• A Message From The Deans
• Mission of the School
• About the School and University
• Undergraduate Studies
• Graduate Studies
• Faculty Administration
• Departments and Academic Programs
• Undergraduate Minors
• Interdisiplinary Courses and Courses in Other Divsions of the University
• Campus and Student Life
• Scholarships, Fellowships, Awards, and Prizes
• University and School Policies Procedures, and Regulations
  • Academic Procedures and Standards
  • Academic Standing
  • Policy on Conduct and Discipline
  • Official University Regulations
  • Student Grievances, Academic Concerns, and Complaints
• Directory of University Resources

Academic Procedures and Standards

Registration and Enrollment

Registration is the mechanical process that reserves seats in particular classes for eligible students. 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. Enrollment is accomplished by the payment or other satisfaction of tuition and fees and by the satisfaction of other obligations to the University.

Registration alone does not guarantee enrollment; nor does registration alone guarantee the right to participate in class. In some cases, students will need to obtain the approval of the instructor or of a representative of the department that offers a course. Students should check this bulletin, their registration instructions, the Directory of Classes, and also with an adviser for all approvals that may be required.

To comply with current and anticipated Internal Revenue Service mandates, the University requires all students who will be receiving financial aid or payment through the University payroll system to report their Social Security number at the time of admission. Newly admitted students who do not have a Social Security number should obtain one well in advance of their first registration. International students should consult the International Students and Scholars Office, located at 524 Riverside Drive (212-854-3587), for further information.

Special billing authorization is required of all students whose bills are to be sent to a third party for payment. Students who are not citizens of the United States and who need authorization for special billing of tuition and/or fees to foreign institutions, agencies, or sponsors should go to the International Students and Scholars Office with two copies of the sponsorship letter.

University Regulations

Each person whose enrollment has been completed is considered a student of the University during the term for which he or she is enrolled unless his or her connection with the University is officially severed by withdrawal or for other reasons. No student enrolled in any school or college of the University shall at the same time be enrolled in any other school or college, either of Columbia University or of any other institution, without the specific authorization of the dean or director of the school or college of the University in which he or she is first enrolled.

The privileges of the University are not available to any student until enrollment has been completed. Students are not permitted to attend any University course for which they are not officially enrolled or for which they have not officially filed a program unless they have been granted auditing privileges.

The University reserves the right to withhold the privileges of registration and enrollment or any other University privilege from any person who has outstanding financial, academic, or administrative obligations to the University.

Continuous registration until completion of all requirements is obligatory for each degree. Students are exempted from the requirement to register continuously only when granted a voluntary or medical leave of absence by their Committee on Academic Standing (for undergraduate students) or the Office of Graduate Student Services (for graduate students).

Registration Instructions

Degree Requirements and Satisfactory Progress

Undergraduate

Undergraduate students are required to complete the School’s degree requirements and graduate in eight academic terms. Full-time undergraduate registration is defined as at least 12 semester credits per term. However, in order to complete the degree, students must be averaging 16 points per term. Students may not register for point loads greater than 21 points per term without approval from the Committee on Academic Standing.

To be eligible to receive the Bachelor of Science degree, a student must complete the courses prescribed in a faculty-approved major/program (or faculty-authorized substitutions) and achieve a minimum cumulative grade-point average (GPA) of 2.0. While the minimum number of academic credits is 128 for the B.S. degree, some programs of the School require a greater number of credits in order to complete all the requirements. Undergraduate engineering degrees are awarded only to students who have completed at least 60 points of course work at Columbia.

Undergraduates in the programs accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the ABET (chemical engineering, civil engineering, Earth and environmental engineering, electrical engineering, industrial engineering, and mechanical engineering) satisfy ABET requirements by taking the courses in prescribed programs, which have been designed by the departments so as to meet the ABET criteria.

Attendance

Graduate

A graduate student who has matriculated in an M.S. program or is a special student is considered to be making normal progress if at the completion of 9 credits, he or she has earned a cumulative GPA of 2.5. Candidates in the Doctor of Engineering Science (Eng.Sc.D.) and professional programs are expected to achieve a 3.0 grade point average at the completion of 9 points of course work.

