Academic Procedures and Standards

Registration and Enrollment

Registration is the process that reserves seats in particular classes for eligible students. It is accomplished by following the procedures announced in advance of each term’s registration period.

Enrollment is the completion of the registration process and affords the full rights and privileges of student status. Enrollment is accomplished by the payment or other satisfaction of tuition and fees and by the satisfaction of other obligations to the University.

Registration alone does not guarantee enrollment nor does registration alone guarantee the right to participate in class. In some cases, students will need to obtain the approval of the instructor, or of a representative of the department that offers a course, or permission of the School offering the class. Students should check this bulletin, their registration instructions, the Directory of Classes, and also with an adviser for all approvals that may be required.

To comply with current and anticipated Internal Revenue Service mandates, the University requires all students who will be receiving financial aid or payment through the University payroll system to report their Social Security number at the time of admission. Newly admitted students who do not have a Social Security number should obtain one well in advance of their first registration. International students should consult the International Students and Scholars Office, located at 545 W. 112th Street, 4th Floor (212-854-3587). Special billing authorization is required of all students whose bills are to be sent to a third party for payment. Students who are not citizens of the United States and who need authorization for special billing of tuition and/or fees to foreign institutions, agencies, or sponsors should go to the International Students and Scholars Office with two copies of the sponsorship letter.

University Regulations

Each person whose enrollment has been completed is considered a student of the University during the term for which they are enrolled unless their connection with the University is officially severed by being withdrawn or for other reasons. No student enrolled in any school or college of the University shall at the same time be enrolled in any other school or college, either of Columbia University or of any other institution, without the specific authorization of the dean or director of the school or college of the University in which they are first enrolled.

The privileges of the University are not available to any student until enrollment has been completed. Students are not permitted to attend any University course for which they are not officially enrolled or for which they have not officially filed a program unless they have been granted auditing privileges.

The University reserves the right to withhold the privileges of registration and enrollment or any other University privilege from any person who has outstanding financial, academic, or administrative obligations to the University.

Continuous registration until completion of all requirements is obligatory for each degree. Students are exempted from the requirement to register continuously only when granted a leave of absence by the Committee on Academic Standing (for undergraduate students) or the Office of Engineering Student Affairs (for graduate students).

Registration Instructions

Registration instructions are announced in advance of each registration period by the Registrar. Students should consult these instructions for the exact dates and times of registration activities. Students must be sure to obtain all necessary written course approvals and advisers’ signatures before registering. Undergraduate students who have not registered for a full-time course load of at least 12 credits by the end of the change of program period will be withdrawn, as will graduate students who have not registered for any coursework by the end of the change of program period. International students enrolled in graduate degree programs must maintain full-time status until degree completion.

Degree Requirements and Satisfactory Progress

Undergraduate

Undergraduate students are required to complete the School’s degree requirements and graduate in eight academic terms. Full-time undergraduate registration is defined as at least 12 credits per term. However, in order to complete the degree in eight semesters, students must be averaging 16 credits per term. Students may not register for point loads greater than 21 points per term without approval from the Committee on Academic Standing.

To be eligible to receive the Bachelor of Science degree, a student must complete the courses prescribed in a faculty-approved major/program (or faculty-authorized substitutions) and achieve a minimum cumulative grade-point average (GPA) of 2.0. Although the minimum number of academic credits is 128 for the B.S. degree, some programs of the School require a greater number of credits in order to complete all the requirements. Undergraduate engineering degrees are awarded only to students who have completed at least 60 points of coursework at Columbia. No credit is earned for duplicate courses or for courses that are taken pass/fail and the final grade is a P, with the exception of two nontechnical electives at the 3000-level or above and physical education courses, as noted below.

Undergraduates in the programs accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET (Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Earth and Environmental Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering) satisfy ABET requirements by taking the courses in prescribed programs, which have been designed by the departments so as to meet the ABET criteria.

Attendance

Students are expected to attend their classes and laboratory periods. Instructors may consider attendance in assessing a student’s performance and may require a certain level of attendance for passing a course.

Graduate

Graduate students are required to complete the School’s degree requirements. Full-time graduate registration is defined as at least 12 credits per term. A typical course load is 12–15 credits per term, not including the last term.

