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• Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements and Withdrawal from UMBC

Deferred Enrollments

If you are a newly admitted student, you may defer enrollment to a later semester by placing a request in writing to your Graduate Program Director (GPD) and indicating to which semester you wish to defer (up to one year). The GPD will then approve or deny the deferral, and you will receive a letter indicating the decision.

Continuous Registration

Once admitted to a graduate program, you must remain continuously enrolled every semester in the academic year (fall and spring). This means that every fall and spring you should register in one of the following categories:

• Regular credit course(s)
• 799 or 899 (thesis or dissertation research credit)
• Internship or independent study
• Leave of absence

Leaves of Absence

If you wish to continue in your degree program but cannot study in a particular fall or spring semester, obtain a leave of absence (LOA) prior to the start of that semester. Before the start of classes in each semester you will be away, please take the following steps:

1. Contact your departmental advisor for permission to temporarily interrupt your studies. Ask the advisor to submit this permission on myUMBC (as is done for any permission-required course).
2. Register for the leave of absence "course" in your graduate program using myUMBC. The course number will be 999. Use the 3- or 4-digit program (not departmental) code (e.g., EDUC999, ADPS999, MENG999). This is a 0-credit course, and there is no charge. If you are already enrolled in any other course(s), you must withdraw from those. (Please note that you cannot register for a LOA "course" until all university debts are paid.)

If you must take a LOA after classes have started, follow the steps listed above to obtain a LOA, then withdraw from all your other classes. Your bill will reflect the percentage for which you are responsible, as outlined in the fall or spring class schedule.

The most common cause of registration ineligibility is failure to obtain a LOA before "stopping out" from classes. If you did not register for the prior spring or fall semester, you will need to request a retroactive LOA from your Graduate Program Director. (Please note that this time-consuming process will delay enrolling in classes. You will also be assessed a late registration fee for the retroactive LOA "course.")

The five-year period for completion of a master's degree or admission to doctoral candidacy begins with the first semester of enrollment. This 5-year "clock" does not stop ticking during a leave of absence.

Full-time and Part-time Status

• To qualify for full-time status, you must be enrolled for at least 48 units. If you are enrolled for fewer than 48 units, you are considered a part-time student. Full graduate teaching and research assistantships are counted as 24 units at the 600 level or above. (See Course Numbering for a description of units.)
• Students attending UMBC on an F-1 or J-1 visa must remain registered as full-time students for the entire semester.

For more information about full-time and part-time status, please consult the Graduate School Catalog.

Transfers of Credits from Other Colleges/Universities

You may transfer up to 6 semester hours of graduate course work to be applied toward a master's degree. These courses could have been taken at UMBC or at another regionally accredited institutions. Please complete the transfer as soon as possible after enrolling at UMBC. Requirements include:

• Courses that are taken within the 5-year limit, for completing the master's degree
• Official transcript, with the courses listed on it, accompanying the request for transfer
• Grade(s) of A or B
• No courses that have been used to fulfill another degree
• Approval for graduate credit of courses numbered below the 600 level (if taken at UMBC)
• Maximum transfer of 6 semester hours
• Agreement by your program advisor and Graduate Program Director that the specific credit is appropriate to and acceptable in your program of study

To request a transfer of credit, please fill out the Request for Transfer of Credit form, attach an official copy of the appropriate transcript and submit it to your advisor and Graduate Program Director for signatures.

Note: Only credits, not grades, from other universities are transferred.

Withdrawal from UMBC

To withdraw from the university, please submit the Request for Withdrawal from UMBC form to your department for their information, the appropriate signatures, and transmittal to the Graduate School.

In addition, please complete the Ph.D. Exit Survey.