Academic and Student Policies | Johns Hopkins University Academic Catalogue

Registration and Enrollment Policies

General Registration Policy

Only students who have been admitted to a program (or as a Graduate Special Student) may register for courses. Students are encouraged to register for courses as early as possible during each registration period because a course may close or be canceled due to low enrollment before the end of registration. Students may not sit in on a class without being officially registered for that class, nor should they contact instructors to request permission to register for or attend a closed course. Students who fail to complete their registration and sit in on a class will not receive a grade or credit for attending the class.

Registration begins several months before each semester. Students who have been admitted to a program may register for courses online using the SIS Self-Service website.

When students initially register for courses each semester, they will be charged tuition fees and a non-refundable $175 registration fee. Following their initial course registration, students may register for additional courses without being subject to any additional course registration fees.

Registrations are processed as they are received. If a selected course is full, a student may be placed in an alternate course or on a waitlist (if applicable). Additional information regarding registration may be found in the online course schedule.

Note: Students should use their student JHED ID number to register for courses. All outstanding debts to Johns Hopkins University must be paid in full in order to register for courses.

Continuous Enrollment Policy

Once enrolled in a degree program, graduate students must maintain continuous enrollment at SOE by registering for at least one semester hour of credit each fall and spring semester or maintaining matriculation through authorized courses until the degree objective is reached.

Students who fail to register for fall or spring and have not requested and received an approved Leave of Absence (LOA), will have their program and student status updated to inactive in the academic term they failed to register.

Students who fail to register for two consecutive semesters and have not requested and received an approved LOA must apply for re-admission to the School. If re-admitted, the student will be required to meet the catalog requirements for the program in effect for the term re-admitted.

Leave of Absence Policy

The University grants a leave of absence under appropriate circumstances to support students' necessary time away for medical, service, hardship, or academic reasons. The Office of the Provost provides leadership and support to University officials acting under this Student Leave of Absence Policy’s (the “Policy”) procedures and related divisional procedures, including consulting with and providing guidance to deans and their designees, registrars, and others to support consistent and fair application of this Policy across the University.Please review the full University Leave of Absence Policy located here. Additional information may also be found on the School of Education website.

How to Submit a Request

To request a voluntary leave of absence from the University, students must submit the University Leave Request Form, along with the appropriate supporting documents.

Please reference the University Leave of Absence Policy (see Initiating a Voluntary Leave of Absence section and Expectations During Leaves of Absence section) for additional details.

Please note that veterans applying for readmission following inactivation/deactivation of a previous admission decision cannot be denied entrance for reasons relating to their service.

Attendance/Participation/Non-Attendance Policy

Student Responsibilities: Responsibility for registration and course attendance rests with the student. Students are financially and academically responsible for promptly and appropriately completing all registration adjustment procedures during time timeframe noted in the approved academic calendar. Students are expected to attend all meetings of each class in which they are enrolled. Students who fail to participate in the first two classes may forfeit their space in a course and may receive a recommendation from the instructor to formally withdraw.

This policy applies to all courses, regardless of course modality (e.g., in-person, asynchronous online). In all courses, student attendance and/or participation is expected, as defined within the course syllabus.

Students who must miss a class session should notify the instructor to arrange to make up all missed work as soon as possible. Full participation is essential to completing coursework and enhances the quality of the educational experience.

Non-attendance nor non-payment in a course does not constitute a drop or withdrawal. Failure to submit a withdrawal form by the appropriate deadline will result in a final grade determined by the course's grading policy (e.g., F grade).

Instructor Responsibilities: Instructors or programs set attendance requirements and policies appropriate for their courses' goals and instructional strategies. All attendance policies must be made available to students in writing within the course syllabus by the first-course meeting.

Refund Policy

STUDENTS WHO OFFICIALLY DROP OR WITHDRAW FROM A COURSE WILL RECEIVE TUITION REFUNDS BASED ON THE REFUND SCHEDULES BELOW.