Degree requirements for master’s degrees must be completed within five years; those for the doctoral degrees must be completed within seven years. Degree-seeking students must maintain continuous enrollment during academic terms (Fall and Spring) at Columbia Engineering until all degree requirements are met and their degree is scheduled for conferral. Students who fail to register by the end of the Change of Program Period will be withdrawn if they have not been authorized for a leave of absence. 

Students who need more than the allowable time to complete their degree requirements or students who attempted to graduate but failed to meet degree requirements should submit a petition for a program extension to extend their studies.

A graduate student who has matriculated in a degree program is expected to:

1. maintain a cumulative GPA above the minimum requirement and
2. make normal progress toward completion of their degree requirements.

A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 or the minimum GPA required by the academic department, whichever is higher (in all courses taken as a degree candidate), is required for the M.S. degree. A minimum GPA of 3.0 or the minimum GPA required by the academic department, whichever is higher, is required for the Doctor of Engineering Science (Eng.Sc.D.) and the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees.

Normal progress toward the degree, to ensure completion of the degree within the necessary timeframe, necessitates that students earn final grades sufficient to count toward the degree in their attempted credits for the semester.

Graduate students who do not meet the minimum cumulative GPA of the school and the department or are not making sufficient progress toward their degree requirements will be placed on Academic Action. Please review the Academic Monitoring section for more information. 

Changes in Registration

An undergraduate student who wishes to drop or add courses or to make other changes in their program of study after the change of program period must obtain the approval of their CSA Advising Dean. An undergraduate student who wishes to drop or add a course in their major must also obtain department approval. Graduate students who wish to drop or add a course or make other course-related changes after the change of program period must obtain approval from their department and their department must submit the relevant paperwork to the Office of Engineering Student Affairs for processing. The deadline for making program changes in each term is shown in the Academic Calendar.

Note: the drop-date for Columbia Core courses is the end of the Change of Program period for the current semester. After these dates, undergraduate students must petition the Committee on Academic Standing; graduate students must petition the Office of Engineering Student Affairs. For individual courses dropped after the end of the Change of Program period, there will be no tuition refund. Failure to attend a class will be indicated by a permanent unofficial withdrawal (UW) on the transcript.

In cases that have been referred for disciplinary action through the Dean’s Discipline process, undergraduate students may not drop from the course in question without a successful petition to the Committee on Academic Standing. Graduate students should contact the Office of Engineering Student Affairs.

Transfer Credits

Undergraduate students may obtain academic credit toward the B.S. degree by completing coursework at other accredited four-year institutions. Normally, this credit is earned during the summer. To count as credit toward the degree, a course taken elsewhere must have an equivalent at Columbia University and the student must achieve a grade of at least B. An exception to this policy is made for students enrolled in an approved study abroad program. Students in an approved study abroad program will receive transfer credit if they earn a grade of C or higher. To transfer credit, a student must obtain prior approval from their CSA Advising Dean and the department before taking such courses. A course description and syllabus should be furnished as a part of the approval process. Courses taken before the receipt of the high school diploma may not be credited toward the B.S. degree. A maximum of 6 credits may be credited toward the degree for college courses taken following the receipt of a high school diploma and initial enrollment at Columbia University. 

For graduate students, Advanced Standing is granted in most cases instead of transfer credits. Advanced Standing refers to a student receiving credit towards their graduate degree program for previously completed graduate-level coursework within the following parameters:

M.S. students in on-campus programs can earn Advanced Standing toward the M.S. degree for graduate-level coursework (4000 level or above) completed at Columbia University only. No more than 15 points of Advanced Standing can be awarded, and the coursework can not have been counted towards a previous degree, minor, or certificate program. Advanced Standing points must be deemed appropriate and relevant to the degree program of study, as determined by the Department or Program. In most cases, regardless of Advanced Standing points, M.S. students are required to complete a minimum of 15 credits while enrolled as a Columbia Engineering graduate student.

M.S. students in CVN programs are not eligible for Advanced Standing. They may instead request up to 6 transfer credits for prior graduate-level coursework completed at either Columbia University or another institution. 

Students possessing a conferred master's degree upon entry into a Ph.D. program may be awarded 2 residence units toward their Ph.D., as well as 30 points of Advanced Standing toward their Ph.D. or Eng.Sc.D. with approval from the academic department and the Office of Engineering Student Affairs.