Thereafter, graduate students are considered to be making minimum satisfactory progress if they successfully complete at least 75 percent of all courses they have registered for as candidates for the degree with grades of C- or better. Students placed on academic probation because of their grades are nonetheless considered to be making minimum satisfactory progress for their first term on probation (see chapter ‘‘Academic Standing,’’ following). Degree requirements for master’s and professional degrees must be completed within five years; those for the doctoral degrees must be completed within seven years. A minimum cumulative grade-point average of 2.5 (in all courses taken as a degree candidate) is required for the M.S. degree; a minimum GPA of 3.0 is required for the professional degree and the Doctor of Engineering Science (Eng.Sc.D.) degree. The minimum residence requirement for each Columbia degree is 30 points of course work completed at Columbia.

Changes in Registration

Transfer Credits

Undergraduate students may obtain academic credit toward the B.S. degree by completing course work at other accredited institutions. Normally, this credit is earned during the summer. To count as credit toward the degree, a course taken elsewhere must have an equivalent at Columbia and the student must achieve a grade of at least C. The institution must be an accredited four-year college. To transfer credit, a student must obtain prior approval from his or her adviser and the department before taking such courses. Courses may only be taken elsewhere if a student is behind in points. A course description and syllabus should be furnished as a part of the approval process. Courses taken before the receipt of the high school diploma may not be credited toward the B.S. degree. A maximum of 6 credits may be credited toward the degree for college courses taken following the receipt of a high school diploma and initial enrollment.

Graduate students are not eligible for transfer credits.

Examinations

Midterm examinations: Instructors generally schedule these in late October and mid-March.

Final examinations: These are given at the end of each term. The Master University Examination Schedule is available on line and is confirmed by November 1 for the fall term and April 1 for the spring term. This schedule is sent to all academic departments and is available for viewing on the Columbia Web site. Students should consult with their instructors for any changes to the exam schedule. Examinations will not be rescheduled to accommodate travel plans.

Note: If a student has three final examinations scheduled during one calendar day, as certified by the Registrar, an arrangement may be made with one of the student’s instructors to take that examination at another, mutually convenient time during the final examination period. This refers to a calendar day, not a twenty-four-hour time period. Undergraduate students unable to make suitable arrangements on their own should contact their adviser. Graduate students should contact the Office of Graduate Student Services.

Transcripts and Certifications

The University abides by the provisions of the Federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974. This act ensures a wide range of rights, including but not limited to information about student records that the University maintains, who maintains them, who has access to them, and for what purposes access is granted. The act also permits the University to release “directory information” without a student’s consent. In addition, the act guarantees students access to their records and restricts the access of others.

Students who wish to restrict access to their directory information may do so on the Morningside campus at the Student Service Center, 205 Kent. The guidelines are available on ColumbiaWeb. Questions about the interpretation of the guidelines should be referred to the University’s General Counsel, 412 Low Library.

You may obtain an official transcript of your academic record at Columbia University by writing to:

Student Service Center
Columbia University
Mail Code 9202
1150 Amsterdam Avenue
New York, NY 10027
Attention: Transcripts

Please include the following information with your request: current and former names; personal identification number (PID) if known; schools attended and dates of attendance; degrees awarded and dates awarded; number of transcripts desired and complete address for each; your current address and telephone number; your signature authorizing the release of your transcript. You may also order transcripts in person at 205 Kent Hall on the Morningside campus (9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., Monday– Friday). Currently enrolled students may order transcripts for themselves and for colleges and universities via the Student Services Web page. There is no charge for issuing transcripts; however, all students pay a one-time transcript fee of $75 upon their first registration at the University. The normal processing time for transcripts is two to three business days. If you mail in your request for a transcript, you should allow several additional days for delivery to and from the University.

Currently enrolled students may order certifications of their enrollment and degrees in person or on the Student Services Web page as described above. Certifications are provided while you wait if you come to 205 Kent to request them. There is no charge for certifications.

