Graduate Policies and Procedures: Admission and Registration: Changes in Registration



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Changes in registration

Add/drop
To add a subject after the first week of the term, the student must obtain the approval of the instructor and the departmental graduate registration officer. A subject can be added to a student's registration after the fifth week of a regular term only by a petition approved by the departmental graduate officer and the Office of the Dean for Graduate Education. Approval is not automatic, and a processing fee is charged for changes that are permitted.

During the three weeks prior to the last day of classes of the regular term or the last day of classes of the summer term, no subject may be dropped by a graduate student without a petition approved by the departmental graduate committee representative and the Office of the Dean for Graduate Education. A processing fee will be charged for a petition requesting changes. The fact that a student is failing is not considered a valid reason for a late cancellation.

In addition, a fee will be charged for any retroactive changes requested after the end of the term to which they refer, or after the grades for the subject in question are due in the Registrar's Office. Changes will be made to a student's record if the individual is registered or for a three month period after the student has graduated. Retroactive changes should be requested only for exceptional circumstances.

Processing charges are nonrefundable unless levied in error.

Correction (Add/Drop) forms signed by the student's graduate registration officer should be used for all changes in registration after the registration officer has signed the registration form. The instructor's signature is also required if a subject is added after the first week of the term. All Add/Drop forms should be hand delivered by the student to the Student Services Center, Room 11-120.

Medical withdrawal
A medical withdrawal may be granted or required for mental and/or physical conditions that interfere with a student's ability to participate in campus life including their ability to complete or make satisfactory progress towards academic goals. For undergraduates, medical withdrawals are granted or required with the assistance of a counseling dean in Student Support Services and require appropriate medical documentation. For graduate students, medical withdrawals are granted or required by the Office of the Dean for Graduate Education and require appropriate medical documentation and a letter of support from the department from which the student is seeking a medical withdrawal. Medical withdrawal is not intended as a device to shield a student from unsatisfactory progress or any other academic irregularity. Students will need to make an appointment with a counseling dean or graduate education dean as appropriate to discuss their plans.

Medical withdrawal: policy
Medical withdrawal shall be for a minimum of one semester and a maximum of twelve months, normally comprising two semesters plus one summer. Medical withdrawals are granted or required by Student Support Services for undergraduates in conjunction with the Dean for Student Life or designee after evaluation for medical eligibility through MIT Medical. Medical withdrawals are granted or required by the Office of the Dean for Graduate Education for graduate students after evaluation for medical eligibility through MIT Medical. Information from academic departments and faculty will be sought and considered in the withdrawal process as appropriate. The International Students Office will be informed of all international students who are placed on a medical withdrawal status.

Under exceptional circumstances, a student has the ability to file an application for approval for one additional semester of withdrawal for medical reasons. Waiver of the time limitation for withdrawal may be granted for a student who provides documentation that reflects the fact that he or she is actively engaged in a treatment program and who is likely to be sufficiently stabilized within an additional semester so as to return to full participation in campus life. An application for an extension of the medical withdrawal will not be granted and should not be used to prolong treatment of a chronic medical or mental health condition under a medical withdrawal status when return to full participation in campus life is an unlikely outcome as determined by their functional assessment, course, and prognosis. After the standard time limit for medical withdrawal, students who do not re-apply to MIT or students who do not qualify for an extension of the medical withdrawal will no longer be considered to be on a medical withdrawal status.

Eligibility for medical withdrawal extensions beyond two semesters and a summer shall be determined by an interdisciplinary committee chaired by the MIT Medical Chief of Mental Health or designee. This committee shall consider applications for extensions and shall be composed of at least one representative from Mental Health and from Student Support Services, including representation from the Office of the Dean for Graduate Education, internal or adolescent medicine, and the MIT Health Plan, as beneficial to the process. Recommendations for medical withdrawal extensions from this committee shall be forwarded to the Dean for Student Life for undergraduates and to the Dean for Graduate Education for approval. All appeals from the decisions of the committee go to the cognizant dean who may consult with appropriate departments and advisors and review the record in making a final decision.

Students who are enrolled in the MIT Student Extended Insurance Plan may continue this insurance during the approved medical withdrawal period and will be responsible for premium payments billed in monthly installments.

Both the health of the student and his or her ability to resume full time academic responsibilities are central to determining whether the student can return from a medical withdrawal. Up-to-date medical documentation must accompany requests to return from a medical withdrawal. Please see the following paragraph for information regarding the re-admission process. Students are expected to actively engage in a recovery or treatment program, taking steps consistent with the medical condition associated with the withdrawal. For medical withdrawals related to mental health issues, students may be advised to seek mental health treatment through clinicians or agencies outside of MIT Medical with an MIT clinician serving as an in-house consultant to periodically assess the student's progress as clinically appropriate. In such cases, the follow through on treatment recommendations will be considered along with the student's application to return from the medical withdrawal.

