Pre-registration for returning students is scheduled in the Fall and Spring of each academic year for advance course selection. The order of registration proceeds from seniors to first-year students. Class determination is made at the completion of the Fall semester and at the end of summer sessions. A student’s registration is not considered official until all financial obligations are met.

Course Numbering: The 100-level offerings are introductory or survey courses that generally do not require prerequisites. The 200-level courses are intermediate and may require prerequisite courses. The 300-level courses are advanced and require prerequisite courses. The 400-level courses are generally for seniors and include seminars, independent study, and internships. Courses at the 900 level are open only to post-baccalaureate students.

Prerequisites represent an essential body of knowledge and skills necessary for students to succeed at an acceptable level in a course and/or are required to satisfy licensing and certification standards. Specific prerequisites are required for many courses and in certain professional studies leading to licensing and certification. Prerequisites may be waived by the instructor or department chair of the department offering the course.

Corequisites are courses which support the successful completion of certain other courses when taken concurrently. When a corequisite is listed for a course, the students are advised to register for both at the same time. In some cases, prerequisite/corequisite courses may fulfill LASC requirements.

Course Credit is counted in units called semester hours. The number of semester hours carried by a particular course is indicated in the course description. Twelve to 19 semester hours of credit per semester are considered a full-time schedule of study.

Worcester State University follows a modified Carnegie Foundation definition of the credit-hour, known as the “Carnegie Unit.” For Worcester State courses, one credit hour is equivalent to one hour of classroom instruction, coupled with a minimum of two hours of expected coursework outside of the classroom by the student, over a semester of approximately 15 weeks. Please note that “one hour of classroom instruction” is actually 50 minutes. A three-credit course would thus entail approximately 45 classroom hours of instruction (= approximately 37.5 actual hours in class per semester) and a minimum of approximately 90 hours of work outside of class. Courses offered in abbreviated terms, such as summer and winter sessions, are the academic equivalent of courses offered in a full semester format. Students receive one credit for each credit hour of courses taken.

Full-time, Half-time, and Part-time Status:  Undergraduate students enrolled in 12 or more credits per semester are classified as full-time students.  Undergraduate students enrolled in 6-11 credits per semester are classified as half-time students. Undergraduate students enrolled in fewer than 6 credits per semester are considered part-time students, who are not hall-time or full-time.  To complete an undergraduate program in four years, students must earn an average of 15 or more credits each semester. 

Course Overload: Special permission is required for students to register for more than 19 semester hours of credit. Forms are available at the Office of the Registrar or the Registrar webpage and advisor/department and Dean's approval are required.

Course Repeat: In general, after consultation with their advisor, students who wish to repeat a course must file a course repeat form with the Registrar. Course repeats must be taken at Worcester State University.  Only the highest grade is computed in the cumulative GPA, although all previous and new grades will appear on the transcript.  Students will not receive credit for a course more than one time except for courses specifically identified by individual departments as repeatable for credit. For financial aid purposes, there is a limit to the number of times that students can repeat coursework. A student receiving financial aid may repeat a previously passed course one time in an attempt to receive a better grade.  For any questions about this, please contact the Financial Aid Office. Some academic departments may have department- or major-specific course repeat policies for courses or programs in their department. Please see academic department catalog pages for more information.

Adding or Dropping a Course: Students may add/drop courses in accordance with the deadline published in the academic calendar. It is the student’s responsibility to return the completed form(s) to the Registrar’s Office. After the deadline, students wishing to drop a course must follow the procedure for withdrawal.

Withdrawal From Courses (W): A student may withdraw from a course at any point up to one week after failure warnings have been issued. Choosing to withdraw is a serious matter which may affect a student’s class standing, full-time status, financial aid, etc. A student considering such a step should seek advice from the instructor or the faculty advisor. To withdraw from a course, a student must obtain a Course Withdrawal Form from the Registrar’s Office or the Registrar webpage and follow the prescribed steps. Mere non-attendance at class does not constitute official withdrawal and may result in a failing grade.

In cases of academic dishonesty, the W grade may be reversed.

All “W” grades are permanently recorded on the student’s transcript. A student who withdraws from all courses will be considered withdrawn from Worcester State University, and must file a formal intent to withdraw with the Academic Success Center.

Students who receive any form of financial aid or veterans educational benefits should consult with the respective office PRIOR to dropping or withdrawing from a course. Reducing credit hour load may adversely affect eligibility to receive financial aid or veterans educational benefits. In addition, most private insurance companies require that students be full-time (12 credits or more) to be eligible for coverage.

Quality of achievement is represented by the following letter grades with associated points per semester hour of credit.

