Registration

Students admitted to the University formally register for classes using the student information system and in consultation with their academic advisor. Prior to registration, students must ensure their accounts are up to date with Student Financial Services. The procedure is as follows:

  1. Registration materials, including the schedule of classes, will be made available to current students in March (for fall term), October (for spring term) and January (for summer term).
  2. Students will discuss recommended course selections for the upcoming registration with their academic advisor. The student and advisor should keep a copy or record of the courses approved for registration.
  3. Subsequent to the advising meeting, the advisor releases the advisor hold on registration via Self-Service and the student registers for courses at the appropriate time.

Uniformity of procedure is required to handle the large volume of students and ensure fairness to all students. Advisor’s approval helps students identify courses appropriate for his/her program, interests, and abilities. Proof of payment is required to ensure students do not build large balances which they are unable to pay.

Maximum Credits per Semester. Graduate students are permitted to schedule up to 18 credits per semester (fall, spring, summer). Students who elect to take more than 18 credits per semester must first obtain approval from their academic advisor, the director of their program and the registrar’s office. Exceptions include students enrolled in programs with documented curriculum design which requires enrollment over 18 credits in a semester.

Drop/Add/Withdraw (Change in Registration)

Add: Students may add courses to their schedule using the online student information system  through the day before the course/part-of-term begins.  Once a part-of-term begins, late registration may be permitted in mitigating circumstances with permission of the instructor, advisor and registrar’s office. These requests must be emailed to the graduate registrar’s office, and may result in an additional fee.

Drop:  Students may drop courses from their schedule using the online student information system through the 100% refund period.

Withdraw:  Students may withdraw from a course after the 100% refund period and before the final third of the course.

All add, drop and withdrawal dates are published by the registrar's office and follow Eastern Standard time.

Graduate Students Enrolling in Undergraduate Courses

When graduate students take undergraduate courses (whether to fulfill prerequisites, to meet certification requirements, or for enrichment), the following policies apply:
 
1. Students are classified as graduate-level students.
2. Students are subject to all graduate academic and student policies.
3. Students pay the graduate rate for undergraduate credits. Note: In order to receive federal financial aid, the undergraduate course must be required to meet the student’s graduate degree/academic requirement and the student must be accepted into the graduate program. Therefore, prerequisite courses may be eligible for federal financial aid.
4. The undergraduate course and course grade are recorded on the graduate transcript.
5. If a student’s final grade equates to less than a C in an undergraduate course, the graduate transcript will record an F.

Class Attendance

Messiah University expects all students to attend scheduled classes regularly in order to maximize opportunities to profit from a professor’s expertise and from interchange with their peers, as well as to contribute to the quality of intellectual interchange in the classroom, whether traditional or virtual.

Regular attendance is expected throughout the duration of the course. For online courses, a student’s presence is evidenced by active and meaningful participation in virtual chats, discussion board assignments, synchronous and asynchronous class meetings, and any other threaded discussions/assignments required by the professor. Lack of participation may result in a student being marked absent for a class session, or failure in the course if he/she does not properly withdraw. Having a substitute participate in the registered student’s place is a violation of the University's academic integrity policy.

For class absence due to personal illness, it is the student’s responsibility to notify the instructor(s) prior to the class or synchronous session, if possible. If prior notification is not feasible, the student should ensure that s/he notifies her/his instructors by the end of the day on which the class(es) meet.
For deaths in the family and similar emergencies, students should notify their Program Director who will notify the faculty of the student involved, it is important that the student notify the office as soon as possible.