Points To Consider When Selecting Subjects

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In planning the academic program for each term, students should examine their overall progress toward fulfilling both their departmental and Institute requirements by their expected term of graduation. Looking ahead to subsequent terms, they should decide when to take any outstanding prerequisites. They should take into account any credit limits and take care to complete outstanding incompletes and OX's.

International Students must always be registered for a full-time course load, i.e. 36 units.

Prerequisites

Prerequisites are used to indicate the sequence in which subjects are to be taken and the base of knowledge on which a particular subject will build. Before taking a subject, a student should complete any prerequisite(s) listed in the MIT Subject Listing and Schedule for that subject. (Co-requisites, which are listed in italics, are to be taken concurrently.)

Once prerequisites and co-requisites are included in a subject listing, it is the responsibility of the instructor to insure that the subject is taught at that level. At the first class instructors should reiterate the prerequisites and co-requisites, and describe any acceptable substitutions.

Students who do not have the stated prerequisites should obtain the permission of the instructor. Instructors may request that the Registrar's Office identify students without prerequisites, and in some cases, screen them from the subjects.

If the instructor allows a student to waive or make a substitution for a prerequisite, it is then the student's responsibility to master any missing background material in a timely fashion so that the content of the subject does not change for other students in the subject.

The instructor may determine that a student does not have the required preparation and knowledge to take a subject and may, with help of the Registrar's Office, exclude the student from the subject.

Some departments require students with a D-level performance in certain prerequisite subjects within the departmental program to do additional work or to retake the prerequisites before proceeding with the follow-on subject.

Advanced Standing Exams

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Students who feel that they have already mastered the material in a particular subject without ever having been registered for or attended a class in that subject at MIT may wish to take an Advanced Standing Examination.

Freshman Grading

All freshman registrations are automatically for Pass/No Record grading in the first semester and for ABC/No Record grading in the second semester.

Sophomore Exploratory Subjects

Sophomores may designate a subject as Exploratory at pre-registration, on the Registration Form, or by submitting an Add/Drop/Change form, signed by the advisor, to the Student Services Center (SSC) or the Registrar's Office. The student may then either accept the grade awarded or change the subject from credit to Listener status. Any subject taken at MIT or through cross-registration may be designated as exploratory, including electives, General Institute Requirements, and requirements for majors and minors.

Junior-Senior P/D/F

If a student wishes to take an elective subject under the Junior-Senior P/D/F option, the student should be sure that the subject to be designated P/D/F is not needed to fulfill an Institute, departmental, or minor requirement.

Credit Limits

Freshmen must observe their credit limits, as should students who have been given credit limits by the Committee on Academic Performance (CAP).

Reduced Load

With the advisor's approval, a student may take a reduced load of subjects.  However, the student and advisor should be aware of the effects of taking less than a full-time load (36 units). International Students MUST be registered for a minimum of 36 units at all times per federal immigration regulation.

Regular Student Status

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A person, once admitted (or readmitted) to MIT as a full-time student pursuing a degree, becomes a regular MIT student at the start of the term specified for admittance. A regular student retains his or her student status until graduation, unless the student withdraws, is required to withdraw, or fails to complete registration in a given term. Students do not have to register for the summer to retain student status between spring and fall terms.

Retention of Student Status

To retain regular student status a student must complete the following steps for a given fall or spring term:

  • Complete pre-registration.
  • Pay all Institute and any Fraternity, Sorority, or Independent Living Group (FSILG) charges when due, or make satisfactory alternative arrangements with Student Financial Services (SFS) or the FSILG.
  • Have the registration form approved and signed by the student's faculty advisor, and sign the form himself or herself, usually on Registration Day.

Students who do not complete these steps by published deadlines are subject to fines. Failure to complete all three steps by the end of the fifth week of the term (Add Date) will result in the loss of student status and cancellation of eligibility. In order for a student to be reinstated by the Registrar's Office, the Committee on Academic Performance (CAP) must approve a petition for the late addition of subjects.

If a student does not register, he or she is considered to have withdrawn and must be readmitted by Student Support Services (S^3). A student considering withdrawal should contact S^3.

To comply with federal immigration regulations, international students must register for a minimum of 36 units within 30 days of Registration Day.

Pre-Registration

Continuing Students

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Continuing students pre-register on-line using WebSIS (Web Student Information System). Pre-registration begins in May for the fall term and in December for the spring term. WebSIS includes not only up-to-date subject listings and schedules but also gives students access to their personal academic, financial, and biographic records.

