General registration opens for the Fall and Summer semester in late March or early April, and for Spring semester in early November. All initial registration made starting the first day of the semester will be charged a late registration fee. All registration dates can be found on the Registrar’s website.
All CCAS graduate students are required to register continuously each fall and spring semester until the completion of their program. Even students on a Leave of Absence must register. Registration during the summer is optional except for students in the Professional Psychology (PsyD) program, and for those who plan to complete their degree requirements in the summer semester. Failure to register requires that a student apply for readmission. Readmission is not guaranteed.
The typical workload for a full-time graduate student is 9 credits in Fall and 9 credits in Spring. All students must register for at least 3 credits per semester, unless you have completed all of your coursework and are working on your thesis/dissertation, or if you are studying for your comprehensive examination.
More than 15 credits requires approval from your Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) and the Associate Dean.
The credit hours required for half-time and full-time status are below:
Students who work more than 20 hours a week should not register for more than 6 credits.
Failure to register for the minimum number of credit hours may lead to problems with student loans, with your degree completion deadline, or (for international students) with your student visa.
Online registration through GWeb isn't permitted for some classes. When this occurs, there are two different types of Registration Transaction Forms (RTF) you can use to register for the course.
You must take the RTF-EZ to the Student Services Hub in the Marvin Center where you will be registered on the spot!
You must email the RTF-Classic to the Office of Graduate Studies for approval where we will forward it to the Registrar Office.
There may be times when you are permitted to register for fewer credits than normally required and still be considered a full-time or half-time student for student loan or other purposes. This is done using the Half-Time/Full-Time Certification Request form available on the Registrar's website. This form needs to be signed by your DGS before being submitted to your CCAS Coordinator, and you must be registered for the term for which you are requesting certification. The only acceptable reasons for requesting certification are:
The Registrar will not accept certification forms until registration is open for that particular semester so please wait until registration is open before taking it to your DGS for signature.
If you are a pre-candidacy Ph.D. student, CCAS will certify you for one semester only, while you are preparing for the general examination. In order to be certified again, you will need to advance to candidacy. Once in candidacy, you may register for 3 credits per semester until you reach 72 credits and still be certified as full-time.
International students must remain as full-time students for visa purposes. You should complete the international student Full-Time Certification Request form or the Reduced Course Load form, depending on your situation. You may submit these forms electronically through the ISO gateway.
If you find it necessary to withdraw completely from the University you must notify the CCAS Office of Graduate Studies in writing ([email protected]). If you want to resume your degree at a later date, you will be required to reapply for admissions. If you wish to resume your degree within 2 years of leaving, you may be required to back register for one credit hour for each semester spent away.
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801 22nd St. NW
Washington, DC 20052
Phone: 202-994-6210
