General Regulations and Information

CLASSIFICATION OF STUDENTS

Class rank is based upon the number of quarter hours earned as follows:

NUMBERING OF COURSES

Courses are numbered as follows:

Students may select courses one year ahead of their present status except when otherwise designated. Courses numbered 500 and above are normally designated for graduate students. Senior students may take 500-level courses only with the approval of both the department chair and the instructor of the class. The 500-level courses may be used for undergraduate credit or graduate credit (but not for both). In order to receive graduate credit, the student must be in their senior year of undergraduate work and must obtain approval from the Dean of Graduate Studies, Research.

STUDENT LOAD POLICY

The number of credits for which a student is fully registered determines full-time and part-time status. Note that a GPA of 2.8 or higher is recommended for students seeking an overload.

Non-matriculated Students

Non-matriculated status is given to those persons who are not seeking degrees or certificates at CWU.

Non-matriculants do not need to go through the regular admissions process but apply through the office of the registrar and will be allowed to register on a space-available basis.

Credits earned when in non-matriculated status may not be used to satisfy degree or certificate requirements unless the student matriculates, in which case a maximum of 45 credits may be applied.

A student who is under active suspension from the university will not be permitted to register in non-matriculated status.

Non-matriculants are not eligible for most financial aid, veteran’s benefits, credit evaluations, or other services regularly provided for matriculated students.

Financial Aid and Veterans Assistance
Undergraduate and post-baccalaureate students must carry 12-quarter credit hours to be considered full-time students. Graduate students must carry 10-quarter credits. Students receiving VA Education benefits must also carry the same credit load to be a full-time student; however, the credits must meet all university degree requirements. Students using a VA Education benefit should contact the Veterans Center for further information to comply with VA federal regulations.

REGISTRATION

Currently enrolled students may register for courses by using MyCWU, the web registration system. Registration for new and readmitted students will take place during new student orientation.  New students who did not attend orientation may register during the open enrollment period.

Students may change their schedule during the designated change of schedule period as stated in the academic calendar. Students are encouraged to use the MyCWU web registration system to complete all registration transactions.

Registration, in-person, by telephone, or web, obligates students for payment of all tuition and fees. If tuition is not paid by the due date, students will be liable for late fees and for any other reasonable collection costs and charges.

Students are assigned a registration appointment through MyCWU. This designates when the student may start registering for classes for the term. Consult the university calendar at www.cwu.edu/registrar/course-information or contact the university center administration office to determine exact dates for early registration, open enrollment, tuition deadlines, and the change-of-schedule period.

Establishment of the course wait list is at the discretion of the instructor. Instructors may use their own waitlist or use the procedure established by the Registrar.

The wait list and auto enroll will be frozen after the second day of the change of schedule period.

Priority registration may be extended to students in university programs based on the Office of the Registrar approval. Approval for priority registration is not intended to be based on major only. Individual students may not apply directly to the Registrar for priority registration.

Fall 2023 Registration

Please note that “credits earned” does not include courses in progress but does include transfer credit that has been posted to your academic record. Please use your MyCWU unofficial transcript, not Academic Requirements report, to determine your total earned credit hours. Non-matriculated students, except for Sammamish Running Start students, do not qualify for priority registration.

Winter 2024 Registration

Please note that “credits earned” does not include courses in progress but does include transfer credit that has been posted to your academic record. Please use your MyCWU unofficial transcript, not Academic Requirements report, to determine your total earned credit hours. Non-matriculated students, except for Sammamish Running Start students, do not qualify for priority registration.

Spring 2024 Registration

Please note that “credits earned” does not include courses in progress but does include transfer credit that has been posted to your academic record. Please use your MyCWU unofficial transcript, not Academic Requirements report, to determine your total earned credit hours. Non-matriculated students, except for Sammamish Running Start students, do not qualify for priority registration.

Summer 2024 Registration

Please note that “credits earned” does not include courses in progress but does include transfer credit that has been posted to your academic record. Please use your MyCWU unofficial transcript, not Academic Requirements report, to determine your total earned credit hours. Non-matriculated students, except for Sammamish Running Start students, do not qualify for priority registration.

Fall 2024 Registration

Winter 2025 Registration

Spring 2025 Registration

Summer 2025 Registration

First-year Advising Hold
First-year, with less than 40 earned credits, will have an advising hold placed on their account prior to registration. First-year must contact the academic advising center or their academic advisor prior to registration in order to receive advisement and have the hold removed.

