Enrollment

Enrolling in Courses

The course catalog and schedule of classes is presented at the Stanford Bulletin's ExploreCourses web site. (The Stanford Bulletin and the Time Schedule are no longer printed.) Degree requirements information is available at the Stanford Bulletin's ExploreDegrees web site. Academic Deadlines have changed for academic year 2009-10. See below, or see the Registrar's New Academic Deadlines page for complete information.

Go to Axess to enroll in courses. For assistance in using Axess to enroll in courses, go to the Axess Help Center and choose the Enrollment Guide.

To enroll officially in classes for the quarter, you must:

1. Clear any holds on your registration; holds on your registration may be viewed in Axess.
2. Pay your tuition and fees; payment in full is due on the date indicated on the University Bill. See http://sfs.stanford.edu for more information on payments.
3. See your academic adviser to discuss your academic plans.
4. Enroll in classes via Axess.

Keep in mind the following important considerations:

• Undergraduates must enroll in 12-20 units during Autumn, Winter, and Spring quarters.
• Graduate students must enroll during Autumn, Winter, and Spring quarters in at least 8 units or, if they have been approved for TGR or TMR status, they must enroll in a TGR or TMR course.
• If you have not enrolled by the add deadline, your registration and financial assistance will be canceled.

You must be enrolled in courses, including TGR and TMR, in order to live in University housing.

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Preliminary Study List Deadline (courses or units)

The preliminary study list deadline is the first day of classes of each quarter during the academic year. As early as possible, but no later than this deadline, students (including those with TGR status) must submit to the Office of the University Registrar via Axess, a study list to enroll officially in classes for the quarter. Students are expected to be enrolled "at status" by the preliminary study list deadline; meaning that students must be enrolled in sufficient units to meet requirements for their status, whether full-time, 8-9-10 units (graduates only), 12 units or more (undergraduates only) or on approved special registration status. Students will be charged a $200 late study list fee for submitting their study lists after the quarterly deadline.

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Final Study List Deadline (add, drop, or adjust course units)

Students may add courses or units (if variable unit course) to their study lists through the end of the third week of classes. Courses or units (if variable unit course) may be dropped by students up until the Final Study List Deadline without any record of the course remaining on the student's transcript. No drops are permitted after this point.

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Course Withdrawal Deadline

You may withdraw from a course after the drop deadline through the end of the eighth week of each quarter. In this case, a grade notation of "W" (withdraw) is automatically recorded on your transcript for that course. If you do not officially withdraw from a class by the end of the eighth week, you will be assigned the appropriate grade or notation by the instructor to reflect the work completed. Before the withdraw deadline, all course withdraws must be made via Axess. It should be noted thatprofessional school courses do not allow students to withdraw.

International students on F1/J1 VISA should check with a Bechtel International Center advisor before withdrawing from a class which could potentially place them below full-time status or risk violating their legal status.

Undergraduates and coterminal students petition Undergraduate Advising and Research to withdraw from a course after the deadline. After the withdraw deadline, graduate students may submit a Petition to Withdraw from a Course (graduate students) (pdf). Changes after the posted academic deadlines must demonstrate exceptional circumstances as they are an exception to Faculty Senate course enrollment policies.

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Change of Grading Basis Deadline

Through the end of the eighth week of classes, you may choose the grading option of your choice in courses where an option is offered. Students are responsible for checking their study list on Axess to confirm that you have the correct grading basis assigned for any courses for which there is a choice. No grading basis changes are permitted after this point, regardless of the grade or notation recorded in the course.

The deadlines described above follow the same pattern each quarter but, due to the varying lengths of Stanford’s quarters, they may not always fall in exactly the week specified. You should consult the printed Time Schedule or the online Academic Calendar for the deadline dates for each term.

Other deadlines may apply in the Schools of Law and Medicine, Graduate School of Business, and Summer Session.

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Unit Shaving

The former practice of “unit shaving” or unit adjustment is no longer available. Courses are offered for the number of units that are listed in the Time Schedule. A course that is listed in the Time Schedule as being offered for five units can only be taken for five units. Courses offered for a range of units (e.g., three, four, or five units) can be taken for the number of units chosen by the student. See the University Policy concerning "Amount of Work" concerning University expectations for the relationship between work and units of credit.

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