Pre-registration gives the student's faculty advisor an opportunity to review the proposed program before Registration Day and gives instructors an idea of how many students they can expect to have in their classes.

Advisor Contact

While students are not required to meet with their advisors before pre-registering, it is helpful to do so, especially if the student is changing his or her plan of study. Academic advisors do not formally approve subject selections at this time, but may access their advisees' pre-registration on WebSIS. Changes to this preliminary choice of subjects may be made on-line throughout the pre-registration period or on Registration Day on the paper registration form that the advisor and student sign.

Lotteries

Students wishing to take subjects for which there are lotteries held during pre-registration (subjects in the Sloan School of Management, HASS-D subjects, and a few other designated subjects) should be careful to follow the published directions and deadlines. Students must pre-register to participate in these lotteries.

New Undergraduates

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New undergraduates (freshmen and transfer students) do not pre-register on-line. Registration material for entering first-year students is distributed and completed with the assistance of freshman advisors during Orientation. Transfer students generally complete registration with their departmental advisors shortly before or on Registration Day.

Registration

For detailed information on completing registration see the Registration Instructions.

Meeting with the Advisor

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Shortly before Registration Day, the Registrar's Office (usually via the appropriate undergraduate office) will send to advisors a paper registration form for each advisee. This form includes the student's pre-registered subjects, class schedule, photo, and address information.

An advisor will not receive registration materials for a student who has been placed on a registration hold for non-academic reasons or who has withdrawn or taken a leave of absence.

The advisor should review the student's progress in fulfilling the General Institute Requirements and the departmental requirements for the degree. Care is especially important in the case of a fourth-year student. A student intending to receive an SB degree must submit an on-line application for the Bachelor of Science Degree at the beginning of the term in which he or she expects to graduate.

Faculty advisors should discuss with each student the proposed program, and any changes on the registration form should be made before the advisor and the student sign the form. The registration form represents the agreement between the student and the department regarding the student's program of study for the term. In signing the registration form the student also acknowledges responsibility for charges for that term. The Registrar's Office copy must be on file in that office promptly after Registration Day, but no later than the Friday of the first week of the term.

Sophomores may designate a subject as Exploratory at pre-registration, on the Registration Form, or by submitting an Add/Drop/Change form before Add Date.

Address Changes

Before signing the registration form with the advisor, the student should check the address information and make sure that the preprinted addresses and other information shown are accurate for that semester - in particular, the term address. Students have responsibility for providing accurate address information. To update address information, a student in an MIT residence should contact the House Manager of that residence. Other students should update the information immediately on WebSIS.

Certain address information - term address, term phone numbers, parent(s)/home address, and email address - is designated directory information by MIT.  This information appears in the MIT on-line directories and the printed Student Directory, and may be released without the student's prior consent. Students have the right to withhold directory information from public availability.  See WebSIS for more information.

Registration Holds

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Registration (and the registration form) is sometimes withheld for students for the following reasons:

Financial: Students are expected to pay their bills on time. Students should log onto MITPAY (the electronic billing and payment system) via WebSIS on the 10th of each month to view their accounts. Students must ensure that bills are paid (or that arrangements to pay have been made) by the first day of the following month. Fall-term charges are billed on July 10 and spring-term charges are billed on December 10. Late payments are subject to interest charges and late fees.

Students may not register if they have outstanding charges from a prior term or a current past-due student loan. In the event that a student has not fully paid a term bill by Registration Day of the next term, the Institute will discontinue a number of services for that student and will not permit him or her to register. To pay their bills, make payment arrangements or get help with financial problems, students should visit Student Financial Services (SFS). Students may also consult Student Support Services (S^3) for help.

Medical: All students registering at MIT for the first time, or returning to MIT after an absence of a year or longer, must have an up-to-date medical report on file in the MIT Medical Department. This report includes documentation of all immunizations, a Mantoux TB test (if the student falls within a high-risk group) and a recent physical exam. Students who have not completed this requirement will not be allowed to register. Students placed on medical holds should contact Health Screening.

International: New international students must sign up for and attend one of the immigration information sessions sponsored by the International Students Office (ISO). During the session, the ISO will make copies of applicable visa documents and verify the student's legal status. Failure to check in with the ISO will result in a registration hold.

Registration Records and Reports

It is the student's responsibility to carefully review his or her status of registration report on WebSIS to make sure that it accurately reflects his or her subject registration and, if it does not, to make the necessary change in registration by the appropriate deadline.

