Course Registration

Course registration generally occurs in three periods. Registration for programs with summer courses takes place in early to mid-May. Fall course registration occurs in mid-June. Spring course registration takes place in mid-November. Students submit a Registration Form, as directed by the Registrar’s Office, and detailed information and instructions are emailed to students approximately two weeks before each registration period. Each individual program director approves student registration on a semester basis. Students are responsible for regularly reviewing their class schedule on MySLC and reporting any discrepancies to the Registrar’s Office, the Graduate Studies Office, and their program director.

Students are expected to be registered for an appropriate course load prior to the beginning of the semester. A two-week Add/Drop period follows the course registration period for minor schedule changes only. Students should not expect to register for an entire course load during the Add/Drop period. Students with active holds on their records, including a balance owed to the College or outstanding required health forms, are not permitted to register for courses. Attendance in classes is permitted only with official course registration. Students with an active hold on their record also may not attend classes until they have cleared all holds.

Rising senior undergraduate students beginning the five-year BA/MSEd degree register for some graduate-level courses in their fourth year, beginning in the summer following their junior year. Bachelor of Arts graduates continuing into the fifth year for a master’s degree register for summer courses prior to their first fall semester as a graduate student. Dance and theatre students register for the program course during the registration period, followed by individual component course registration with the specific department/program director immediately before each semester: in August for the fall semester; in January for the spring semester

Child Development and Art of Teaching/Child Development dual-degree students are permitted elective courses and may therefore participate in the interview period that precedes the August (for fall) and January (for spring) elective-course registration periods. Students review the offered electives, interview faculty of such courses, and submit their preferences in priority order to their program director. The program director/adviser reviews the electives and course registration. Because class sizes are limited, students might not be placed in order of priority. Students who are not placed in their preferred classes may participate in second-round interviews and registration. The interview process allows students to learn more about course content and expectations and, if relevant, to discuss prior experience with the subject.

Child Development/NYU dual-degree students register for a part-time load at Sarah Lawrence to complete the program in their third year without incurring tuition costs. Students in their third year of this program pay only a program fee.

Students must be registered for classes by the beginning of the semester. The two-week Add/Drop period (except for Health Advocacy students) begins on the first day of classes and is intended for minor schedule changes. The Add/Drop period for Health Advocacy students is only the first week of each semester, because most classes span seven or eight weeks instead of 15 weeks.

To participate in Add/Drop, students must submit the appropriate form located on MySLC and receive necessary approvals. Students are expected to discuss schedule changes with their program director/adviser. In exceptional circumstances, students may contact the dean of graduate and professional studies for late-registration permission, subject to a $50 fee. Courses dropped during this period do not appear on the official transcript.

Summer or intersession courses dropped before the class begins do not appear on the official transcript. Students may withdraw from a summer or intersession course during the first week of class or before the second class meeting and receive a grade of WD on the official transcript.

Courses dropped after Add/Drop are considered a withdrawal; see the Course Withdrawal policy.

Students may audit one course each semester, with the permission of the instructor and their program director, for zero credits. Audits do not include conferences with the teacher nor have written work evaluated, but regular attendance throughout the course is required. Faculty may set additional requirements. Standard course-registration procedures apply; students may not audit a course without being officially registered. Audit registration occurs only in the second week of Add/Drop, and requests are reviewed and approved by the program director/adviser. View the Audit Request form available on MySLC. If approved and properly registered and the student attended the class throughout the semester, the audit appears on the student’s official transcript. There is no charge for auditing by matriculated, full-time Sarah Lawrence students. Students may not convert an audit into a course for credit, or vice versa, after the Add/Drop period has ended.

The Course Withdrawal period begins once Add/Drop ends and continues through the 10th week of the semester. Students who experience a significant issue that impedes their ability to successfully complete a course may request to withdraw. First, students must discuss the withdrawal with their program director and the instructor and then seek approval from the dean of graduate and professional studies, who provides the Course Withdrawal Request form. Forms are not accepted by the Registrar’s Office without required approvals. Ceasing to attend a course does not constitute an official withdrawal; failure to officially withdraw from a course results in a grade of F appearing on the official transcript. Official course withdrawal results in a grade of WD on the official transcript.

Course withdrawal may impact a student’s enrollment status, which may impact financial aid, as well as visa eligibility for international students. Students are advised to consult the Financial Aid Office and, if relevant, the international student adviser before withdrawing from a course.

There is no reduction of tuition charges for courses dropped once the Add/Drop period has ended and the Course Withdrawal period begins. Only one course withdrawal over a maximum of two semesters is permitted.

The Course Withdrawal period for summer and intersession is between the first and second class meetings.

Full-time students generally enroll in 10 to 18 credits in a given semester, depending on program requirements. Students on academic probation are not permitted to exceed the required program credits in a given semester. Students are encouraged to consult with their program director when considering extra coursework beyond program requirements in a given semester. Registration for credits beyond program requirements takes place only in the second week of Add/Drop. Students must consult with their program director and then submit the appropriate form available on MySLC. Credits more than 18 for the semester are typically charged at the regular per-credit tuition rate.

Five-year and six-year students enrolled in their senior year at the College are permitted to take up to 22 credits without additional charge if necessary to complete both their undergraduate degree requirements and first-year graduate program requirements.

Human Genetics students planning to enroll in between 18 and 22 required program credits in a given semester should request approval to enroll in this program without additional charge from their program director and from the dean of graduate and professional studies.

In addition to fall and spring semester courses, the College has a number of yearlong offerings. Evaluations are submitted for both fall and spring, and students receive a grade for the entire course at the end of the spring semester.

Students enrolled in yearlong courses may elect to drop the course at the end of the fall semester after discussing it with their program director and instructor. If approved by the program director, students must submit a Yearlong Course Drop form available on MySLC. If a student does not continue in the spring portion, the fall portion of the course receives a grade from the instructor. If students do not participate in the yearlong drop period during fall, drops may occur only during the Add/Drop period in the spring semester.

Faculty who indicate that a student has not completed passing work will give the student a grade of “F” for the fall, and the student is dropped from the spring portion of the course. Students who continue in the course for the second semester but submit a Course Withdrawal Request by the deadline receive credit for the fall portion. Students may not submit additional work in the second semester to increase a fall-semester grade.