Registration

Requirements

All graduate students using Lehigh University resources must be registered. The maximum roster of a full-time (no employment) graduate student shall not exceed 18 credit hours, but students can petition to SOGS for up to 20 credit hours. Graduate students who are full-time employees at the university may not take more than six semester hours of graduate work in any one semester. Graduate students who are half-time employees of the university (e.g., half-time teaching assistant or half-time research fellows) may not take more than ten semester hours of graduate work in any one semester. Graduate students under contract to devote not more than one-third of their time to university employment may take a maximum of twelve semester hours in any one semester. Graduate students who are employed elsewhere and can give only part of their time to graduate work must restrict the size of their rosters accordingly. Full time status is indicated for graduate students who register for a minimum of nine credit hours each semester, or three credit hours in each summer session. 

REGISTRATION PROCEDURE

Registration is scheduled to begin in November and April at a time designated on the university calendar. Students should check with their departments for registration and semester class schedules. Graduate students register using the online system after consultation with their adviser. A course adviser will discuss course selections with students and provide the registration PIN.

LATE REGISTRATION PENALTIES

Registration after the designated period during the prior term for continuing full-time graduate students will require a late registration fee. Students who have not completed the registration process by the tenth day of the regular academic semester or by the fourth day of the summer session will not be permitted to attend class.

Full-time Status

In order to maintain full-time enrollment status, a graduate student must register for a minimum of nine credits each semester. Full-time students may not be employed full-time. Identification as a full-time student is important for three purposes:

1. eligibility for financial aid,
2. compliance with visa requirements for international students, and
3. for university and national graduate enrollment data.

Full-time status may be maintained with fewer than nine credits of registration after fulfillment of degree credit-hour requirements and continuing a program of full-time study and research. In such cases, the status must be certified each semester on the Graduate Full Time Certification request form, first by the department and then by the appropriate college and filed no later than the 5th day of class in the semester in which certification is requested.