Refunds apply only to the tuition portion of a student’s charges and are calculated from the date the drop occurs (if done online before the course has begun) or the date that the Office of the Registrar receives an official Add/Drop Form (after the course has begun).

Students will not receive refunds for registration and other non-tuition fees.

Refunds are not granted to students suspended or dismissed for disciplinary reasons.

Federal aid recipients who withdraw from all coursework will have aid returned to the federal government according to federal Return of Title IV funds regulations. Those students partially withdrawing will have their aid awards adjusted to the reduced cost of attendance. Students who drop to less than half-time will have their federal aid canceled, even portions which may have been refunded to them for living expenses, and will receive a bill from the School for the balance due.

If a course is canceled by the Johns Hopkins School of Education, the tuition will be refunded in full, and the registration fee will be refunded if that course was the only course for which the student registered. All refunds will be approved by the Office of the Registrar in accordance with the refund schedules.

A refund may take four to six weeks to process. Students will receive refunds according to the method of payment they originally used to pay their tuition.

Refund Schedules

SOE (on-site courses)

SOE - Refund Schedule
Session	100%	80%	70%	50%	0%
15 or more class sessions	Until the start of classes	From 1st class meeting and prior to 3rd class meeting	From 3rd class meeting and prior to 4th class meeting	From 4th class meeting and prior to 7th class meeting	From 7th class meeting and beyond
10-14 class sessions	Until the start of classes	From 1st class meeting and prior to 2nd class meeting	From 2nd class meeting and prior to 3rd class meeting	From 3rd class meeting and prior to 5th class meeting	From 5th class meeting and beyond
4-9 class sessions	Until the start of classes		From 1st class meeting and prior to 2nd class meeting.	From 2nd class meeting and prior to 3rd class meeting	From 3rd class meeting and beyond
Short courses (2-3 class sessions)	Until the start of classes				From the 1st class meeting and beyond

SOE (online courses)

SOE - Refund Schedule
Session	100%	80%	70%	50%	0%
15 week courses	Prior to the class start date	From 1st week of class prior to 3rd week of class	From 2nd week of class prior to 4th week	From 4th week of class prior to 7th week of class	Once 7th week of class begins, there is no refund
10-14 week courses	Prior to the class start date	From 1st week of class to prior to 2nd week of class	From 2nd week of class to prior to 3rd week of class	From 3rd week of class to prior to 5th week of class	Once 5th week of class begins, there is no refund
4-9 week classes	Prior to the class start date		From 1st week of class to prior to 2nd week of class	From 2nd week of class to prior to 3rd week of class	Once 3rd week of class begins, there is no refund
Short courses (2-3 class sessions)	Prior to the class start date				From the 1st calendar day of the class

Exceptions to the Refund Policy

Students may receive an exception to the refund policy for extraordinary circumstances beyond their control, such as medical problems, a death in their immediate family, or going on active duty, provided that the request is made within thirty calendar days of the end of the term and that the circumstances can be documented. Maximum refunds under such circumstances will usually be equal to one refund level higher than the student received. All petitions, including supporting documentation, should be submitted using the General Petition Form.

Time Limits

Students enrolled in master’s or certificate programs have a maximum of five years to complete their degree. With the exception of transfer credits, all credits applied towards a degree or certificate must have been earned within five years prior to the point a student becomes eligible to graduate. Any request for an exemption to this policy—for example, extending the time period allowed to complete a degree/certificate—must be submitted in writing by the student to and approved by the Vice Dean for Academic Affairs (or designee). Prior to submitting a formal written request to the Vice Dean (or designee) for an exemption, students are encouraged to discuss matters first with their faculty adviser.

Please note that School of Education records are sealed thirty (30) days after the conferral of a degree. After this date, no changes will be made to a student’s academic record. Therefore, it is imperative that students verify all information on their academic record and request any corrections be made before this date.

