Maintaining Active Status

Maintaining Active Status

Graduate students must register every fall and every spring semester until their degree is awarded. Maintaining active status is critical and is required in order to participate in the University community as a graduate student. Participating in the University community includes registering for coursework, taking examinations, submitting milestone forms, or applying for graduation. Students not registered every fall and spring term are considered to have withdrawn, and their student records are deactivated. Those who wish to resume graduate work must request readmission. If readmitted, students are required to register for the term of readmission and every subsequent fall and spring term until their degree is awarded.

Consult with your adviser and/or DGS to determine what you should register for each term.

You should consider the following in addition to any criteria outlined by your adviser and/or DGS:

  • Do you have course credits or thesis credits that must be taken to complete graduate program and/or University degree requirements?
  • Do you have to be registered part-time or full-time to meet any internal/external registration requirements in addition to the registration requirement (for example, obtaining financial aid; holding an assistantship; maintaining legal visa status; deferring loans)?
  • What number of credits (and what type of credits) will meet the requirements of those internal/external departments or agencies?

GRAD 999 - a zero-credit, non-graded registration option that is an option for those graduate students who must register solely to maintain active status at the University. A $6.00 flat fee is charged for this registration. Eligibility to register for Grad 999 is determined by the graduate program. While registered for Grad 999 students can:

  • Meet the active status requirement
  • File graduate degree plans, petitions, apply to graduate
  • Take master's final exam, doctoral exams
  • Submit degree clearance materials (e.g., exam forms, upload thesis/dissertation)
  • Use library resources

Other special registration categories

If your student status has been discontinued, you will be required to apply for readmission to resume progress toward your degree.