Graduate School

Registration Requirements and Tuition/Fees

The University requires that graduate students holding appointments as teaching or research assistants or administrative fellows must register for at least 6 A-F or S-N credits in the Graduate School each term that an appointment is held. This does not apply to summer terms. Exceptions to this can be done via petition to the program's director of graduate studies. To be exempt from FICA withholding, a graduate assistant must register for 3 or more credits. Audit registration by itself is not acceptable for maintaining an assistantship. Medical fellows must also register each term an appointment is held, including summer terms.

Students receiving other types of financial aid from the University or other agencies, international students with certain types of visas, and students wishing to use various University services and facilities may have to meet specific registration requirements of other agencies or University units. These students are responsible for securing information about such requirements from the appropriate offices.

Master's degree candidates are not required to register for any specific number of semesters.

Types of Registration

The two kinds of registration used by graduate students at UMD are:

1. For Coursework
   The maximum number of credits for which a graduate student may register in a single semester during the academic year is 18; in a single summer session, 11. Exceptions are granted by the UMD Graduate School office, 431 Darland Administration Building, only under unusual circumstances.
2. Thesis Credit
   Regardless of their initial dates of entry to the Graduate School, all students enrolled in a Plan A master's program must register for at least 10 master's thesis credits (8777), and all students enrolled in a doctoral program must register for at least 24 doctoral thesis credits (8888). Doctoral thesis credits can only be taken after the semester in which the preliminary examination is passed.
   

Doctoral Pre-Thesis Credits (8666)

These credits are available for doctoral students who have not yet passed their preliminary oral examination but who need to be registered in the Graduate School to meet requirements of agencies or departments outside the Graduate School (e.g., loan agencies). Doctoral pre-thesis credits are not graded. Note: Registration for doctoral pre-thesis credits cannot be used to meet any Graduate School degree requirements.

Zero-Credit, Zero-Tuition Registration (Grad 0999)

Grad 0999 is a zero-credit, zero-tuition, non-graded registration option for Graduate School students who must register solely to meet the Graduate School's registration requirement. Grad 0999 does not meet any other internal/extrenal departmental or agency requirements. Other than requiring Graduate School students to hold active student status, the Graduate School does not impose any eligibility requirements on Grad 0999 registrations. However, individual graduate programs may establish their own eligibility criteria. Students considering registrering for Grad 0999 should first check with their graduate program.

Registration Holds

Registration holds may be placed on student records when students fail to file official degree programs and/or thesis proposals or when they accumulate an excessive number of incompletes. Students who fail to meet Graduate School or major field standards for scholarly achievement may also have a hold placed on their registration.

International Students

International students are normally required to maintain registration in the Graduate School to satisfy the rules of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). Students should, therefore, plan their programs carefully to meet this requirement. The Graduate School is required to notify the INS office when an international student fails to maintain registration.

Official Transcripts

Official transcripts of Graduate School students are available at UMD's Solon Campus Center Information Desk except for students who registered in the Graduate School summer session II, 1972 or earlier. Official records for these students are maintained in the Office of the Registrar, University of Minnesota, 200 Fraser Hall, 106 Pleasant Street S.E., Minneapolis, MN 55455.

Students may obtain unofficial copies of their transcripts online or by submitting a request in writing to UMD Transcripts, 184 Darland Administration Building, 1049 University Drive, Duluth, MN 55812. Unofficial transcripts can also be requested from the on-the-spot transcript service at the Solon Campus Center Information Desk. There is no charge for these copies, but students are limited to one copy per visit.

A student can print or view an online copy of their transcript and grades by going to http://www.d.umn.edu/registrar/transcripts.html

Changes in Registration

All registration changes require an adviser's signature. During fall and spring semesters, the end of the second week of the semester is the last day to add a course or change sections of a course, change grading option (including to or from auditor status), or cancel a course without a W (indicating withdrawal) appearing on the transcript. During the summer term, the deadline for such changes is the fifth day of instruction.

