Registration Requirements
All full-time and part-time degree-seeking graduate students in Arts & Sciences must maintain an appropriate registration status (i.e., Standard, Research Graduate Student, or Continuous Enrollment status) during all fall and spring semesters until all the requirements for the Arts & Sciences graduate degree for which they were admitted have been satisfied.
Unless granted a leave of absence or a medical withdrawal, a graduate student who fails to register each semester will have discontinued enrollment, and will be withdrawn from their graduate program in Arts & Sciences by the Vice Dean for Research and Graduate Studies. If the student wishes to resume progress toward the degree, it will be necessary to reapply for admission to the Arts & Sciences graduate degree program and meet any changed or additional degree requirements established in the interim. In addition, the student will owe Continuous Enrollment fees for the term(s) for which they were not enrolled.
Due to the high cost of health care in the U.S. and the importance of adequate health insurance coverage, William & Mary requires all full-time graduate students to be enrolled in the university-endorsed Student Insurance Plan. The cost will be billed to your student account in two installments (fall and spring semester) unless proof of other adequate health insurance coverage is furnished. Students who already have health insurance for the entire year/term must submit a Waiver Request by the posted deadline each academic year, and the Waiver Request must be approved to avoid being enrolled in the Student Insurance Plan. The services of the Student Health Center, the Counseling Center, and the Campus Recreation Center are not available to part-time students unless the required additional fees (charged per semester) are paid.
If an Arts & Sciences graduate student enrolls in another degree-granting program either at William & Mary or at another academic institution without prior approval from their advisor, their Director of Graduate Studies, and the Vice Dean for Research and Graduate Studies, then they will be suspended from their graduate program in Arts & Sciences by the Vice Dean for Research and Graduate Studies.
If an international Arts & Sciences graduate student transfers their student visa to another U.S. institution without prior approval from their advisor, their Director of Graduate Studies, and the Vice Dean for Research and Graduate Studies, then they will be withdrawn from their graduate program in Arts & Sciences by the Vice Dean for Research and Graduate Studies.
Standard Registration Status
All graduate students registered for a course in their graduate program numbered 500 or above will receive graduate degree credit upon satisfactory completion of the course.
Graduate students are allowed to register for undergraduate courses in Arts & Sciences, which are numbered below 500, provided they submit the appropriate form with the approvals of the instructor and their Director of Graduate Studies, prior to registration. Enrollment is subject to review and approval by the Assistant Dean of Graduate Studies. No credit towards a graduate degree is allowed for a course numbered below 500.
No credit towards a graduate degree is allowed for a course numbered above 499 in which a student receives a grade below C (grade point = 2.0); however, some graduate programs hold their students to higher standards.
With the approval of the Committee on Graduate Studies, 500-level graduate courses may be cross-listed with 400-level undergraduate courses. There are higher expectations and additional requirements for students taking the 500-level version of the course. Under no circumstances may any student receive credit for both the 400-level and 500-level versions of the same cross-listed course.
The expectation is that full-time graduate students in Arts & Sciences will register for a minimum of 12 graduate credit hours, but no more than 15 graduate credit hours. Students receiving financial aid (e.g., a Graduate Assistantship or a fellowship) must register for a minimum of 9 credit hours per semester to maintain their eligibility for financial aid.
Research Graduate Student Status
Upon the recommendation of a student’s graduate program and approval by the Vice Dean for Research and Graduate Studies, a student’s eligibility for Research Graduate Student status can be established if the following conditions are met:
- The student must have successfully completed all course work, excluding the required semester credit hours of 700 (Thesis) or 800 (Dissertation), necessary to satisfy the requirements for their degree and their degree program, while sustaining a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
- The student must not be employed significantly in any academic activity other than research and writing in fulfillment of degree requirements. A student holding a Graduate or Research Assistantship remains obligated to perform the duties assigned to them by their graduate program or research advisor.
