5. Registration Procedures and Regulations

It is the student’s responsibility to maintain their enrolment through registration and pay the required fees applicable to their program of study.

5.1 Registration Status and Fees

Program Fee Degrees

Graduate students in program fee degrees must maintain their registration on a continuing basis. Program fee students must register for REGN 9999 every term and pay the appropriate program fee. REGN 9999 is listed in the Academic Timetable as “Registration Course - Graduate”.

In all terms where fees are paid, students must be registered in at least one course, project or thesis in addition to REGN 9999.  For programs where fees are paid in only 2 of 3 terms, students need only register in REGN 9999 for the term wherein fees are not paid.

Students who fail to register by the approved deadlines will be considered to have lapsed registration. They will not be permitted to submit a thesis, nor will they receive services from the University during that time. Students who allow their registration to lapse will be considered to have withdrawn and will be required to apply for readmission. (see Section 5.5.1).

Per-Course Fee Degrees

With approval of the student's academic unit and the Faculty of Graduate Studies, graduate students in per-course fee degrees may have one term without registration per academic year without penalty (e.g., for a summer term when no appropriate courses are offered).

Students who fail to register in a second term per academic year by the approved deadlines will be considered to have lapsed registration. They will not be permitted to submit a thesis, nor will they receive services from the university during that time. These students are considered to have withdrawn and will be required to apply for readmission. (see Section 5.5.2).

A per-course fee student, at the thesis-only stage of their degree requirements (e.g., MArch,  MI, MSW) must register for REGN 9999 and Master’s Thesis, every term, in order to maintain their status as a thesis student.

Thesis or Project Registration

Once graduate students begin their thesis or project, they must continue to register in their thesis or project every term and work toward its completion until all degree requirements are met.

5.2 Registration Procedures

All registration is carried out online at www.dal.ca/online. Students are encouraged to register early to ensure course availability and to avoid scholarship payment delays.

Continuing students who require an extension to their program or have an outstanding annual progress report may not be permitted to register until the extension or annual progress report has been officially approved by the Faculty of Graduate Studies.

5.3 Voluntary Withdrawal

Students who withdraw from a degree program are to inform their Graduate Coordinator and the Faculty of Graduate Studies immediately via the Notification of Voluntary Withdrawal Form available on the FGS website. The immediacy of notification is important for two reasons: to mitigate impacts to the academic record and to maximize the possible fee reimbursement. Both are influenced by the date of the withdrawal. Students must contact Student Accounts directly to make arrangements to receive their fee reimbursement. Please see Academic Dates for academic and financial implications of withdrawal. The decision to withdraw is not official until it has been processed by the Faculty of Graduate Studies and received by the Registrar’s Office. In rare circumstances, and only if University approved regulations allow, will the Faculty of Graduate Studies back-date a withdrawal notice.

5.4 Academic Dismissal

A student can be dismissed from a program for the following reasons: (a) academic reasons (e.g., course failure, failure to meet admission or program requirements, failure to maintain registration status, or lack of academic progress); (b)  decision from a Senate Discipline Committee (see Intellectual Honesty and Senate Discipline Committee); or (c) non-academic reasons (see Code of Student Conduct). The student will be notified of the reason for the dismissal by the appropriate body.

A student who has been academically dismissed may apply for readmission. A student may be readmitted and enroll in the program after an absence of a 12-month period. The dismissal will be permanently noted on their transcript. Courses completed at Dalhousie or another institution while on academic dismissal cannot be used for credit towards the program from which the student was dismissed.

5.4.1 Final Dismissal

A second academic dismissal is usually considered a final dismissal from that program of study.

5.4.2 Reinstatement of Students

A student who is academically dismissed may apply to their academic unit for reinstatement within the one-year dismissal period. Reinstatement is not automatic nor guaranteed. As part of the request, students must discuss transitions and any necessary supports, including program sequencing requirements. Only the request for reinstatement needs to be sent to the Faculty of Graduate Studies for approval. Supporting documents requested/required by the academic unit remain with this unit. A student may be reinstated only once during their program. Students who are denied reinstatement are eligible for readmission following a one-year wait period. Readmission is not guaranteed.

5.5 Readmission

A student who has been dismissed and has not been reinstated within one year, has voluntarily withdrawn, or whose registration has lapsed may apply for readmission within 10 years of initial registration. Readmission is not automatic and requires the permission of the academic unit and the Faculty of Graduate Studies. Readmitted students are expected to complete all degree requirements before the tenth anniversary of the original program start date. A student may be readmitted only once during their program.

5.5.1 Readmitted Program Fee Students

Students who fail to register and pay tuition fees for any term before the degree requirements have been fulfilled are considered to have withdrawn and will be required to apply for readmission. Readmission is not guaranteed.
 
