34-00 Course Scheduling
34-10 Delivery Systems
Revised: 2/5/74 (as Rule B-1)
Revised: 10/6/81
Revised: 4/23/13
34-20 Undergraduate Registration
Students register at specified times and locations for credit courses. Although the registration procedures are generally uniform, there are variations at some locations. Information on registration for courses offered through Continuing Education is available from the Office of Continuing Education at each location or service area.
Students are strongly urged to consult with their academic adviser before registering for any credit course regardless of delivery system to discuss academic planning. To enroll for more than a typical credit load (see Section 34-52) in any one semester by all delivery systems, a student must have a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0.
No student shall be permitted to enroll in more than 24 credits per semester. Exceptions may be granted in rare cases by the appropriate Dean or designee.
No student is permitted to register for another student or to permit anyone to register on the student’s behalf. Students are expected to register during the assigned time.
Students are considered officially enrolled when they have
- Agreed to the Student Financial Responsibility Statement which outlines student financial obligations and
- Registered for courses.
C-2 Undergraduate Registration
Revised: 8/7/73
Revised Editorially: 3/2/76
Revised: 4/23/13
Revised: 3/17/15 – Effective Fall 2016 – Archive
Revised: 3/12/19
Revised: 1/26/21
34-30 Academic Registration Hold
Student success is the governing factor surrounding the legitimate use of an academic registration hold. That is, an academic registration hold can be used as a legitimate means to intrusively interact with a student that is not responding to outreach, that is violating university or college policy, or is making academic decisions that are counterproductive to academic success. Within this context, academic registration holds also can be considered to ensure the operation and well-being of the academic community as a whole. In instances where students are unresponsive to attempts by academic or other authorized units to make contact or are making decisions that either threaten their academic success or jeopardize the academic community at Penn State, a hold can be placed on a student’s ability to access the registration system. This form of intrusion is geared towards ensuring that the student has a conversation with the appropriate person regarding their academic decisions or that issues are resolved in a timely fashion. In addition to not allowing students to use the registration system, an academic registration hold also prevents any requests for an official transcript to be processed by the Office of the Registrar. Authorized individuals (e.g., Associate Deans for Undergraduate Education, Academic Affairs Officers, or Senior Directors or any of their appropriate academic designees) within five broad areas can place an academic registration hold on students:
- Academic (College, enrollment unit, or campus designate)
- Conduct (Office of Student Accountability and Conflict Response)
- Financial (Bursar, Housing)
- Global Programs (International Students and Study Abroad)
- Medical (University Health Services)
Policies should be established following the Best Practices and Procedures outlined previously.
N-2: Holds on Student Registration
Initial Legislation: 12/9/14-Effective Fall 2016
Revised Editorially: 11/17/22 (Office of Student Conduct name change)
34-52 Definition of Full-Time Students
A full-time undergraduate student is defined as one scheduling course credits at the rate of 12 or more per semester in all delivery systems of instruction as defined by section 34-10.
The typical load for a full-time undergraduate student is defined to be from 12 to 19 course credits per semester.
Revised: 2/4/75
Revised: 12/9/75
Revised: 9/8/81
Revised: 4/23/13
34-53 Definition of Part-Time Students
Initial Legislation: 12/9/75
Revised: 4/23/13
34-58 Course Availability
Every scheduled course in this University is open to any student except as follows:
- A course for which the student does not have the scholastic prerequisites or concurrent courses, or is otherwise limited by the description published in the Baccalaureate or Associate Degree Programs Bulletins.
- A course that essentially duplicates the content of courses already taken for credit, except as provided for in Section 47-80.
- An overcrowded course. Priority is normally given to candidates in order of semester rank, beginning with those candidates in the last semester of their program. When necessary, priority may be given to those for whom the course is a requirement for their program. Priority may be given to students in the The Schreyer Honors College.
- A course where admission of the student would violate legal or Department of Defense requirements, or an agreement made by the University relating to work, supported by Smith Hughes or other special funds.
- A 400-level course. Fifth-semester classification or higher or membership in The Schreyer Honors College is required for admission to any 400-level course. Special permission to enroll may be granted to any other student by the head of the department or chairperson of the program sponsoring the course.
