Current Student FAQs

Yes. Continuous registration is required in each fall and spring semester until all degree requirements have been completed. Check the Registrar’s Student Academic Calendar and the Student Accounts Financial Liability page for drop/add, resign and financial liability deadlines.

Twelve credits is considered full time; for graduate students with a TA, GA or RA appointment, nine credits is considered full time.

Near the end of your program, while studying for your comprehensive exam, working on a thesis, project or dissertation, you may be eligible for “certification of full-time status”. Please contact your department’s graduate coordinator (before the semester begins) to see if you qualify for full-time certification. If you qualify, you will file a Certification of Full-Time Status form.

UB enrollment information is sent to the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) on a monthly basis, with more frequent transmission around degree conferral dates and at the beginning of each semester. If the enrollment report has not yet been sent, your loan company may not see your current enrollment data. For more information regarding enrollment verification, please contact the Office of the Registrar.

Contact your department’s graduate coordinator to see if it is appropriate to file an “exceptional registration form” in order to be late-registered for a course. Departmental contact information can be found on our list of academic programs.

Check the Registrar’s Student Academic Calendar and the Student Accounts Financial Liability page for drop/add, resign and financial liability deadlines.

A request for a leave of absence must be negotiated through the chair or director of graduate studies of the student's major department using a Graduate Student Petition for a Leave of Absence. The form must then be forwarded to the Office of the Registrar by the last day of classes of the semester in which the leave is to begin.

Contact your department’s graduate coordinator immediately to review your options. For qualifying emergencies, you may apply for an academic term withdrawal. Eligibility criteria and required supporting documentation are outlined in the Request for Academic Term Withdrawal form. If you are not eligible for an academic term withdrawal, you might request incomplete grades for your courses or decide to resign your courses as long as the resign deadline has not passed. Please be sure to review the Registrar’s Student Academic Calendar and the Student Accounts Financial Liability deadlines.

Please see our Graduation Requirements & Deadlines page for more information. Please note it is your responsibility to be aware of the academic deadlines for all degree conferral paperwork.

Please consult with your department’s graduate coordinator and file the proper "change graduation date" form found on the Forms for Students page. Departmental contact information can be found on our list of academic programs.

Visit the Countdown to Commencement page for a list of ceremony dates and contacts.

Each graduate program will determine the applicability of previous graduate courses proposed for transfer credit. Please review our transfer credits policy and contact your department’s graduate coordinator and major advisor to determine the transfer credits’ eligibility and for initial departmental approval. Once the department approves the transfer credit, you will need to submit a Petition for Transfer Credit for final approval by the Graduate School. We recommend submitting the petition for transfer credits within the first year of your degree matriculation.

Please read the Graduate School’s cross-divisional registration policy and consult with your major advisor about whether this is appropriate for your academic career. If appropriate, you will need to file a Petition for Course Credit Outside Your Primary Academic Career.

All graduate courses/credits for which you have registered and the grades earned will be recorded on your transcript (unless the course was officially dropped before the add/drop deadline). Exclusive of the non-weighted grades (L, N, S, U, R, W), all weighted grades will be calculated into the “cumulative” graduate GPA reflected on the transcript. 

Students who have reached their degree time limit are prevented from future course registration. Master’s degree students must complete their program within four years/eight semesters from their admission date. Doctoral degrees must be completed within seven years/14 semesters from the student’s initial formal matriculation in that doctoral program. Please consult with your academic advisor and file an Extension of Time Limit for Degree Completion Petition along with the required supporting documents.

You can contact the Registrar’s office to order transcripts or a diploma.

Visit the Graduate Professional Development section of our website or visit the Career Design Center website.