Registration and Taking Courses < Northeastern University Academic Catalog

Course Registration
Auditing a Course
S/U (Pass/Fail) System
Course Selection and Planning
Course Prerequisites
Course Corequisites
Repeating a Course
Course Substitution and Course Waiver
Directed Study
Independent Study
Course Add/Drop Policy
Course Withdrawal Policy

Course Registration

For course registration information, visit the College of Professional Studies website.

Course registration procedures are as follows:

Newly accepted and returning students add or drop courses through the Student Hub any time during the registration period.
Certificate- and degree-seeking students whose studies have been interrupted voluntarily for one to three years need to first apply for reentry through the Office of Academic Advising. Once a student is accepted for reentry, they will register via the Student Hub.
Students who have been absent voluntarily for more than three years must apply for readmission.
Students interested in taking undergraduate-level courses for personal professional enrichment may register using the Express Registration form. Students who study under the PPE status:
- Are responsible for satisfying course prerequisites and corequisites, if applicable, before enrolling in courses
- May elect to apply to an undergraduate certificate or degree program by completing the online application process
- Understand that up to 8 qualifying credits earned while on PPE status may be applied to the intended undergraduate certificate program and up to 16 credits may be applied to the intended undergraduate degree program

All students need to be mindful of the college’s course add/drop policies and deadlines to register as early as possible with the intent to secure a spot in the preferred course and to avoid being charged in full for withdrawing after the deadline.

Auditing a Course

Undergraduate students are permitted to audit undergraduate courses, but they must complete the usual registration process and pay regular tuition fees. There is no reduction in fees for auditing.

An auditor may participate in class discussions, complete papers and projects, and take tests and examinations for informal evaluation. Regardless of the amount or quality of work completed, however, no academic credit will be granted for an audited course. In addition, an audited course may not be used in the determination of enrollment status for financial aid purposes and does not count toward program completion.

The student’s decision to audit a course must be communicated in writing to the Office of the University Registrar before the fourth class meeting for full-semester courses. For half-semester courses, requests must be received by the second class meeting. No exception to this procedure may be approved without the authorization of the college’s academic standing committee.

The student should inform the instructor of their status as auditor of the course.

S/U (Pass/Fail) System

An undergraduate student may elect to take courses on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory (commonly known as pass/fail) grading scale. The following rules apply:

Undergraduate degree students may register for one open elective course per semester on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory (S/U) basis and may not take more than a total of four S/U courses at the College of Professional Studies.
To be eligible for S/U status, the student must be in good academic standing and also must meet all prerequisites for the course.
To be graded on an S/U basis, the student must file an S/U petition prior to the fourth class meeting for full-semester courses.
- For half-semester courses, petitions must be received by the second class meeting
The grades recorded on the basis of the S/U system will not figure in the computation of the grade-point average.
An “incomplete” in a course taken on an S/U basis is designated by the letter X on the permanent record and must be treated according to the normal procedure for incomplete grades.

Course Selection and Planning

Students should refer to their degree audits for program curriculum information, to select courses, and to monitor their progress toward degree completion. Students should access their degree audits through the Student Hub or request an audit from their academic advisor.

Degree audits are unofficial records of academic progress. Students are encouraged to consult with their academic advisor about their academic planning.

Course Prerequisites

Course prerequisites are courses that are required to have been completed prior to enrolling in another course. Before registering for a course through the Student Hub, students, regardless of matriculation status, should consult the College of Professional Studies website to determine whether they have completed the course prerequisites.

Course prerequisites may be met by taking the prerequisite course(s) for undergraduate courses, by taking college-level or proficiency examinations for undergraduate courses, or by obtaining credit in specific academic disciplines for knowledge gained through prior learning experiences for undergraduate courses. Some courses have two parts. It generally is not possible to take part two before successfully completing part one.

Course Corequisites

Course corequisites are courses that are required to be taken concurrently; e.g., College Writing 1 (ENG 1105) and Lab for ENG 1105 (ENG 1106), which are part of the undergraduate written communication core requirement, must be taken at the same time. Before registering for a course through the Student Hub, students, regardless of matriculation status, should read the course description to determine what the corequisite is and register for both courses.

