Registration (Official Enrollment)
All students must register to be officially enrolled in classes. This process includes meeting with a departmental advisor (for first-year students, advising is mandatory) so that appropriate classes are selected. This is followed by the actual registration process on Wolverine Access. To be considered as full-time students, undergraduate students must enroll for a minimum of 12 hours per semester.
Completion of both the advising and registration procedures are required before a student attends any classes or uses any University facilities. The tuition and registration fees for full-time enrollment as an undergraduate student in the College of Engineering may be found on the Registrar’s website. As of the first day of class, a late registration fee of $50 will be assessed. Exceptions to the Late Registration Fee are late admissions, non-degree students, Ph.D. students registering to defend their dissertations, or students who have an official waiver based on a University action. The Late Registration Fee is increased by $25 at the beginning of each subsequent month.
Unless a student is registered, there is no obligation on the part of faculty members to permit attendance in their classes.
A student who completes the registration procedure (including early registration) and fails to attend classes must officially withdraw at the Registrar’s Office of the College of Engineering, for undergraduate students, 145A Chrysler Center or submit an email to engineering-ro@umich.edu from their student email account, which requests a term withdrawal and includes the student’s name and UMID number. The student is responsible for the usual registration and disenrollment fees as stated in the current Schedule of Classes.
Students should be aware that receiving transfer, test and/or course credit can have an impact on tuition fees as tuition increases once a student reaches Upper Class Standing (55 credit hours or more). Students are responsible for reviewing their transcript when credits are posted. Credits can be removed no later than the end of the semester in which the student reaches Upper Level tuition. Note that credit is always posted for the term in which it was earned, not the term in which it was posted; the posting of credit can therefore have a retroactive impact on tuition owed. Current students should carefully consider this issue before asking for credit to be posted on their transcript. It is highly recommended that students consult with their academic advisor prior to requesting the removal of transfer test and/or course credit. To request credit removal, students should email engincredit@umich.edu directly including in the request their UMID, specifying which transfer credit should be removed, and including a statement acknowledging that once credit is removed from their transcript it will not be reposted.
Class Standing
The number of credit hours accumulated toward graduation at the close of a given term is used to determine a student’s class standing for statistical purposes.
Questions concerning class-level designations for undergraduate students should be referred to the CoE Registrar’s Office, 145A Chrysler Center:
| Class | Hours | |
|---|---|---|
| Lower Division | Freshman 0 to 24 | Sophomore 25 to 54 |
| Upper Division | Junior 55 to 84 | Senior 85 or more |
Indebtedness to the University
Students shall pay all accounts due the University in accordance with regulations set forth for such payments by the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. When a student’s account shows indebtedness, no transcript of academic record or diploma will be issued, nor will future registration be permitted.
7 Week Term Courses During Fall or Winter Terms (2 credits)
Begin and End dates:
- All departments will have the same begin and end dates for classes.
- For Fall and Winter Terms the first 7 week period course will begin on the regular first day of classes.
- For Fall, the second 7 week period will start at the beginning of the 8th week whenever possible.
- For Winter, the start of the second 7 week period will be the Monday immediately following Spring Break.
- Beginning days will be adjusted so that no class will begin on a Friday.
Drop/Edit Schedule: Drop/Edit periods without a “W” will end by the end of the 2nd week for both 7 week period. The third week through the fifth week, students can submit an online late Drop/Add/Edit/Swap request through Wolverine access. Students must petition the Scholastic Standing Committee to drop or modify a class after the fifth week of a 7 week period.
Fee Adjustments: There is a two-week deadline (coinciding with Drop/Edit (Modify) deadlines) for fee adjustments. Documentation is needed for fee adjustments after the deadline. Fee adjustments are finalized through the University of Michigan Registrar’s Office.
Important Note: Students should register for the second 7 week period classes during the normal full-term registration period.
Add/Drop/Edit/Swap & Course Withdrawals
Updated deadlines regarding Course Withdrawals and the usage of the Add/Drop/Edit/Swap system may be viewed on the Undergraduate Drop/Edit Deadlines page of the CoE Bulletin.
Academic Definitions
Visit
With permission of the advisor and course instructor, a student from the University of Michigan Ann Arbor may enroll in a College of Engineering course as a visitor, also referred informally as auditing a course. The student is expected to attend classes regularly but is not required to complete any course requirements, (e.g., homework sets, laboratory assignments, tests, and the final examination.) In such a case, the course will be entered on the permanent record with a “VI” instead of a letter grade. If the student does not attend the class regularly, the faculty has the option to enter a grade of “NR” for no report. The same fee will be charged whether the student enrolls for credit or as a visitor. A course elected as “VI” does not count toward a student’s full time status.
