The chairperson of your major department will assign an advisor to assist you in planning a program. All students must register for courses through the Enrollment Services in order to be properly enrolled.

When to register

The Schedule of Courses is published in March for the fall semester and in October for the spring semester. Matriculated (official degree-seeking) students who meet the eligibility requirements as defined in the Schedule of Courses generally register in March and October for the following semester. New and re-enrolling students will receive information concerning registration procedures. The Schedule of Courses is available at the Enrollment Services.

Students are expected to register for courses before classes begin. Those who are unable to do so may enroll as late registrants in the Enrollment Services during the first two weeks of classes. A late registration fee will be charged unless it is waived by the Enrollment Services.

Dropping and adding

Students are permitted to drop courses and add courses of fees during the first two weeks of classes. The final day to drop courses without a grade is mid-semester. However, fees are not reassessed for courses dropped after the second week of classes.

Policies and Procedures for International Students

Time Limit and Continuous Registration

Graduate students are expected to complete their course work and research within the four-year time limit prescribed for the master’s degree and the seven-year time limit for the doctorate. The time limit for a degree plan may be extended by applying to the Dean of the Graduate School for legitimate reasons such as military service or serious illness. This request requires the endorsement of the student’s major professor or department chairperson.

Graduate students must remain continuously enrolled, except for summer sessions, which are optional, until they have completed all requirements and have received their degree. Students who wish to maintain graduate status but are not registered for course work or research and are not on a leave of absence approved by the department and the Dean of the Graduate School must pay the continuous registration fee each semester until the degree has been awarded. Students who are on a leave of absence or are signed up for continuous registration do not have the privileges of consulting regularly with faculty on research or thesis preparation nor of using laboratory, computer, or other educational facilities at the University. A student who does not register for a semester, or obtain approval for a leave of absence, will be considered as having voluntarily withdrawn from the University. Students who are later permitted to re-enroll must pay the CRG fee for each semester in which they did not maintain graduate status.

Full-Time and Part-Time Students

Minimum full-time registration is nine credit hours during a regular semester and six credit hours during a summer session. Maximum registration of 15 credit hours during a regular semester and eight credits during each summer term may not be exceeded without prior written permission of the Dean of the Graduate School, based on extraordinary circumstances. Credits in excess of 15 will be billed at the per-credit rate. Full-time registration is required of all international students and of all students holding fellowships, assistantships, full scholarships, and traineeships administered by the University. Students who do not meet the minimum full-time registration requirement are considered part-time students. Credits Earned Off Campus. Students who wish to register for credits to be counted toward a degree, and who will be earning these credits through off-campus activities such as research or independent study at a national laboratory, are required to obtain prior approval from the Dean of the Graduate School and to have these activities listed as part of their programs of study.

Pass-Fail Option

To allow graduate students to venture into new areas of knowledge without fear that their scholastic average will suffer, the Graduate Council has approved the pass-fail option, or Intellectual Opportunity Plan. Please note that courses below the 400 level are automatically excluded from the scholastic average. To be eligible for this option, the student’s major professor or advisor must certify that the course or courses are outside the student’s major field of study, are not entrance deficiencies, and are not specific requirements of, but are relevant to, the student’s plan. A maximum of four credits may be taken by the master’s degree candidate and a maximum of eight credits, including any taken as a master’s candidate, by the doctoral candidate.

Audit

Courses may be audited with the approval of individual course instructors and by presenting an auditor’s card obtained from the Enrollment Services. An auditor receives no course grade; consequently, an audited course does not count as part of the student’s course load for registration purposes, does not appear on the transcript, and cannot count as work taken toward completion of residence requirements. A student must be enrolled in at least one other course to be permitted to audit a course.

Required Identification

In order to obtain a University ID card and to be certified for employment, students must have in their possession a photo identification card, such as a driver’s license, and a certified copy of their birth certificate. A valid passport will serve both of these purposes.

Payment of Fees

Arrangements must be made with the Enrollment Services for complete and timely payment of tuition and/or fees. If during the semester it becomes apparent that a student has not met his or her financial responsibilities to the University, registration for that semester is subject to cancellation.

URI in the World

Graduate Class Registration