Further details regarding the medical withdrawal and readmission process may be found in the Student Support Services documents entitled "Medical Withdrawal Information for Undergraduates at MIT" and "Medical Withdrawal Exit Form" for undergraduates. The undergraduate student policies and procedures regarding medical withdrawals are detailed by Student Support Services. Graduate student policies and procedures regarding medical withdrawals and changes in registration are detailed here.

Students are not allowed to reside in campus housing while on medical withdrawal.

Medical withdrawal: procedure
An approved medical withdrawal can be granted for mental and physical conditions (including complications related to pregnancy and post natal newborn care) that prevent or hinder the student from completing or otherwise making satisfactory progress towards academic goals. The decision to request medical withdrawal can be made by one or a combination of persons or offices (see "How to Apply" below).

Medical withdrawal is not intended as a device to shield a student from unsatisfactory progress or any other academic irregularity.

Medical withdrawal is granted jointly by MIT Medical and the Office of the Dean for Graduate Education. Medical withdrawals will be dated according to the date of the request with appropriate medical documentation forwarded to the Student Support Services office for undergraduate students; the Office of the Dean for Graduate Education for graduate students; and the International Students Office for all international students.

Students are limited to applying for one regular semester at a time with a twelve-month maximum. Normally, this would encompass two semesters plus one summer. Students should anticipate two to three weeks for the approval to be granted and for notifications to be sent. Students should provide the GSO with a current mailing address so that notification can be sent via US mail, as necessary.

How to apply A petition for medical withdrawal can be initiated by one or a combination of the following persons/offices: the student (in consultation with his or her health care clinician); the student's clinician, program, or department office; or the Office of the Dean for Graduate Education. The health care clinician may be a physician, psychologist, or nurse practitioner.

Two pieces of documentation are required from the student in order to initiate a formal petition. The first is a letter from the clinician, on official stationery, addressed to the Dean for Graduate Education, Room 3-138. The letter should state that in the clinician's opinion a medical withdrawal is warranted, but details of the illness or condition are not required. Letters from clinicians outside MIT are also accepted and should be addressed appropriately if they are sent by US mail. The second is a letter or email of support from the department from which the student is seeking a medical withdrawal. The ODGE forwards the requested documents to the appropriate office at MIT Medical: that is, petitions regarding apparent mental health issues are forwarded to the Chief of Mental Health. All other petitions are forwarded to the Director of Student Health.

MIT Medical will review the petition and other relevant medical records and will consult with faculty and with the Dean for Graduate Education as appropriate. If the student has received medical care outside the MIT Medical Department, additional medical records may be requested for the review. After the review is complete, MIT Medical will make a recommendation to the Dean.

The professional recommendation from MIT Medical will include as appropriate what steps are expected to encourage recovery. Successful follow through on these recommendations will weigh heavily in consideration for the request to return from medical withdrawal status. Once a withdrawal has been granted, the ODGE will notify all essential offices on campus, including the Registrar and the MIT Health Plans Manager for Finance.

Students are encouraged to maintain contact with the academic department or program office during the period of medical withdrawal.

Each term, the student is expected to provide an update from the attending health care clinician to the Dean for Graduate Education on medical status. Effectively, these updates renew the withdrawal status.

Returning from a withdrawal Returning from an approved medical withdrawal is the same process in reverse, with a clinician's letter recommending that the student return to his/her studies and the department acknowledgement sent to the ODGE. Students should try, if possible, to anticipate their resumption of studies and plan accordingly to avoid registration problems. Normally, the student should initiate a request to return from withdrawal by July 1 for the fall term or December 1 for the spring term. Typically, formal notification will be sent to the student via US mail.

MIT Medical will review the clinician's letter(s), relevant MIT records, information from health care providers outside of MIT, and consult as needed with other individuals. After the review is complete, MIT Medical will make a recommendation to the Dean for Graduate Education about return from withdrawal. Students may not register without the Dean's explicit consent.

Since funding and/or research within the department may have changed over time, the department will need to examine carefully the viability of the student returning to his or her prior research project. The student is strongly encouraged to consult with the department about such matters.

Special conditions for students on withdrawal Students on approved medical withdrawal are no longer registered at the Institute and are therefore subject to certain restrictions. These restrictions involve access, housing, and funding. In addition, there are visa and immigration restrictions for international students. Below is a brief summary of the key restrictions for students on a medical withdrawal.

Student Financial Services A student on an approved medical withdrawal is no longer registered for classes and no longer eligible to receive funding from or through MIT, including research assistantships or teaching assistantships. Under most circumstances, external fellowship funding is also suspended. The student is encouraged to contact the fellowship administrator for applicable policy, since some fellowships pay stipends directly to students.