Please note that all requests to audit a course should be completed via the Add/Drop paper form. The deadline is the third week for full term courses, second week for half-term courses, as well as first and second seven week courses. Note that advisors typically will not approve changes in Visit elections after the third week (second week in Spring and Summer half terms). In such cases, withdrawing or changing to an election of Pass/Fail is generally more appropriate. After the deadlines, students must petition for an Exception to College Rules to change Visit status. Petitions are available online. Required courses may not be elected as a visit.
Term
A term (semester) extends over approximately four months, including examinations. The University’s year-round calendar, by months, is approximately as follows:
| Term | Months |
|---|---|
| Fall | Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec. |
| Winter | Jan., Feb., Mar., Apr. |
| Spring/Summer | May, June, July Aug. |
The Spring-Summer term may be scheduled as two half terms, approximately as follows:
| Term | Months |
|---|---|
| Spring | May, June |
| Summer | July, Aug. |
Course Offerings
The appropriate Bulletin and the Schedule of Classes (http://www.umich.edu/~regoff/schedule/) prepared for each term will serve the student as a guide in planning each term’s schedule. The College of Engineering reserves the right to withdraw the offering of any elective course not chosen by at least eight students.
Credit Hour
A credit hour (semester hour) generally represents one hour of recitation or lecture per week for a term, or two for a half term; preparation for each credit hour normally requires a minimum of three hours of study per week. Generally, one period of laboratory work is considered to be equal to one hour of credit.
CoE Policy for the Assignment of Credit Hours
Course credit is based on contact hours (time spent by students engaged with the course instructor) for all Engineering courses. This means one contact hour per credit hour in a week for Lectures, Discussions, and Recitations.
For each credit earned per full academic term, students are expected to receive at least one contact hour of instruction and perform at least two to three hours of work outside of class each week.
Independent Study, Special Topics, Experiential and Seminar courses have the same total engagement requirements (contact hours plus hours of additional work) as listed above with the understanding that engagement may not be scheduled on a weekly basis as determined at the department level.
Laboratory sections are expected to meet for at least two hours for each credit earned.
Hybrid and Online courses require an equivalent amount of instruction and student work as required by in-person courses.
Work Load
The number of credit hours a student is able to carry in any one term depends upon a number of factors, including abilities, health, and the amount of time devoted to extracurricular activities or to outside work. Twelve credit hours are considered a minimum full-time academic schedule for a full term (six for half term). Reduced program fees apply to 11 credit hours or fewer for undergraduate students.
Unless approved by the program advisor (for undeclared students, the Director of the Engineering Advising Center), the student may not elect courses (or change elections) for which the total number of hours for a term is fewer than 12 or more than 18, and for a half term, fewer than six or more than nine. A student should have a 3.0 average or more for the previous term to be permitted to carry a term load of more than 18 hours.
Attention is called to the section on “Time Requirements” for a statement on estimating the time needed for a bachelor’s degree.
Attendance and Absences
Regular and punctual attendance in classes is one of a number of expressions of interest and maturity. The reasons for good attendance should be obvious, and students may expect unexcused absences to be reflected in their final grade.
All students should account for their absences to their instructors. A student who has been absent from studies for more than one week because of illness or other emergency should consult the program advisor to determine the advisability of reducing course loads.
Examinations
Examinations may be given at any time, with or without notice, on any part of the work. An examination at the end of the term is an essential part of the work of the course. The instructor is required to observe the official final examination schedule established by the University.
Any student absent from an examination should report to the instructor as soon thereafter as possible. If a student presents a valid excuse for being absent, a make-up examination may be arranged by the instructor for another time.
Transfer Credit Information
Transfer Credit for Enrolled Students (Transfer Credit Approval Form)
Currently enrolled students can receive transfer credit from classes taken at other institutions by following the instructions on the website for the Transfer Credit Approval Form. The Transfer Credit Approval Form can be accessed online at http://tcaf.engin.umich.edu/. An evaluation typically takes two to four weeks and results in the notification of course transferability and the credit hours that will be earned upon completion of the course(s) with a grade of “C” or better. Online courses will be evaluated for transfer credit in the same manner and should also be submitted for approval via the Transfer Credit Approval Form. CoE will evaluate future transfer courses based on content and not format (i.e. stop disqualifying courses simply because they are online). Pre-approved courses that are taught online, will be accepted without further evaluation. Transfer evaluations are generally conducted by the Department that owns the equivalent course.
