UNC Charlotte Academic Policy: Registration (Undergraduate)

I. Executive Summary

This policy outlines the registration process at UNC Charlotte for undergraduate students.

II. Policy Statement

The Office of the Registrar is responsible for the management of the registration process by which students enroll in, drop, and withdraw from courses. Through the registration process, students assume academic and financial responsibility for the courses in which they enroll. They are relieved of these responsibilities only by formally terminating enrollment by dropping or withdrawing in accordance with deadlines specified in the Academic Calendar and the corresponding prorated refund schedule available on the Niner Central website. If a course is cancelled in which students are enrolled, academic units are obliged to notify those students in a timely manner and to help them find a suitable alternative course, apply a substitution waiver, or use other mechanisms to ensure that degree progress is not impeded.

Registration Appointment Times

Assignments are made according to student classification and cumulative hours earned for undergraduate students and can be viewed on the Niner Central website.

Registration Deadlines

University policies determine when students may enroll or adjust their enrollment in courses. General deadlines are shown below and specific deadlines for a given term or part of term are available online.

Add/Drop Period

The Add/Drop period runs through the 6th business day of the Fall and Spring full terms and on the 2nd business day for Fall and Spring half terms, as well as Summer full and half terms.

During the Add/Drop Period, students can:

  • Register for courses
  • Drop a course(s) without record (and remain enrolled in other courses)
  • Drop all courses without record

Withdrawal Period

The deadline to withdraw from one or more courses (including withdrawal from all courses) is at the 60% completion point of the term. The precise date for each term will be published in the Academic Calendar for each term and part of term.

During the Withdrawal Period, students can:

  • Withdraw from one or more courses in accordance with the Withdrawal policy
  • Change the grade type to Audit or Pass/No Credit
  • Opt out of using a grade replacement

Students who experience a personal or medical crisis have the option of requesting a Withdrawal with Extenuating Circumstances (WE) from courses via the Dean of Students Office during the term the crisis begins. If approved, the Dean of Students Office will notify the student’s academic department(s).

Students who leave the University before the close of a term without withdrawing officially will receive a failing or unsatisfactory grade (F for undergraduate credit and U for graduate credit) in each course for which they are registered.

Prerequisites and Permits

All students, including visitors and non-degree students, are required to meet course prerequisites and to obtain the required permissions to enroll in courses through the department which sponsors the course.

Auditing Courses

With the permission of the instructor, a student may audit any course in which space is available. Fees and procedures for this non-credit enrollment are the same as those for a credit enrollment. The procedure for adding, dropping, or withdrawing from an audit course is the same as for credit enrollments. No student will be allowed to change the designation of a course from audit to credit or from credit to audit after the withdrawal date of the semester (or a proportional period for Summer sessions). Participation of auditors in course discussions and in tests or examinations is optional with the instructor. Students who audit receive no University credit, but they are expected to attend the course regularly.

Dual Undergraduate and Graduate Registration

First undergraduate degree students at UNC Charlotte who are required to take fewer than 12 credit hours of undergraduate work to fulfill all requirements for the bachelor’s degree may be allowed during their final semester to enroll in certain courses for the purpose of obtaining graduate credit. Dually enrolled students will continue to be considered undergraduate students and be charged for the courses taken at the undergraduate level. To be considered for dual enrollment, students should submit the online graduate application for admission as a post-baccalaureate student, submit a Special Request to the Graduate School requesting permission to be considered for dual enrollment, and attach to the Special Request a program of study outlining the requirements of the first undergraduate degree. The total credit hours to be carried in this status shall not exceed 12 credit hours, of which no more than 6 may be for graduate credit. On the basis of work attempted prior to the final semester, such students must meet the grade point criteria for admission to a graduate degree program at the University. No course for which credit is applied to an undergraduate degree may receive graduate credit. Permission to take graduate courses under dual registration does not constitute admission to any graduate degree program at the University. (Undergraduate students may also take graduate courses if admitted to an Early Entry Program or an Accelerated Master’s Program.)

Note: Only UNC Charlotte students pursuing their first undergraduate degree are eligible for dual undergraduate and graduate registration. Fifth year undergraduate students (i.e., students pursuing a second undergraduate degree) are not eligible for dual undergraduate and graduate enrollment.

Inter-Institutional Registration

An inter-institutional registration program is available, for a limited number of undergraduate and graduate students, with the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, North Carolina State University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Duke University, and North Carolina Central University. The registration process is initiated in the Office of the Registrar and requires, via the transient study form, the approval of the student’s college dean and the Graduate School (graduate students only). Students should consult with their advisor to ensure that the credit earned through inter-institutional registration will allow progress toward degree and compliance with all baccalaureate degree requirements.

