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Registration, Enrollment & Full-time status

Contents of this page

• Registration
• Tips on registering and enrolling
• Enrollment policies
• Full-time status
• Continuous enrollment
• Continuous enrollment courses
• Readmission

Registration

Graduate students are required to register at Michigan Tech each academic-year semester (fall and spring) from the time that they enter a graduate program until the time they receive their degree. Although every effort is made to ensure that the Schedule of Classes is accurate, unforeseen circumstances may result in cancellation or changes in the days, times, rooms, and/or instructors of section(s) or course(s) between the time that courses are first announced and the time that  registration and enrollment are due.

Students must complete their initial registration and enroll prior to the billing due date (posted on the Academic Calendar; typically the Wednesday before classes start). Students who fail to enroll prior to that date will be charged a $50 late enrollment fee.  Students who fail to enroll by the close of business on the first Wednesday of each academic-year semester will have their schedules dropped and a $100 late registration/enrollment fee will be assessed upon enrollment.

Students may make changes to their schedules without penalty up until the second Wednesday of each academic-year semester.  Students should note that schedule changes may result in a refund or additional charges on their bill.

Students may drop courses through the end of the third week of each academic-year semester without a penalty. No grade will be reported. From the beginning of the fourth week through the end of the eighth week of a semester, courses dropped will be indicated by a grade of W (late drop) on the transcript. Courses cannot be dropped after the eighth week of a semester without the written permission of the dean of the Graduate School. Such permission is granted only in rare instances.

Important Note: There is a difference between registration and enrollment. The process of signing up for courses is called registering. Students are charged tuition and fees when they register. Students are enrolled after they pay the tuition and fees. It is each student's personal responsibility to properly register and enroll for courses.

Tips on Registering and Enrolling

• To register, go to the Web Registration page (Banweb).
• After registering, go to the online billing page to view and pay bills.
• It is important that students process their bills even if there is a zero ($0.00) or credit balance. If there is a zero or credit balance, click the button at the bottom of the online bill to complete enrollment.
• Bills may be paid on the web using a credit card (Visa, MasterCard, and Discover are accepted).
• Bills may be paid in person at the Cashier’s Office using cash, check or money order. Credit card payments are processed online only. 
• Late fees are the responsibility of the student.  They will not be paid by academic departments or the Graduate School.
• If a student is receiving financial support from Michigan Tech, a credit will appear on their billing statement on the first business day after the department or program initiates the internal-support process. If a student finds that promised support is not credited, the student should contact the academic department immediately. Each student is responsible for making sure their bill is paid by the payment due date.
• If a student is unable to pay their bill in full by the payment due date, a deferred payment plan is available through consultation with Accounts Receivable. Click the button at the bottom of the online bill to apply.

Enrollment policies

All graduate students, including Distance Learning students and students taking classes elsewhere to transfer to Michigan Tech, must be enrolled at Michigan Tech during each academic-year semester (see the Continuous Enrollment section on this page for more information).

Graduate students supported by full-time teaching, research, or administrative assistantships or by fellowships must be registered as full-time students and complete a full-time credit load during each semester (including summer) for which they receive support. Full-time enrollment may also be required by insurance companies, lending institutions, and/or the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

Full-Time Status

A graduate student is considered full time during the academic year if they enroll for at least nine credits. Enrollment in one credit of research or one course is considered full time during the summer semester. A student is considered half-time if they are enrolled for five to eight credits during an academic-year semester.

Students enrolling in fewer than the full-time number of credits may be at risk of losing their financial assistance or visa. Any international student who is considering enrolling for less than nine credits should consult International Programs and Services (IPS) to ensure that their visa status will not be jeopardized.

A graduate student taking fewer than nine credits during an academic-year semester is considered full time at Michigan Tech in the following instances:

• The student is enrolled in a course that carries full-time status regardless of the number of credits, e.g., co-op (UN5000). A list of these courses can be found at:  <http://www.gradschool.mtu.edu/fulltimecourselist.html>.
• The student is dual-enrolled at Michigan Tech and an affiliated university and the student’s total credit load equals or exceeds nine credits. An affiliated university is one with whom Michigan Tech has a formal written agreement for exchange and/or dual enrollment of students. Enrollment at the affiliated university must be documented to the Graduate School by the student’s home department at Michigan Tech.
• The student has successfully completed their final oral defense (if required) during one of the two preceding semesters (including summer).
• The student has successfully completed all of the courses required for their coursework-only degree during the preceding semester (including summer).
• The student is faced with extenuating circumstances that make it impossible to maintain a full-time load. Written requests for permission to drop below full-time should be submitted to the dean of the graduate school. The dean of the graduate school will consider the student‘s request and will make a decision after consulting with the student’s advisor and/or others involved.

Continuous Enrollment

Having begun a graduate program, students must be enrolled every academic-year semester until they complete their degree. "Completing" a degree means successfully completing all required courses, turning in all paperwork, and, if required by the degree program, defending and turning in a final version of a report, thesis or dissertation. Graduate students are not required to register for summer session in order to fulfill the continuous enrollment policy. Graduate students who are supported, completing their degrees, or using University facilities during the summer must be enrolled for summer semester.

Students must be enrolled for a minimum of one full credit during the semester in which they complete their degree. Students who defend their report, thesis, or dissertation, but fail to submit a final version or fail to complete any paperwork must be enrolled each fall and spring semester until their degree is completed. Students turning in paperwork or a report, thesis, or dissertation during summer must be enrolled for summer semester.

A waiver of continuous enrollment status is available to students who will be making no progress toward their degree during a given semester due to extenuating circumstances. Waivers will be for one semester except in the most serious situations. All waivers must be approved by the dean of the Graduate School. Students who are not enrolled have no access to campus facilities (e-mail, library, labs, computers, etc.) and no access to faculty time.

If a student fails to continuously enroll and the requirement for continuous enrollment has not been waived by the graduate school, the student will be considered inactive. Inactive students must apply for readmission and pay all past-due continuous enrollment fees prior to returning to active status. Readmission is not automatic. Students who apply for and are denied readmission will be not be allowed to continue in their graduate program.

Continuous Enrollment Courses

Students who find themselves in situations that make it impossible for them to register and enroll in regularly scheduled courses, including research or special topics courses, may be eligible to register and enroll in one of the following continuous enrollment courses.

UN5951: Graduate Continuous Enrollment — Special Circumstances
00 credits (no fee)

1. Meets continuous enrollment requirement for graduate students needing "time out" for special circumstances (such as illness or active military duty) and for programs with inactive terms.
2. No access to advisor's time or campus facilities.
3. Enrollment includes e-mail and library privileges.
4. Requires Graduate School permission to register.

UN5953: Graduate Continuous Enrollment
1.0 credit

1. Can be used to meet the one-credit final-semester enrollment requirement for graduate students completing degrees.
2. Late enrollment after the billing due date carries the standard late fee; no waivers granted.
3. Allows for e-mail and library privileges.
4. Computer lab access is not included.  If campus computing facilities are necessary, the student must pay the basic computing fee to the appropriate department.
5. Requires program permission to register. 

Readmission

Any University graduate student who has been dismissed or who has officially withdrawn from Michigan Tech (by submitting a withdrawal form to Student Records and Registration) must submit a new application for admission. This application will be reviewed and considered along with all other applications.

Students returning after failing to maintain continuous enrollment must apply for and be granted readmission. They must also pay a readmission fee equivalent to the cost of having maintained continuous enrollment through enrollment in UN5953 for each non-summer session during which the student was inactive. Readmission is not automatic. Students who apply for and are denied readmission will be not be allowed to continue in their graduate program.