The Student Service Center no longer handles requests by noncurrent students, by alumni, or by third parties. Their requests should be made either by calling the National Student Clearinghouse: 703-742-4200; by e-mail: ; or by regular mail: National Student Clearinghouse, 13454 Sunrise Valley Drive, Suite 300, Herndon, VA 20171

Report of Grades

Students are notified by e-mail when grades are submitted. Grades can then be viewed the following day by using the Student Services Online feature located on the Student Services home page. If you need an official printed report, you must request a transcript (please see Transcripts and Certifications above).

All graduate students must have a current mailing address on file with the Registrar’s Office.

Transcript Notations

The grading system is as follows:
A, excellent; B, good; C, satisfactory; D, poor but passing; F, failure (a final grade not subject to re-examination). Occasionally, P (Pass) is the only passing option available. The grade-point average is computed on the basis of the following index: A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1, F=0. Designations of + or – (used only with A, B, C) are equivalent to 0.33 (i.e., B+ =3.33; B– = 2.67). Grades of P, INC, UW, and MU will not be included in the computation of the grade-point average.

The mark of R (registration credit; no qualitative grade earned): not accepted for degree credit in any program. R credit is not available to undergraduate students. In some divisions of the University, the instructor may stipulate conditions for the grade and report a failure if those conditions are not satisfied. The R notation will be given only to those students who indicate, upon registration and to the instructor, their intention to take the course for R, or who, with the approval of the instructor, file written notice of change of intention with the Registrar not later than the last day for change of program. Students wishing to change to R credit after this date are required to submit the Dean’s written approval to the Registrar. A course which has been taken for R credit may not be repeated later for examination credit. The mark of R is automatically given in Doctoral Research Instruction courses.

The mark of UW: given to students who discontinue attendance in a course but are still officially registered for it, or who fail to take a final examination without an authorized excuse.

The mark of INC (incomplete): granted only in the case of incapacitating illness as certified by the Health Services at Columbia, serious family emergency, or circumstances of comparable gravity. Undergraduate students request on INC by filling out the Incomplete Request Form with their advising dean. The deadline is the last day of class in the semester of enrollment. Students requesting an INC must gain permission from both the Committee on Academic Standing (CAS) and the instructor. Graduate students should contact their instructor. If granted an INC, students must complete the required work within a period of time stipulated by the instructor but not to exceed one year. After a year, the INC will be automatically changed into an F or contingency grade.

The mark of YC (year course): a mark given at the end of the first term of a course in which the full year of work must be completed before a qualitative grade is assigned. The grade given at the end of the second term is the grade for the entire course.

The mark of CP (credit pending): given only in graduate research courses in which student research projects regularly extend beyond the end of the term. Upon completion, a final qualitative grade is then assigned and credit allowed. The mark of CP implies satisfactory progress.

The mark of MU (make-up examination): given to a student who has failed the final examination in a course but who has been granted the privilege of taking a second examination in an effort to improve his or her final grade. The privilege is granted only when there is a wide discrepancy between the quality of the student’s work during the term and his or her performance on the final examination, and when, in the instructor’s judgment, the reasons justify a make-up examination. A student may be granted the mark of MU in only two courses in one term, or, alternatively, in three or more courses in one term if their total point value is not more than 7 credits. The student must remove MU by taking a special examination administered as soon as the instructor can schedule it.

The mark of P/F (pass/fail): this grading option is designed to allow students to extend their academic inquiry into new areas of study. No course taken for pass/fail may be used to satisfy a student’s program and degree requirements. The P/F option does not count toward degree requirements for graduate students.

Credit for Internships

Name Changes

Graduation

Application or Renewal of Application for the Degree

In general, students pick up and file an application for a degree at their schools or departments, but there are several exceptions. Candidates for master of science and professional degrees must pick up and file their application for the degree with the Student Service Center, 205 Kent Hall. Candidates for doctoral and master of philosophy degrees should inquire at their departments but must also follow the instructions of the Dissertation Office, 107 Low Library.

General deadlines for applying for graduation are November 1 for February, December 1 for May, and August 1 for October. (When a deadline falls on a weekend or holiday, the deadline moves to the next business day.) Doctoral students must deposit their dissertations two days before the above conferral dates in order to graduate.

Students who fail to earn the degree by the conferral date for which they applied must file another application for a later conferral date

Diplomas