Once Student Financial Services (SFS) receives notification from the ODGE that a medical withdrawal has been granted, federal loans for the term are pro-rated to the effective date of the withdrawal. A student who drops below half time is expected to make payments towards his/her federal student loans. The six-month grace period, which typically begins once a student has graduated, will begin on the effective date of the withdrawal. It is important to note that for federal loan purposes, all students are permitted only one six month grace period before being expected to make payments on their loans. Students on withdrawal for more than six months will be required to make payments on their loans; otherwise they will be found in default. Students are advised to stay in close touch with an SFS representative to avoid possible delinquency notices caused by a medical withdrawal.

Student medical insurance Students on medical withdrawal may retain their coverage; however, they can expect to pay approximately double the cost for the semester(s) they are on withdrawal. Students are billed for the MIT Student Extended Insurance Plan plus the basic MIT student health plan fee, the latter of which is normally free to registered students. (See the web site for the MIT Medical Department for current rates.) Students who have waived the extended insurance plan may not enroll at the time of withdrawal.

Athena access Athena accounts for students on medical withdrawal are marked for deactivation. The Athena Accounts Office does a general account deactivation once a year in January based on lists of registered students supplied by the Registrar. Those students whose accounts are marked for deactivation are first notified via an alert when they log into the system. If a student does not acknowledge the alert, Athena Accounts will send a specific account deactivation message requesting that the student contact them directly. If a student asks not to have his/her account deactivated, the student's advisor may sign the student on as his/her guest. This status can be maintained as long as the advisor is willing to be listed as the student's sponsor. Sponsors are emailed in late summer so that the deactivation lists for the fall can be prepared.

International students Medical withdrawals for foreign national students need to be updated each term, with a new clinician's letter in the file. The maximum amount of time a foreign national student can remain in the US in "student status on medical leave" is one year (which is defined as a consecutive twelve month period). If the condition persists, the position of the US federal government is that the student must return to the home country, or country of legal residence. When the medical condition improves sufficiently so that the student can resume full time study, new documents may be needed to re-enter the US. Consult the International Students Office early in the application process for current regulatory information.

Personal leave
Leaves of short duration for personal reasons, such as family business or a brief personal illness or illness in the family, can be granted at the discretion of the faculty supervisor and are to be negotiated on a case by case basis.

Childbirth accommodation
Applicability This policy applies to any full-time, registered graduate student woman. It is limited to women who anticipate giving birth and does not apply to adoption or to men in support of their wives or partners during childbirth.

The Office of the Dean for Graduate Education administers the policy through the petition process. This petition does not require departmental approval but is reviewed and approved by the Dean for Graduate Education. Please see "Approval" below for details.

Accommodations A student anticipating childbirth is eligible for Childbirth Accommodation, and may choose a period of one month, one and a half months, or two months maximum. Normally, the accommodation period begins on the date specified in a petition filed with and approved by the Office of the Dean for Graduate Education; or in cases wherein childbirth occurs prior to filing the petition, on the actual date of childbirth.

For the approved period of accommodation, students supported by an RA or TA appointment will receive a salary that is paid from the Childbirth Accommodation Insurance Pool. The payment will be prorated appropriately for students with partial appointments. For RA appointments, the insurance pool payment will replace the tuition and salary normally distributed from the RA account. For TA appointments, only the salary component will be paid from the pool, and the student will not be responsible for the TA tuition component.

Students who are supported by fellowships internal to MIT normally have salary distributed as lump-sum payments at the beginning of each term. Students supported in this manner and approved for the leave are not entitled to additional payments from the Childbirth Accommodation Insurance Pool.

Students supported by fellowship resources external to MIT are expected to adhere to rules and regulations of the granting agency with respect to leaves from academic and research work. The fellowships and grants administrator in the Office of the Dean for Graduate Education can assist in discussions with federal, foundation, and corporate fellowship providers (for example, the National Science Foundation, Hertz Foundation, or Ford Motor Company, among others). If the providing agency requires suspension of fellowship benefits during the Childbirth Accommodation period, and appropriate documentation is submitted to the Office of the Dean for Graduate Education, the student will be eligible for substitute payment from the Childbirth Accommodation Insurance Pool.

Normally, approval of Childbirth Accommodation will stop the academic and research clocks with regard to assignments due, reports anticipated, or other class and research related requirements. Otherwise, faculty are expected and encouraged to make arrangements with the student to submit work for completion of requirements when the student returns. Where appropriate, "O" and "OX" grades can be assigned. In most cases, grades of "Incomplete" would not be appropriate.

Departments should take appropriate steps to support students with regard to assignments and program milestones. Departments should be sensitive to the potential impact of the period on the visa status of international students, and should consult with the International Students Office during the planning process.

Students who are not supported by RA or TA assignments may petition to take advantage of a Childbirth Accommodation period, but are not entitled to tuition or salary funding from the Childbirth Accommodation Insurance Pool.