Grade Point Average (GPA): At the end of each semester (and/or summer session), a semester GPA is calculated by dividing the total number of credits attempted (excluding grades of I, P, F, W) into the sum of the products of points and credits for all courses taken.

A Cumulative Grade Point Average reflecting the entire history of a student’s achievement at Worcester State University is also computed. The Cumulative GPA is a major factor in determining class membership, academic standing, and eligibility for academic honors. Only grades earned at Worcester State University or through the Consortium Program are computed in the cumulative GPA.

Audit Procedure Policy: Students electing to audit may attend classes but will not earn grades or be permitted to submit assignments or take examinations. No academic credit is awarded, but the student receives the benefits of course lectures and discussions. Consent of the instructor is required to enroll in a class as an auditor.

Only students who are not matriculated undergraduates at Worcester State University are eligible to audit undergraduate courses. Also ineligible to audit courses are Consortium, CAPS, dual enrollment, and foreign exchange students.

The audit option must be declared at the time of registration. Students cannot switch to credit-bearing status or from credit-bearing to audit status after registration. Audited courses do not count toward load for any purposes (e.g., financial aid, veterans benefits, etc.) The audit will be permanently recorded on the student’s transcript.

Pass/Fail: Students may elect up to two courses per semester on a pass/fail basis. Core writing courses and courses within major(s) and minor(s) disciplines may not be taken pass/fail, even when not applied to specific degree requirements. Students must notify the Registrar’s Office at least four weeks prior to the last scheduled day of classes if they intend to take a course on a pass/fail basis. Similarly, students deciding to change from pass/fail status to standard grading must notify the Registrar’s Office by the same deadline, four weeks before the final day of classes. Once a student decides to change from pass/fail status to standard grading, it is not reversible; the letter grade stands. No more than fifteen (15) hours may be taken on a pass/fail basis. No more than two courses in any given semester may be taken pass/fail.

Independent Study: Independent studies offer motivated students the opportunity to study a topic not covered in the established curriculum. Independent studies can cover specialized topics or focus on unique research. A student may undertake an independent study to explore individual interests and formulate decisions about future career opportunities.

A matriculated student seeking to take an independent study should contact an instructor and work with him or her to prepare a written contract outlining the course content, student learning outcomes, grading parameters, and suitable credit hours. In general, independent studies will be supervised by a full-time faculty member. Exceptions require permission from the department chair and the appropriate dean. The student is responsible for obtaining all necessary signatures (the professor, department chair, and appropriate dean) and submitting the application to the Registrar no later than the last day of add/drop. One to six hours of credit may be granted for one semester of independent study. No more than twelve hours in independent study may be granted toward the baccalaureate degree.

Directed Study: A directed study is an alternative method of learning required course material which is appropriate only when special circumstances prevent a student from taking a course in the usual manner. Directed studies will be allowed only in rare instances and in a semester in which the course is not otherwise scheduled. Under the direction of a faculty member, the student must meet the same learning outcomes as required in a regularly scheduled course. Directed Studies should not be used for core classes. Directed study applications can be obtained from the Office of the Registrar. Only one course taken by a directed study may be applied toward fulfilling graduation requirements.

A matriculated student seeking to take directed study should contact an instructor and work with him or her to prepare a written contract detailing the course content, student learning outcomes, grading parameters, suitable credit hours, and how the goals of the course will be accomplished within the directed study format. In general, directed studies will be supervised by a full-time faculty member. Exceptions require permission from the department chair and the appropriate dean. The student is responsible for obtaining all necessary signatures (the professor, department chair, and appropriate dean) and submitting the application the Registrar no later than the last day of add/drop. One to three hours of credit may be granted for a directed study.

Incomplete Grades:When circumstances (e.g., illness) prevent a student from completing a course on time, the student is responsible for requesting an incomplete. The professor may grant an incomplete provided the student had completed a substantial portion (at least 60%) of the course requirements. The missing work will be factored into the calculation of the incomplete grade assigned by the instructor of record.  The student must make arrangements with the professor to complete the course within six weeks of the beginning of the next semester. The academic calendar indicates the deadline for resolving incomplete grades from the previous term. If the course requirements are not met within the appropriate period, the incomplete grade will automatically change to the grade the student earned, as determined by the instructor of record, at the time the incomplete grade was requested and so recorded on the student’s permanent record. 

Change of Grade: Once a grade has been posted to a student’s transcript that grade may be changed if, and only if, an error has been made in the calculation or transcription of the original grade. Under no circumstances will a change in grade for a student be allowed because of the submission of additional work after the course has ended. No grade change may be made after the conclusion of the semester following the semester in which the grade was originally submitted.