Academic regulations governing undergraduates are administered by the Undergraduate Advising Support Office.  Academic regulations are subject to change by action of the Faculty Senate, its Committee on Undergraduate Education, and the various committees responsible for the oversight of curriculum and academic standing.

When circumstances so warrant, a student may meet with their four-year advisor in the Undergraduate Advising Support Office and submit a petition requesting an exception to a specific regulation.

Academic Grievance Policy

A student who wants to register a complaint about course instruction or evaluation should first bring the matter to the direct attention of the professor or instructor involved.  If the matter is not satisfactorily resolved, the student should go to the chair of the academic department in question and seek departmental review.  If neither step resolves the complaint, the student may take the matter to the faculty member's college or school dean for final review and decision.

Academic Integrity Policy

See section on Academic Integrity.

Academic Standing

See section on Academic Standing Regulations.

Attendance

Students are expected to attend classes regularly.  Each instructor is free to determine the extent to which absences affect the final grades of students but should make the policy regarding attendance known at the start of the course.  Instructors should report excessive absences to the student's four-year advisor in the Undergraduate Advising Support Office.  Instructors who judge a student’s absences from class to be excessive should enter a final grade of F.  

Absence due to Illness & Other Circumstances

Students unable to attend classes because of illness should seek appropriate medical care and collect documentation from their health care provider.  Students are expected to work directly with their instructor and follow the absence and make-up policies established by the course instructor.  

In most situations, The Undergraduate Advising Support Office does not have the authority to excuse a student from an absence due to illness (or other life circumstances) or authorize the make-up of missed work or assessments (see exceptions below).

Upon request of the student or the instructor, the student's four-year advisor in the Undergraduate Advising Support Office can provide Absence Verification. In this case, the four-year advisor collects documentation from the student and reports receipt of that documentation to the student's instructor. Absence Verification does not equate to an excuse. It is a mechanism to inform the instructor that documentation has been received to support the absence without disclosing the student's health and other private information. Ordinarily (see exceptions below), it is the discretion of the instructor, in accordance with their course policies, how they view Absence Verification and if they use such verification to excuse an absence or allow make-up of missed work or assessments. 

Exceptions: 

• Per academic policy the Dean of Undergraduate Advising may authorize the make-up of a missed final exam due to extenuating circumstances that can be documented.
• In certain situations, the Undergraduate Advising Support Office receives communications from University officials indicating that a student has been granted an accommodation through their established processes.  In these cases, the Undergraduate Advising Support Office is not granting the accommodation, rather the Undergraduate Advising Support Office serves as the conduit for communications so the student's circumstances and private information is not disclosed to their course instructors.  If an instructor has a question or concern about the accommodation request, they should contact the student's four-year advisor. 

Absence due to Religious Observance

Any student who is unable to attend classes or participate in any examination, study, or work requirement on a particular day because of their religious beliefs is excused from any such activity.  The student will be given the opportunity to make up the examination or work that is missed, provided the make-up work does not create any unreasonable burden upon the university.  When possible, students should give notice to instructors early in the semester about missing classes because of religious observance.

Extracurricular Life and Class Attendance

As a university, we value students' total educational experience, including its curricular, co-curricular, and extracurricular components.  All departments, academic and other, are encouraged to minimize the scheduling during established class meeting hours of events at which student participation is required or desired, including but not limited to extra class meetings, athletics, arts programs, and other organized activities.  When conflicts exist, all parties (students, faculty, and staff) should work together so that the student can meet their academic obligations and participate in extracurricular events.  If agreement about an appropriate accommodation cannot be reached, the student's obligations to classes meeting on their posted schedules will take priority.

To facilitate planning, all courses (including ROTC, varsity sports, and music ensembles) should post, to the extent possible, the full set of meeting times in the Student Information System (SIS) before students register for their courses.  This will allow students to work with their faculty to resolve conflicts before the start of the semester.  Should it be impossible or impractical to record specific obligations in SIS before students register, a student should alert each of their instructors before the end of the drop/add period of conflicts that will occur during the semester in order to develop a plan to resolve the conflicts, including the possibility of making adjustments to course enrollments.

The Undergraduate Advising Support Office and the Department of Physical Education and Athletics have developed guidelines for coaches, who are themselves members of the faculty, to administer exams for other courses to their team members while the team is traveling to participate in a competition.

