Registration
Registration is the process whereby an eligible student reserves a seat in a particular course or selects an enrollment category. It is accomplished by following the procedures announced in advance of each term’s registration period.
Enrollment is the completion of the registration process and affords the full rights and privileges of student status.
Students who have not registered for any classes or enrollment category by the end of the change of program period will not be allowed to enroll that term and must file for a leave of absence or a withdrawal.
Due to the demands of coursework as well as instructional and research responsibilities, students are expected to be continuously in residence at Columbia during the academic year through the MPhil and prospectus defense. Registered students who have not received the MPhil and passed the prospectus defense who wish to be away from campus must have the support of their primary advisor, their Director of Graduate Studies, and approval from the Office of the Dean.
Students who take a leave of absence or who do not register for the semester are not considered to be active Columbia students, and will not be able to fulfill requirements for the degree while they are not registered and/or on leave.
With the sole exception of approved dual-degree programs, students may not pursue a degree in more than one Columbia program concurrently, and may not be registered in more than one degree program at any institution in the same semester. Enrollment in another degree program at Columbia or elsewhere while enrolled in a GSAS master's or doctoral program is strictly prohibited by the Graduate School. Violation of this policy will lead to the rescission of an offer of admission, or termination for a current student.
Students who intend to receive their terminal degree from GSAS in October or February should not register in the fall or spring term, respectively. Students who are registered and graduate in either October or February will have their registrations removed, which may affect their ability to remain enrolled in the student health insurance plan.
Students in all degree programs are required to register in each semester until all degree requirements have been completed or until the time-to-degree limit has been reached. Time-to-degree limits are described in Satisfactory Academic Progress. To ascertain and record the progress of students toward the PhD, the Graduate School requires that doctoral students register continuously on a full-time basis until they distribute to their committee the copy of the dissertation that will be evaluated at the defense; if the dissertation defense is scheduled for a subsequent term, students need not register again.
Students are exempt from the requirement to register continuously only when on an official leave of absence as confirmed by a letter from the GSAS Office of Student Affairs.
Students must register for the courses they wish to attend, and they may not attend courses for which they are not registered.
Students should consult the GSAS Academic Calendar for exact dates of the change of program period and other deadlines. (For the summer term only, consult the School of Professional Studies.) For more information about the registration process, visit the Registrar's website.
Please note that students taking a course at a school other than GSAS must follow the host school’s rules for adding and dropping the course.
During the Change of Program Period
Students may add and/or drop courses through Vergil, without penalty, during the change of program period (i.e., the first two weeks of classes for the fall and spring semesters). Students are not charged tuition for courses dropped during this time, and dropped courses do not appear on the student's transcript.
After the Change of Program Period
After the change of program period, students may continue to drop courses through Vergil until the final deadline to drop a course (consult the Academic Calendar). Courses may be added during this time only with the instructor's approval. Courses dropped during this time are charged at full tuition but do not appear on a student's transcript. See the Registrar's website for detailed instructions on adding and dropping courses after the change of program.
Not attending classes or sending a notification to the instructor does not constitute dropping a course. Students who stop attending a course without formally dropping it by the deadline should be assigned a letter grade based on the same criteria as students who complete the course.
Cross-registration for GSAS Students
Students interested in cross-registration at another school at the university must follow the policies and procedures of the host school for adding a course. Keep in mind some schools may have earlier deadlines to add a course. Information about the cross-registration process at each school is listed in the table below. Students must be officially cross registered for a course and may not audit a course at another school.
- SCHOOL
- Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation (GSAPP)
- INSTRUCTIONS
- Review the list of approved GSAPP courses for cross registration here. If the course is eligible for cross-registration, students must complete a Registration Adjustment Form and submit the completed form to [email protected].
- SCHOOL
- School of the Arts (SOA)
- INSTRUCTIONS
- Students must receive permission from the instructor to enroll in a SOA course. Complete a Registration Adjustment Form and submit the completed form to [email protected].
- SCHOOL
- Barnard College (BC)
- INSTRUCTIONS
- Students must receive permission from the instructor to enroll in a BC course. Complete a Registration Adjustment Form and submit the completed form to [email protected]. NOTE: Only courses at the 4000 level or higher may be applied to the degree
- SCHOOL
- Climate School (CS)
- INSTRUCTIONS
- Students do not need approval to cross register for Climate School courses. Students may add Climate School courses via Vergil.
