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(originally posted 11.23.05)
Last modifed: 01.19.06
Introduction
Policy Statement
Process to Enact a Change
of Status
Policy Impacts and FAQs
Associated
Policies
Critical Definitions
Introduction
The
assignment of status as full-time or part-time governs
much of the student experience with regard to billing,
financial aid, participation in the co-operative education
experience and ability to progress in his or her academic
program. This document provides students with detailed
information on undergraduate status, other policies
that constrain status changes and documentation requirements
to enact a change in status.
Policy
Statement
Student
status as full-time or part-time is determined at the
point of admission. Those students admitted into a full-time
program of study will be classified as full-time; in
the event that the program of study is both a full-time
and part-time program of study, student declaration
of status will be recorded in the student record.
—
Those students enrolled as full-time in a full-time
program of study will be required to maintain
at least 12 credits per term.
— Those students enrolled as part-time will
be required to carry less than
12 credits per term.
In
order to change status, students are required to declare
their intent by completing a Change
of Curriculum and Status form. The student should
consult with his or her academic advisor to determine
if the change sought is allowable. For instance, the
Industrial Engineering program is only offered as a
part-time program of study in Goodwin College of Professional
Studies. The signatures of the student’s academic advisor,
co-op coordinator (if enrolled in a co-op program) as
well as that of a financial aid representative are required
to enact this change.
There are some students for which status and status
changes are governed by other policies. For instance
— Drexel University employees may not
register for a full-time course load while employees
of the University4.
— International students must comply with full-time
registration requirements established by the United
States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS formally
INS). International students on F-1 or J-1 student visas
are strongly encouraged to meet with their International
Students and Scholars Services (ISSS) advisor before
making any decision to change their status change5.
Process
to Enact a Change of Status
There
are many other policies and federal regulations governing
a student’s decision to change his or her status. In
particular, Financial Aid, Cooperative Education and
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (for international
students) policies and regulations should be considered
when making a decision to change status as there are
potential ramifications associated with falling below
full-time status. Where relevant we have linked students
to the appropriate policy to inform their final decision
regarding drop and withdrawal (please see footnotes
3, 5, 6
and 7). We encourage students to seek
out their academic advisors, financial aid counselors
and coop coordinators when making any such decision.
A
student may change his or her status by filing a Change
of Curriculum and Status form with the Office of
the University Registrar. By completing this form, the
student is signifying that he or she will ascribe to
the credit limits associated with the new status, and
accept the changes in financial aid and billing that
are incurred as an outcome of the status change. In
order to change status, students are required to declare
their intent by completing the Change of Curriculum
and Status form. The student should consult with his
or her advisor to assess whether the change is allowable
(see Policy Statement.)
The Change of Curriculum and Status form must be filed
no later than the end of the adjustment period for the
term in which the change is sought. That being said,
it is recommended that the student indicate a change
in status from either full-time to part-time or vice
versa before the onset of his or her registration period
for the next term in order to provide the advisor the
information needed for sound academic planning.
Those
students that fail to change their status during the
specified time period will be billed according to their
official status designation. Adjustments to the bill
will be made at the end of the registration period to
reflect students’ enrollment status at that point in
time; students’ accounts will be reassessed throughout
the adjustment period to accurately reflect their registration
and account status.
Policy
Impacts / FAQ’s
Students
That Fall Below Full-time Status
In
the event that a full-time student falls below the 12
credit minimum, he or she will be notified by the advisor
at the end of the third week of the term to discuss
the impact of such and confirm status as full-time or
change status to part-time for the subsequent term.
If one does not change his or her full-time intent
as prescribed by the above policy he or she will be
billed at the full-time rate for the subsequent term,
consistent with the official designation indicated in
the student record.
Senior
Year Exception – Students entering into the senior
year must file for degree by August 1st of their Senior
Year. Full-time senior level students in the last
term of their program of study will be allowed to
fall below the 12 credit minimum but still maintain
their full-time enrollment status. Even though they
will be considered to have full-time status for all
academic and institutional purposes, these students
will be billed on a per credit basis.
Change
due to withdrawal from courses
In
the event that a student’s schedule changes from full-time
to part-time as a consequence of the withdrawal process,
the student will not need to file a Change in Curriculum
or Status form as he or she is still considered to be
working within the guidelines established by the program
of study and official status designation. That is, a full-time
student who falls below 12 credits because of a course
withdrawal has attempted 12 credits and will maintain
his or her status as full time. Such a student will have
completed less than his or her attempted credits and will
be encouraged to discuss the ramifications of completing
less than the attempted credits with his or her academic
advisor and a financial aid representative6.
