Graduate Enrollment Services

• Meet with your Academic Advisor in your Department to discuss your Program Plan.
• Review the Registrar’s Directory of Classes.
• Review Registration Timeline.
• Log on to your SSOL (Student Services Online) account.
• During your scheduled registration appointment, register for classes using SSOL.

Registration for Masters Students in SEAS:

Beginning with registration in April 2022, master’s students will be able to register for a maximum of 15 credits, including courses for which the student is registering on the waitlist. As has been past policy and practice, graduate students may not take more than 15 credits per semester, and students are reminded that they are billed per credit. In addition, graduate students are reminded that if they drop classes after the last day of the Change of Program (add/drop) period, they will be charged tuition for the dropped classes.

Master’s students in SEAS will be limited to the following parameters:

• 1st Year students will only be able to be simultaneously registered and waitlisted for credits up to 15 credits.
• 2nd Year students will only be able to be simultaneously registered and waitlisted for credits up to 12 credits for 36 credits programs or 9 credits for 30 programs.

For example, if you are a 2nd-year student and you are registered for 10 credits and want to waitlist a class for 3 credits, you will not be able to. Your total waitlisted/registered credits would be 13 which would be above the 12 credit max. You will either need to register or waitlist a class that is 2 credits or drop a class you are registered for to waitlist the 3 credit class.

If you are a 1st-year student, currently registered for 9 credits and waitlisted for 3 credits, and want to register for an open 4-credit course, you will not be able to. Your total waitlisted/registered credits would be 16 which is above the 15 max. You will need to either drop a class or remove yourself from a waitlist.

Doctoral students cannot register part-time. There are three full-time registration categories for Doctoral students. Please make sure to confirm your registration category with your department administrator.

• Full Residence Unit (RESI G0001, call number 13369) – “R.U.” is for students who will be taking courses or who will still be within their first six semesters. The completion of six R.U.s is a requirement for the MPhil and Ph.D. degrees.
• Extended Residence (EXRS G0001, call number 13367) – “E.R.” is for students who are beyond the first six semesters of their Ph.D. program and are serving as Teaching Assistants (TAs), Research Assistants (RAs), Research Fellows, or as Core Preceptors.
• Matriculation and Facilities (MTFC G0001, call number 13368) – “M&F” is exclusively for Ph.D. students who are beyond their first six semesters, who will not be teaching, and who are instead:
  • completing a degree requirement such as a language examination or qualifying examination
  • preparing the dissertation proposal, or
  • writing or distributing the dissertation
  • please note, students should not register for M&F for over two semesters. In extenuating circumstances, students may petition Graduate Student Affairs for a third term of M&F.

For more information about each registration category, please see the Residence Unit Student Guide. 

Doctoral students must register continuously 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.

Columbia Engineering Ph.D. students can only register for M&F during the last year of the doctoral program for a maximum of two semesters. Prior to registering for M&F the student must inform their advisor and the department chair that they are entering their final year and only working on writing or distributing their dissertation.

Degree-seeking students must maintain continuous enrollment during academic terms (Fall and Spring) at Columbia Engineering until all degree requirements are met and their degree is scheduled for conferral. Students who fail to register by the end of the Change of Program Period will be withdrawn if they have not been authorized for a leave of absence.

Withdrawn students should refer to the readmission policy for return options.

Part-time and full-time statuses depend on your degree and number of points (equal to "credits" at other institutions). One point represents one hour of contact with a professor each week for the length of the term. Most classes are three points.

All students should plan their academic programs with their department. Should a graduate student need more time to complete their degree program, a petition for an extension to their program must be submitted to the department and the Office of Graduate Student Affairs.

International Students (F-1 or J-1) are required to be full-time. These students should contact ISSO to inquire about dropping courses at any point during their program. Since the cost of tuition generally increases each academic year, students are encouraged to complete their program in the shortest time possible that fits with their own schedule and constraints.

Throughout the Change of Program Period, students may adjust their registration. After the Change of Program Period, students may only make changes to their registration via a registration adjustment form (RAF). RAFs must contain a signature from the student’s departmental staff or designated departmental representative and be sent to Engineering Student Affairs by email at [email protected] for review and processing. RAFs to add a course also require a signature from the instructor of record.

Students who drop individual courses after the Change of Program Period (in contrast with a withdrawal from the semester) are not entitled to a tuition refund, including in situations where students are simultaneously adding and dropping courses as a “swap.” Because of the financial implications, we encourage students to discuss their degree plan with their Department and finalize their registration before the Change of Program period concludes.

After the drop deadline, course drops are not allowed unless the student petitions Engineering Student Affairs with support from their Department. Exceptions are only granted if extenuating circumstances are at hand with appropriate documentation. If an exception is granted, the course may remain on the student’s record and be assigned a grade of W (“Withdrawal”) without a tuition refund. 

Students adjusting their registration for courses outside of Columbia Engineering should refer to the home school’s Change of Program Period dates and policies.

The change of program period only allows you to add or drop courses. If a graduate student wants to “transfer” into another department, they must complete at least one semester in their current program and submit an admissions application for the program that they wish to enroll in the future. If the student is admitted, then their degree program status will change.

For further questions about transferring, please check with Graduate Admissions.

In courses typically offered for letter grades, students may elect the P/F (pass/fail) grading option instead of a letter grade. However, courses taken P/F cannot count toward the credits necessary for a student’s degree requirements. 

Students have until the last day to change a course grading option to elect the P/F option. After that date, there is no uncovering for a letter grade. Additionally, the grading option cannot be changed after a final grade has been assigned.

Requests to elect P/F should be submitted via a registration adjustment form (RAF). RAFs must be signed by the student’s departmental staff or designated departmental representative and sent to Engineering Student Affairs at [email protected] for review and processing

The following should be noted:

• All students will need departmental permission to take non-program-related courses
• If approved, students can take courses outside of their requirements. However, they should be aware that these courses may not count towards their degree program
• Students who take undergraduate courses through Engineering will be charged graduate-level tuition for those courses
• Cross-registration requests require approval from non-Engineering schools and the graduate student’s department
• Please be aware of eligibility requirements when registering. Some courses may be restricted
• Students wishing to take graduate courses at the Columbia Business School (CBS)  must follow Business school registration procedures and receive approval from their department
• Students wishing to obtain academic credit for courses taken at Columbia but outside of the School of Engineering will need to inquire about advanced standing

Cross-registration within Columbia Engineering must approved by the graduate student’s home department and the host department. For example, if you are a MECE student and you want to register for a CS course, then you will need to obtain approval from MECE and CS.

The Inter-University Engineering Doctoral Consortium (IUEDC) provides eligible Engineering doctoral students the ability to cross-register for graduate-level courses at member schools. Please visit the IUEDC website for more information.

Enrollment and Registration Appointments: Graduate students with questions about enrollment, registration, or graduation clearances should email the Enrollment Services  Team at [email protected]