Credit by Examination

Advanced Placement/International Baccalaureate/French Baccalaureate/A-Level Examinations

Students may earn degree credit on the basis of advanced examinations taken while in secondary school.  Examinations eligible for credit and/or advanced placement include, but are not limited to, College Board Advanced Placement (AP) Examinations, International Baccalaureate (IB) Higher Level Examinations, French Baccalaureate, and A-Level Examinations.  Determination of the criteria for granting credit and/or placement is made by the appropriate department.

See AP/IB Credit Equivalencies for the credit awarded and recommended placement based on AP and IB scores for students who matriculate at CWRU during the 2024-2025 academic year.

Proficiency Examinations

Departments within each academic unit offering undergraduate programs may choose to offer students the opportunity to earn course credit in specific courses by proficiency examination.  To qualify for proficiency examination credit for a course, the student’s examination performance must demonstrate knowledge and skills at a level no lower than that of an average student who successfully completes the course.  Upon notification from the academic department, the Undergraduate Advising Support Office will post credit for the course on the transcript.  The grade will be recorded as PR, and will not be included in a student’s grade point average.

Declaring a Major or Minor

Students matriculating at Case Western Reserve University as first-year students may begin declaring their majors on November 1 if they matriculate in the fall semester and on April 1 if they matriculate in the spring semester.  Transfer students may begin declaring their majors at the start of their first semester at Case Western Reserve.

All students must declare a major in their second semester of enrollment at Case Western Reserve University (by March 31 for students matriculating in the fall semester or by October 31 for students matriculating in the spring semester).  Students who have not declared a major by the times indicated will have a registration hold placed on their accounts until they have done so.  Students may later change their majors should their academic interests change.

A choice or change of major or minor is not recorded for any student until the major or minor declaration form, bearing the signature of the student, the name of the advisor, and the signature of the academic representative for the major or minor, has been completed and submitted to the Undergraduate Advising Support Office, and recorded in the Student Information System (SIS).  The student's "requirements term" for a major or minor, indicating the set of requirements the student must satisfy for completion of the major or minor will automatically be set to the semester that the student matriculated at Case Western Reserve University, unless the student indicates that they wish to complete the requirements as updated in a later year.

Enrollment and Registration

For continuing students, registration for the fall semester begins in April, and registration for the spring semester begins in November.

Registration priority is based on a student's expected graduation date and their cumulative credit-hours earned.  A student's expected graduation date is initially set for the end of eight semesters following matriculation at Case Western Reserve University.  It will be updated for transfer students based on work completed before transferring to CWRU.  For other students, the Undergraduate Advising Support Office will move the expected graduation date to an earlier term only in the semester before a student's expected final semester at CWRU and only with an appropriate plan for competing degree requirements in that final semester.

Complete registration instructions and regulations appear online on the website of the University Registrar.

Course Loads and Overloads

In order to be classified as a full-time student, a student must enroll for a minimum of 12 credit hours by the end of the drop/add period.  Eligibility for many forms of financial aid, participation on intercollegiate varsity sports teams, and maintaining certain visa statuses for international students require full-time enrollment and, in some cases, maintaining at least 12 credit-hours of active enrollment for the entire semester (i.e no course withdrawals to fewer than 12 credit hours).  Students registering for fewer than 12 credit-hours are classified as part-time and charged tuition on the basis of the number of credit-hours being taken.

The normal full-time load is 14-17 credit hours during the fall or spring semester.  Students ordinarily may not enroll in more than 19 credit hours in a semester.  Continuing students may enroll for 20-21 credit hours in a semester if they have a cumulative grade point average of 3.200 or higher. To register for 22 or 23 credit hours, a minimum grade point average of 3.500 is required.  Any schedule of more than 19 credit hours that meets these grade point average standards requires approval by the student's four-year advisor in the Undergraduate Advising Support Office.  Graduating seniors may submit a petition to the Undergraduate Advising Support Office for overloads within reason if they need such a schedule to graduate at the end of the semester in question but do not meet the grade point average standard.

The maximum number of credit hours in which a student may enroll in the summer session is 12 credit hours.

Course Placement

No credit will be allowed to count towards degree requirements for foreign language or mathematics courses that duplicate work taken earlier in high school or in another institution.  First-year undergraduates who have questions regarding their eligibility to receive credit for foreign language or mathematics courses should see their four-year advisor in the Undergraduate Advising Support Office.