There will be no adjustment to the bill for such changes
after the close of the 5th week. (Please refer to the
Bursar’s webpage for refund policies for withdrawal enacted
during weeks 3, 4 and 5 http://www.drexel.edu/depts/bursar/tuition_credits.asp).
Change
due to dropping a course
In the event that a full-time student drops a course
during the adjustment period, it is expected that he
or she will add courses to maintain a full-time schedule
i.e. at least 12 credits7,8.
Throughout the adjustment period the academic advisor
will review the registration status of his or her students
to ensure that the standards of status designation are
met. If during the adjustment period, a full-time student
falls below the full-time credit minimum of 12 credits
and was not able to meet this standard, students’ charges
will be reassessed automatically and the bill will be
adjusted. However, if in the subsequent term the student
is again below 12 credits at the close of the registration
period, he or she will be notified to confirm status
with his or her academic advisor.
Change
due to addition of course(s)
In the event that a part-time student
enrolls in 12 credits or more during the adjustment
period, he or she will be charged as a full time student.
However, if in the subsequent term the student again
exceeds 12 credits or more he or she will be asked to
confirm status with the academic advisor.
Associated
Policies
— Academic
Standards
—
Course Add Policy
—
Course Drop Policy
— Course
Withdrawal Policy
— Change
of Program
— Satisfactory
Academic Progress, Federal Financial Aid guidelines
— Course Enrollment Policy, Co-operative
Education
— U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration Service regulations, refer
to ISSS webpage and Student Life Handbook
— HR
Policy-22: Tuition Remission
Critical Definitions
Full-time
Status – A student is classified as full-time if
he or she is enrolled in a full-time degree granting
program. This is determined at the point of admission.
Full-time status is maintained by enrolling in at least
12 credits for each term in which the student is enrolled.
Part-time
Status – A student is classified as part-time either
by applying to and being admitted to a part-time academic
program1
or by applying for part-time status by changing his
or her status from full-time to part-time by submitting
a completed Change of Curriculum and Status2
form. Such a request, for a change in status, must meet
the approval of the student’s academic advisor.
Registration
Period – This is the period in which registration
takes place for a given cohort of students as prescribed
by the time ticket3.
The beginning of the registration period varies according
to the assignment of one’s time ticket, and the registration
period ends for all students at the conclusion of the
time ticket schedule. The registration period lasts
approximately five weeks after the onset of the first
time ticket. During the registration period students
are expected to enroll in a full-time course load if
they are designated as full-time students.
Adjustment
Period – This is the period during which students
can make changes in their registration by adding or
dropping courses. The adjustment period begins one week
before classes start for a particular term and continues
through the end of the second week of the term, concluding
that Sunday at 11:00 pm.
1
For instance, students can only apply to Industrial
Engineering on a part time basis.
2
This
form can be found at:
http://www.drexel.edu/SRC/forms.asp
.
3
Time
ticket schedules are available on the SRC
website at: http://www.drexel.edu/SRC/time_tickets.asp
.
4
A
full description of policy governing employee enrollment
status may be found at http://www.drexel.edu/hr/policies/DU-HR22.htm.
5
A
full treatment of federal regulations governing the status
of international students can be found at
http://www.drexel.edu/isss/maintainingstatus.htm
. This information is also available
in the Student Handbook.
6
This can potentially have financial aid consequences;
students are encouraged to review the Satisfactory Academic
Progress (SAP) requirement for federal and institutional
financial aid eligibility available at http://www.drexel.edu/financialaid/academic_progress.asp
and discuss the withdrawal decision with both the Academic
Advisor and / or Financial Aid Office.
7
This is particularly relevant for students enrolled in
the Cooperative Education Program. In order to participate
in coop, students are required to be registered as full-time
in the two terms preceding the onset of their cooperative
education assignment. A full description of this policy
can be found at http://www.drexel.edu/scdc/student-information/co-op-step-by-step/co-op-prerequisites.html
8
It
is expected that students on either an F-1 or J-1 visas
comply with the full-time registration requirements established
by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service
(USCIS formally INS). In making a decision regarding the
dropping of a course, international students on an F-1
or J-1 visa are strongly encouraged to meet with an ISSS
advisor to explore the impact of such a change on their
immigration status.
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