Registration and Course Credit

Since applications are for specific semester or terms, applicants should notify The Graduate College as soon as possible if they will not be enrolling for the semester of admission.

If you are an international student with an issued I-20 from Texas State, and are planning on deferring your attendance, you should also notify International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) by filling out the deferral form.

Texas State uses an online registration system referred to as Texas State Self-Service which requires admission to the university and an associated NetID and password. Texas State Self-Service can be accessed through CatsWeb. For more information, students should access the Office of the University Registrar’s website at http://www.registrar.txstate.edu.

Registration Termination

Registration in The Graduate College beyond the first term depends on satisfactory progress in fulfilling any admission conditions that may have been imposed and making satisfactory progress.

The dean of The Graduate College may terminate the registration of any student who fails to comply with Graduate College and/or other appropriate university regulations.

Course Load and Overloads

Course Load

A master’s level student under F-1 international student visa status must be enrolled full-time (six semester hours) in the fall and spring terms. A doctoral level student under F-1 international student visa status must be enrolled full-time (nine semester hours) in the fall and spring terms. An F-1 student does not have to enroll during the summer if the student is eligible and intends to register for the next term. A new initial F-1 student who recently gain admission into the U.S. with a program start date set to begin in the summer session must enroll full-time for that summer session. Also, an F-1 international student not holding an assistantship can be enrolled in fewer than above outlined hour minimum and be considered full-time under two conditions: a) if they have completed all course work and are completing an internship integral to their degree program (student must apply for Curricular Practical Training to work off-campus), b) if they have completed all course requirements and are working on their thesis/dissertation only. The exception under a) can be granted for one semester only, the exception under b) can be granted for multiple semesters provided the student makes progress on the thesis/dissertation. A student enrolling less than full-time must apply for a reduced course load prior to enrolling or dropping a course that results in less than full-time enrollment. For more information or to submit your Reduced Course Load (RCL) go to ISSS RCL or contact International Student and Scholar Services at 512-245-7966 for more information.

For F-1 international students only one (1) distance learning class/online course per semester may be counted toward the full-time status requirement.

The chart below shows the minimum face-to-face credit hours needed for the fulfillment of full-time status. The online hours are the maximum number of online or distance learning courses that can count towards the full-time status requirement. contact International Student and Scholar Services at 512-245-7966 for more information.

Online	Face-to-Face
Masters 3 hours	Masters 6 hours
Doctoral 3 hours	Doctoral 6 hours

The department or operating unit will determine the permissible course load of employees of the university under their supervision. Graduate assistants should refer to the Salaried Graduate Student Employment Procedures outlined in UPPS 07.07.06.

A student receiving Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits must check with the VA office (512-245-2641) for enrollment requirements.

Overloads

Course loads of 16 hours or more require written approval from the dean of The Graduate College. To request an overload, the student must make a request to the major department advisor who must submit a written request to the dean of The Graduate College at least three days before registration. Note that different limits apply to students holding graduate assistantships as described in https://policies.txst.edu/university-policies/07-07-06.html.

Credit Hour

For purposes of this catalog and in accord with federal regulations regarding the definition and assignment of credit hours under section 600.0 and 600.24(f) of the Higher Education Opportunity Act, a credit hour is an amount of work that reasonably approximates:

not less than one hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours out of class student work each week for approximately 15 weeks for one semester or trimester hour of credit, or 10 to 12 weeks for one quarter hour of credit, or the equivalent amount of work over a different amount of time;
at least an equivalent amount of work as outlined in the item above for other academic activities as established by the institution including laboratory work, internships, practicum, studio work, and other academic work leading to the award of credit hours.

A semester credit hour is defined by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board as a unit of measure of instruction consisting of 60 minutes, of which 50 minutes must be direct instruction over a 15-week period in a semester system. Credit hours must be presented in whole numbers. Academic administrative units are responsible for ensuring that credit hours are awarded only for work that meets this requirement. Students should expect to invest a minimum of two hours of additional work for each hour of classroom or faculty instruction per week.

Adds and Drops/Schedule Changes

Information regarding schedule changes can be found on the Office of the University Registrar’s website at http://www.registrar.txstate.edu/. Schedule changes and withdrawal dates are published each term in the official university calendar that can be found at: http://www.registrar.txstate.edu/persistent-links/academic-calendar.html.

For assistance, contact the Office of the University Registrar.

Auditing a Course

To audit a course, a student must be admitted to The Graduate College. After the student has registered on CatsWeb, he or she must contact the Office of the University Registrar in person by the 4^th class day in the summer or by the 12^th class day in the fall or spring. Check the University Academic Calendar for the exact date. A student will pay the same fees as if the course were taken for credit and the course will be entered on his or her transcript record, but the student will not receive credit for the course.

Senior citizens, 65 or older, may audit courses without payment of a fee if space is available. Registration is permitted just prior to the start of the term, with reductions made by the tuition adjustment clerk, in Student Business Services (JC Kellam Administration Building 188), after registering.

Course Numbers

Texas State follows a four-digit numbering system. The first digit indicates the level of the course: 1-freshman, 2-sophomore, 3-junior, 4-senior, 5- and 6-graduate and post-graduate, and 7-doctoral. Courses numbered 5000-6000 are open to all graduate students. Courses numbered 7000 are designed for doctoral students but may be open to other graduate students. The second digit of the course number indicates the semester credit hours the course carries. For example, a course numbered 5300 would carry three semester hours of graduate-level credit. The last two digits usually indicate the location of the course in the department’s curriculum. The letter (A, B, C, etc.) at the end of a course number usually indicates a topics course whose content may vary from semester to semester. Numbers in parentheses (3-4) following a course title indicate the clock hours per week spent in lecture and laboratory, respectively.

Dropping a Class

Dropping a class is an official action whereby a student drops one or more courses, yet remains enrolled in at least one hour. Refer to the registration instructions at http://www.registrar.txstate.edu for details on dropping a class.

The drop deadline is the first 60 percent of the term. Please refer to the academic calendar on the Office of the University Registrar’s website for the most current dates.
A “W” grade will be assigned automatically when a student drops one or more classes by the automatic “W” deadline, the first 60 percent of the term.

Withdrawal from all classes

Withdrawing from the university (dropping all classes) is an official action whereby a student completes the online withdrawal form that goes to the Office of the University Registrar. The deadline to withdraw (go to zero hours) from Texas State is two weeks preceding final examinations during the fall and spring semesters and one week preceding final examinations during the two parts of summer term.

The deadline to receive an automatic “W” is the first 60 percent of the term. Refer to the academic calendar on the Office of the University Registrar’s website for the most current dates.
After the automatic “W” period, faculty assign grades to students who officially withdraw from the university. Faculty assign a “W” grade only to those students who have a passing average at the time the withdrawal action is officially completed. Otherwise, faculty assigns a “U” grade.
Please refer to the academic calendar on the Office of the University Registrar's website for the withdrawal deadline.

Visit the Office of the University Registrar's website at http://www.registrar.txstate.edu/ or contact the Office of the University Registrar at 512.245.2367 for the proper procedures. Students living in university residence halls must also contact the Department of Housing and Residential Life in person, by letter, or by fax.

Registration and Course Credit