• Table of Contents
• The Graduate School Handbook

• Graduate Education
• The Graduate School and the Administrative Board
• Graduate School Staff Directory
• Graduate Education References
• The Graduate School Calendar

• General Academic Requirements and Regulations
• Admission and Matriculation
• Eligibility
• Course Credit
• Registration
• Residence Credit
• Graduate Grading
• Assistantships and Fellowships
• Tuition and Other Charges
• Graduation
• Medical Issues
• Withdrawal from the University
• Policies and Procedures
• Students as Faculty
• Certificate Programs
• Dual Degree Programs

• Degree Requirements
• Master's Degree
• Doctor of Philosophy Degree

Registration

Full-Time Registration

A full-time student is one who is matriculated and meets the conditions noted below:

Registers for 9 or more graduate credit hours in a fall or spring semester; or

• Registers for a minimum of 3 hours of thesis substitute (992), thesis (993), or dissertation (994) in a fall or spring semester. Note: A student may register for additional courses as needed, but if registering for less than 9 hours, this must include a minimum of 3 hours of 992/993/994 to be considered full-time; or
• Registers for fewer than 9 graduate credit hours in a fall or spring semester, exclusive of 992/993/994, and has been granted a “waiver of hours” for that semester.

Graduate School approval of a waiver of hours is contingent upon the student submitting a Waiver of Hours Form. This form must also include a statement from the academic program certifying that the student’s overall academic involvement—teaching assignments, research projects—is consistent with the workload of a full-time student.

A student who was registered for the immediately preceding fall and spring semesters does not need to enroll during either of the summer terms to maintain status as a full-time matriculated student.

Required Registration

Students are required to be registered whenever University resources (including faculty time) are being consumed to appropriately reflect work being done. In addition, the following specific registration requirements apply.

Assistantships and Fellowships
Each student holding a service (assistantship) or non-service (fellowship) appointment must be registered full-time in order to hold that position during the fall and spring semesters. Students must be on-campus unless the award requires their presence at another campus or research center.

Examinations and Thesis/Dissertation
A student must be registered during the semester(s) in which any written and/or oral exams examinations are taken. Students must be registered for a minimum of three credit hours of thesis substitute (992), thesis (993), or dissertation (994) during the semester(s) or summer term in which the thesis/dissertation is defended or a thesis option is completed.

Registration for the prior semester will cover events that occur during a break between semesters. This registration covers a student from the first day of class in a semester until the day before classes begin for the next semester. For example, if a student is registered for a minimum of three credit hours of 992/993/994 in the fall semester and intends to defend in the same term, s/he must defend between the first day of fall classes and the day before the first day of spring classes. Similarly, summer registration would cover a defense occurring anytime between the first day of summer session I classes until the day before the first day of fall classes. If the defense takes place during a summer, students must be registered for a minimum of three credit hours of 992/993/994 during either the first or second summer session to be covered for the entire summer term.

Once the student has completed all courses, including a minimum of three credit hours of thesis substitute (992)/thesis (993) or a minimum of six credit hours of dissertation (994), s/he must continue to register for 992/993/994 each academic semester (fall/spring) until the degree is completed in order to use University resources (including faculty time).

Credit/Course Load

Students should register for no more than 16 hours in any semester. A student enrolled in the summer may not register for, and will not receive graduate credit for, more than eight hours a session. Overload requests are considered on an exceptional basis and should be initiated by the student’s academic program and forwarded to The Graduate School for approval.

A student who holds a service appointment within the University or is employed either on- or off-campus is advised to register on the following basis:

• A student engaged in teaching three to six credit hours or in performing other part-time duties for 10 to 20 hours weekly is advised to register for no more than nine hours of course credit.
• A student engaged in teaching more than six credit hours or in performing other part-time duties for more than 20 hours weekly is advised to register for no more than six hours of course credit.
• A student engaged in full-time employment is advised to register for no more than three hours of course credit.