- A 500-level course. Such graduate courses are open to seniors who have a 3.50 cumulative grade-point average and the consent of the instructor. Students in The Schreyer Honors College may be admitted to such courses with the consent of the instructor. Other baccalaureate degree candidates with a B average or better may be admitted to such courses with the consent of the instructor and the dean of the Graduate School.
C-4 Special Course Registration Control
Revised: 9/9/75
Revised: 3/2/76
Revised: 4/4/78
Revised: 5/2/78
Revised: 4/1/80
34-60 Prerequisites, Concurrent Courses, Co-requisite Courses, and Recommended Preparation
Prerequisites, concurrent courses, and co-requisite courses approximate the necessary specific coursework or general academic knowledge, background, or semester classification required to succeed academically in a given course.
Prerequisites are courses or other requirements that must be completed prior to the start of a given course.
Concurrent Courses are similar to prerequisites except that they may be taken prior to, or in the same semester as, the given course.
Co-requisite Courses are pairs of courses required to be taken together in the same semester.
Registration in a given course is limited to students who have satisfied the stated prerequisite, concurrent, or co-requisite requirements. The course instructor has the right to permit students to take the course without having the stated prerequisite, concurrent, or co-requisite requirements, if the student demonstrates mastery of the material through some other means.
Recommended Preparation relates to preparatory skills or companion courses deemed useful, but not necessary, for successful completion of a course. Recommended preparation has no bearing on registration in a given course.
C-5 Enforcement of Recommended Preparation and Prerequisite, Concurrent, Co-requisite Courses
Revised: 4/14/55 (as Rule I-7)
Revised: 7/1/75
Revised: 4/6/76
Revised: 9/15/15 – Effective Fall 2016 – Archive
34-68 Auditing and Visiting Courses
Auditing requires regular class attendance with the intent to learn the content of the course without receiving a grade or credit.
Visiting a class is intended to provide opportunities to observe or experience a class. Class observation opportunities for non-matriculated minors (individuals under the age of 18 who are not enrolled in a program of study) are to follow youth program compliance policies. For more information, please consult with the Office of Ethics and Compliance Youth Programs.
- Auditing. Degree-seeking and non-degree seeking students wishing to audit a class and to have this appear on the academic record, must enroll in that class. The class will be recorded on the student’s schedule in the student information system with the symbol of AAU or AUS shown under the grade column after the instructor submits the final grades for the class. When a student audits a class, the credits become part of that semester’s credit load but are not used in the determination of full-time status (Policy 34-52). In addition, tuition must be paid for the audit. Audits are not considered in the determination of the credit standard for financial aid. No class may be added for audit if dropped for credit, or vice versa, after the add period. A student enrolled for official audit may be required to participate in class discussion, do practicum work, submit written work, and take examinations. See also Policy 48-80, Symbols for Course Audit.
- Visiting. Degree-seeking and non-degree seeking students and guests may be permitted to visit a class. Permission for visiting a class is based on the consent of the instructor and space availability. Non-matriculated minors may visit a class provided the person is accompanied by a parent/guardian or a Penn State authorized adult (see definition in Policy AD39 (https://policy.psu.edu/policies/ad39)), or the faculty member has up-to-date clearances on file with human resources (see Policy HR99 Background Verification Requirements.) No tuition is paid for a visit. Course credits do not become part of the semester’s credit load and are not entered on the student’s academic record. Paragraph 1 relating to official audit is not applicable to the person who visits a class.
Revised: 1/4/77
Revised: 1/24/89
Revised: 12/10/85
Revised: 4/22/03
Revised: 4/23/13
Revised: 4/25/17
Revised: 7/11/23
34-80 Course Enrollment and Schedule Changes
34-81 Enrollment
C-2 Undergraduate Registration
Revised: 1/24/89
Revised: 4/23/13
34-83 Change in Class Meeting Time
In the case of a campus closure, please refer to Senate Policy 45-00 Faculty and Student Responsibilities Regarding Cancelled Classes When a Campus is Closed for more information.
