| University Undergraduate Advising Handbook | |
CLASSIFICATION OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS AND ADVISER ASSIGNMENT
(Senate Policies 02-00, 05-00, 10-00, 12-00, 14-00, 16-00, 18-00,
32-40)
Anyone who has a high school diploma (or its equivalent), and who has not been dismissed or suspended from any college or university for disciplinary reasons, may enroll in credit courses at Penn State in one of the following three categories:
Degree Candidate
Provisional Student
Nondegree Student
Nondegree-Conditional
Nondegree-Regular
Nondegree-Graduate
DEGREE CANDIDATE (Senate Policy 02-20)
Degree students are candidates for the associate or baccalaureate degree. They are admitted as first-year or advanced-standing students to a college, a major within a college, or the Division of Undergraduate Studies. Undergraduate tuition is charged.
Adviser Assignment
Advising is available to every degree candidate through an assigned academic adviser or the advising center in his/her college of enrollment. A student can find out his/her adviser assignment by using Adviser Information on eLion or by contacting the appropriate advising center at University Park or another Penn State campus. If enrolled in a major, the student should contact his/her department.
PROVISIONAL STUDENT (Senate Policy 02-50, 10-00)
Provisional students are applicants to degree status who lack the credentials required for admission as degree candidates. (These credentials include adequate high school grade-point average, SATs, and Carnegie units.) They enroll in classes on a space-available basis after degree candidates have been accommodated. Undergraduate tuition is charged. Provisional students may be eligible for federal financial aid.
Enrollment in provisional status is limited by both academic achievement and credits. Students may not remain in provisional status beyond the semester in which they complete 36 cumulative credits.
Provisional to Degree or Nondegree-Regular Status:
If a provisional student has completed 36 or more cumulative credits with a cumulative grade-point average of at least a 2.00, to continue course work he/she must become a degree candidate (see Admission to Degree Status) or enroll in nondegree-regular status. If the student's cumulative grade-point average is less than a 2.00 but he/she has earned over a 2.00 in his/her most recent semester/session, then to continue the student must enroll in nondegree-regular status.
Provisional to Nondegree-Conditional Status (Dropped for Poor Scholarship):
27-Credit Limit: If a provisional student has completed 27 or more cumulative credits with a grade-point average below a 2.00, he/she will not be permitted to continue in provisional status. To continue course work, he/she must enroll as a nondegree-conditional student. However, if the student's most recent semester/session grade-point average is a 2.01 or greater, he/she may continue in provisional status.
36-Credit Limit: If a provisional student has completed 36 or more cumulative credits with a cumulative grade-point average of less than a 2.00 and with an average of less than a 2.01 in his/her most recent semester/session, then he/she must enroll in nondegree-conditional status to continue.
Adviser Assignment
The Division of Undergraduate Studies (DUS) has advising responsibility for provisional students. A student can find out his/her adviser assignment by using Adviser Information on eLion or by contacting DUS.
A provisional student must complete a minimum of 18 credits (9 credits for associate-degree programs) with no less than a 2.00 cumulative grade-point average in Penn State courses and meet entry requirements. Some programs have higher cumulative grade-point average requirements and/or prerequisite course requirements. In addition, enrollment in some programs is restricted.
To be admitted to degree status, students must complete the Web application for undergraduate admission. The Admissions Office provides tips for completing the Web application.
NONDEGREE STUDENT (Senate Policy 02-80, 14-00)
Nondegree students schedule classes on a space-available basis after degree candidates and provisional students have been accommodated. Students in nondegree status are not eligible for financial aid.
Nondegree students are classified as nondegree-conditional (NDEGC), nondegree-regular (NDEGR), or nondegree-graduate (NONE). Undergraduate tuition is charged for students in NDEGC and NDEGR status. Graduate tuition is charged for students in NONE status.
Students in this status have been dropped for unsatisfactory scholarship from degree or provisional status at Penn State (see Provisional Student, Enrollment Policies) or from another institution.
When a NDEGC student meets the conditions for reinstatement and re-enrollment (former Penn State degree candidate) or the conditions for admission (former provisional student or student from another institution), then he/she may enroll in degree status.
Enrollment Policies
Semester Credit Load: A NDEGC student may schedule no more than 12 credits per semester. (Caution for NDEGC students is advised if he/she is considering auditing a course.) Undergraduate tuition is charged. While enrolled in these courses, the student may earn credits toward his/her degree, remove grade-point deficiencies, and work to achieve the grade-point average necessary for reinstatement.
Cumulative Credit Limit: When a student is dropped for poor scholarship, he/she may schedule no more than 40 cumulative credits while enrolled in NDEGC status. (If a student who was reinstated is again dropped and then enrolls again as a NDEGC student, his/her 40 allowable credits in this status start anew.)
