In Absentia Registration
A student who is taking the final course(s) remaining to complete degree requirements via nonresident credit or a candidate for a degree who has completed the requirements for graduation and needs to register only for the purpose of having a degree conferred, may register in absentia. In absentia registration is not permitted for any other purpose; for graduate students, in absentia registration is allowed at the end of the summer session for fall graduation as described below. The fee for in absentia registration is $25. In order for the degree to be awarded, the remaining coursework must be completed, the final grade recorded on the student's academic record, and degree requirements certified by the established deadlines for the term. Students registering in absentia must still meet in-residence requirements for a degree to be conferred.
Undergraduate Students
After registering for classes, an undergraduate student may change to in absentia status only with the approval of his or her dean. The classes for which the student is registered should be dropped and the in absentia registration added through the normal add/drop procedure. If the change is made during the first twelve class days, the student’s tuition is refunded, minus the amount of the in absentia fee. After the twelfth class day, no refund is made and no additional charge is assessed for the in absentia registration. No refund is available for the cancellation of an in absentia registration.
Graduate Students
Graduate students must be registered for the semester in which they graduate and must apply for graduation by the deadline published in the academic calendar. A student who fails to complete all degree requirements or misses the deadline for acceptance of the thesis, report, recital, dissertation, or treatise must register and pay tuition the following semester or summer session in order to receive the degree.
An exception is made for students who apply to graduate in the summer session but miss the deadline for acceptance of the thesis, report, recital, dissertation, or treatise. In this case, the student will be registered in absentia for the fall semester, only for the purpose of receiving the degree, by degree evaluators in the Office of Graduate Studies. The thesis, report, recital, dissertation, or treatise must be accepted by the deadline for in absentia registration, which falls before the beginning of the following fall semester. Additional exceptions may be granted by the graduate dean under rare or extenuating circumstances. A student may be registered in absentia only once.