 Full-Time Status:
Acquiring Status as a Full-Time Graduate Student
The University publication titled Academic Rules and Regulations includes a description of the circumstances under which a graduate student may be considered full time. This status is often important for deferring educational loans and for becoming eligible for certain privileges at SU. If acquiring full-time status is important to you, you should consult the full document.
Below is the excerpt from Academic Rules and Regulations (page 28) that defines full-time for graduate students effective Fall 2003. We have added notations in red regarding procedures for acquiring full-time status during any given semester.
27.0 Full-Time Graduate Status
See also section 17.0-17.2.
27.1 ACADEMIC YEAR
Satisfaction of any of the following criteria will confer full-time status on a graduate student during a given semester:
- Registration for 9credits for Spring or Fall (or 6 credits during a given summer session) in a program approved by the student’s graduate advisor.
- Appointment as a graduate assistant or by holding a SU Fellowship.
- The student's academic unit (department, program, or college, as appropriate) certifies that the student is pursuing a full-time program of study by virtue of an appropriate combination of activities chosen from among the following:
- study for preliminary, qualifying, or comprehensive examinations;
- study to satisfy language or tool requirements;
- work on a dissertation or thesis;
- undertaking an internship that equates with at least 9 credits of academic coursework;
- other special circumstances, as specified and justified by the academic unit
Under circumstances (2) or (3) above, if the student is not registered for any coursework, including registration for master's thesis or doctoral dissertation credits, he/she must be registered for GRD 998 Degree in Progress. Students seeking full-time status under criterion 3 must submit a Certification of Full-Time Status form to their department.
A signature of the authorized faculty in the department is required. Typically this is the department chair, graduate director, or program director.
If the reason given is "5. other special circumstances,..." a statement from the department official who signs the form must accompany the form. The statement must describe the circumstances and provide a justification.
With the appropriate department signature, the next step is submission directly to the Office of the Registrar for processing.
Law students are required to be enrolled for 12 credits in the spring or fall smester to be in full-time status, as stated in College of Law requirements. In the case of students matriculated in dual degree programs, one of which is the J.D. degree, this requirement for full-time status takes precedence over the 9-credit criterion for full-time status as stated in (1) above.
27.2 SUMMER SESSIONS
Full-time status is determined separately for each of the two summer sessions. To be considered full time over the entire summer, a student must register for a total of 12 credits or satisfy the requirements of (2), (3) or (4) above.
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