Students in thesis programs who have not maintained registration are usually required to submit a timeline for completion with the application for readmission via the progress report in the Graduate Student Information System (GSIS). The timeline must be approved by the academic unit and the Faculty of Graduate Studies before the student can be readmitted. Applications for readmission must comply with application deadlines (see Section 4.2).

5.5.2 Readmitted Per-Course Fee Students

With approval of the academic unit and the Faculty of Graduate Studies, per-course fee students can have one term without registration per academic year without penalty (e.g., for a summer term when no appropriate courses are offered). Students who fail to register and pay tuition fees for more than one term per academic year before the degree requirements have been fulfilled are considered to have withdrawn and will be required to apply for readmission. Readmission is not guaranteed.

5.5.3 Readmission Following Maximum Time for Completion

The maximum time for completion for Master's and PhD students at Dalhousie is 10 years (see Section 7). Students enrolled in a degree program or returning to a degree program 10 or more years after the initial term of registration will usually be required to apply again for admission to that program with a program completion plan in place. Admission is not guaranteed and is subject to the standard procedures for admission with additional review of the proposed program completion plan. As part of the admission process, the program and the Faculty of Graduate Studies will usually complete an individualized assessment of prior coursework and exams the student has completed to determine the remaining program requirements which must be met. This may include the requirement to repeat prior courses or to complete the revised degree requirements if they have changed since the student was first registered in the degree program. These requests must be accompanied by a curriculum assessment from the graduate coordinator that clearly identifies which courses in the program are substantially covered by the previous courses despite their age. The final program requirements must be approved both by the academic unit and the Faculty of Graduate Studies. Students admitted under this clause should be aware that they will be assessed fees and tuition commensurate with a new incoming student as of their admission date.

5.6 Concurrent Registration

A student may, with written permission from the Deans of both programs, register for two concurrent programs - either at Dalhousie or one at Dalhousie and one elsewhere - for a maximum of 12 months usually within the first academic year of the Dalhousie graduate program (concurrent registration in a graduate certificate program offered at Dalhousie may extend this duration). Concurrent registration is not permitted when the first degree is a prerequisite for a second degree (e.g., a student finishing a Master’s degree who has been accepted into a PhD program). In that case, the student must first complete the Master’s degree and then register in the PhD program in January, May, or September as applicable and approved by the academic unit. If the student fails to complete the Master’s degree for a particular entry point, the student must request deferral of admission to the next available start date.

5.7 Student Categories

All students currently enrolled at Dalhousie will fall into one of the categories listed below. While all Doctoral programs at Dalhousie have a full-time option, some Doctoral programs may also have a part-time option. Some Master’s students may be enrolled part-time. If a program fee student wishes to change status from full-time to part-time or vice versa, they must submit their request, with academic unit approval, to the Faculty of Graduate Studies. Such requests must be made before the start of the term in which the change of status is to take effect.

5.7.1 Full-Time Student (Program Fee)

A full-time graduate student paying program fees (see Section 2.2) is a student who has been approved by the academic unit and the Faculty of Graduate Studies as working full-time on their graduate degree. Program fee students must maintain their registration for the fall, winter, and summer terms. The following programs must register for REGN 9999 every term and pay fees for only two terms per academic year: LLM, MBA-CR, MSc (AUDI, HUCD, SPLP), and JD combined programs. Full-time students are expected to work on their degree requirements on a full-time basis. To maintain adequate progress, discretionary work not related to the program requirements should not typically exceed an average of 16 hours per week per term. Discretionary work not related to the program should not impede a student's capacity for full-time studies and adequate progress towards these requirements.

5.7.2 Full-Time Student (Per-Course Fee)

A student in a per-course fee program who is taking a minimum of nine credit hours per term is considered full-time. Per-course fee students who have completed all degree requirements except their thesis (where relevant) are considered to be a continuing student (see Section 5.7.5).  Full-time students are expected to work on their degree requirements on a full-time basis; therefore, paid employment unrelated to their degree requirements should not typically exceed an average of 16 hours per week per term. Discretionary work not related to the program should not impede a student's capacity for full-time studies and adequate progress towards these requirements.

5.7.3 Part-Time Student (Program-Fee)

A part-time student paying program fees (see Section 2.2) is a student who has been approved by the academic unit and the Faculty of Graduate Studies as working part-time on their graduate degree. A part-time program fee student must take fewer than nine credit hours in a term. Program fee students must maintain their registration for the fall, winter, and summer terms.

5.7.4 Part-Time Student (Per-Course Fee)

A student in a per-course fee program who is taking fewer than nine credit hours in a term is considered part-time.

5.7.5 Continuing Student (Master's Program Fee and Per-course Thesis Only)

This status applies to a Master's student in a program that charges a program fee and who has completed the program fee requirement but has not yet finished all the degree requirements (usually the thesis). This status also applies to per-course thesis-only students who have completed all of the degree requirements except the thesis.