During a summer session, a student who holds a service appointment should register for no more than three hours of course credit.

Adding Courses

Courses may be added only during the official add period. Please refer to the University Registrar’s Calendar for official add period dates.

Dropping Courses

Drop deadlines are given in the University Registrar’s Calendar. To drop a course after the close of the normal drop period (“census date” is generally two weeks after classes begin) and before the last two weeks of a semester, the student must complete and obtain the required signatures on the Registration Drop/Add Form, available through the student’s academic program or the Office of the University Registrar.

No course may be dropped in the last two weeks of classes in a fall or spring semester or during the last week of a summer session.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Dropping a course after the census date may have financial and academic consequences. Please refer to the Academic and Financial Policy Regarding Tuition and Drop Dates.

A student registered for and wishing to drop an inter-institutional course follows the same procedures and deadlines as required for dropping courses at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Official withdrawal from the University is required if a student wishes to drop all courses after a semester begins.

Inter-Institutional Registration

Students may take a maximum of two graduate-level courses through inter-institutional registration during a fall or spring term or a maximum of one graduate-level course during a summer term, provided that the student is also registered for the balance of his/her normal load (at least three credit hours) at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Students may take these courses at North Carolina State University, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, North Carolina Central University, or Duke University.

No inter-institutional course may be taken pass/fail (satisfactory/unsatisfactory, etc.) and all courses must earn a specific grade. Please refer to the Graduate Grading section of this Handbook for the policy concerning inter-institutional grading.

To register for an inter-institutional course, the student must complete an Inter-Institutional Approval Form and obtain his/her director of graduate studies’ signature certifying the following requirements:

• the course is appropriate for the student’s degree program, and is a graduate-level course according to the current numbering schemes below:
  • Duke - 200 and above (except Divinity courses)
  • NCCU – 4000 and above
  • NCSU – 500 and above
  • UNC-C – 5000 and above
  • UNC-G – 500 and above;
• an equivalent course is not available on this campus; and
• the course does not earn a pass/fail grade.

The student then submits the request form to the UNC-Chapel Hill Office of the University Registrar for approval and processing.

Courses taken by inter-institutional registration earn residence credit as if they were courses on this campus.

The exchange of inter-institutional grades between universities is a time consuming process and grades may not appear on a student’s record at the same time as grades from their home campus. Students opting to take inter-institutional courses during their final semester should closely monitor their academic record for posting delays that may prevent graduation.

International Students

English Prerequisite to Registration
All new international students subject to TOEFL must take the University’s English Proficiency Test before registering for their first semester of study. Students who do not achieve a passing score will be required to enroll in and attend a non-credit course entitled “English Speaking for Foreign Students: English 601”.

Full-time/Continuous Registration
International students must observe all enrollment conditions required by their student visa, including remaining enrolled full-time in the program to which they were admitted. Changes in the enrollment status of international students must be reported to the Office of International Student and Scholar Services by the student as soon as possible. Failure to maintain continuous and accurately reported full-time registration can have severe consequences, including, but not limited to, loss of visa status and deportation.

International Teaching Assistants
International teaching assistants may be evaluated for their teaching ability and choose to register for “GRAD 810: Communicating in the American Classroom.” This course focuses on interpersonal communication, teaching skills, and English pronunciation.

Cancellation of Registration

Registration is cancelled under the following circumstances:

Academic Ineligibility
The Graduate School will automatically cancel the registration of those students who become academically ineligible.See Academic Eligibility.

Nonpayment of Tuition and Fees
A student’s registration will be cancelled if s/he does not pay tuition and fees (or properly arrange for their deferment) by the payment deadline given in the University Registrar’s Calendar. To register subsequent to such cancellation, students must pay tuition and fees in advance and add courses no later than the last day for adding courses specified in the University Registrar’s Calendar.

Failure to Submit Student Health Services Forms
If a new or transfer student, or a matriculated student not registered for two years, fails to submit the immunization record and Medical History Form, registration will be cancelled.