Students may cancel courses through the end of the eighth week of the semester; canceling courses after the eighth week requires the approval of the adviser, instructor, and UMD Graduate School office. During the summer term, students may cancel a course through the last day of instruction with the adviser's signature.

If withdrawal from a course occurs within the first two weeks of the semester, no record of this course is shown on the transcript. If withdrawal occurs after the second week of the semester, the transcript will show the course with a "W" (withdrawal).

Students cannot change their registration after the last day of instruction of a semester or register for previous semesters.

Graduate Tuition and Rate Structure (2007-08)

Students registering for 1 through 5 semester credits (part time) do so on a per-credit basis. Students registering for 6 through 14 semester credits (full time) do so on a flat-rate basis. Registration for credits beyond 14 credits is on a per-credit basis.

Students from North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Manitoba may wish to take advantage of tuition reciprocity. Because tuition procedures differ, contact the UMD Office of Admissions 23 Solon Campus Center, 218-726-7171 for specific information.

A. Part-Time Category

B. Full-Time Category
$4,870.00 for 6-14 credits for residents and $8,419.00 for nonresidents. For each credit over 14, an additional $811.67 per credit will be charged for residents and $1,403.17 for nonresidents.

C. Master of Business Administration (MBA) Program
Students admitted to the MBA program DO NOT follow the above tuition schedule. MBA students pay $773.00 per credit for residents and non-residents regardless of the number of credits. Rochester MBA students pay $895.00 per credit.

D. Student Fees
In addition to the above tuition, student fees are charged in the amount of $230.88 per semester for full-time students. Full-time graduate students not having medical/hospital insurance of their own must purchase such insurance from the university at a cost of $782.00 per semester. Several other fees may by charged; a complete description of all tuition and fees can be found at Tuition and Fees.

Registration Requirement

Admitted students who have not registered in the Graduate School each semester (excluding summer) must request readmission before registering for classes, submitting petitions, filing for graduation, scheduling examinations, or submitting a degree program/thesis. If readmitted, the student must also register in the Graduate School. Students who have completed a degree or certification program and who wish to take additional work in the Graduate School must apply for readmission.

Students currently enrolled who wish to change their major field or degree objective from that originally approved by the Graduate School must complete and submit a Change of Status form and pay a change of status fee. Readmission or Change of Status forms may be obtained from the UMD Graduate School office, 431 Darland Administration Building. A minimum of six weeks before the desired date of enrollment is typically required to process these requests.

Transfer of Credits

Master's degree students are required by the Graduate School to complete at least 60 percent of the course credits (excluding thesis credits if any) for their official degree programs as registered Graduate School students. With the approval of the adviser and director of graduate studies of the major field (and the director of graduate studies in the minor field if the courses are to be applied to a designated minor) and the Graduate School, the transfer of up to 40 percent of the degree coursework from other recognized graduate schools, or from Continuing Education at the University of Minnesota, in any desired combination, is permitted. Individual graduate programs may, at their option, specify a lower percentage of coursework for transfer.

The work to be transferred must be postbaccalaureate graduate level that was taken for graduate credit and taught by faculty authorized to teach graduate courses. Continuing Education courses must bear transcript entry verifying that they were completed for graduate credit. Credits transferred from other institutions must appear on official transcripts of the institutions. Credit for courses taken before the awarding of the baccalaureate degree cannot be transferred.

Any transfer course that will be used to satisfy degree requirements must be included on the proposed degree program. If the course has been completed by the time the degree program is approved, the transfer process is automatic. If the transfer course has not been completed by the time the degree program is approved, the course is not automatically transferred. To complete this transfer an appropriate petition must be submitted and approved. More information regarding this process can be obtained from the UMD Graduate School office, 431 Darland Administration Building.

In the case of a transfer from a non-U.S. institution, credits must have been earned in a program comparable to a graduate degree program at a regionally accredited U.S. institution.

In no case can coursework taken prior to the awarding of the baccalaureate degree be transferred and/or be used to meet graduate degree requirements.

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