Continuing students must maintain continuous registration each term with fees charged on a per-term basis.

5.7.6 Qualifying Student

Qualifying students typically fall under one of two categories:  

1) Students who hold a three-year undergraduate degree which is not recognized for admission into graduate studies (see Section 3.2) must complete between 24 and 30 credit hours of advanced undergraduate courses with an average grade of B or greater to qualify for admission into their graduate program.

2) Students who hold a recognized undergraduate degree (see Section 3.2) and are addressing gaps in admission requirements may take as few as 3 credit hours or as many as 30 credit hours of courses at the undergraduate or graduate level. These courses must be completed with an average grade of B or greater to qualify for admission into the graduate program.

Qualifying students are not eligible for Faculty of Graduate Studies scholarships or bursaries and must apply for admission to the appropriate graduate program in the usual way towards the end of the qualifying period. Qualifying students are subject to the graduate grading scale. They may also need to fulfill additional requirements as determined by their academic unit and the Faculty of Graduate Studies. Successful completion of the qualifying year does not guarantee admission. Graduate courses completed under QGS status may be used for credit toward formal graduate programs with the approval of the Faculty of Graduate Studies. Completing qualifying-year graduate courses does not provide tuition reduction for students in program fee degrees.

Qualifying programs are not available for students applying to Doctoral programs.

5.7.7 Special Student-Graduate Studies (SSGS)

With permission from the Faculty of Graduate Studies, it is possible for individuals to take graduate courses outside of a program for personal or professional enrichment. The registration category for non-program students taking graduate courses is Special Student-Graduate Studies (SSGS). Such students may take a maximum of 12 credit hours (for credit or audit) with the permission of the course instructor and the appropriate graduate coordinator. Because all graduate courses must be taught at a consistent standard to graduate level students, non-program students must meet the minimum entrance requirements for a graduate program, though reference letters are not required except at the discretion of the academic unit. Students are ineligible to apply for Special Student status in a course if their application to the program was rejected due to academic standing, or if they have been dismissed from the program. Applications must be approved by the Faculty of Graduate Studies as admissible to a graduate program and should adhere to the same application deadlines.

Students who do not meet all admission requirements must follow a different route for entry: either a qualifying year program, if eligible, or a program of study as a Special Student in an undergraduate Faculty.

Graduate courses completed under SSGS status may be used for credit toward formal graduate programs with the approval of the Faculty of Graduate Studies. Completing SSGS courses does not provide tuition reduction for students in program fee degrees.

5.7.8 Visiting Students

5.7.8.1 Visiting Student Graduate Studies (VSGS) - Letter of Permission

Students registered as a graduate student at another university may register at Dalhousie to take courses on a Letter of Permission (LOP) from their home university. Visiting students must meet the minimum entrance requirements for the course for which they are registering and must receive permission from the Dalhousie instructor teaching the course(s). Students must submit the graduate application, the application fee and an approved LOP to the Registrar's Office.

5.7.8.2 Visiting Graduate Research Students (VGRS) - Research

Students registered as graduate students at another university may register at Dalhousie to conduct research under the supervision of a Dalhousie researcher as a visiting graduate research student. They are not attending Dalhousie University under the auspices of a signed, bilateral exchange agreement and cannot attend courses.

Visiting research students are usually at Dalhousie for up to one year and, while here, they are expected to work full-time on their research. They must provide the Faculty of Graduate Studies written support from their home university and from their Dalhousie supervisor. Students must submit the graduate application and the application fee to the Registrar's Office.

For more information on the admission process and support for VGRS, please visit the Faculty of Graduate Studies website.

5.7.9 Letters of Confirmation and Degree Completion

A letter confirming a student’s registration or degree completion can be produced upon request. A letter can be obtained from dalonline.dal.ca or through the Confirm Registration or Degree Requirements Met Request forms located on the Faculty of Graduate Studies website.

5.8 Leave of Absence

The Faculty of Graduate Studies may approve a Leave of Absence (LOA) for medical reasons, unexpected emergencies, exceptional academic or career opportunities requiring interruption of studies, or for other reasons supported by the academic unit.  

Students seeking a LOA should discuss their circumstances with their academic unit. The unit will work with the student to submit an application for a LOA to the Faculty of Graduate Studies with approval signatures from the student, the student’s supervisor (if applicable) and graduate coordinator. The Faculty of Graduate Studies will consider the unit’s approval as sufficient documentation for justification for a LOA.

Typically, a LOA will not exceed three consecutive terms (12 months). The upper time limits for the completion of degrees listed in Section 7 will be extended by the number of terms that a student is on an approved LOA. The maximum time to completion remains at 10 years.  

Applications for a LOA must typically be received before the term for which it is to take effect. A LOA frees a student from paying tuition fees and releases the university from providing student services and library privileges. Students who wish to maintain medical insurance coverage while on leave must contact the Dalhousie Student Union for more information.

