posted
The following proposal will be considered by the Grad Council this week:
Continuous Registration Policy
Current Policy for All Students:
The University currently requires continuous registration of all graduate students, but the policy contains many loopholes. It reads
Following the first day of classes each semester, the Graduate School will notify students who have failed to register for two consecutive semesters (including the current semester) that they will be dismissed from the Graduate School at the end of the semester for failure to comply with the continuous registration requirement, unless they register for the current semester. The Graduate School will inform Graduate Directors that these students are in jeopardy of termination. Students may appeal termination during a 90-day period following the end of the second semester of non-registration. Graduate students who are terminated for failure to register must apply for readmission. In this case, readmission does not alter the initial requirements for time to degree.
Technically, the policy became effective September 1, 2000, but it has not been enforced.
Current Policy for Graduate Students who have been Advanced to Candidacy:
Doctoral students who have been advanced to candidacy must register each semester, except summer sessions, until the degree is awarded.
This policy has been in effect since at least the 1980s.
Problems with these Policies:
1. The first policy appears to allow students to not register every other semester without penalty. Furthermore, it says nothing about the payment of back tuition and fees.
2. The policy does not seem to require notification of intent to be away to the program or Graduate School.
3. The policy does not recognize that PhD candidates are explicitly required to maintain continuous registration.
4. It has been the practice for Masters and pre-candidacy PhD students to take time off without jeopardizing satisfactory progress, a practice that appears to be consistent with some parts of the policy and contradicts others.
5. The policy says nothing about the status (registered or unregistered) for students during the 90-day appeal period. It may be read as requiring registration during that period, but it is not altogether clear, and probably not the case if the 90 days fall during the summer.
Proposed New Policy:
All graduate students must register for courses and pay associated tuition and fees each semester, not including summer and winter sessions, until the degree is awarded. In certain limited cases waivers of tuition and fees may be granted.
Master’s and pre-candidacy PhD students who will be away from the campus for a semester or a year may request 1) a waiver of continuous registration and its associated tuition for a specified period of time. Permission must be given by the graduate director of the student’s program and the waiver must be filed with the Graduate School. 2) a waiver of mandatory fees. Permission for a waiver of these fees can only be given by the Graduate School. If waivers are not granted, students will be expected to pay tuition and mandatory fees.
Doctoral Candidates must maintain continuous registration. Those who will be away from the campus for a semester or a year may request 1) a waiver of mandatory fees. Permission for a waiver of these fees can only be made by the Graduate School. If a waiver is not granted, students will be expected to pay mandatory fees.
Except in extraordinary circumstances, all waiver requests should be made 30 days before the beginning of the semester or year for which the waiver is sought. Such requests will be granted only when the student affirms in writing that he or she will not be using any University resources, including faculty time, during the waiver period.
If students do not request a registration waiver and fail to register, they will be notified by the Graduate School after the first day of classes in the first semester of non-registration that they must register for the current semester. The Graduate School will inform Graduate Directors that these students are in jeopardy of termination. If they do not register, they will be dismissed from the Graduate School at the end of the semester for failure to comply with the continuous registration requirement. Students who fail to register or obtain a waiver and who are terminated may appeal termination during a 30-day period following the end of the semester of non-registration. Graduate students whose appeals are unsuccessful and who wish to continue in their programs must apply for readmission. In this case, readmission does not alter the initial requirements for time to complete degrees.
The effective date for the revised policy will be August 31, 2005.
Posts: 258 | I am: Graduate Student Government President | Registered: Oct 2001
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