Auburn Bulletin 2024-2025

Registration

Leave of Absence

A student may be granted a leave of absence for medical reasons, family necessity or dependent care, military service, or other approved personal reasons. Students planning to discontinue enrollment for a semester or more must request approval for a leave of absence. Students may petition the Graduate School for a leave of absence for a maximum of two semesters during the entire program; however, the Graduate School may approve extensions to the maximum two semester leave of absence (e.g., for military service obligations extending beyond two semesters).

A petition for a leave of absence (or extension), signed by the Graduate Program Officer or head of the academic unit, must be approved by the dean of the Graduate School. The Graduate School may request appropriate documentation. The request must be filed and approved before the anticipated absence. An approved leave of absence will enable students to re-enter their program without applying for re-activation or owing retroactive tuition and enrollment fees.

A student on leave is not required to pay fees, but in turn may not use Auburn University faculty, facilities, resources, or services intended only for enrolled students; receive a graduate assistantship, fellowship or financial aid from the University or take any Auburn courses related to the plan of study.

Withdrawing from Courses

See the Withdrawal Policy

Continuous Enrollment Policy

All full- and part-time degree-seeking graduate students must be continuously enrolled. Continuous enrollment is defined as registration for a minimum of one credit hour in at least two semesters in a given academic year (fall, spring, summer) until the degree is awarded or status as a degree-seeking student is terminated through an official university withdrawal.1 Students must register for the term in which they take their examinations, defend their dissertations, and complete degree requirements (including summer term). Although the Graduate School and individual graduate programs will monitor the enrollment status of graduate students, it is ultimately the responsibility of graduate students to ensure that they are meeting the enrollment provisions of this policy.

* Students who enroll for the first time during spring or summer semesters will not be declared inactive if they register in at least two semesters during their first full and subsequent academic years.

Exceptions to the Continuous Enrollment Policy

The Graduate School, if circumstances warrant, may grant exceptions to the Continuous Enrollment Policy. Appeals should be made directly to the dean of the Graduate School.

Inactive Status

Students who fail to register for at least two semesters in a given academic year will be declared inactive. To be re-activated, students must apply for re-activation to the program in which they were enrolled and the Graduate School. Students must also complete the re-admission form. Re-activation is not guaranteed. In order to fulfill the continuous registration requirement, students who are re-activated must register retroactively for a minimum of one credit hour and pay the associated tuition and fees for all semesters that have elapsed since they were last enrolled—up to a maximum of two semesters per academic year and a total of four semesters.

Non-Graduate Students and Graduate Work

An Auburn University undergraduate student may register for graduate courses provided that the following conditions are met: the student has at least a 3.0 GPA, is within 30 semester hours of graduating, has the written consent of the instructor of each graduate course, and obtains approval in advance from the Graduate School. A maximum of 12 semester hours of graduate course work taken in this option later may be applied toward a graduate degree at Auburn University with the approval of the student’s advisory committee provided that appropriate arrangements are made in advance with the Graduate School and a grade of B or higher is achieved on all courses used for graduate credit. The total course load taken at the time the undergraduate student is in a graduate course may not exceed 16 semester hours per semester. The same guidelines apply to undergraduate students taking graduate courses for undergraduate credit. A student may not use the same graduate course for both undergraduate and graduate credit. An exception is made for non-graduate students officially enrolled in the Honors College or an approved Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Degree Plan (see Non-Graduate Students Enrolled in Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Degree Plans below).

Any post-baccalaureate, non-degree student desiring enrollment in a graduate course must receive written consent of the instructor and approval of the Graduate dean in order to register for such a class.

Non-Graduate Students Enrolled in Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Degree Plans or in the Honors College

An Auburn University undergraduate student officially admitted and enrolled in an approved Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s degree plan (ABM) may register for graduate courses that are listed as required or elective courses in the student’s ABM plan. Similarly, students officially admitted and enrolled in the Honors College may enroll in a limited number of graduate courses. A maximum of nine hours (in a 30-hour master’s program) or 12 hours (in a 36-hour or more master’s program) may be counted towards both degrees, provided that a grade of B or higher is achieved on all courses used for graduate credit. No courses may be counted for both undergraduate and graduate credit in a program in which the double counting of courses is prohibited by an accrediting agency. The total course load taken at the time the undergraduate student is in a graduate course may not exceed 16 semester hours per semester.