General Education Basic Skills Hold
Students will have a hold placed on their account if they have not completed the basic skills area of the general education requirements by the time they reach 75 credits. Students must see their major advisor or if they are undeclared, an advisor in the academic advising center, to have the hold removed. This hold will be placed every quarter until the basic skills are completed.

45-Credit Advising Hold
All students will have an advising hold placed on their account the quarter after they have earned their 45th credit. To have this hold removed a student must meet with their major advisor or an advisor in the academic advising center.

90-Credit Advising Hold
All students will have an advising hold placed on their account the quarter after they have earned their 90th credit. To have this hold removed a student must meet with their major advisor or an advisor in their intended major.

Major Declaration Hold
This hold is placed on a student who has 75 or more earned credits and is not admitted into a major or pre-major program.

All of these holds, with the exception of the major hold, can be released by any faculty member or professional academic advisor. All first-year must go to the academic advising center before next-term registration.

WAIT LISTS

Students should be aware that the system will automatically enroll them in a course for which they have wait listed once a seat becomes available and if they are eligible to enroll. Important information regarding wait lists is summarized below.

1. The student gets on the wait list at the time the student attempts to enroll in a course that is full or has reserves by checking the “OK to Wait List” check box that will be displayed when enrolling in a class. If the wait list is full, the “OK to Wait List” check box will not appear as an option. A student can be moved from the wait list to enrolled status in one of three ways:

• Obtain signed permission on an add/drop form from the instructor.
• Have permission coded into the system by the instructor, in which case a student must resubmit the course for enrollment via MyCWU to complete the process.
• System intervention: An automated nightly process will automatically move students from the WL to enrollment, but only if the student is eligible.

The wait list process will be run once each night. Notification will be sent to the CWU e-mail account each time the process is run for those who are moved to enrolled status. This will be a general notification alerting students to check their online schedule for details.

2. Students will not be automatically enrolled from the wait list for the following reasons:

• They have a time conflict.
• They are enrolled in another section of the course.
• They would exceed their maximum term units.
• They do not meet requirements of the course (e.g., reserved for majors only).
• They have a registration hold.
• They are attempting to register for a non-repeatable class for the third time.
• The class is full.

3. Wait lists will be available through the end of the second day of the change of schedule period. This will allow time for notification to be sent to the student prior to the end of the change of schedule period and allow the student enough time to make necessary schedule changes.

4. Students may not wait list for more than 15 credits at a time.

5. Students are told of their wait list positions at the time they are placed on a wait list during their enrollment. They can also view their position at any time by reviewing their online schedule.

6. Students can wait list for multiple sections of the same course. However, once the student is enrolled in an available section, the student is automatically dropped from the wait list for the other sections. The only exception to this would be for courses that are repeatable for credit in the same term.

7. If a lecture course has a zero credit lab, students cannot wait list the same lecture section or the same lab section more than once. For example, a student could not wait list CHEM 111-01 lecture with more than one CHEM 111 lab section.

8. Once a wait list is started for a class and a seat opens up, a student who is not on the wait list will not be able to enroll. However, if all students on the wait list are ineligible for enrollment, then the class status will change to open and the next eligible student may enroll.

AUDIT

CWU students eligible to enroll in a course for credit may enroll as an auditor, provided space is available and permission is secured from the instructor prior to registration. CWU students may not convert an audited class to credit unless they retake the class for credit. Auditors are assessed full tuition for audited courses.

Instructors may not compel auditors to write papers or take examinations, but may insist upon other appropriate course requirements. Instructors may request of the college dean that auditors be officially withdrawn from the course if these requirements are not met.

CWU students receive neither credit nor grades for audited courses. Course participation requirements are set by the faculty member responsible for the course. 

CREDIT/NO CREDIT OPTION

Students may use the credit/no credit option as a way to explore academic areas of interest without affecting their grade point average.

Undergraduate students, except for first year students and students on academic probation, may select one course per quarter under the credit/no credit option. The credit/no credit option is distinct from courses graded on satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis.

The credit/no credit option may only be applied to undergraduate free electives. The option does not apply to master’s degree requirements.