Revised: 4/23/13
Revised: 3/17/20
34-85 Schedule Adjustment
Once a course has started, a student who wants to add or drop that course from his/her schedule must follow the guidelines for Course Add (Policy 34-87) or Course Drop (Policy 34-89).
Course Add and Course Drop do not apply to a student who wants to change from one section of a course to another section of the same course. This section change is processed through the department offering the course.
Revised: 8/7/73 (as Rule J-1)
Revised: 4/23/13
34-87 Course Add
A student may add a course to their schedule during the course’s Add Period. This period begins on the first day of classes for the semester and ends one (1) calendar day after the end of the Drop period (see Policy 34-89). The Late Add period for a course begins with the first calendar day after the Course Add period and ends on the day when 80 percent of the duration of the course is attained. A student may add a course after the Add Period ends only with written permission of the course instructor.
C-2 Undergraduate Registration
Revised: 3/5/53 (as Rule J-3)
Revised: 3/6/73 (as Rule J-3)
Revised: 8/7/73 (as Rule J-2)
Revised: 11/12/74 (as Rule J-2)
Revised: 9/9/75
Revised: 1/6/76
Revised: 5/4/76
Revised: 9/8/81
Revised: 2/19/91
Revised: 3/16/04
Revised Editorially: 10/20/09
Revised: 4/27/10
Revised: 10/27/15 – Effective Fall 2016 – Archive
Revised: 3/12/19
Revised: 1/26/21
34-89 Course Drop
A student may drop a course without academic penalty during the Course Drop period. If the duration of the course is equal to the duration of the semester, this period is the first six (6) calendar days of either the fall or spring semester, beginning midnight on the first day of class. For all other courses (those not equal in duration to a semester of which they are part and all courses offered in the summer), the duration of the Drop Period is calculated by multiplying six (6) days by the duration of the course (in weeks) divided by fifteen (15) weeks, and then rounding up to the next higher whole number of days. For example, a 6-week course would have a drop period of 3 calendar days (6 days *6 weeks / 15 weeks equals 2.4 days, rounded up to 3 days.)
There is no limit to the number of courses/credits that can be dropped during this period and courses dropped during this period do not show up on the student’s academic record.
The Late Drop period for a course begins with the first calendar day after the Course Drop period and ends on the day when 80 percent of the duration of the course is attained. During the Late Drop period, the student may drop a course (Late Drop), and a notation (Policy 48-20) will be entered on the student’s academic record.
Note 1: By exercising a Late Drop, a student may be seriously jeopardizing his or her expected progress toward graduation. It is possible that a student will not be able to schedule the dropped course in the succeeding semester for a variety of reasons, thereby delaying progress toward graduation. In addition, students have limited attempts at a course (per Policy 47-80). Therefore, late dropping a course could preclude retaking it. Finally, financial aid may be affected. Therefore, students with financial aid are strongly urged to consult with Penn State’s Office of Student Aid.
Note 2: Per University policy, students may not change their registration in a course while a case of academic misconduct is being investigated. Likewise, students found responsible for academic misconduct may not change their registration status for that class.
Note: 3: A student may not drop or late drop the last/only course on his/her schedule. Dropping or late dropping the last/only course must be done through a withdrawal (Policy 56-30).
C-2 Undergraduate Registration
J-3 Military Leave of Absence, Withdrawal, and Late Drop
Revised: 3/6/73 (as Rule J-2)
Revised: 8/7/73 (as Rule J-2)
Revised: 4/2/74 (as Rule J-2)
Revised: 11/12/74 (as Rule J-2)
Revised: 10/14/75 (as Rule J-2)
Revised: 11/11/75 (as Rule J-2)
Revised: 12/6/77
Revised: 5/2/78
Revised: 2/5/80
Revised: 6/2/81
Revised: 9/8/81
Revised: 10/6/81
Revised: 4/6/82
Revised: 5/25/82
Revised: 3/21/89
Revised: 2/19/91
Revised: 9/14/93
Revised: 4/25/95
Revised: 3/16/04
Revised: 4/28/09
Revised: 3/16/10
Revised: 4/27/10
Revised: 4/23/13
Revised: 4/29/14
Revised: 10/27/15 – Effective Fall 2016 – Archive