Registration

Credit Load

Nine (9) semester hours or more constitutes full-time status. Individual course loads are determined by the graduate advisor in consultation with the student.

Course Limit Policy

Students enrolled in a graduate program will take no more than a total of twelve (12) graduate credit hours during any one semester of study unless granted special permission from the program director/chair. Students who are enrolled in multiple graduate programs will take no more than a total of twelve (12) graduate credit hours during any one semester unless granted special permission from the program director/chair.

Registration Process

Students may register online via My Cougar Connection each semester on the dates specified in the Schedule of Courses, according to the following procedure outlined by the Registrar’s Office. The student should:

• Secure approval of a schedule of classes from the advisor. Advisors must grant clearance to allow a student to register.
• Register online on My Cougar Connection. If there are issues when registering, complete a Drop / Add form on Form Central in My Cougar Connection or report to the Registrar’s Office at the designated times to complete the process.
• If the process cannot be completed due to spcial requirements or extenuating circumstances, the students should communicate with their advisor so that adjustments may be made on a case by case basis.

With the aid of their program director or advisor, students are responsible for selecting courses which will satisfy the degree and certification requirements of the University of Saint Francis. Students are responsible for making up required courses which they have dropped or failed. Transfer students must complete degree requirements according to university policies.

If a course section is full at the time of registration, a student may “Waitlist” for that section. “Waitlisted” students are not enrolled in a “Waitlisted” course section. Students are not permitted to attend course sections for which they are “Waitlisted.” Only students whose registration status is listed as “Current” in a course section are eligible to earn credit for that course.

The registration deadline for new students is Wednesday at 5pm before the start date of Fall and Spring semester and for current students the deadline is Friday at 12 p.m. before the start date of each Fall and Spring semester; students must be registered to attend a course.

Thesis & Extended Registration

Some programs may require a graduate thesis or project. See specific program curriculum for details.

In a thesis-oriented course, a student may be unable to complete the course requirements in a single term. This presents problems when determining the enrollment status of the student and the actual completion date. Therefore, it is important that the program advisor have the student withhold registration for the thesis course until the term in which both the advisor and the student are confident the work can be completed or at least have significant progress toward completion. In a situation where a student is unable to complete within the term of registration, the following policies apply:

1. A grade of incomplete is recorded for the thesis course and the student is required to register for a non-credit, continuous registration course, USF 500 Thesis Completion.
2. The Thesis Completion course is for one term and has a $500 fee. For each subsequent term (Fall, Spring, Summer) when a grade is not submitted, the student is again required to register for USF 500, as many times as needed, for as long as it is within the five-year limit for the completion of the degree.
3. The grade of incomplete remains on record as long as the student remains registered for the Thesis Completion course. If the thesis is not completed within the five-year time limit for all degree requirements, an F will be entered for the final grade of the course.
4. Upon the successful defense of the thesis, the faculty member submits a grade for the thesis, which is recorded for the original course registration. All USF 500 classes receive a NC (No Credit) and are not figured in the GPA.
5. In the event a student does not finish all degree requirements within an academic year, that student is removed from the anticipated year of graduation and moved into the following year’s class. (This applies even if the student is listed in the Commencement program or participates in Commencement.) The diploma will show the year of completion, based on the last term in which the student is registered. Students will only be listed once in the Commencement Program, regardless of the actual year of completion.
6. The continuous registration requirement is waived if the student has submitted a final copy of the thesis and a defense is scheduled. In that case an incomplete is assigned for a maximum of eight weeks as per the policy on incomplete grades. The student is not required to register if the delay is due to the need to schedule faculty for a defense of the thesis.

USF 500 Thesis Completion

This is a non-credit course of continued enrollment required of any student who has not completed a thesis within the initial term registered. Students are required to register for this course as long as they remain a student and have not completed their thesis. The course carries no credit and does not count in the GPA, but it does have a registration fee.

Add & Drop Courses

Changes in schedule may be made by the student on My Cougar Connection before the drop/add deadline. The drop/add period deadlines vary by course format type and are published in the course schedule. 