Course Repetition

Students have the opportunity to repeat a course to improve their mastery of the course material.  When a course is repeated, the student will earn credit for the course only once. Both the original grade and the grade for the repeated course will be included in the semester and cumulative grade point averages, each weighted by the credit-hours for the course.  The student’s transcript will show the comment “REPEATED: NO CREDIT AWARDED” directly below the original grade.  Similarly, if a student repeats a course for which they already received either test (AP, IB, etc.) or transfer credit, the original credit will be removed and the transcript will show the comment "REPEATED: NO CREDIT AWARDED". Credit will instead be awarded for the course taken at Case Western Reserve University. If the first attempt of the course resulted in a passing grade but the second attempt results in a failing grade, the student will continue to earn credit for the first attempt, but both grades will be included in the semester and cumulative grade point averages.

The course repeat option may not be exercised after a degree has been awarded.

Audit

A student may audit a course with the consent of the course instructor and the approval of their four-year advisor in the Undergraduate Advising Support Office.  An auditor receives no credit for the course, but the course is included in the total credit-hours of enrollment for that semester.  At the beginning of the course, the student and instructor should reach agreement regarding the requirements for a successful audit.  If the student achieves a successful audit, the instructor records a grade of AD, which is entered on the student’s transcript.  If the student fails to meet the requirements established for a successful audit, the instructor will record a grade of NG, but the course and the grade are not posted on the transcript.

Registration in a course cannot be changed from audit to credit or the reverse after the end of the drop/add period. A student may take a course for credit that they audited in an earlier semester.

Enrollment Changes

Drop/Add

Changes in course schedules must be submitted to the Registrar’s Office using the Student Information System (SIS) or a drop/add form before the end of the second week of classes during the fall and spring semesters. For courses that run for half of the semester, students are allowed only a one-week drop/add period at the start of those courses. The drop/add deadline for summer courses is set in a proportional manner, with the deadlines for each summer session posted on the website of the University Registrar.  Deadlines for dynamically-dated courses (i.e. those that meet on some alternative schedule) are set in a proportional manner, but always require a drop/add form after the start of the course.

Students who add a course after the start of the semester are responsible for any work missed and are expected to speak with the instructor to learn the consequences of any work missed and whether there are opportunities for making up missed work.  In some cases, the instructor of a course may require their consent before a student may add a course during the second week of the drop/add period.

Withdrawal from a Course

The First Undergraduate Year

For the first two semesters of enrollment, matriculated students who are beginning their college studies may withdraw from a course at any time during the semester, but no later than the last day of classes.  Any course for which a grade of W is assigned will be deleted from the transcript at the end of the semester.  This policy is not available for transfer students and does not apply to the summer session.

After the First Undergraduate Year

A student may withdraw from a course no later than the end of the 11th week of the semester and receive a grade of W.  In extenuating circumstances, a student may submit a petition to the Undergraduate Advising Support Office, requesting permission to withdraw from a course after the deadline and receive a W.  The grade of W will be posted on the student’s transcript.

Withdrawal from all Courses

Students in good academic standing (i.e., not on probation, probation incomplete, or continued on probation) may withdraw from courses through the Student Information System (SIS), provided that they remain actively enrolled in at least 12 credit hours.  All other course withdrawals (those by students who are not in good academic standing and those that take a student below 12 credit hours of active enrollments) must be communicated by the student to the Registrar's Office on the appropriate form, signed by the student's four-year advisor in the Undergraduate Advising Support Office. Failure to attend class or providing notice only to the instructor does not constitute an official withdrawal from a course.  Such an unofficial withdrawal normally results in the student earning a final grade of F.

Students are ordinarily not permitted to withdraw from a course after taking the final exam or completing any other final assignment in the course, or after a grade has been posted.

Withdrawal from the University

Withdrawal During the Semester or Session 

To withdraw from the university during a semester or session, a student must complete the online withdrawal form in the Student Information System (SIS) by the last day of classes for that semester or session. Grades of WD will be assigned in all courses in which a student is registered at the time of withdrawal, provided that the student follows the procedures stated above. Failure to attend classes or notifying instructors only does not constitute withdrawal from the university. A student who ceases to attend or otherwise participate in courses without officially withdrawing will be assigned the grade of F for each course in which they are enrolled.