- SCHOOL
- Columbia Business School (CBS)
- INSTRUCTIONS
- Visit the CBS website for cross registration instructions.
- SCHOOL
- School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS)
- INSTRUCTIONS
- Columbia Video Network (CVN) courses are not eligible for cross-registration. For graduate-level SEAS courses, students must receive approval from the instructor as well as the department offering the course to cross-register. Visit the SEAS website for the department contact. Complete a Registration Adjustment Form, obtain the required approvals, and submit the completed form to [email protected].
- SCHOOL
- School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA)
- INSTRUCTIONS
- Students must follow the cross-registration instructions on SIPA’s website. If the course is available for cross registration, students will be able to add the course (or join the waitlist) via SSOL during SIPA’s cross registration period. Students cannot add a SIPA course using a Registration Adjustment Form.
- SCHOOL
- Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS)
- INSTRUCTIONS
- Search for JTS courses here. Students must receive permission from the instructor to enroll in a JTS course. Complete a Registration Adjustment Form, obtain the required approvals, and submit the completed form to [email protected].
- SCHOOL
- School of Journalism (JRN)
- INSTRUCTIONS
- Visit the School of Journalism website for cross-registration information.
- SCHOOL
- Columbia Law School (LAW)
- INSTRUCTIONS
- Visit the Columbia Law School website for cross-registration information. If your request to enroll in a Law School course is approved, complete a Registration Adjustment Form and submit the approval confirmation from the Law School Registration Services to [email protected].
- SCHOOL
- Mailman School of Public Health (SPH)
- INSTRUCTIONS
- Visit the School of Public Health website for cross-registration information. Submit both the completed School of Public Health Cross Registration Form and the Registration Adjustment Form to [email protected].
- SCHOOL
- School of Professional Studies (SPS)
- INSTRUCTIONS
- Students must receive permission from the instructor to enroll in a SPS course. Some SPS courses also require approval from the department offering the course. Complete a Registration Adjustment Form, obtain the required approvals, and submit the completed form to [email protected].
- SCHOOL
- School of Social Work (SWS)
- INSTRUCTIONS
- Visit the School of Social Work website for cross-registration information.
- SCHOOL
- Teacher’s College (TC)
- INSTRUCTIONS
- Search for TC courses here. Students must receive permission from the instructor to enroll in a TC course. Complete a Registration Adjustment Form, obtain the required approvals, and submit the completed form to [email protected]. Studio Music Lessons at TC are not eligible for cross registration. Students in a program (e.g. Music) that requires the music lesson to satisfy a degree requirement must write to [email protected] before registering.
- SCHOOL
- Union Theological Seminary (UTS)
- INSTRUCTIONS
- Search for UTS courses here. Students must receive permission from the instructor to enroll in a UTS course. Complete a Registration Adjustment Form, obtain the required approvals, and submit the completed form to [email protected].
Dropping a Course at Another School at the University
Students taking a course at another school at the university must follow the host school’s rules for dropping a course. Always check the host school’s website for the deadline to drop a course. If the course cannot be dropped through Vergil, complete a Registration Adjustment Form and submit it to [email protected] no later than the host school’s drop deadline.
Please note that students dropping a Law School or Business School course must follow the instructions below.
If you are dropping a course at the Law School, you must email [email protected] to inform them you are dropping a course and submit a completed Registration Adjustment Form to [email protected] no later than the host school’s drop deadline.
If you are dropping a course at the Business School, you must email [email protected] to inform them you are dropping a course and submit a completed Registration Adjustment Form to [email protected] no later than the host school’s drop deadline.
Cross-registration for Non-GSAS Students
Non-GSAS students interested in taking a course at GSAS should use Vergil to search for a course in an Arts and Sciences program. Students should consult their advisor before registering for a course offered by GSAS. After receiving permission from your advisor and home school, students must receive approval from the instructor to enroll in a GSAS course. Some GSAS courses also require departmental approval. Complete a Registration Adjustment Form and submit the completed form to your home school.
Dropping a GSAS Course for Cross-registered Students
The last day to drop a GSAS course can be found in the GSAS Academic Calendar. Students should be able to drop the GSAS course in Vergil by the GSAS drop deadline. Students should contact their home school if they are unable to drop the course via Vergil or if their home school does not utilize Vergil for course registration.