Graduate Registration and Enrollment
CONTINUOUS ENROLLMENT
All graduate students are expected to enroll and pay tuition and fees by the required deadline of the fall and spring semester or module of each academic year until graduation.
ENROLLMENT IN DOCTORAL COURSES
Registration in an independent studies, independent research or similar courses implies an expected level of effort on the part of the student comparable to that associated with non-independent courses of the same credit value.
Once a student registers for dissertation, he/she must continue to enroll in the appropriate dissertation course each succeeding semester (except summer sessions unless the student is graduating in the summer) until the dissertation is completed.
A doctoral student who is required to register solely for the purpose of satisfying a continuous enrollment requirement shall be required to register for no more than three hours during each long semester (fall and spring).
Only in unusual circumstances shall a doctoral student register for more than 12 hours in a given semester or summer session and then only if approved in advance by the Dean of the College and the Dean of the Graduate College.
ENROLLMENT IN THESIS COURSES/CAPSTONE REQUIREMENTS
When the student reaches the thesis/research paper/project stage of their graduate program, enrollment in thesis courses or other capstone requirement coursework is required each fall and spring semester until completion. Students are expected to enroll and pay tuition and fees by the required deadline of the fall and spring semester or module of each academic year until graduation.
Once a student registers for thesis, he/she/they must continue to enroll in the appropriate course each succeeding semester (except summer sessions unless the student is graduating in the summer) until the thesis is completed.
SUMMER GRADUATION
Students applying for summer graduation must be enrolled in the dissertation/ thesis/ project course during the summer session in which he or she intends to graduate. Departments can determine the number of hours required each semester to accomplish continuous enrollment. The only alternative to continuous enrollment is a leave of absence (see Leave of Absence policy below).
If the student who is not approved for a leave of absence fails to enroll by the required deadline for enrollment, she/he may not return to the University without applying for readmission. The student must apply for readmission to the Graduate Admissions and must pay the application fee if absent for more than one year. The student may be accepted for readmission, or the student may be denied readmission by either the Graduate Admissions or graduate program.
LEAVE OF ABSENCE
A Leave of Absence (LOA) provides a mechanism for students experiencing unusual circumstances such as personal or familial health-related issues; major financial or employment issues; and other serious circumstances that interfere with the ability to undertake graduate study to be exempt temporarily from the continuous enrollment policy.
An approved LOA stands in lieu of the continuous enrollment policy for each semester/module during which the LOA is approved. However, time on leave counts toward University, Graduate College, or program time limits for the degree being sought.
A student may request a leave of absence for one or two consecutive semesters in the same academic year.
Students do not need to submit an LOA for summer semesters unless their program of study requires summer enrollment, with the exception of students enrolled in Accelerated Online Programs (AOP). AOP students are not required to submit an LOA for leaves of 1 module; however, AOP students who anticipate leave of 2 or more modules should submit.
During a leave of absence, students may not use UTRGV facilities, resources, or services designed or intended only for enrolled students; receive a graduate assistantship, fellowship, student travel funds, or financial aid from the University; or take any UTRGV courses. Students on leave may not conduct research, serve as principal investigators, serve on committees, or participate in student government or student organizations.
An approved leave of absence does not exempt students from the enrollment requirements of other programs, offices, and agencies such as the Veterans Administration, Immigration and Naturalization Service, and federal financial aid programs.
An approved leave of absence does not guarantee that student employment, assistantships, scholarships, or other student funding available at the time of the LOA will remain available when the student returns.
It is the student’s responsibility to apply for a leave of absence in a timely fashion. A leave of absence will not be granted retroactively after the end of the semester or module.
For the Leave of Absence form, see the Graduate Colleges Forms website.