- The student must be present on campus or engaged in field work approved by their advisor and their Director of Graduate Studies.
While classified as a Research Graduate Student, a student must register for 12 credit hours per semester, or 6 credit hours in the summer, of either the Directed Studies, Thesis, or Dissertation course for which payment of the part time rate of one credit hour is required. A Research Graduate Student may take courses other than 666/766 (Directed Studies), 700 (Thesis), or 800 (Dissertation), but only if payment for additional tuition has been made. If a student takes any additional courses while classified as a Research Graduate Student, the additional courses taken while classified as a Research Graduate Student cannot be used to fulfill degree requirements.
A Research Graduate Student is not eligible for services that are paid for by fees (e.g., the Student Health Center, the Counseling Center, and the Campus Recreation Center) unless the required additional fees (charged per semester) are paid.
Continuous Enrollment Status
Upon the recommendation of a student’s graduate program and approval by the Vice Dean for Research and Graduate Studies, a student can be considered for Continuous Enrollment status if the following conditions are met:
- The student must have successfully completed all required course work, including the required semester credit hours of 700 (Thesis) or 800 (Dissertation), necessary to satisfy the requirements for their degree and their degree program, while sustaining a minimum cumulative graduate point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. All that remains to satisfy degree requirements is the completion and successful defense of either a dissertation or a thesis. A student is not eligible for Continuous Enrollment status if additional credit hours are needed to satisfy degree requirements.
- The student must satisfy the guidelines specific to their graduate program regarding eligibility for Continuous Enrollment status.
To secure Continuous Enrollment status, the student must request permission from their program to enroll in GRAD 999, and must pay the Continuous Enrollment Fee. A student in Continuous Enrollment status may not register for any other credit-bearing courses at William & Mary.
Continuous Enrollment status allows students to maintain active graduate student status with William & Mary and to access some William & Mary resources, including the libraries, email, and laboratories. A student with Continuous Enrollment status may obtain access to the Counseling Center and the Campus Recreation Center upon payment of the appropriate fees. The services of the Student Health Center are not available to students with Continuous Enrollment status.
Continuous Enrollment status does not apply to students who have been officially granted an approved leave of absence or a medical withdrawal.
If the student’s deadline for degree completion has passed, registration for Continuous Enrollment is not sufficient to maintain good academic standing; the student must also request an extension (see section on Time Limits for Degrees and Extensions ).
The following students are not eligible for Continuous Enrollment status and must register either as a regularly enrolled degree-seeking student or as a full-time Research Graduate Student:
- Students employed in a graduate student appointment (i.e., Graduate Assistant, Research Assistant, Teaching Assistant, Teaching Fellow, etc.).
- In general, international students on student visas. Questions about eligibility for Continuous Enrollment status must be directed to Office of International Students, Scholars, and Programs.
- Students who need to maintain a full-time registration status for the purpose of deferring the repayment of student loans.
- Students who, upon payment of the appropriate premium or fee, wish to be eligible either for the William & Mary Student Health Insurance Plan or to use the Student Health Center.
- Students who wish to be eligible for either hourly student employment at William & Mary or for any form of student financial aid that requires full-time registration status.
Certain courses are specifically designated in the Graduate Arts & Sciences catalog as courses that may be repeated for credit. With the exception of these specially designated courses, no course for graduate credit in which a graduate student receives a grade of G, I, or P, or a grade between A and B-, may be repeated except as an audit. A student who receives a grade of C+ or lower in a course may repeat that course one time; see Grading and Repeated Courses. Students are responsible for ensuring they do not register more than once for a course that may not be repeated.
Any graduate student may audit a graduate or undergraduate course with permission of the instructor and Director of Graduate Studies for the student’s graduate program. The Arts & Sciences graduate Audit Form must be completed and submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies and Research prior to the end of the add/drop period as defined in the A&S: Academic Calendar .