Retroactive approval of a LOA will only be granted in extraordinary circumstances. A request is deemed to be retroactive once the term has started.

Students may not hold any Dalhousie scholarships during a LOA. Students may not study elsewhere and receive credit at Dalhousie University during a LOA.

Students requesting a LOA for their first term of academic study at Dalhousie will normally be directed to the deferral of admission process instead.

5.8.1 Mid-term Leave of Absence

Unexpected emergencies that arise during the term can be accommodated by a Leave of Absence (LOA). Mid-term leaves are typically reserved for medical reasons or serious problems outside of the student’s control. Students seeking a LOA mid-term must discuss their circumstances with their academic unit. The unit will work with the student to submit an application for a LOA to the Faculty of Graduate Studies with all approval signatures. The Faculty of Graduate Studies will consider unit approval as sufficient justification for a LOA.

Retroactive approval of a mid-term leave LOA will only be granted in extraordinary circumstances.

A mid-term LOA relieves the student from responsibilities for completing coursework and other program requirements during the remainder of the term. This can, however, have impacts on course grades and fee rebates. The impact will be determined by the last date of participation and is governed by the Add/Drop Dates and Refund Schedule. The academic unit should contact the Faculty of Graduate Studies (program.officer@dal.ca) to discuss final grade options for LOAs starting after the deadline to drop courses with a W (see Section 7.7.2 for grading scheme).  

The requested LOA can extend to subsequent terms.  

5.8.2 Returning from a Leave of Absence

Students returning from a LOA are expected to plan for their return at the start of an academic term. Students are encouraged to reach out to their academic unit and supervisor before their return to discuss transitions and any necessary supports, program sequencing requirements, and completion of any courses that may have had an ILL grade assigned previously.

For students in the thesis-only portion of their program, a mid-term return from a LOA may be possible. Students who are considering returning mid-term from a LOA are encouraged to contact their academic unit and the Faculty of Graduate Studies (program.officer@dal.ca) to discuss feasibility and fee implications.

5.9 Parental Leave

Parental Leave is considered a Leave of Absence and will be granted at the time of pregnancy, birth, or adoption. Usually, parental leave is up to three terms (12 months). Students may request a parental leave with each new child born or adopted during their program. The upper time limits for the completion of degrees listed in Section 7 will be extended by the number of terms that a student is on an approved Leave of Absence (LOA). The maximum time to completion remains at 10 years.   

Students must contact their academic unit to arrange for parental leave. The academic unit will work with the student to submit an application for a LOA to the Faculty of Graduate Studies with approval signatures from the student, the student’s supervisor (if applicable) and graduate coordinator. The Faculty of Graduate Studies will consider academic unit approval as sufficient documentation for justification for a LOA request.

Students requesting parental leave who normally receive graduate funding must contact fgs.slo@dal.ca to discuss how parental leave will affect their funding.

Retroactive approval of a parental leave request will only be granted in extraordinary circumstances. A request is deemed to be retroactive once the term has started.

Parental leave frees a student from paying tuition fees and releases the University from providing student services and library privileges. Students who wish to maintain medical insurance coverage while on leave must contact the Dalhousie Student Union for more information.

5.9.1 Mid-term Parental Leave

If a birth or adoption requires a student to take parental leave mid-term, additional planning is required to limit financial implications or significant impact on a student’s completion of coursework. Students seeking a parental leave mid-term must discuss their circumstances with their academic unit. The academic unit will work with the student to submit an application for a LOA to the Faculty of Graduate Studies with approval signatures from the student, student’s supervisor (if applicable) and graduate coordinator. The Faculty of Graduate Studies will consider academic unit approval as sufficient documentation for justification for a LOA request.

A mid-term LOA relieves the student from responsibilities for completing coursework and other program requirements during the remainder of the term. This can, however, have impacts on course grades and fee rebates. The impact will be determined by the last date of participation and is governed by the Add/Drop Dates and Refund Schedule. The academic unit should contact the Faculty of Graduate Studies (program.officer@dal.ca) to discuss final grade options for LOAs related to parental leave starting after the deadline to drop courses with a W (see Section 7.7.2 for grading scheme).

The requested LOA can extend to subsequent terms.

5.9.2 Returning from Parental Leave

Students returning from parental leave are encouraged to plan for their return at the start of an academic term. Students are encouraged to reach out to their academic unit and supervisor prior to their return to discuss transitions and any necessary supports, program sequencing requirements, and completion of any courses which may have had an ILL grade assigned  previously.

For students in the thesis-only portion of their program, a mid-term return from aLeave of Absence (LOA) may be possible. Students who are considering returning from parental leave mid-term are encouraged to contact their academic unit and the Faculty of Graduate Studies program.officer@dal.ca to discuss feasibility and fee implications.