Office of the Registrar.

Auditing Courses

Students who do not wish to register for a course for credit may be permitted to register as auditors under the following conditions:

1. they pay the appropriate tuition and fees for the course;
2. they obtain the consent of the instructor;
3. they audit only courses for which there are adequate classroom or laboratory facilities; and
4. in the case of students in degree programs, they obtain consent from their major advisors.

All permissions and registrations for auditing courses must be filed in the Office of the Registrar. Courses audited are entered on the student’s permanent record, but such courses cannot be used to fulfill requirements for a graduate degree or certificate at the University.

The privileges of an auditor in a course are limited specifically to attending and listening. Auditors must attend class regularly. The auditor assumes no obligation to do any of the work required of the course and is not expected to take any of the instructor’s time. In addition, the auditor does not submit any work and is neither eligible to take any tests or examinations nor able to receive grades on all or any part of the course.

Students should not “sit-in” on classes for which they do not register as auditors. No audit enrollment request will be approved after the eleventh week of the semester.

Repeating Courses

A student may repeat a course, including a course that they have previously audited for credit or converted to pass/fail, once in order to earn a higher grade. However, a student must have major advisor permission to repeat a course that is listed as a prerequisite or corequisite for any course that the student has passed. For example, a student who received a “C” in ACCT 5121 Financial Accounting and Reporting and subsequently passed ACCT 5122 Financial Reporting I may not retake ACCT 5121 Financial Accounting and Reporting without permission.

When a student repeats a course, credit shall be allowed only once, i.e., no student shall receive credit for the same course twice, unless repeating the course is specifically authorized in the Graduate Catalog, as in a variable content course. Courses with the same number that cover the same course content cannot be counted more than once for credit. The parenthetical phrases (“Formerly offered as...”) and (“Also offered as...”) included in a course description as a cross reference indicate that a student may not receive credit for both the course and the cross-referenced course.

In the computation of the grade point average, the registered credit and grade points for the highest grade shall be included in the GPA calculation. The grade for the lower grade will remain on the transcript, but will be removed from the GPA calculation.

The student should note that repeating a course that was previously passed can have negative consequences. For example, repeating a previously passed course may have an effect on financial aid. Students considering repeating previously passed courses should consult their advisors and Student Financial Aid Services staff. When a student repeats a course after receiving a degree, the student’s transcript will indicate a grade, but no registered credit, for the repeated course. The grade and registered credit recorded for the course prior to receipt of the degree will continue to be included in the GPA and credit calculations.

Non-Credit Registration

Students who are not registered for courses for credit may maintain registration by registering for one of the following five non-credit courses: GRAD 5997 Continuous Registration (Certificate), GRAD 5998 Continuous Registration (Master's), or GRAD 6998 Continuous Registration (Doctoral) level; at the master’s level GRAD 5999 Thesis Preparation; and Dissertation Preparation GRAD 6999 Dissertation Preparation. Other zero-credit courses may be substituted, if appropriate. Any currently matriculated student taking coursework at another institution, either for transfer to a University of Connecticut graduate degree program or for any other reason, must enroll in one of these courses. The implications of enrollment in non-credit registration rather than credit courses are addressed in the “Credit Loads” section above. Note that, per U.S. immigration regulations, students with F-1 and J-1 status are permitted to register for zero credits only in their final semester of degree study. Non-credit registration is granted with the consent of the student’s major advisor and the student’s international advisor. International students should consult with the office of International Student and Scholar Services prior to registering for non-credit courses. Non-credit registration requires payment of the associated University fees. Students may not add non-credit registration after the first day of classes if they were previously enrolled and attended any credit-bearing courses.

Graduate Schedule Revisions

Adding Courses

Students may add courses during the first 10 days of classes without special permissions. However, after the beginning of a semester or summer session, a student may not add a course if the instructor feels that the elapsed time might preclude its successful completion. In exceptional cases only, a student may add a semester course after the tenth day of classes with the consent of the student’s advisor, the course instructor, and the head of the department or program offering the course. After the fourth week, the permission of the Dean of The Graduate School or the Dean’s designee is also required for adding classes. For degree and certificate seeking students, courses added after the tenth day of a semester or after the fifth day of a summer session term must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar on a Student Enrollment Request form available at registrar.uconn.edu/forms. Note that section changes require the same authorization as other add/drop transactions.

Course seats are non-transferable. Students cannot transfer/sell their course seat(s) to any other student.

Graduate - Permissions to Add

Semester Period	Permissions Required to Add a Class
First and second weeks of classes	None
Third and fourth weeks of classes	Advisor, Instructor, and Department Head offering the course
After the fourth week	All of the above and the Dean of The Graduate School

Dropping Courses

During the first eleven weeks of a semester or prior to the midpoint of a summer session course, a student may drop a course by the following procedure. Students registered directly by the Office of the Registrar at Storrs must file a properly completed Student Enrollment Request form with the Office of the Registrar. This form is available on the Office of the Registrar website at registrar.uconn.edu/forms. Non-degree students register and drop courses through the Office of the Registrar at nondegree.uconn.edu. Students who wish to drop all of their courses and non-degree students who wish to withdraw from a graduate-level course after the semester has begun must initiate a Voluntary Separation Notification form found at https://grad.uconn.edu/graduate-students/voluntary-separation/.

After the first eleven weeks of a semester or the midpoint of a summer session course, students ordinarily are not allowed to drop a course. If, however, a student must drop a course because of illness or other compelling reason beyond the student’s control, the student must request special permission as early as possible and well before the last day of classes. Permission to drop a course or to change from participant to auditor is granted only for good cause. All students must obtain permission from The Graduate School. Permission is granted only on the written recommendation of the major advisor or program director, which must be convincing and sufficiently specific regarding reasons beyond the control of the student. The recommendation should be accompanied by a properly completed and signed Late Drop Petition form for the course(s) to be dropped. Under no circumstances is a student at any location or in any program permitted to drop a course after the course has been completed with a permanent grade posted.

No grade is recorded for courses officially dropped. However, when a student drops a course after the tenth day of the semester or after the first week of a summer session course, the course will remain on the student’s transcript with a mark of “W” recorded in the grade column to signify withdrawal.

Note that discontinuance of attendance or notice to an instructor or to an advisor does not constitute cancellation of course registration and may result in a failing grade on the student’s permanent record. Before terminating class attendance, the student should ensure that the course has been dropped officially. Until this has been done, the student is obligated to complete all work. In addition, dropping a course does not automatically remove the course from a plan of study, nor does approved deletion of a course from a plan of study cause registration in the course to be dropped. The procedures are separate and unrelated.

Graduate - Permissions to Drop

Semester Period	Permissions Required to Drop a Single Course
First and second weeks of classes	None (The course will not appear on the student’s transcript).
Third through eleventh weeks of classes	Advisor (The course will appear on the student’s transcript with a “W” grade).
After the eleventh week	Dean of The Graduate School; exceptions made only for extenuating circumstances (The course will appear on the student’s transcript with a “W” grade).

The general policies and procedures regarding dropping a course described above apply to dropping all courses, whether the student wishes to remain active in the program or to withdraw permanently from it. Permission from The Graduate School is required for the student either to remain active in the program or to leave in good standing. There are no bill adjustments unless all courses are dropped for the term and in such circumstances, the University’s Withdrawal Tuition and Fee Adjustment Schedule will apply.  To drop all courses, a Voluntary Separation Notification form found at https://grad.uconn.edu/graduate-students/voluntary-separation/ must be submitted.