Registration and Graduation Requirements

Thesis and dissertation students needing thesis or dissertation final approval and submission and the final examination, or non-thesis graduate students needing to complete projects, would register for GRAD 7000, 7990 Research and Thesis, 8990 Research and Dissertation, or 7980 Project, as applicable. Non-thesis graduate students requiring only a final examination would register for GRAD 7000. Students may not register for GRAD 7000 for more than one semester. Exceptions can be made by the Graduate School under special circumstances. 

Students are required to submit a graduation application to the Graduate School prior to the semester of expected graduation. Graduation day is the official last day of each semester and, therefore, is the deadline to submit the Committee, Transfers, Exceptions and Candidacy (CTEC) Form and graduation application for graduation in the following semester. It is the responsibility of graduate students to check records for compliance with graduation requirements. Students who have completed a graduation check for a previous term must notify the Graduate School of pending graduation before the 15th class day of each subsequent semester. Graduate degrees are awarded at the end of each semester. 

A graduate student may carry a maximum course load of 16 hours per semester (14 in the summer term) including undergraduate courses. Graduate students must carry nine hours per semester or enroll in (GRAD 7AA0/GRAD 8AA0) with concurrent enrollment for a minimum of one hour of 7990/8990 to be classified as full-time students. Enrollment in (GRAD 7AA0/GRAD 8AA0) requires completion of the Loan Deferment Request form available through the Graduate School website.  

Transfer of Credit from Other Institutions

Graduate credit taken in residence at an international institution or at a regionally accredited U.S. institution may be transferred when recommended by the student’s major professor, advisory committee, graduate coordinator, and when also approved by the dean of the Graduate School. Such transfer credit must fall within the time limits of the degree. Students seeking transfer credit must provide documentary evidence showing that the course is comparable to similar graduate courses at Auburn University and relevant to the student’s plan of study. Students must also provide an official transcript showing credit earned for the course. No prior commitment is made concerning whether transfer credit will be accepted. 

The total number of credit hours that may be transferred from another accredited institution towards a master’s, education specialist, or doctoral degree varies by program and may be no more than 50% of the total credit hours for the program. Such transfer credit 1) must fall within the time limits of the degree; and, 2) must be approved by the advisory committee and the Dean of the Graduate School.  

In the case of graduate degree programs offered through joint, cooperative, or consortial agreements, the student must earn a majority of credits from the participating institutions. No transfer credit will be approved without an official transcript. No course on which a grade lower than B was earned may be transferred. Additionally, credit will not be allowed if the combined GPA on graduate work taken at other schools is less than 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, nor may transfer credit be used to improve the GPA on courses taken at Auburn University.

Students who are admitted to a graduate certificate program may use a limited amount of course work taken at another accredited university to meet certificate requirements, with the approval of the program faculty and the Graduate School.* The total number of credits transferred shall not exceed 40% of the total required for the Certificate. Total credits allowed to transfer may be less as determined by the Certificate Program. Such transfer credit must fall with the time limits of the certificate program. Students must provide an official transcript showing credit earned for the course and documentary evidence that the course is comparable to similar graduate courses in the certificate program at Auburn University. No course on which a grade lower than B was earned may be transferred.

*A student may not use the same graduate course for both undergraduate and graduate credit.

Transfer to a Different Degree Program

For a student to transfer from one department to another requires that the student be in good academic standing, a new application for admission and the usual application fee. Changes in application status (master’s to doctoral, doctoral to master’s) or enrollment status (master’s to doctoral or doctoral to master’s) must be requested by the applicant/student involved and endorsed by the department head or chair, major professor, and advisory committee for enrolled students and approved by the dean of the Graduate School. Current international students must recertify full financial sponsorship for the issuance of a new 1-20 form.

Undergraduate Courses, S/U Option and Auditing Courses

A graduate student may register for undergraduate courses (1000-4000-level). For students enrolled in Graduate School, grades earned in undergraduate courses will not be used in calculation of the GPA for either retention or graduation but will appear on the graduate transcript. This policy took effect with the posting of grades fall 1998. For courses taken before fall 1998, grades earned in undergraduate courses may be used in calculation of the GPA for retention, but not for graduation. A graduate student may elect any course to be graded under the Satisfactory (S)-Unsatisfactory (U) option, if the major professor so recommends. Students are not allowed to select this option after the 15th class day. Courses listed on the Plan of Study must be graded A, B, C, D or F except for those designated as S/U. Similarly, a graduate student may elect to audit any course not on the Plan of Study. The student may not change from audit to credit after classes begin but may change from credit to audit before the 15th class day. All uses of the S/U and audit option require approval of the Graduate School.