Greater Charlotte Consortium

The Greater Charlotte Consortium is a partnership between UNC Charlotte and eleven other campuses: Belmont Abbey College; Central Piedmont Community College; Davidson College; Gaston College; Johnson & Wales University – Charlotte Campus; Livingstone College; Pfeiffer University; Queens University of Charlotte; Rowan Cabarrus Community College; Wingate University; and Winthrop University. This partnership is available to undergraduate students and allows registration and enrollment in courses not offered at UNC Charlotte, so that students remain on track to graduation. Students must maintain full-time enrollment status and have no financial holds to enroll. UNC Charlotte students who enroll in a course through the Greater Charlotte Consortium are billed by UNC Charlotte. An application and additional information including program eligibility can be found at greatercharlotteconsortium.org. Students should consult with their advisor to ensure that the credit earned through the Greater Charlotte Consortium will allow progress toward degree and compliance with all baccalaureate degree requirements.

III. Definitions

  • Academic calendar – An official list of dates and deadlines found at the beginning of the Undergraduate Catalog and on the website for the Office of the Registrar. The academic calendar specifies the dates for semesters and terms, enrollment periods, examination periods, holidays, periods classes are not in session, and commencement.
  • Add/Drop Period – The time during which students may add or drop courses without a record or academic penalty, also called the “course adjustment period.”
  • Department – A unit within a college representing a discipline. For example, the Department of English is in the College of Humanities & Earth and Social Sciences (CHESS).
  • Registrar – The official at the University who is responsible for maintaining student records. The Office of the Registrar plans and oversees registration, academic record maintenance, transcript preparation, graduation, a degree audit report system, and curricular records.
  • Registration – Students select courses to enroll in for the subsequent term.
  • Semester or Term – A period of study, usually a third of the academic year (i.e., Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters). Fall and Spring semesters generally include a period of study of one 15-week and two 7-week half terms. The Summer semester generally includes one eleven-week and two five-week half terms. UNC Charlotte offers courses for the Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters, as well as varying term lengths associated with each semester.  For the definition of each term refer to the Office of the Registrar.

IV. Policy Contact(s)

V. History

  • Approved: April 3, 1980
  • Revised: March 29, 1984
  • Revised: May 2, 1985
  • Revised: February 20, 2014 [Updated mentions of withdrawals due to new Withdrawal policy]
  • Revised: September 30, 2015 [Consortium Registration section removed; Charlotte Area Educational Consortium no longer exists]
  • Revised: March 17, 2016 [Add/Drop period changed from 8 instructional days to 8 calendar days for Fall & Spring semesters, effective Fall 2016; and updated Dual Undergraduate and Graduate Registration information to match what is listed in Graduate Catalog]
  • Revised: October 19, 2017 [Add/Drop period and Audit to Credit/Credit to Audit period changed from 8 calendar days to 6 business days for Fall & Spring semesters, and from 2nd instructional day to 2nd business day for Summer sessions]
  • Revised: April 23, 2020 [Updated Add/Drop period definition]
  • Revised: May 21, 2020 [Updated maximum graduate credit hours under “Dual Undergraduate and Graduate Registration” from 9 to 6 to clear up the discrepancy between the Dual Undergraduate and Graduate Registration and Post-Baccalaureate transfer credit policy]
  • Revised: April 23, 2021 [added Greater Charlotte Consortium]
  • Revised: August 16, 2021 [revised grade replacement option under Add/Drop Period from “elect” to “opt out” due to revisions to Grading policy changes that take effect Fall 2021]
  • Revised: October 28, 2021 [Revised Add/Drop Period, added Withdrawal Period, clarified dates for full/half terms, and other revisions]
  • Revised: April 15, 2022 [Added information about “part of term” throughout; removed UNC Online information]

VI. Related Policies, Procedures and Resources

VII. Frequently Asked Questions

  • Where is this policy referenced?
    The policy is published on the Academic Policies & Procedures webpage of the Provost website and in the Degree Requirements & Academic Policies section of the Undergraduate Catalog.
  • Which students are covered under this policy?
    This policy applies to all undergraduate students at UNC Charlotte.
  • How are course requirements handled if students add the course during the Add/Drop period?
    If students add a course during the Add/Drop period, they should work with their instructor to obtain materials and to make up any missed work (including quizzes or assignments).
  • What is the Add/Drop date for half terms during Fall and Spring? Similar to the Add/Drop date for Summer half terms, the Add/Drop date for Fall and Spring half term is the 2nd business day.