Before beginning the audit, the student and the instructor must agree on what is required for the audit to be successful. The audited course will be listed on the student’s official William & Mary transcript with a grade of either ‘O’ for a successful audit or ‘U’ for an unsuccessful audit.
In graduate degree programs for which there are language requirements, the graduate program in which a student is enrolled will determine the method(s) by which a student satisfies the language requirements.
For students who wish instruction in a language, the Departments of Classical Studies and Modern Languages and Literature recommend courses numbered 101-102 for those with fewer than two high school units in a language, 103-104 or 201-202 for those with fewer than three. Successful completion of a course at the 202 level, or the equivalent, usually is sufficient to pass examinations for reading knowledge.
A graduate student in Arts & Sciences may be allowed to register for graduate credit for graduate courses taken in another graduate program in Arts & Sciences. If the graduate course taken outside of the student’s graduate program is listed in the Graduate Arts & Sciences Catalog for the year in which the student matriculated into the graduate program as one for which graduate degree credit earned can be used to satisfy the student’s degree requirements, then no advance permission is required. Otherwise, an Arts & Sciences graduate student is allowed to register for graduate courses in other graduate programs in Arts & Sciences provided the student submits, prior to the end of the add/drop period, the Permission for Graduate Course for Graduate Credit form with the approvals of the instructor and the student’s Director of Graduate Studies. Enrollment is subject to review and approval by the Assistant Dean of Graduate Studies.
A graduate student in Arts & Sciences may be allowed to register for graduate credit for graduate courses taken in the School of Education, the School of Marine Science, the School of Business, or the School of Law, provided the student submits, prior to the end of the add/drop period, the Permission for Graduate Course for Graduate Credit form with the approvals of the instructor, the student’s Director of Graduate Studies, and the designated official for the William & Mary academic unit in which the course is being taken. Enrollment is subject to review and approval by the Assistant Dean of Graduate Studies.
A graduate student in Arts & Sciences may be allowed to register for undergraduate courses taken in another program in Arts & Sciences, provided the student submits, prior to the end of the add/drop period, the Permission for Undergraduate Course form with the approval of the instructor and the student’s Director of Graduate Studies. Enrollment is subject to review and approval by the Assistant Dean of Graduate Studies. Credit earned for an undergraduate course (i.e., a course numbered below 500) may not be used to satisfy graduate degree requirements, but will be listed on the student’s official William & Mary transcript with the grade assigned by the instructor for the course.
The last day for Arts & Sciences graduate students to make changes to their course registration will be the last day of the add/drop period as defined in the A&S Academic Calendar. Changes to a student’s course registration after the last day of the add/drop period must be initiated through the Director of Graduate Studies for the student’s graduate program using an Add/Drop/Withdrawal form and requires the approval of the instructors involved, the student’s Director of Graduate Studies, and the Assistant Dean of Graduate Studies.
If an Arts & Sciences graduate student drops a course or courses before the end of the ninth week of classes but remains registered for other academic work, the course or courses dropped will be expunged from the student’s record. If the student withdraws from a course or courses after the end of the ninth week of classes through the last day of classes, but remains registered for other academic work, the grade ‘W’ or ‘F’ will be awarded by the instructor in the course depending upon whether or not the student was passing the course at the time of the withdrawal.
If an Arts & Sciences graduate student withdraws from William & Mary before the end of the ninth week of classes, a grade of ‘W’ will appear on the record for each course in progress at the time of withdrawal. After the end of the ninth week of classes through the last day of classes, students who withdraw from William & Mary will be awarded a ‘W’ or ‘F’ by the faculty member teaching each course in progress at the time of withdrawal. Students may not withdraw from a course after the last day of classes.
If for medical reasons an Arts & Science graduate student does not complete a course, “WM” will be entered on their transcript upon approval of the Dean of Students and the Medical Review Committee; see Leaves of Absence/Withdawals .
See A&S: Financial Obligations for regulations governing refunds of tuition and fees.
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