Graduate Registration

General Information

Students admitted to a graduate degree program at Nebraska Wesleyan University are expected to enroll in at least two credits of graduate-level classes in the semester in which they are admitted. Failure to accept admission and enroll, defer, or withdrawal from all coursework during the semester of admission will void the offer of admission and result in the student’s dismissal from the graduate program. Students who are dismissed must reapply and submit another application processing fee and any new or updated materials to be considered for admission in a future semester.

Graduate students will be notified of dates and procedures for registering for courses. 

Students must register online using the Self-Service registration system by the fifth day of instruction. Students are responsible for registering, ensuring the accuracy of their schedules, and meeting campus deadlines. Students who find errors in their schedules should immediately correct these errors. Corrections must be completed before the deadline for adding or dropping a course. 

Nebraska Wesleyan University Course Delivery Methods

Standard Direct (face-to-face) Instruction: Minimum instructional time is verified for each course section, regardless of term length. Courses may use a combination of in-class and directed out-of-class learning activities that amount to no less than 45 hours per credit hour.

Accelerated Direct (face-to-face) Instruction: Course sections normally meet once per week for 4 hours, with sufficient work outside of class such that each credit hour represents not less than 45 hours of student work.

Online or Hybrid: Courses offered fully online (75-100% online) or in a hybrid format (25-75% online) must meet the course description, learning objectives, and credit hour standards.

Course Loads

A graduate student must carry 6 credit hours per semester to be considered full-time. 

Withdrawing from Classes

Any student withdrawing from a course must complete a Course Withdrawal form (available on the Registrar’s website). Students who withdraw from classes and fail to complete the form, will receive a failing grade for those classes. Students who officially withdraw from a course after the drop deadline but before the withdrawal deadline receive a grade of “W” (Withdrawal). A Withdrawal is not computed in the grade point average. After the withdrawal deadline, a student may not withdraw, and a grade is recorded. If extenuating circumstances dictate withdrawal from a class after the withdrawal deadline, a student may petition for consideration of a late withdrawal. 

Deadlines for dropping or withdrawing for classes can be found on the Registrar’s website.

Leave of Absence

Graduate students may apply for a leave of absence, which allows up to two consecutive semesters of absence (including summer) while retaining access to email, advising and registration resources. Students taking more than one semester leave may be subject to loan repayment and should consult with the financial aid office. 

A graduate student wishing to take a leave of absence for the upcoming term(s) should declare this intention to their advisor or program director through completing a Leave of Absence/Program Withdrawal form, documenting reasons for leaving and when they intend to return. This form must be signed by the academic advisor and approved by the program director. Students may be granted a one semester extension to their leave of absence. To request this, students must contact the Program Director and their academic advisor.

A leave of absence allows the graduate student to maintain access to email, advising and registration within the program without enrollment. This means the student’s email account and online registration capabilities will remain active, and the student will be allowed to register as normal upon their return. Within the leave of absence, the student may re-enroll for courses by notifying their advisor. The catalog time limit to complete degree requirements is not reduced for students who take a leave of absence, unless a petition to grant an extension is submitted and approved.

Students wishing to return to NWU following a leave of absence will be required to complete a reactivation process. Details can be found on the Registrar’s website.

Withdrawing from an Academic Program

A student wishing to withdraw from their master's program must complete the Leave of Absence/Program Withdrawal form, documenting their reasons for leaving. This form must be signed by the Academic Advisor and the Program Director. 

Dismissal

A student dismissed for a conduct-related reason, or an Academic Integrity violation is not eligible for readmission to Nebraska Wesleyan University. The only exception is an Academic Dismissal from a specific program, in which case the student is not dismissed from the University, only the specific program. In this case, the student may be eligible to apply to other programs. It is important to note however, that re-application does not automatically result in readmission.

Re-entry or Readmission

Students may apply for readmission when their matriculation has been closed due to inactivity, when they have failed to enroll at the end of an approved Leave of Absence, when they have exceeded the program completion time limit, following withdrawal from their program, or when they have been dismissed for academic or professional reasons. 

To reactivate matriculation, the student must reapply for admission and follow all other required application procedures in place at the time of reapplication. (If the re-entry is within one year from the withdrawal, the program director may waive the need for reapplication.) Students are expected to meet the requirements of the program curriculum current at the time of the approved readmission. If readmitted, any transfer credits that a student was previously awarded will be reevaluated following the transfer credit award rules current at the time of readmission. It is at the discretion of the academic program to determine applicability of courses previously completed.

Students who have been academically dismissed may apply for readmission after one calendar year, with the following conditions:

• The student will provide updated application information and a new statement of goals, which will address the student’s plan for academic success in the future.
• If the application for readmission is successful, the program director will provide the student with an acceptance letter that lists specific parameters that must be met for completion of the student’s program which may include, but are not limited to:
  • completing remaining course/program requirements
  • the specific grades that must be achieved to maintain a 2.67 GPA
  • a timeline for completion of the program

The Dean of Graduate Programs must approve all applications for readmission. If a readmitted student fails to meet the parameters of their readmission, it is at the discretion of the program and/or the Graduate program to permanently dismiss the student.