A maximum of 15-credits earned in credit/no credit courses may be allowed toward the 180 required for the bachelor’s degree.

Courses taken beyond the 15-credit maximum as credit/no credit will be converted to a grade.

The grade recorded on the student’s transcript will be “CR” if the course grade is C- or above. If below C-, the entry will be “NC.”

Instructors will not be informed which students are taking a course for credit/no credit. A grade will be given as in any other course.

Students must designate a course as credit/no credit by the end of the 7th week of instruction. For students enrolling in 6-9 week summer courses, credit/no credit must be designated by the withdrawal deadline. Intensive courses whose dates do not correspond to the academic term in which they are scheduled must have specific withdrawal deadlines.

Courses taken on a graded basis may not be repeated on a credit/no credit basis.

Credits earned under the credit/no credit option are not included in computing grade point averages.

REPETITION OF COURSES

Some courses are approved for repetition with credit awarded each time the course is taken and passed. Such approval is indicated in the course description in the university catalog.

Full tuition is assessed for all repeated courses.

Other Central Washington University courses may be repeated under the following conditions:

• Students are allowed to take a course a second time. Students attempting to take the same course a third time may do so only with permission of the course instructor and the department chair. Unless otherwise designated as repeatable, courses may not be taken more than three times without permission of the dean of the college and department chair.
• Credit will be awarded only once including credit for transfer courses that are repeated at Central.
• When a course is repeated, only the last grade earned will be used in the computation of the cumulative and major grade point averages. All grades will remain in the student’s official records.

Any CWU course repeated at another institution and approved by the department:

• Can be transferred in for CWU credit.
• Will be used in calculating both the CWU and the transfer GPA.

ADDITIONAL ENROLLMENT PROCEDURES

Arranged Course Permits
An arranged course permit is used when a student wishes to register for a class that is not offered on the schedule of classes for the term, providing the class is shown in the current catalog. Any class that is currently being offered cannot be registered for as an arranged course. Seminar and workshop courses may not be registered for as arranged courses.

Permits are available at the Office of the Registrar, university center offices, and academic department offices. The instructor, department chair, and dean must approve the arranged course permit. Once the appropriate signatures have been obtained, submit the arranged course permit to the Office of the Registrar or a university center registration office to complete the registration process.

Individual Study Courses
An individual study permit is used when a student and instructor have agreed to study a topic included within a department’s approved curriculum. Completed forms will include a descriptive title that will be posted on the student’s transcript and a course outline. Permits are available at the Office of the Registrar, university center registration offices, and online. The instructor, department chair, and dean must approve the individual study permit. Once the appropriate signatures have been obtained, submit the individual study permit to the Office of the Registrar or a university center registration office to complete the registration process.

Cooperative Education
Cooperative education learning agreement (CLA) forms are available at academic department offices and Career Services (Bouillon 206). Career Services will also mail a copy of the CLA form to the student. It is advisable to allow at least a week in which to obtain required signatures on the bottom of the form. All parts of the form must be completed before registration will be permitted (including approval signatures and complete mailing addresses). Forms must be submitted to Career Services by the last day of the change of schedule period.

Students are responsible for tuition and fees incurred for units for cooperative education.

CREDIT BY EXAMINATION

Under certain circumstances the university may award credit based on course challenges and other prior learning assessments. Matriculated students, enrolled in one or more course, may challenge any course which appears on the current course challenge list.

The following rules apply:

• A Course Challenge Prior Learning Assessment (Credit by Examination) application form must be completed. This application form is available in the Office of the Registrar.
• A fee of $15 per credit, with a minimum of $30 per course, will be charged to the student’s account and must be paid at the Cashiers Office.
• The challenge is conducted according to procedures established by the appropriate department.
• A list of department-approved courses which may be challenged will be maintained by the Office of the Registrar.
• Special courses such as “individual study,” “special topics,” “cooperative education,” and “seminars” may not be challenged for credit.
• The result of the course challenge is recorded as “S” or “U” on the transcript and is not used in computing grade point average.
• The application to challenge a course will be denied if credit for the course has been received previously at this or another college, the course was previously failed, the student previously withdrew from the course, the course was previously unsatisfactorily challenged, the course was previously audited, or if registration was canceled.
• Credits earned by course challenge or prior learning assessment will not be allowed toward meeting the residence study requirements by the university.
• Graduate students who have been admitted to a graduate program must obtain permission from the dean of Graduate Studies and Research, their advisor and the course instructor for course challenge.