Students who complete the desired change on My Cougar Connection are strongly advised to first secure the approval of their advisor. It should be noted that changes in full-time or part-time status may affect financial aid, Veteran’s benefits, residential status or athletic eligibility. Students should consult with the proper department before making a change.

If a student cannot complete the changes on My Cougar Connection (for example, if after the drop/add deadline), a student who desires to make changes in his/her schedule must complete a Drop/Add form. The Drop/Add form must then be approved by the student’s advisor (and coach if an athlete). The form will be automatically sent to the advisor (and coach if applicable). The completed Drop/Add form will be sent to the Registrar’s office for processing.

In certain circumstances, the university will complete an administrative drop from courses for students who have not completed the prerequisite course successfully.

Accelerated Programs

Students in accelerated programs have 48 hours after a course begins to drop or add a course in his/her schedule. Students have until 11:59 P.M. on Tuesday of the first week of the session for their course to drop or add classes. This can be done either on Cougar Connection or in writing to the student’s advisor.

Withdrawal from Courses

After the drop/add period students who want to drop their courses must withdraw from those courses. It is important for students to settle their affairs with the university prior to withdrawal.

In order to properly complete the withdrawal process, prior to formally withdrawing, make sure you contact:

• Office of Financial Aid to make sure you understand any effect your withdrawal will have on your current and future financial aid eligibility
• Business Office to understand effect on your bill, if any
• Academic Advisor to request a withdrawal from any or all courses and to understand your academic status if leaving the university and upon potential return

The student must contact his/her advisor to formally withdraw from any course and request to withdraw in writing.

• All withdrawals are made officially by the Registrar’s Office to safeguard the accuracy of the student’s permanent record.
• Changes in full-time and part-time status may affect student financial aid.

Students in traditional length courses:

• Will receive a grade of “W” after the first week and up to the Friday of the tenth week of the semester;
• Will receive a grade of “WP” if passing or “WF” if failing after the Friday of the tenth week of the semester and up to the end of the fifteenth week;
• Must withdraw from the course by 5:00 P.M. EST on the Friday of the fifteenth week prior to final exams. Withdraws will not be processed during finals week.

Students in accelerated 5-week session format courses:

• Will receive a grade of “W” after Tuesday of the first week of the session and up to the end of the session;
• Must withdraw prior to 5:00 P.M. EST on Friday of the last week of the session. Withdraws will not be processed after 5:00 P.M. EST on the Friday of the last week of a session.

Students in accelerated 8-week session format courses:

• Will receive a grade of “W” after Tuesday of the first week of the session and up to the end of the session;
  Must withdraw prior to 11:59 P.M. EST on Friday of the last week of the session. Withdraws will not be processed after 11:59 P.M. EST on the Friday of the last week of a session.
• A student who receives an incomplete grade is not eligible to withdraw from the course.

Failure to attend class does not constitute a withdrawal. If the student does not formally withdraw from any class, a grade of “F” will result.

A student may request a withdrawal due to extenuating circumstances (including medical reasons) for circumstances that are reasonably beyond the student’s control which have caused the student to be unable to attend classes, complete the semester, or otherwise become delinquent academically. All withdrawals due to extenuating circumstances are decided on a case by case basis and will need verifying documentation. The student should contact the Academic and Career Development Center to initiate the request and receive information about the withdrawal process. A student who is called to active military duty, after proof of the call up is submitted, will be withdrawn with no punitive grade on his/her record.

Hold Policy

Various University of Saint Francis offices may place a hold on a student’s record in when money is owed, when items have not been returned to a university office or when required information or documents have not been provided to a department by the student. Reasons for a hold on a student’s record include, but are not limited to, an unpaid past-due balance on a student’s account for which payment arrangements have not been made, unpaid library or parking fines, university equipment or keys not returned, official transcripts not received by the university, and required documents or information not supplied by the student.

The consequences of a hold on a student’s record could include any or all of the following:

• The student’s registration for classes will be deferred.
• The student will not receive a copy of his/her university transcript.
• The student will not receive a copy of his/her semester grades.
• A graduating student will not receive a diploma.

A student who has had a hold placed on his/her records is responsible for contacting the university office that assigned the hold. When satisfactory arrangements have been made to resolve the issue, the university office will inform the Registrar’s Office that the hold has been removed or waived.