The student can also use WebSIS to check his or her Institute requirement audit, student account status, financial aid status, and address information.

The student should keep copies of the original registration form, as well as any Add/Drop/Change forms submitted for changes in registration.

Changes in Registration after Registration Day

After the registration form has been approved and submitted to the Registrar's Office, changes in registration are made by submitting forms referred to as "Add/Drop/Change" forms. A special form should be used for sophomore Exploratory subjects. After the necessary approvals have been obtained, students should personally submit the forms to the Student Services Center (SSC). They should make sure their copies are stamped with the date received, and should save these copies.

Adding a Subject

Approvals: All add forms must be approved and signed by advisors. For lotteried subjects, all add forms must also be approved and signed by instructors. For other subjects, add forms must also be approved and signed by instructors after the first week of classes. After the fifth week the instructor's signature certifies that instruction in that subject began approximately at the time of approval.

Deadlines: For full-term subjects, the deadline for adding is approximately the END OF THE FIFTH WEEK of the term. (See the academic calendar for the exact date, called Add Date)

For subjects scheduled entirely in the first half of the term, the deadline is the same as for full-term subjects, Add Date. The deadline for subjects scheduled entirely in the second half of the term is approximately THREE WEEKS BEFORE THE LAST DAY OF CLASSES. (See the academic calendar for the exact date, called Drop Date.)

Other subjects that begin after the fifth week of the term, such as Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP), thesis, special topics, and individual study may be added up to Drop Date.

Dropping a Subject

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Approvals: All drop forms must be approved and signed by advisors.

Deadlines: For full-term subjects the deadline for dropping is approximately THREE WEEKS BEFORE THE LAST DAY OF CLASSES. (See the academic calendar for the exact date, called Drop Date.)

For subjects scheduled entirely in the first half of the term the deadline is the END OF THE FIFTH WEEK of the term. (See the academic calendar for the exact date, called Add Date.) The deadline for subjects scheduled entirely in the second half of the term is the last day of classes.

Students who are considering dropping below the full-time registration load of 36 units should be aware of the ramifications of carrying a reduced load.

Designating or Removing Designation of Exploratory Subject

Approval: Add/Drop/Change form must be approved and signed by advisors.

Deadlines: Same as adding that subject.

Changing to or from Junior-Senior P/D/F Grading

Approval: All forms must be approved and signed by advisors.

Deadlines: Same as adding that subject.

Changing Listener to Credit Status

Approvals and Deadlines: Same as adding that subject.

Changing Credit to Listener Status

Approval and Deadlines: Same as dropping that subject. Exception: The status of sophomore Exploratory subjects may be changed from credit to Listener through Registration day of the student's next semester.

Changing Number of Units in “Units Arranged” Subject (UROP, Thesis, Projects)

Approval: All forms must be approved and signed by advisors. (At the end of the term instructors may change units on the grade sheet submitted to the Registrar's Office.)

Deadline: End of term.

Registration Changes after the Deadlines

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Permission to make changes after the deadlines have passed must be requested by petition to the Committee on Academic Performance (CAP). In the petition, the student should provide clear and substantial evidence of his or her effort to observe the prescribed procedures and deadlines, and the reason for his or her inability to do so. It is essential that such petitions include instructor and advisor comments verifying the student's intent. The student's academic record is meant to reflect the registration intended by the student and endorsed in writing by his or her academic advisor. For this reason, it is imperative that the student and the advisor retain their copies of all Add/Drop/Change forms.

The CAP allows students to drop subjects after Drop Date only in the case of extenuating circumstances. The Committee feels that a student must assess his or her standing in a subject before the Drop Date and make decisions accordingly. No instructor or advisor has the authority to guarantee approval by CAP of petitions to drop a subject after Drop Date. Any petition that pertains to events more than one year old will normally be denied unless there is evidence of extenuating circumstances explaining the delay.

Now that the Sophomore Exploratory option is permanent, the CAP will consider petitions to designate a subject as Exploratory after Add Date, to switch to Listener status after Registration Day of the next semester, or to reinstate a grade and credit once a student has forfeited them. Such petitions must meet the standards stated in the first paragraph.

The Registrar's Office charges a fee for processing any approved petitions.

Undergraduates have three months after graduation to petition for late changes to their final terms' registrations only in the following situations:

  • To drop subjects which they did not attend and for which they received unearned Fs or missing grades
  • To add subjects which they attended but for which they did not register