Incomplete Coursework

Students who experience extenuating circumstances that prevent them from completing coursework within a given term may request an Incomplete (I) grade from their instructor using the Incomplete Grade Contract (See: https://support.sis.jhu.edu/find-answers/records-and-registration/grade-inquiry) for more information. An ‘I’ (Incomplete) grade is used when the instructor is not prepared to give a final grade for the course because of some justifiable delay in the student’s completion of specific coursework. The student and the instructor should complete the Incomplete Grade Contract and submit it within five calendar days of the last scheduled class meeting. After grading the student's completed work, the instructor submits a final grade to the Registrar’s Office. All work associated with an 'I' grade must be completed, and the final grade must be submitted by the last day of following academic term, including summer. If the work is not completed within this time frame, a grade of “F” automatically replaces the “I” on the student’s academic transcript. No additional exceptions or grade change requests from the instructor or department will be accepted.

Incomplete Procedure

To request approval for an “I” (incomplete) grade, students must initiate the Incomplete Grade Contract form located in Student Information System (SIS). Students should review the Incomplete Grade Contract Instructions for step-by-step guidance on this process.

Please Note: Before submitting an Incomplete Grade Contract, students should communicate with their course instructor (and adviser when appropriate) to determine if the contract is appropriate for their circumstances.

Dropping/Withdrawing from a Course

Dropping a Course Before It Starts (Online & In-Person)

You can drop a course without financial penalty up to the first day of class using the SIS Self-Service portal or by submitting an Add/Drop Form.

Withdrawing from a Course After It Starts (Online & In-Person)

Once classes begin, you can withdraw from a course but you will be charged a prorated amount of tuition depending on what percentage of the semester was completed before the Add/Drop Form is received.

Tuition refunds are calculated from the date the Add/Drop Form is received (see refund policy). In normal circumstances, if a student withdraws from courses after the refund schedule deadline, they will not be eligible for any tuition refund. However, in exceptional circumstances, students who withdraw from courses after the refund schedule deadline may petition (using the General Petition Form) for a partial tuition reimbursement.

The specific notation (e.g., a withdrawal notation) that appears on the transcript for a course that a student has withdrawn from depends on how far into the semester a course has progressed before the Add/Drop Form is received. Please note that failure to attend does not constitute a withdraw. Notice to the instructor of intent to withdraw is not sufficient, nor are telephone withdrawals accepted. To withdraw from a course, students must submit the Add/Drop Form. The withdraw/audit calendar below lists the last date of each semester to withdraw without academic penalty, without receiving the grade of F.

Withdrawal/Audit Calendar

SOE - Withdrawal/Audit Calendar
Transcript Notation	Short Courses That Meet 2-3 Class Sessions	January Intersession	Courses That Meet 4-9 Class Sessions	Courses That Meet 10-14 Class Sessions	Courses That Meet 15 Or More Class Sessions
No notation if course is dropped	Prior to 1st class meeting	N/A	Prior to 2nd class meeting	Prior to 3rd class meeting	Prior to 4th class meeting
WD notation if course is dropped	From the 1st to the 2nd class meeting	N/A	From the 2nd to the 3rd class meeting	From the 3rd to the 6th class meeting	From the 4th to the 8th class meeting
May not withdraw or change	Once the 2nd class begins	N/A	Once the 4th class begins	Once the 7th class begins	Once the 9th class begins

Please note that the registration fee for a student who drops or withdraws from a course is nonrefundable.

Financial aid recipients will have their aid award adjusted according to credits registered. Students dropping to less than half-time status will have their federal aid canceled and will be responsible for any debit balance created.

International students on an F-1 visa are advised to contact the Office of International Services.

Adding a course

Following initial course registration, you may register for additional courses (or “add” a course), provided that the course has not met for the first time and is not already closed.

Please use the SIS Self-Service portal to add courses.

Add/Drop Process

When dropping one course and adding another course during the first two weeks of the semester, 100 percent of the tuition from the dropped course may be applied to the tuition of the added course, provided that the added course has not met. To ensure that 100 percent of the tuition from the dropped course will be applied to the course being added, the Add/Drop Form must be submitted via SEAM.

