Graduate School Policies and Procedures
Take the next step in your academic journey and dive into essential information on registration, academic standing and more!
Explore all the essential information you need about registration, academic standing, probation, re-enrollment and requesting variances. Whether you have general questions on navigating your graduate journey or need personalized support, the Graduate School is here to help.
Good Standing
A graduate student is in good standing if their graduate grade point average is 3.0 or higher on a 4-point scale. A student must be in good standing to receive a degree.
Academic Probation
Any student with a semester GPA below 3.0 will receive an academic warning from the Graduate School. A notification will be sent to the student as well as the student's graduate program. Should a student's cumulative GPA fall below 3.0, they will be placed on academic probation until they regain a 3.0 average (which is required to graduate). Ordinarily, students are not permitted to continue on academic probation for more than one semester, but upon request of the student's graduate program, the unit dean may submit a variance request to the Vice Provost for Graduate Affairs to approve continuation of academic probation beyond a single semester. Graduate programs have the prerogative to establish more stringent criteria for which students may be placed on academic probation.
Extended Academic Probation
The unit dean may submit a variance request to the Vice Provost for Graduate Affairs to allow a student who was on academic probation additional time to improve their cumulative GPA.
For students on Academic Probation or Extended Academic for more than one semester risk dismissal from the graduate program. A cumulative GPA of 3.0 is the minimum required to graduate.
Academic Dishonesty
Plagiarism, cheating, and other forms of academic dishonesty are serious violations of academic conduct and may result in permanent dismissal. Students are expected to be familiar with the various forms of academic dishonesty as explained in the Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities. A plea of ignorance is not a defense against the charge of academic dishonesty.
This policy can also be found in the Graduate Catalog.
Students that have not taken classes for a semester or more, but within the last 2 years, are termed returning students and must complete Request to Re-Enroll form before they can register again. The requirements to re-enroll are:
- It’s been less than 2 years since the last enrollment at UofL
- Student maintained good academic standing while they were here
- Student has not been enrolled at another institution since their time at UofL
If those requirements have been met, the student can complete the re-enrollment form. If these requirements have NOT been met, the student will need to re-apply. Students that are re-applying should contact the Graduate School at gradadm@louisville.edu with questions about readmission process.
Learn more about the Re-Enrollment Policy.
Before finalizing course selections, students should initiate communication with their graduate advisor or Director of Graduate Studies. Those admitted under specific conditions or currently on probationary status must reach out to their Director of Graduate Studies to understand the implications of their admission status.
The registration calendar for any term is published online by the Registrar’s Office. Initial registration and any later registration changes are usually completed by students through the registration link of the ULink online portal.
The University of Louisville uses an online web registration system outlining the schedule of courses for each term.
Students have the flexibility to modify their course schedules up until the end of the first week for regularly scheduled fall and spring courses. For summer courses and those with non-standard durations, the registrar specifies the deadline for adjusting schedules (also referred to as the last day to drop/add) in the official registration calendar.
A full breakdown of the registration process can be found in the Graduate Catalog.
A variance is an exception to a policy. Students may ask for a variance if they want to transfer more than 6 credit hours, wish to take a leave of absence, want to take more than 12 credit hours in a term, or are on academic probation and want to register for the next term. Please note that this is not an extensive list. If a student does not meet a standard and believes an exception should be made, they need to contact their Director of Graduate Studies or Program Chair about submitting a variance on your behalf.
The majority of variances are started by the student. However, there are times that variances are started by the student's program. Students will complete the first page of the variance request form, which requires their student information, type of variance, dates if applicable and a rationale. Once completed by the student, they forward the request to the programs DGS or Program Chair for the program’s response. The program will provide a rationale to their approval or denial of the request. The DGS or Program chair will then send the variance on to the Unit Dean or their designee for final Unit approval prior to being submitted to the Graduate School for the final decision of the Vice Provost for Graduate Affairs. Notification of final decision is sent by e-mail to the Unit Dean or their designee, the DGS and student.
Completion of the Request to Withdraw from Graduate Program Form is required to begin the withdrawal process.
The Code of Student Conduct serves to address non-academic misconduct at the University. It aims to guide individuals in becoming responsible citizens while also addressing behaviors that violate university policies. By balancing education and accountability, the Code helps ensure a positive campus experience for everyone.