Repeating a Course

If a student wishes to improve their cumulative grade-point average by repeating a course, they may do so. A student may take the same course up to three times to earn a better grade. Only the grade earned in the last attempt is used to compute the GPA, while all grades remain part of the student’s permanent academic record. A student is required to pay the normal tuition charges for all repeated courses.

Financial aid recipients must be mindful that repeating a course could impact their aid eligibility. As per financial aid regulations, students may repeat a course only once and be eligible for aid. Students with questions about this possible impact should contact their financial aid counselor.

Course Substitution and Course Waiver

In some cases, a student has taken a similar course for transfer credit, so the student may request a course substitution to satisfy degree requirements. The substituting course must be comparable in content and rigor. Students may request a maximum of four course substitutions for a College of Professional Studies undergraduate degree program.

A course substitution may be awarded to a student who has completed an equivalent course at an accredited institution other than CPS in the past seven years. The substitution will replace the required course, meeting the program requirement. A student must complete a Request for Course Substitution form and submit it to their academic advisor, who will work with the academic program for review and approval/denial.

A course waiver is used in more unusual circumstances, such as when the original course is no longer being offered by CPS. In these situations, the required course may be waived, and the student will complete another course, as approved by the program, to satisfy the number of credits required for the program. Students requesting a course waiver must meet with their academic advisor to ensure a waiver is appropriate and to make the request.

Directed Study

Directed studies are offered when a course is required for a student’s program of study but said course is not available in a given academic term and there is immediacy for a student to complete said course. Academic deans/directors will make the decision if there is a compelling need to run a course as a directed study.

Independent Study

Independent study is an opportunity for a degree student to work independently under the supervision of an instructor to undertake special research, literature review, or experimental study projects in areas related to their program of study that they cannot accomplish as part of a standard course in the curriculum. A degree student may take up to two independent studies. The work to be done for an independent study is usually crafted by the student, with faculty input. Independent studies are entirely optional and not needed to graduate. A completed Request for Independent Study form, signed by both the student and the faculty member, must be submitted to the academic program for review and approval.

Course Add/Drop Policy

Refer to the academic calendar for specific dates. Students should consult with their academic advisor before adding or dropping classes.

Students may add a half-semester course within the first week of the course. For full-semester courses, students may add a course within the first two weeks of the course. Students who add a class during the add/drop period are responsible for all assignments missed prior to enrolling. Enrolled students are responsible to attend classes during the add/drop period, and any absences will be held accountable to the instructor’s attendance policy.

Students who drop a course before the deadline will not be charged for the course and will not have a W (withdrawal) on their transcript. Thereafter, students are responsible for 100% of the tuition charges and applicable fees, and the earned grade will be on their permanent academic record. All such dates are specified in the academic calendar.

Students must add/drop courses using the Student Hub.

Students who experience difficulty adding, dropping, or withdrawing from a course should promptly request support through the Registrar Service Portal. If it is determined that there is an issue with Student Hub access, they need to contact the Service Desk at the following:

617.373.4357 (HELP)
help@northeastern.edu
Website

Students with holds (e.g., financial, judicial) may have restricted access to add, drop, or withdraw from a course. In such instances, students are responsible for resolving the hold immediately and to meet the established course registration deadlines.

A reduction in a student’s course load could affect a student’s international student visa status or financial aid eligibility.

Course Withdrawal Policy

Reference the academic calendar for specific dates by which students may withdraw from a course.

Students who withdraw from a course after the add/drop deadline and before the last day to withdraw will receive a W grade and will be responsible for 100% of the tuition charges and applicable fees. The W grade does not affect the calculation of the cumulative grade-point average but it does impact a student’s academic progression, which may result in the student being placed on academic probation or dismissal.

Students must withdraw from courses using the Student Hub.

Students who experience difficulty withdrawing from a course should promptly request support through the Registrar Service Portal. If it is determined that there is an issue with the student’s Student Hub access, they need to contact the Service Desk at the following: