Scheduling Support
Below Full-Time Status
Implications
Undergraduate students must hold at least 36 units in order to be considered full-time. Anything below 36 units is considered part-time. Dropping below full-time may affect financial aid eligibility, housing, loan repayment status and Visa status.
Undergraduate students who wish to drop below full-time during the semester must fill out the Petition to drop below full-time. This form should be submitted to the Academic Advisory Center. From there, the Associate Dean will have to approve the request. It is best for students to meet with their AAC Advisor when considering to drop below full-time.
International Students
International students who wish to drop below full-time should also contact the Office of International Education in addition to filling out the petition to drop below full-time.
Choosing Courses
Having trouble finding a course to complete your schedule? Below is a list of options to find a course that best suits you:
- Look for a course that can fulfill a General Education requirement.
- Not sure if you need a general education requirement? Run an academic audit to see what requirements you have remaining.
- You may also want to look into the schedule of classes page. This website will allow you to search by department, instructor or time.
- Try browsing the undergraduate catalog for potential options. Remember, 100 and 200 level courses (e.g. 85-102, 88-221, etc.) are the most appropriate for first-year and sophomores in terms of the level of difficulty.
- Students can also consider signing up for music lessons. See your primary advisor for more information.
- Students interested in research should consider taking a research training course.
Course Reservations
Some courses, sections, or seats within courses are reserved for students who are declared in a certain major or department, so your ability to register may be limited.
Students should connect with their Academic Advisor to check whether or not a particular course has any specific reservations.
Pre-Requisites
Students will find that there are instances in which courses have prerequisites, which means a student will first have to take course "A" in order to take "B".
Prerequisites are listed in the undergraduate catalog next to each individual course. When searching for courses through Student Information Online (SIO), students will also be able to view whether a course has a prerequisite by clicking on the course.
When having trouble finding out if a course has a prerequisite, students are encouraged to contact their Academic Advisor.
Registration Holds
Academic
If you are placed on a "hold" for academic reasons, contact your Academic Advisor.
Financial
Some students are placed on a "hold" for financial reasons and will want to contact The HUB to find out what needs to be done in order to have the hold removed.
Units
Normal Load
A normal load consists of 5 courses (45 units), but this will vary depending upon how many units each course is. If taking 45 units each semester, students will be on pace for graduation within 4 years.
Graduation
Students must have a total of 360 units to graduate with a minimum Q.P.A. of 2.0. The 360 must not consist of more than 9 units of 69-xxx physical education courses, pass/no pass ROTC courses (30-xxx, 31-xxx, 32-xxx) and 98-xxx student-taught courses combined.
Waitlists
It is common for undergraduate students, especially undeclared first year students, to find themselves on waitlists for courses after registration day. There are many reasons why students might be placed on a waitlist. Students on waitlists are encouraged not to panic and encouraged not to email the instructor directly. Often, instructors do not have direct control over their waitlists. CMU staff are working across the university to manage the waitlists and this can take some time, students are encouraged to be patient. Students can learn more about this at the Waitlist Navigation Guide, found on the HUB's website.
If a student is is on a waitlist for one or more courses, students should consider registering for another section of the course, if possible, or adding a different course. Students may be on a maximum of 5 waitlists. Students are encouraged to make backup plans when making their planned schedule to be fully prepared on registration day.