Course Load

Full-time graduate students are those who enroll for nine or more credits each semester. Part-time graduate students are those who enroll for less than nine credits each semester.

Students who are employed full-time are encouraged to take only one or two courses per semester and must consult their faculty adviser before registering for three or more courses at any one time.

Courses numbered .500 and above require an average of three hours of outside preparation for each class hour.

Auditing a course

Students who register as auditors pay full course tuition. Regular class attendance is expected, and the course is recorded on the student’s transcript.

Auditors are not required to complete quizzes, examinations, and other assigned work, and do not receive academic credit for the course. Audited courses do not count toward credits required for financial aid eligibility.

Not all courses are open to auditors. Students enrolled for credit who wish to change to auditor status (dropping the class for credit and adding the same class for audit) must submit via SEAM an official Add/Drop Form before the appropriate deadline each semester as noted on the Withdraw/Audit Calendar tab and under the Dropping/Withdrawing from a Course section.

Wait Lists

If the course for which you are attempting to register is full and has met its enrollment limit, you may be placed on a waitlist.

You can make a request to be waitlisted through SIS Self-Service. You can waitlist for only one section of a particular course.

Please note that waitlisting for a course is not an official registration and students may not participate in a course unless officially registered for it.

If an opening occurs in a course prior to its first class meeting, the student at the top of the waitlist will be sent an automated email to only their JHU email address, from SIS, notifying them of the open space and giving them two days to respond.

If you have a hold on your account, such as a financial or probation hold, you will not be able to update your status from waitlist hold to enrolled until that is resolved. Students with probation holds should work with their adviser. Students with financial holds need to pay their balance via SIS Self-Service or work with Student Enrollment and Account Management (SEAM) via their online form.

Interdivisional Registration

During the fall and spring semesters, qualified, degree-seeking students in the Johns Hopkins School of Education may register for courses at another division at Johns Hopkins University.

School of Education Students

Interdivisional registration can be requested by submitting a Registration Form with the host school’s course and section number.

The School of Education student’s faculty adviser must approve the interdivisional registration. Documentation of the approval should accompany the Registration Form. All appropriate approval signatures from the School of Education must be obtained before the registration can be processed.

School of Education students pay the per-credit rate of the school offering the course. Graduate Special Students (Non-Degree) in the School of Education are not permitted to register interdivisionally.

Students from Other Divisions

Eligible students from other divisions of the University may request to take courses offered by the School of Education through SEAM's online form. Note: Adviser approval is required and should be included along with interdivisional registration request.

School of Education students have priority in registering for School of Education courses. All interdivisional students must abide by School of Education policies, procedures, and deadlines. All published prerequisites for the course must be met prior to enrollment.

Students from the Zanvyl Krieger School of Arts and Sciences (other than those in Advanced Academic Programs), Whiting School of Engineering (other than those in Engineering for Professionals), Bloomberg School of Public Health, School of Medicine, School of Nursing, Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, and the Peabody Institute should follow the same registration procedures for summer as for fall and spring, with the exception that payment for the summer course needs to accompany the registration. Students from Advanced Academic Programs in the Zanvyl Krieger School of Arts and Sciences and Engineering for Professionals in the Whiting School of Engineering register and pay for summer courses as they do for fall and spring courses (through their home school’s Registrar’s Office).

Withdrawing from a Program

If a student wishes to withdraw from a program, they should first consult with a faculty adviser.

If a student decides to withdraw from a program, they must submit the Withdrawal from a Program Form . Depending on the date of the withdrawal (see withdrawal/audit calendar), the student may be responsible for all coursework, tuition, and fees for the current semester, if enrolled in courses.