Eng.Sc.D. students will earn Advanced Standing provided they earned their master's degree outside of Columbia Engineering to reflect their prior completion of an M.S. program. They can earn up to 30 points of Advanced Standing. These Advanced Standing points are separate from the points the students must complete as an Eng.Sc.D. student at Columbia Engineering. 

Examinations

Midterm examinations: Instructors generally schedule these in late October and mid-March.

Final examinations: These are given at the end of each term. The Master University Examination Schedule is available online and is confirmed in November for the fall term and April for the spring term. This schedule is sent to all academic departments and is available for viewing on the Columbia website. Students should consult with their instructors for any changes to the exam schedule. Examinations will not be rescheduled to accommodate travel plans.

Note: If a student has three final examinations scheduled during one calendar day, as certified by the Registrar, an arrangement may be made with one of the student’s instructors to take that examination at another, mutually convenient time during the final examination period. This rule refers to a calendar day, not a 24-hour time period. Undergraduate students unable to make suitable arrangements on their own should contact their CSA Advising Dean. Graduate students should contact the Office of Engineering Student Affairs.

Transcripts and Certifications

Information on obtaining University transcripts and certifications can be found on the Registrar's website. Please visit registrar.columbia.edu/content/transcripts-and-certifications.

Report of Grades

Grades can be viewed by using the Vergil feature located on the Student Services home page at vergil.columbia.edu. If you need an official printed report, you must request a transcript (please see Transcripts and Certifications above).

All graduate students must have a current mailing address on file with the Registrar’s Office.

Transcript Notations

The grading system is as follows: A, excellent; B, good; C, satisfactory; D, poor but passing; F, failure (a final grade not subject to re-examination). Occasionally, P (Pass) is the only passing option available. The grade-point average is computed on the basis of the following index: A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1, F=0. Designations of + or – (used only with A, B, C) are equivalent to 0.33 (i.e., B+=3.33; B–=2.67). Grades of P, IN, UW, W, and MU will not be included in the computation of the grade-point average.

R (registration credit; no qualitative grade earned): not accepted for degree credit in any program. R credit is not available to undergraduate students for academic classes. In some divisions of the University, the instructor may stipulate conditions for the grade and report a failure if those conditions are not satisfied. The R notation will be given only to those students who indicate, upon registration and to the instructor, their intention to take the course for R, or who, with the approval of the instructor, file written notice of change of intention with the registrar not later than the last day for change of program. Students wishing to change to R credit after this date are required to submit written approval from the course instructor to the Office of Engineering Student Affairs (ESA) who will submit it to the registrar. The request to change to R credit must be made by the last day of the change of program period to change a course grading option. A course that has been taken for R credit may not be repeated later for examination credit and cannot be uncovered under any circumstances. The mark of R does not count toward degree requirements for graduate students. The mark of R is automatically given in Doctoral Research Instruction courses.

UW (unofficial withdrawal): given to students who discontinue attendance in a course but are still officially registered for it, or who fail to take a final examination without an authorized excuse.

IN (incomplete): granted only in the case of incapacitating illness as certified by the Health Services at Columbia, serious family emergency, or circumstances of comparable gravity. Undergraduate students request an IN by filling out a petition for an incomplete with their CSA Advising Dean prior to the final exam for the course in the semester of enrollment. Students requesting an IN must gain permission from both the Committee on Academic Standing (CAS) and the instructor. Graduate students should contact their instructor. If granted an IN, students must complete the required work within a period of time stipulated by the instructor but not to exceed one year. After a year, the IN will be automatically changed into an F or the contingency grade. The contingency grade is the grade that the student would earn if they completed no further work in the course, with any missing assignments counted as an F or zero.

YC (year course): a mark given at the end of the first term of a course in which the full year of work must be completed before a qualitative grade is assigned. The grade given at the end of the second term is the grade for the entire course.

CP (credit pending):  given only in graduate research courses in which student research projects regularly extend beyond the end of the term. Upon completion, a final qualitative grade is then assigned and credit allowed. The mark of CP implies satisfactory progress.