PROCEDURE FOR COURSE SUBSTITUTION AND WAIVER OF COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Transfer
Associate of arts or science degrees with direct transfer agreements between the university and Washington community colleges will meet the general education requirements of a bachelor’s degree when students complete additional courses at CWU.

Major or Minor
It is the student’s responsibility to provide the Office of the Registrar with the substitution form to substitute the requirement, signed by the appropriate chair and dean.  Substitution forms are available at the Office of the Registrar or at university center offices.

Teacher Certification Program
It is the student’s responsibility to provide the Office of the Registrar with the substitution form to substitute the requirement, signed by the Department of Education, Development, Teaching and Learning chair and dean. Substitution forms are available at the Office of the Registrar or at university center offices.

General Education or other Graduation Requirements
The Office of the Registrar handles most petitions regarding catalog requirements outside a major or minor. General education petition forms are available at the Office of the Registrar or at university center offices. All substitution forms are available by clicking on the forms link on the left index of the Office of the Registrar home page at https://www.cwu.edu/about/offices/registrar/.

GRADES

Grades are available on MyCWU three days after the end of the final exam week by navigating to MyCWU > Student > Enrollment > View My Grades.

Students are no longer mailed a hard copy of their grade report unless requested. Students may request to have their grades sent to their home/permanent address by filling out a grade report request form available at the Office of the Registrar, University Center offices, or online by clicking forms at  https://www.cwu.edu/about/offices/registrar/. Requested reports will be mailed two to three weeks after the end of finals week.

INCOMPLETE GRADE

The “I” grade is used at the instructor’s discretion when the student was not able to complete the course by the end of the term, but had been making satisfactory progress as of the uncontested withdrawal date.

WITHDRAWING

Peremptory (Uncontested) Withdrawal from a Course Policy

Peremptory (uncontested) withdrawals will not be permitted after the first six weeks of instruction. Students who withdraw after the change of schedule period from 25 percent or more of the coursework for which they have registered for two or more quarters each academic year are considered as exercising excessive peremptory withdrawals. The Provost or designee may authorize dismissal in these cases after reviewing records presented to the Office of the Registrar. Students who have been dismissed under this policy may not enroll for courses without submitting an approved plan of study signed by an academic advisor. To continue enrollment, the student must satisfactorily complete all credits enrolled during the first quarter of readmission. Students who do not meet this requirement will not be allowed to register for one calendar year.

In circumstances when academic dishonesty is confirmed, a W may be replaced with a letter grade (see academic dishonesty).
 

Hardship Withdrawal Policy

Withdrawals will be granted only for reasons of hardship after the sixth week of instruction. Petitions must be submitted to Office of the Registrar. The registrar has final approval.

The student must contact the course instructor and obtain the faculty member’s signature on the hardship withdrawal petition. The signature serves merely to acknowledge the petition and implies neither support nor rejection of the request.

The registrar may consult with the course instructor when evaluating a petition for hardship withdrawals, and will notify the instructor if the hardship withdrawal has been approved.

Hardship withdrawals from individual courses will not be permitted during or after the final examination period.

Conversions of incompletes to withdrawals must be petitioned as if they were hardship withdrawals; i.e., they may be effected only upon petition to the registrar.

Withdrawals will not be included in calculating grade point averages.

Complete Withdrawal from the Academic Term and/or University

A student may withdraw from the university by reason of illness or other extenuating circumstances at any time prior to finals week.

A student may not withdraw from the university during finals week except with approval of the Office of the Registrar.

The Office of the Registrar will notify affected faculty members when a student has withdrawn from the university.

Students who plan to leave the university must complete the official withdrawal form. Failure to do so may result in failing grades.

Military Exigency Withdrawal

Students who have been called into active military service of the United States will be eligible for withdrawal from the university or the granting of credit. The policy does not apply to National Guard or Reserve soldiers required to attend their two-week annual training requirements.

Students who must withdraw from the university during the first third of the quarter will be granted a total university withdrawal (W). Tuition and fees may be refunded.

Students who must withdraw from the university during the second third of the quarter may request either an uncontested withdrawal (+W) or an incomplete (I) in each course with specified deadline for completion to be determined by the dean in consultation with the instructor or a total university withdrawal from all courses (W). Students who are granted an incomplete for classes must pay tuition and fees for those classes.