If the withdrawal is necessary for reasons of health, a statement from the student’s physician to the University Health and Counseling Services may be required as a condition of re-enrollment.

Withdrawal after the 11th week of the Semester

Students who withdraw from the university after the end of the 11th week of the semester may not enroll for the next two academic sessions, including the summer session. Exceptions may be granted by petition to the Undergraduate Advising Support Office. 

Withdrawal at Other Times 

Students who complete a semester and have registered for classes for the following semester, but decide not to return for the following semester must complete the on-line withdrawal form in the Student Information System (SIS). 

If a student has not yet registered for classes for the following semester, they must complete a printed leave of absence form available from the Undergraduate Advising Support Office.

Final Examinations and Reading Days

Final Examinations

Final examinations must be given during the final examination period at the time assigned in the Student Information System (SIS) by the University Registrar.  They may not be given during the final week of classes or on Reading Days.  Any exception must be approved in advance by the Dean of Undergraduate Advising.

No student will be required to take more than two final examinations on a single calendar day, or take a final exam in the evening exam period (7:30-10:30 PM) and another final exam in the morning exam period the next day (8:00-11:00 AM). 

A student who has two final exams at the same time, more than two final exams scheduled for the same calendar day, or a morning exam following an evening exam will be contacted by the Undergraduate Advising Support Office about alternative arrangements after the course withdrawal deadline for upper-class students. A student should contact the Undergraduate Advising Support Office to obtain the assistance of the dean if the student does not receive notification within a week of the course withdrawal deadline for upper-class students.

Missed Final Exam

A student must explain immediately and in writing to their four-year advisor an absence from a scheduled final examination.  If the explanation is acceptable, the Dean of Undergraduate Advising will authorize a make-up examination by the instructor. If a mutually agreed upon time cannot be arranged between the instructor and student to make-up the final exam before final grades are due, the instructor should assign a grade of Incomplete. 

In the event of an unexcused absence from a final exam, the instructor will assign the student a final grade that assumes a grade of zero on the final exam and is consistent with the grading policy established for the course.

Reading Days

Prior to and/or during the final examination period, two weekdays are set aside as Reading Days to be used by students for completing assignments and preparing for final examinations.  These days are not to be used by faculty for scheduling exams or other course activities that require the attendance of students.  They may be used by faculty to schedule review sessions for which attendance is optional.

Graduation and Commencement

Application for Graduation

A student who has completed all graduation requirements in fewer than four years has the choice of graduating early or deferring graduation in order to graduate with his or her class.  A student who completes all graduation requirements in four years or more must graduate at that time.  The student must file an online application for the degree through the Student Information System (SIS) by October 1 for January graduation, by February 1 for May graduation, and by June 1 for August graduation.

Official transcripts and diplomas may be withheld in accordance with the university's Student Accounts Past Due Policy.

Graduation Check

Students must ensure that their Academic Requirements reports reflect accurately their progress toward their degrees. All requested corrections and exceptions, including changes or additions of majors or minors, must be submitted to the Undergraduate Advising Support Office, at least one semester prior to graduation.  Academic Requirements reports are available online through the Student Information System (SIS).

Participation in Commencement

Students are eligible to participate in May commencement activities if they have completed all degree requirements during that spring semester or the immediately preceding fall semester or summer session, or if they have an appropriate plan to complete their degree requirements in the upcoming summer session or fall semester.  A student may participate in commencement only once as a bachelor’s degree candidate, though exceptions are sometimes made for students receiving a second bachelor’s degree at least one year after the first.

Incompletes

See section on Grades.

Pass/No Pass

See section on Grades.

Promotion

The standards for promotion are:

• To the sophomore class, 27 credit hours completed
• To the junior class, 60 credit hours completed
• To the senior class, 90 credit hours completed

These designations may affect access to enrollment in particular courses, but do not by themselves affect priority for course registration for the upcoming semester.

Re-enrollment after an Absence from the University

All re-enrollments after a student has been separated from the university or has withdrawn from the university for part or all of a fall or spring semester or longer are reviewed and processed by the Undergraduate Advising Support Office.

Re-enrollment after Academic Separation

See section on Academic Standing Regulations.