MU (make-up examination): given to a student who has failed the final examination in a course but who has been granted the privilege of taking a second examination in an effort to improve their final grade. The privilege is granted only when there is a wide discrepancy between the quality of the student’s work during the term and their performance on the final examination, and when, in the instructor’s judgment, the reasons justify a make-up examination. A student may be granted the mark of MU in only two courses in one term, or, alternatively, in three or more courses in one term if their total point value is not more than 7 credits. The student must remove MU by taking a special examination administered as soon as the instructor can schedule it.

P/F (pass/fail): Undergraduates may select to take only one course that is offered for a letter grade pass/fail each semester. In general, courses taken pass/fail do not count toward degree requirements including the 128-point requirement. There are two exceptions to this rule. Physical Education classes do count toward the 128 point requirement, even though students do not receive letter grades for the class. Additionally, undergraduate students may take up to two courses of the 9-11 nontechnical elective credit on a P/F basis. These courses must be at the 3000 level or higher and must be courses that can be taken P/F by students attending Columbia College (e.g., instruction classes in foreign language and core curriculum classes are not eligible to be taken pass/fail). These 3000-level non-tech elective classes may not count toward a minor if the grade remains a P. Students do have the option of uncovering the letter grade of these two elective 3000-level non-tech classes by the end of the change of program period of the following semester after the course has been completed. Any other course that is taken P/F cannot be uncovered by an undergraduate student. For these classes, the undergraduate student will have to petition the Committee on Academic Standing to uncover the letter grade. Please note that physical education classes are the only courses taught solely on a P/F basis that may apply toward the 128 credits for the degree.

For graduate students, courses taken for the P/F option do not count toward the credits necessary for a student’s degree requirements. Students have until the last day to change a course grading option to elect the P/F option. After that day, there is no uncovering for a letter grade. Additionally, the grading option cannot be changed after a final grade has been assigned.

W (official withdrawal): a mark given to students who are granted a leave of absence after the drop deadline for the semester. The grade of W, meaning “official withdrawal,” will be recorded as the official grade for the course in lieu of a letter grade. 

Name Changes

Columbia University recognizes that some students prefer to identify themselves by a First Name and/or Middle Name, other than their Legal Name. For this reason, beginning in the Spring 2016 semester, the University has enabled students to use a "Preferred Name" where possible in the course of University business and education.

Under Columbia's Preferred Name policy, any student may choose to identify a Preferred First and/or Middle Name in addition to the Legal Name. Students may request this service via a link on SSOL. The student's Preferred Name may be used in many University contexts, including SSOL, class rosters, CourseWorks, and Canvas, and on ID Cards. For some other records, the University is legally required to use a student's Legal Name. However, whenever reasonably possible, a student's "Preferred Name" will be used. Please see registrar.columbia.edu/content/name-and-address-changes for further details.

Students may change their name of record by submitting a name change affidavit to the Student Service Center. Affidavits are available from this office or online at registrar.columbia.edu.

Graduation

Columbia Engineering awards degrees three times during the year: in February, May, and October. There is one Commencement ceremony for the University in May.

Students must meet all program, department, and school requirements to graduate. This includes all required courses, minimum final grades for all courses, transcripts from previous institutions, meeting the minimum GPA requirements, etc. Failure to meet the requirements will disqualify students from a degree conferral. 

Application or Renewal of Application for the Degree

In order to be considered for a degree or certificate, students must file an Application for Degree or Certificate. Students should complete the online Application for Degree available directly within SSOL, under the Degree Application Status tab. For additional support, please follow the instructions on the Registrar’s website. Candidates for Master of Philosophy and doctoral degrees should inquire at their departments but must also follow the instructions of the Dissertation Office.

General application deadlines to submit the Application for the Degree are November 1 for February, January 1 for May, and August 1 for October. (When a deadline falls on a weekend or holiday, the deadline moves to the next business day.) Candidates for Master of Philosophy and doctoral degrees should refer to the Dissertation Office's dissertation dates and deadlines. 

Students who fail to earn the degree by the conferral date for which they applied will be moved to a later conferral date.

Diplomas

There is no charge for the preparation and conferral of an original diploma. If your diploma is lost or damaged, there will be a charge of $100 for a replacement diploma. Note that replacement diplomas carry the signatures of current University officials. Applications for replacement diplomas are available on the Registrar's website: registrar.columbia.edu/registrar-forms/application-replacement-diploma. Any questions regarding graduation or diploma processing should be addressed to diplomas@columbia.edu.