Registration periods for each semester are listed in the University Academic Calendar. While every effort is made to ensure that the Schedule of Classes is accurate, unforeseen circumstances or low enrollments may cause the cancellation of some section(s) or course(s). Michigan Tech also reserves the right to change the days, times, rooms, or instructors of section(s) or course(s) as deemed necessary.
More information about how to register for courses is available on the Prepare for Registration pages.
Adding and Dropping Classes
Additional information on how to add and drop courses is available through the Registrar's Office. Questions regarding the add/drop process should be referred to the Registrar’s Office.
Adding Classes
The last day to officially add a full semester course is the established census date of each semester*.
First-Year (first semester) Students
Through the first five business days of the semester*, approval must be obtained from the student's academic advisor.
After the fifth business day of the semester*, approval must be obtained from the student's academic advisor and the course instructor. Section changes for the same course do not require academic advisor approval.
All Other Students
Through the first five business days of the semester*, no approval is required to add a course or change sections. After the fifth business day of the semester*, students must obtain approval from the course instructor to add a course or change a section.
Dropping Classes
The last day to drop a full-semester course without financial liability is the established census date of each semester*.
Courses dropped through the census date will not be recorded on the student’s permanent record. Beginning the day after the census date through the end of the twelfth week* of the semester, courses dropped will be indicated by a grade of 'W' on the student’s permanent record. The effective date of the course drop will be the date the request is fully approved. Drop requests that are initiated but not approved by the deadline will be managed on a case-by-case basis.
First-Year (first semester) Students
Beginning the first day of the semester through the end of week 12*, approval must be obtained from the student’s academic advisor to drop a course.
All Other Students
Beginning the day after the established census date through the end of week 12*, approval is required to drop a course. At a minimum, undergraduate students must obtain approval from their academic advisor and graduate students must obtain approval from the Graduate School. Additional approvals may be required as applicable (e.g., student athletes, international students).
After the twelfth week*, a student may request a late drop from the Dean of Student's Office, which will only consider those requests that clearly involve extenuating circumstances beyond a student's control. Comments from the academic advisor and instructor will be requested prior to final approval. If approved, the course will appear on the student's permanent record with the grade of 'W.'
NOTE: Students who drop all of their courses will be withdrawn from school as of the date the last course was dropped.
Definitions
*Courses offered in a time format other than 14 weeks, or outside of the official semester dates, will be prorated accordingly.
Census Date
The Census Date is a standard date each college/university must establish to take
an official snapshot of enrollment for federal financial aid regulation compliance
purposes. Students’ number of enrolled credits captured on the Census Date will be
used to determine the final, official calculations of financial aid that can be awarded
to a student. It is
the last day to add/drop classes without financial penalty or permanent academic records
of withdrawal. It is also the date that enrollment data for reporting purposes is
captured.
Prerequisites
Prerequisite courses are required to be satisfactorily completed before a student may register in a course requiring the prerequisite. Students who earn a CD or D in a prerequisite course should retake the prerequisite course before registering for the advanced course.
Departments may also require C or better grades in some prerequisite courses. Students should check both the course number and the required grade to determine if they are qualified to move to the next course.
Concurrent prerequisites are courses that may be taken either simultaneously in the same semester or in a prior semester.
Co-requisites are courses that are required to be taken in the same semester as the course requiring the co-requisite.
The course instructor has the right to waive prerequisites, if openings are available, in the case of a student who has demonstrated competence or who has had academic experience equivalent to that represented by the prerequisite. The waiver does not grant credit for the prerequisite course but indicates the instructor's willingness to accept the student into their class without the student officially taking the prerequisite course.
Repeating a Course
Students may repeat a course under the following guidelines:
- When a course is repeated the most recent grade will be used to calculate the GPA,
credits earned
toward graduation, and determination of class standing. - A record of all attempts and the grades received will appear on the student’s official
transcript. - Any course repeated for credit must be taken using the same grade mode as the first
attempt (e.g. pass/fail grades will not replace letter grades). - Repeat indicators of “Include” and “Exclude” will appear on the official transcript
to identify
repeated courses. - W (Withdrew) and I (Incomplete) grades will not replace a previous grade.
- Students must have the permission of the dean of students and their academic advisor
for the third
attempt at any one course. - Courses exempt from the repeat rule are those that may be repeated for credit as indicated
in the
course description. - In situations where an original course is no longer offered and no active direct equivalent
exists,
students may seek the permission of their academic advisor and their department chair or head of
the academic unit to substitute a different course (a “similar repeat”) which covers comparable
material at a similar level. The similar repeat must also be approved by the academic unit that
offered the original course, which may be outside of the student’s academic unit.
Variable Credit Courses
The last day to change credit amounts on variable credit courses is Wednesday of the second week of the semester (or the same percentage of time if a course is offered in a time module other than a fourteen-week semester). Decreases in credits after this date will not be refunded.
Enrollment in Graduate Courses under "Senior Rule"
While completing an undergraduate degree, students are permitted to take courses which could apply to a graduate degree. However, a course cannot be applied to both a graduate and an undergraduate degree.
A Senior Rule form must be completed and submitted to the Registrar’s Office by Wednesday of the second week of class for the term in which the class is taken. Upon submission, the student's academic record will be changed to show graduate status for the course(s) designated. Once the academic record has been changed to show graduate status for a particular course, it cannot be changed back to count toward an undergraduate degree, nor can courses from previous semesters be reclassified.
Students will receive two transcripts once the Senior Rule is applied to a course—one for undergraduate courses and one for graduate courses. Courses completed previously under Senior Rule (but not classified as such in the student's academic record) will not be reclassified to appear on the graduate transcript, but the courses may be accepted on the graduate degree schedule with department advisor’s approval.
Senior Rule Guidelines
- A student so enrolled and carrying 6 credits or more in 5000 level courses may carry no more than 16 credits of course work per semester.
- The total number of Senior Rule credits may not exceed one-third of the required non-research course credits.
- Courses taken under senior rule are not eligible for undergraduate Federal aid.
Senior Citizen Enrollment
The President may authorize financial aid or waive tuition and required or related fees for the auditing of up to two courses per semester for individuals who are 60 years of age or older and are residents of Houghton County or counties contiguous with Houghton County (Baraga, Iron, Keweenaw, and Ontonagon).
Regularly scheduled undergraduate and graduate courses are available for audit, subject to approval by the Office of the Registrar. Individuals who are not assessed tuition and fees are not entitled to receive any associated benefits.