Re-enrollment after Voluntary Withdrawal

Students who have voluntarily withdrawn from the university and have not taken courses elsewhere following their withdrawal may petition to re-enroll in any semester.  However, students who withdraw after the end of the 11th week of the semester may not enroll for the next two academic sessions, including the summer session, unless an exception is granted by the petition to the Undergraduate Advising Support Office.  If a voluntary withdrawal was necessary for reasons of health, a statement from the student’s physician to the University Health and Counseling Services may be required as a condition of re-enrollment.  Students who have taken courses elsewhere following withdrawal must provide official transcripts of their work with their request for re-enrollment.

Upon re-enrollment following a voluntary withdrawal, students retain the credit-hours earned and quality points for courses completed prior to withdrawal.  In the first semester of re-enrollment, their academic status is the status in effect at the time of withdrawal, unless that status is changed by action of a petition to the Undergraduate Advising Support Office. 

Scholarship Retention

See section on Scholarship Retention.

Student Access to Records

See section on Student Records.

Study at Other Colleges and Transfer Credit

Students may receive transfer credit for work completed at another accredited college, university, or technological institute in the United States or from approved institutions of higher education outside the United States.  Credit is not awarded for work done at an unaccredited institution in the United States except by proficiency examination in those departments of Case Western Reserve University offering that opportunity. 

Students may transfer credit only for courses in which a semester's work is completed in a minimum of three weeks.

Courses Taken Before Matriculation at CWRU

At the time of admission to Case Western Reserve University and upon presentation of an official transcript from each institution previously attended, credit will be awarded for courses equivalent or comparable to those offered by Case Western Reserve University and completed with a grade of C or better.  Any such courses taken prior to the student’s graduation from high school must be listed in the college’s catalog among courses offered for degree credit to the college’s undergraduates, taken in the company of matriculated college students, and organized and taught by college faculty.  To be considered for transfer credit, such courses must not have been used to fulfill high school graduation requirements.  The awarding of transfer credit is determined by the Undergraduate Advising Support Office in consultation with the appropriate department.

Courses Taken After Matriculation at CWRU

After matriculation at Case Western Reserve University, students are permitted to earn a maximum of 38 credit hours of off-campus study credit towards the total required for their degree provided the credits are earned from an accredited institution or through an approved study abroad program.  Of this, only 15 credit hours may be taken as part of a domestic program (including cross-registration) or as summer study in a student's home country.  Any off-campus study beyond 15 credit hours may only be taken through approved study abroad programs.  Please note that any credit earned beyond these limits will raise the total number of credit hours required for the degree by the corresponding number.

Students must be in good standing in order to receive transfer credit for work done at another institution. If a student is placed on probation between receiving permission and the start of off-campus enrollment, the student is no longer eligible to enroll for and receive transfer credit for this work. Students on probation require special approval and should contact their four-year advisor in the Undergraduate Advising Support Office. A student separated for poor scholarship may not earn transfer credit for courses taken during the period of separation.

If a student wishes to enroll elsewhere, permission must be obtained in advance from the Undergraduate Advising Support Office. The awarding of transfer credit is determined by the Undergraduate Advising Support Office in consultation with the appropriate department. Further, if a student wishes to take a course elsewhere to satisfy a major or minor requirement, it must also be approved by the department chair or academic representative.

Upon presentation of an official transcript from each institution attended, transfer credit will be awarded for courses equivalent or comparable to those offered by Case Western Reserve University and completed with a grade of C or better. Credit earned elsewhere after matriculation at Case Western Reserve University is not applied toward the requirement of a minimum of 60 credit hours earned at Case Western Reserve, including at least 15 credit hours earned after a student has earned a total of 105 credit hours. The Off-Campus Study Request Form is available from the Undergraduate Advising Support Office.

Students ordinarily will not be permitted to take elsewhere in Cuyahoga County summer courses that are also offered at Case Western Reserve University that summer.  Exceptions to this policy will be permitted only in the event of significant extenuating circumstances.  Students who desire the opportunity to take elsewhere in Cuyahoga County a course that is being offered at Case Western Reserve must petition the Undergraduate Advising Support Office in advance for permission to do so. 

For enrollment in courses during the fall or spring semester elsewhere in Cuyahoga County, see the section on Cross-Registration in Northeast Ohio.

Grades for courses taken at other institutions will not be entered on the student’s record nor will they be computed in the student’s grade point average.