All graduate students are expected to enroll and pay tuition by the twelfth class day of the fall term and the spring term of each academic year until graduation. If the student has been admitted to candidacy for the doctoral degree, registration in the dissertation course or the equivalent or in international study and research (ISR) is required. The only alternative to continuous registration is a leave of absence, discussed in the Leave of Absence for Graduate Students section. In order to fulfill the continuous registration requirement, doctoral candidates who are readmitted must register retroactively and pay tuition for all long terms that have elapsed since they were last enrolled.

If a student who is not on approved leave fails to register by the twelfth class day, the student may not return to the University without applying for readmission. The student must apply for readmission both to the University and to the graduate program and must pay the general application fee. The application is reviewed by the Graduate Studies Committee, which may choose to readmit the student or to deny readmission.