Registration Polices

Auditing Courses

Any student who wishes to audit a course must register for that course as an auditor through normal registration procedures. The instructor will indicate whether the audit was completed successfully. Students should consult with the instructor to determine specific expectations for a successful audit. The fee for auditing is the same as for a course taken for credit. Audited hours cannot be applied toward hours counted for full-time enrollment. Normally, only degree candidates may, with the instructor’s permission, attend a course without registering or paying a fee. In this case, no official record of the audit is kept. Subject to the permission of the instructor, the College permits members of the local community to audit classes without following normal registration procedures. The fee for community audits is $100 per class, and registration is handled through the Dean’s Office. The College does not keep a permanent record of such audits.

Pass-Unsatisfactory Grading

After attaining junior standing, a student may enroll in courses on a Pass-Unsatisfactory basis, with a maximum of seven credit hours of Pass-Unsatisfactory course work to be counted for graduation (excluding courses offered only on a Pass-Unsatisfactory basis). A maximum of four credit hours may be taken on a Pass-Unsatisfactory basis in a given term. First-years and sophomores may enroll in regularly graded applied music courses on a Pass-Unsatisfactory basis but those hours will be counted against the seven-hour limit. Courses taken under the Pass-Unsatisfactory grading option may not be applied toward general education and major requirements. The obvious exception to this rule is a course offered only on a Pass-Unsatisfactory basis. Major courses taken beyond the minimum requirements of the major also may be taken on a Pass-Unsatisfactory basis. Students enrolled in off-campus programs may not elect to take courses on a Pass-Unsatisfactory basis during that term, including CentreTerm off-campus courses. Within two weeks after the beginning of a long term or two days after the beginning of a CentreTerm, a student may elect to change from a regularly graded status to a Pass-Unsatisfactory basis. Within eight weeks after the beginning of a long term or two weeks after the beginning of CentreTerm, a student may revert from a Pass-Unsatisfactory status to a regularly graded status. At the conclusion of a course, the instructor will report regular grades for all students and, if a student has registered on a Pass-Unsatisfactory basis, the registrar will record a “P” for grades of “C-” or better, a “D” for grades of “D,” and a “U” for grades of “U.”

Adding and Dropping Courses

Adding a Course

Students may add a course during the first two weeks of a long term and the first two days of a CentreTerm. The instructor’s approval is required during the second week of long-term classes and the second day of CentreTerm classes.

Dropping a Course

A student may withdraw from a course without an entry on the permanent record during the first two weeks of long terms and the first two days of CentreTerm. From that point but before midterm, a student may be permitted to withdraw from a course, but the instructor will be required to report a “WP” or a “WU” and an entry will be made on the student’s record accordingly. Withdrawal from any course after midterm is not permitted. Any exceptions to this rule can only be granted by the Assistant Dean and Director of Student Academic Support for unavoidable cause, such as illness, accident, or a death in the immediate family. NOTE: Withdrawals from a course resulting in part-time enrollment normally are not permitted. Students are expected to maintain full-time enrollment at the College (12 credit hours or more in the fall and spring terms).

Repeating Courses

Students may repeat a Centre College course graded “D” or “U”, in which case only the most recent grade will be computed into the cumulative grade point average. In some cases, a student may be allowed to repeat a course graded “C-“.  The course must be repeated at Centre College. The original grade (“C-“, “D” or “U”) remains on the transcript. When repeating a course in which a “C-“ or “D” was received, no additional course credit toward graduation is granted. Grades of “U” in convocations always remain a part of the cumulative grade point average.

Notes:

1. Students repeating a letter-graded course must take the course for a letter grade the second time to take advantage of the repeated-grade policy. Likewise, students repeating a pass/unsatisfactory-graded course must take the course on a pass/unsatisfactory basis the second time to take advantage of the repeated-grade policy.
2. Students may not use the repeated-grade policy to return to the College following graduation to improve their grade point average. Grade averages are restarted following graduation for students who return for additional course work.
3. The College is not obligated to provide students with an opportunity to repeat any course.

Course Load

All candidates for a degree are required to register for a minimum of 12 credit hours per long term unless excused by the Assistant Dean and Director of Student Academic Support, and the Dean of Students for students living on campus. All students take one course during the CentreTerm (three credit hours). In the long terms, students wishing to enroll for more than 16 credit hours must obtain permission from the Assistant Dean and Director of Student Academic Support. First-year students may take no more than four three-hour or four-hour courses in their first long term.

Limitation on Registration in Courses

1. A student may not apply more than 42 credit hours in any one discipline toward the minimum hours required for the degree.
2. A student may not register for more than one course numbered 400, 401, or 402 (Individual Study) in any term unless granted permission by the division chair responsible with the courses department. Registration for such a course requires submission to the Registrar’s Office of the appropriate form on which the title, description, and method of evaluation are given, as approved by the appropriate program committee chair, the instructor, and the Assistant Dean and Director of Student Academic Support. Forms must be submitted to the Registrar no later than one week after the start of the term of the study.
3. To be eligible for graduation, a degree candidate must complete 54 credit hours at Centre, including 23 of the last 30 credits applied toward the degree. For rising seniors who transfer to Centre College from Birmingham Southern College in Fall term 2024, the residency requirement is lowered from 54 credit hours to 27 credit hours. All of these hours must be completed at Centre College.