Anticipating the Accommodation Period To begin planning for the accommodation period, the student is strongly encouraged to initiate conversations with advisors and departmental administrators approximately five months prior to anticipated childbirth. This planning period will permit the department and the student to consider together:

advisability of and alternatives for a TA assignment in the term anticipated for delivery
plans for time-sensitive research presentations or reports
other issues of mutual importance (e.g., field work, doctoral qualifying examinations, publication deadlines, or other milestones in the student's program)

Normally, the length of the accommodation period will be decided in consultation with the Dean for Graduate Education.

Approval Approval of Childbirth Accommodation is granted by the Dean for Graduate Students, after appropriate consultation with the student's department. Normally, the accommodation is granted to applicable women graduate students who have submitted a petition and appropriate documentation of anticipated childbirth (consisting of a brief statement by the student's medical service provider with a best estimate of the delivery date) and who have initiated planning within the department prior to delivery.

Continuation of Services Approval of Childbirth Accommodation retains the student's access to on-campus medical facilities and does not affect eligibility for outside hospitalization benefits, provided that appropriate tuition and health insurance fees have been paid for the term in which delivery is anticipated.

Normally, students residing on campus and approved for Childbirth Accommodation can remain in the residence hall, as appropriate for the specific hall.

For international students, the policy is intended to maintain full-time student status and should not otherwise affect current visa status. The accommodation is intended to enable childbirth and subsequent return to classes and research in as seamless a manner as possible. However, international students should discuss the intended accommodation period with the International Students Office at the beginning of the planning period specified above, to identify and address proactively any individual or unique visa issues and/or to consider the latest applicable regulations.

Continued TA Service Students who will be temporarily leaving TA assignments are permitted to consider some limited ongoing duties (e.g., grading, preparing course materials, or other non-intensive duties). Such services cannot be required by TA supervisors as a condition of the accommodation; and, if agreed upon at all, should be negotiated sensitively with the student's needs in mind. The student should recognize that it may not be feasible to return to a TA assignment after the Childbirth Accommodation period, and should work with her department proactively to make alternative arrangements for ongoing support. In this regard, departments are encouraged to make reasonable efforts on behalf of the student but are not required to continue salary payments if arrangements cannot be made. With appropriate advance planning, such circumstances should be rare. When they occur, however, departments should consult with the Dean for Graduate Education about the availability of assistance for the remainder of the relevant term.

Insurance Payments For the period of accommodation, salary payments for supported students will be made from the Childbirth Accommodation Insurance Pool, at a fixed rate to be set annually. Consequently, RA or TA salary payments may not be a dollar-for-dollar replacement of a student's current salary; that is, in some cases, they may be somewhat less than or somewhat more than the normal payment that the student has been receiving.

Notification Upon notification of the impending or actual childbirth by the student and the student's physician, the Office of the Dean for Graduate Education will notify relevant department and central administrative offices that Childbirth Accommodation has been approved and the dates for which the period has been granted. It is the student's responsibility to work with faculty and with departmental administrators towards arrangements for course completion and for continuation of research activities before and following the period. International students are advised to ensure their continued compliance with current immigration regulations as they plan for the period.

Final documents related to the accommodation and the individual arrangements shall be filed with the Office of the Dean for Graduate Education.

Withdrawal, readmission
Graduate degree programs should be completed without interruption. A student who discontinues graduate study for one or more academic terms must notify the department and the Registrar to be recorded as withdrawn from the Institute. International students need to notify the International Students Office as well.

An application for readmission must be approved by the departmental graduate committee. The committee will consider the applicant's past record, the length of the period of withdrawal, departmental facilities expected to be available at the time for which readmission is requested, and any other relevant data. If the period of interruption exceeds five years, the request must be approved both by the departmental graduate committee and by the Dean for Graduate Education.

International students on F-1 and J-1 visas need a new Certificate of Eligibility (Form I- 20, or DS2019) in order to re-enroll at MIT.

Degrees are not backdated; therefore, a student's total program must meet the requirements and standards existing at the time the degree is granted. Requests for reactivation of graduate degree programs, including previously acquired academic credits, will be evaluated in terms of the length of the interruption.

Denials of further registration
Each term, the Graduate Academic Performance Group evaluates the academic progress of each graduate student. Upon recommendation from the department or program and concurrence by the GAPG of a student’s failure to make satisfactory progress toward degree objectives, the student may be denied permission to continue.

Normally, such an action is preceded by a formal Dean’s warning, which demands substantial improvement in performance. The Dean’s warning is usually preceded by a "U" grade for thesis research or a pattern of unacceptable academic or/and research performance.

A denial of further registration may also be recommended by the Committee on Discipline based on its investigation of a complaint of unacceptable behavior, for example, plagiarism, harassment, or other nonprofessional conduct.