Students who must withdraw from the university during the last third of the quarter may request an uncontested withdrawal (+W) or an incomplete (I) or credit if the coursework is satisfactory, to be determined by the dean in consultation with the instructor or a total university withdrawal from all courses (W). Students who are granted an incomplete for classes or receive credit for classes must pay tuition and fees for those classes.

If credit is awarded, the instructors must determine either a letter grade or a satisfactory (S), as requested by the student, for each course, depending upon the quality of the student’s work, as determined by the instructor.

If credit is received and the course(s) complete(s) all requirements for the baccalaureate degree, the degree will be awarded.

In all circumstances, students will be expected to attend classes up to fifteen (15) calendar days prior to induction. to the reporting date as specified in federal activation orders (National Guard and Reserves) or the Office of the Governor in the case of National Guard called up for state emergency.

Students need to contact the Office of the Registrar or their university center office as soon as possible to complete the appropriate paperwork, and to submit a copy of the Federal Activation Orders. As long as the university receives the proper notification, the student will not need to reapply for admission when they are ready to return to CWU. 

LEAVE OF ABSENCE PROCEDURE

Undergraduate and post-baccalaureate students who do not enroll for consecutive academic quarters (exclusive of summer), and are planning to take two quarters off, must reapply for admission. However, if students meet the criteria below, they may be granted a leave of absence, which means that they do not have to reapply for re-admission their returning quarter and that they may register early for classes as continuing students at the designated time.

The application for leave of absence must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar at least two weeks prior to the term for which the student is seeking leave.

Leaves will be approved only if attending consecutive quarters would present an exceptional hardship or loss of opportunity.

Students may be granted for up to two quarters at a time. Additional consecutive quarters must be petitioned separately.

Graduate students need to contact the school of graduate studies for leave of absence information.

The leave of absence procedure is under Undergraduate Admissions in the procedure manual.

UNIVERSITY CATALOG

The Official Electronic Catalog (OEC) is the university’s official compilation for all curriculum. The OEC serves as the basis for major, minor, and program requirements for the academic year. For current policy and curriculum requirements refer to the CWU online catalog at https://www.cwu.edu/about/offices/registrar/academic-information/index.php.

DECLARATION OF MAJOR

Students are required to apply and be accepted into a major or pre-major by the time they have earned 75 credits or they are prevented from participating in their regularly assigned registration appointment.

Students are bound by the major requirements that became effective with the Fall Official Electronic Catalog (OEC) for the academic year in which they are accepted into their major.

If a student does not enroll or submit a leave request for two or more consecutive quarters at Central (excluding summer), he or she will be required to reactivate their major status. Reactivation must be done with the concurrence of the department and in accordance with the department and the OEC requirements current at the time of readmission.

HONOR ROLL

Undergraduates, post-baccalaureate, and non-matriculated students who achieve a grade point average of 3.5 or higher will be named to the quarterly honor roll.

To be eligible, a student must complete a minimum of 10 A-F graded college-level credits in the quarter earned; developmental courses are not calculated in the quarterly GPA.

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

Disability Services, located in Hogue Hall, room 126, was established to ensure that CWU students with disabilities are provided equal access to university programs and facilities. Information about disability documentation, classroom accommodations, and program access can be obtained at https://www.cwu.edu/student-life/student-support/disability-services/ or by calling 509-963-2214.

AVAILABILITY OF SAFETY AWARENESS INFORMATION
University Police and Parking Services is responsible for reporting crime statistics in compliance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act. Central’s annual security report is available at https://www.cwu.edu/about/offices/campus-safety/police/department-information/cwu-crime-stats.php. It contains information regarding crime prevention programs, the law enforcement authority of the University police, policies concerning the reporting of crime, crime statistics for the most recent three-year period and other information about security that is required by law. A paper copy of the information is also available upon request by writing to: Central Washington University, University Police and Parking Services, 400 East University Way, Ellensburg, WA 98926-7527.

VOTER REGISTRATION

According to RCW 29.07.025, voter registration guidelines will be made available at institutions of higher education. These forms are available at the Office of the Registrar. You can register to vote online at weiapplets.sos.wa.gov/MyVote/#/login.