Submitting the Withdrawal from a Program Form will trigger the following sequence:

Student is Withdrawn: The student will be withdrawn from the program.
Current Courses: If the student wishes to withdraw from their current courses, they must indicate that on the Withdrawal from a Program Form and it must be within the permitted time schedule (please see the withdrawal/audit calendar). In cases where a student withdraws from a program after the deadline to receive a WD notation on their transcript, they will not be withdrawn from their current coursework. Rather, they will receive the final grade earned for those courses in which they were enrolled as of the date of withdrawal from the School of Education.
Refund: A refund will be processed, if applicable.
Future Courses: The student’s registration for the next semester will be cancelled, if applicable.

A student who formally withdraws from a program but who subsequently wishes to be reinstated must reapply using the regular application process.

Please note that students who wish to switch programs rather than withdraw from the University entirely should refer to the School of Education’s policy on Changing Programs.

Transfer of Graduate Credit

The maximum number of graduate credits earned at another accredited college or university that may be transferred into a graduate certificate or master’s program in the School of Education varies by program, but in no case shall exceed three credits for graduate certificates and six credits for master’s degrees. The maximum number of transferable graduate credits allowed for doctoral programs is thirty-six credits for the EdD program (42 credits in some instances) and 12 credits for the PhD program. Graduate-level credits earned as part of a bachelor’s degree program cannot be transferred into an SOE graduate program.

For graduate certiﬁcate or master’s programs, the School of Education will only accept transfer credits for courses taken no more than ﬁve years before a student’s acceptance into the program. The ﬁnal decision regarding whether or not to accept graduate transfer credits, whether earned externally or internally (i.e., via another School of Education or other Johns Hopkins University graduate program), into a School of Education certiﬁcate or degree program rests:

(for applicants) with the respective program, or

(for enrolled students) with the faculty advisor or major advisor (for doctoral students), and will be decided upon on a case by case basis.

Only graduate-level credits earned at the grade of “B” or above (or equivalent) may be transferred into a School of Education graduate degree or certificate program.

A matriculated graduate student in the School who, under extraordinary circumstances, wishes to take a course offered by another institution to satisfy School of Education degree requirements must obtain written approval in advance from the Vice Dean for Academic Affairs (or designee). Permission is granted only in exceptional cases.

Catalog Years/Changes in Program Requirements, Standards, and Policies

The academic catalog officially lists academic policies, regulations, and program requirements. Students are held accountable for the academic requirements, policies, and regulations in the academic catalog year in which they are admitted. The academic catalog is updated each academic year to reflect changes and updates to policy. While every effort has been made to make the catalog accurate as of the date of publication, the Johns Hopkins University School of Education reserves the right to change programs of study, academic policies, academic requirements, tuition/ fees, course information, and procedures for the confirmation of degrees, or the announced academic calendar and related deadlines with notice sent prior to implementation.

A student's catalog year identifies the particular degree curriculum requirements and standards at the point in time (term/year) that a student first enrolls, and may be in effect for the duration of the student's program and until degree completion except in the below-listed circumstances.

1) Any student with an inactivated degree program and student record must reapply for admission to the School. If re-admitted, the student will be assigned to the latest catalog requirements for the degree program in effect for the re-admit term.

(2) The academic catalog year has expired. After ten years, an academic catalog is considered expired. Students who have exceeded degree program time limits may be subject to having their degree requirements/records updated to a newer catalog. A student cannot be awarded a degree on a catalog that has expired or for a degree that is no longer offered.

Course Waivers and Substitutions Policy

The program’s faculty leader in consultation with the department chair may recommend waiving prior graduate-level academic coursework completed by a student that was satisfactory to meet a program’s course or prerequisite requirement. While a course waiver excuses the student from taking the specific required or pre-required course, it does not reduce or lessen the overall credits needed to complete a degree for graduation. In cases where a course requirement is waived, a course substitution will be approved and updated on a student's academic program plan/degree audit.

Please note that failure to attend a course does not constitute a withdraw. Notice to the instructor of intent to withdraw is not sufficient, nor are telephone withdrawals accepted. To withdraw from a course, students must submit the Add/Drop Form. The withdraw/audit calendar below lists the last date of each semester to withdraw without academic penalty, without receiving the grade of F.