For CoE undergraduate enrolled students, please send your official transcript to:
College of Engineering, Office of Recruitment and Admissions
153 Chrysler Center
2121 Bonisteel Boulevard
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2092
Electronic transcripts can be emailed directly to engincredit@umich.edu. These PDF transcripts must be sent directly from an institution or third-party vendor such as Parchment. Transcripts cannot come from the student directly as they would not be considered official.Electronic transcripts can be emailed directly to engincredit@umich.edu. These PDF transcripts must be sent directly from an institution or third-party vendor such as Parchment. Transcripts cannot come from the student directly as they would not be considered official.
Please note that students that are transferring in credit for their final term prior to graduation must be an active participant in the transfer credit process by contacting the other institution’s Transfer Credit Office/Registrar’s Office for approximate dates of grade posting and transcript processing. If the dates do not coincide with the College of Engineering’s deadline that all transcripts must be received by the first day of the next term’s classes to be counted toward graduation, the impact could possibly delay the degree conferral. It is the student’s responsibility to stay on top of their transfer credit.
This information along with important rules to keep in mind can be found on the website shown above. Questions can be emailed to Credit Evaluation at engincredit@umich.edu or answered in person at Chrysler Center 143H.
Transfer Credit for International Programs
Currently enrolled students must consult with the International Programs in Engineering (IPE) office regarding course approvals, transfer credit and registration for all study abroad programs. Any student participating in an international experience must have a record in M-Compass.
Transcripts for IPE-Sponsored Programs should be sent to:
International Programs in Engineering
245 Chrysler Center
2121 Bonisteel Boulevard
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2092
Cross-Campus Transfer Re-Registration Policy
Admitted Cross-Campus transfer students to the CoE are held accountable to the following policy:
- Admitted Cross-Campus students must re-register under their Engineering program status. The re-registration of courses must be done no later than 3 weeks after the first day of classes of the admitted term:
- Students who do not re-register their classes may have their enrollment discontinued from the College of Engineering.
- Once a student is discontinued, they will then have to reapply to the College of Engineering, which may involve being held accountable to new admissions standards.
- A student who reapplies after being discontinued and is admitted must be reinstated to the original term of the College of Engineering admission. This will involve having all of the student’s classes re-registered to that original term of admission and the student being billed for the differences in tuition and College of Engineering fees accordingly.
- Students who want to be admitted to the College of Engineering who are near graduation and receive approval from an Engineering department are held to the following:
- The Engineering department will determine under which past term the student should have been admitted. The student’s classes will then be re-registered back to that term for admission and the student will be billed for the differences in tuition and College of Engineering fees accordingly.
- A department will have the authority to go back as many past terms as they deem appropriate for the student’s admission.
Declaring (or Changing) a Major
Students may declare a major as early as their second term in the College, and are urged to declare a specific engineering major by the start of their 3rd term of enrollment. Undeclared students cannot register for a 4th term in the College unless they have met with an advisor and developed a plan to select and declare a major within a reasonable time. This plan can be developed in coordination with the EAC advisors and departmental program advisors.
Students who meet all of the criteria below can declare any undergraduate engineering major, with the exception of Computer Science & Engineering. Please see the below section titled, “Declaring a Computer Science & Engineering Major” for further information. Students not meeting these criteria must meet with a departmental program advisor to establish any specific steps they must take in order to declare that major.
- Have completed at least one full term of courses on the U-M Ann Arbor campus.
- Have an overall U-M GPA of 2.0 or better in courses taken at the U-M Ann Arbor campus and are in good standing.
- Have completed or earned credit by exam or transfer for one or more courses in each of these categories:
- Calculus (e.g. Math 115, 116, 156)
- Calculus-based physics lectures (e.g. Physics 140, 160) or chemistry lectures (e.g. Chemistry 130)
- Required engineering courses (Engr 100, 101, 151)
A student must have a grade of C or better in every math course, science lecture and engineering course taken at U-M Ann Arbor to declare, unless waived by the program advisor, including 1-3 above. For repeated courses the most recent grade counts.
Declaring a Computer Science & Engineering Major
In addition to the criteria for major declaration mentioned in the above section, due to capacity constraints, students who are admitted to the University of Michigan for Fall 2023 or later must also be selected for the Computer Science major before they can declare that major. Students currently enrolled or admitted to enroll prior to Fall of 2023 will be able to declare a major in Computer Science without the need for the additional selection process.
Please review the CS Majors Selection Process FAQs for further information. You may also contact csugadmissions@umich.edu.