At the end of the semester in which a student attempts his/her 40th credit, if his/her cumulative grade-point average is less than a 2.00, he/she will be dropped from this status and may no longer schedule any credit course work at Penn State. However, if the student's semester grade-point average is 2.01 or greater, then he/she may continue in NDEGC status beyond 40 credits until he/she either qualifies for degree status or earns less than a 2.01 in a semester and is dropped. A student who has been dropped from NDEGC status may only return to Penn State for course work if he/she qualifies for academic renewal.
A NDEGC student who was dropped for poor scholarship from another institution works in consultation with advisers in the college to which he/she seeks admission or, if exploring curricular options, with advisers in the Division of Undergraduate Studies.
Admission to Degree Status
A nondegree-conditional student must satisfy the requirements established by the appropriate dean's office (see Adviser Assignment above) for reinstatement or admission.
Nondegree students who have not been dropped for unsatisfactory scholarship from degree or provisional status by this University or any other college or university will be classified as nondegree-regular. Degree candidates who were not dropped for unsatisfactory scholarship may elect to enroll in this status.
NDEGR status is also an option for students who have graduated and who elect to return to further their education with undergraduate course work but do not intend to obtain another degree (see Sequential Majors). Course work taken in this status is recorded on the student's undergraduate transcript. For information on NDEGR registration, students should contact the Registrar's office.
Enrollment Policies
Semester Credit Load: A NDEGR student may schedule a regular credit load.
Cumulative Credit Limit: Policies differ depending on whether a student has ever been a degree candidate.
Former Penn State degree candidates who elect to enroll in this status may continue to take courses as a NDEGR until the end of the semester in which they have completed their 40th cumulative credit in this status. At that point, if the student has 18 or more grade-point deficiencies, he/she will be dropped from this status and may no longer schedule any credit course work at Penn State. However, if the student's most recent semester grade-point average is 2.01 or greater, then he/she may continue in NDEGR status beyond 40 credits until he/she either qualifies for degree status or earns less than a 2.01 in a semester and is dropped.
Students who were never enrolled as Penn State degree candidates are permitted to complete a maximum of 40 cumulative credits in NDEGR status. To continue beyond the semester in which the student attempts his/her 40th credit, a student must have a 2.00 or better cumulative grade-point average and either be admitted to degree status or indicate to the Registrar's office that he/she is an “enrichment course taker” (students who do not intend to earn a degree). Enrichment course takers may continue taking courses beyond the 40-credit limit but will be dropped if they accumulate 18 or more grade-point deficiencies. To determine if a student is an enrichment course taker, authorized advisers may use ISIS screen ARISPN/ARUSPN. Students in this status have an “A” under ENRICH.
Students with less than a 2.00 cumulative average will be dropped from NDEGR status and may no longer schedule any credit course work at Penn State . However, if the student's most recent semester grade-point average is 2.01 or greater, then he/she may continue in NDEGR status beyond 40 credits until he/she either qualifies for degree status or earns less than a 2.01 in a semester and is dropped.
A student who has been dropped from NDEGR status may only return to Penn State for course work if he/she qualifies for academic renewal.
Adviser Assignment
A student in NDEGR status who has never been enrolled as a degree candidate at Penn State works in consultation with advisers in the college to which he/she seeks admission or, if exploring curricular options, with advisers in the Division of Undergraduate Studies.
Admission to Degree Status
A NDEGR student who has never been a degree candidate must complete 18 credits for admission to baccalaureate degree programs (9 for associate degree programs) with a minimum of a 2.00 cumulative grade-point average in Penn State courses and meet entry requirements. Some programs have higher cumulative grade-point average requirements and/or prerequisite course requirements. In addition, enrollment in some programs is restricted. To be admitted to degree status, students must complete the Web application for undergraduate admission.
A former degree candidate enrolled in NDEGR status must meet the conditions for re-enrollment in the college and/or major where re-enrollment is sought. To be admitted to degree status, the student must complete a re-enrollment form.
Enrollment in nondegree-graduate status is an alternative to NDEGR for students who have graduated from an accredited baccalaureate program. This status is appropriate if the student wants the work to be recorded on a graduate transcript or wants to schedule 500-level course work. There is no limit on the number of credits that a student may schedule, and there is no performance criterion that must be met while a student is enrolled in this status. For more information on nondegree-graduate status, see the Graduate Enrollment Services Web page, or contact their office: 115 Kern Building, University Park, 814-865-3425.
Adviser Assignment
Students registering in NONE status are basically responsible for their own advising. However, assistance may be obtained from the Registrar's office, Continuing Education counselors, World Campus advisers, Division of Undergraduate Studies advisers (whichever is most appropriate) or, if the student is degree-aspiring, in the college or department in which admission is sought.
The University may make changes in policies,
procedures, educational offerings, and requirements at any time. Please
consult a Penn State academic adviser for more detailed information.
This page is part of the University Undergraduate Advising Handbook, which is maintained by the Division of Undergraduate Studies, DUS@psu.edu.
Last Update: February 2008