Enrollment information and academic records

Full-time enrollment requirements

• Graduate students who are not hired as TAs, RAs, or GSAs: 
  • Fall and spring semesters: 9 or more credit hours 
  • Summer semesters: 3 or more credit hours
• Graduate students who are hired as TAs, RAs, or GSAs:
  • Fall and spring semesters: 6 or more credit hours
  • Summer semesters: 2 or more credit hours
     

The requirements above are true for international students as well. If you are an international student, please feel free to read more about enrollment requirements for maintaining your immigration status here.

Financial considerations

Before enrollment each semester, please consider the impact your enrollment may have on your anticipated aid or other funding. Many awards have a specific enrollment requirement. Therefore, even if ASU and SOLS do not require you enroll full-time, the aid you expect may not post unless you meet this requirement. Any award you receive should detail this in the offer or terms you should have been sent. To read about TA, RA, and GSA enrollment requirements in particular, please refer to the hiring page on this site.

Enrollment verification and loan repayment

If you enroll below half-time (minimum 5 credits in fall and spring semesters) at any point in your degree and have currently or previously taken out student loans, your loans may enter their repayment period. Effective Summer 2023 and beyond, due to federal regulations, ASU is no longer able to use full-time verification forms to provide students with a full-time status when they are enrolled below full- or half-time. If you have loans you do not want to enter into repayment, we recommend keeping this in mind when requesting a TA/RA versus a GSA position or applying for any other funding that may allow enrollment in 1-5 credits during fall and spring terms. Depending on your loan provider, you may need to check your summer enrollment also, though most loans have a 6 month grace period that would cover the summer terms and reset once enrolled in the following fall. You can review ASU’s enrollment verification requirements here.
 

In order to stay active in your graduate program, you must maintain continuous enrollment. ASU's continuous enrollment policy requires the following:

• Students must enroll in at least 1 graduate-level credit hour during their admit term and their graduation term
• Students must enroll in at least 1 graduate-level credit hour every fall and spring semester 
• Students must enroll in at least 1 graduate-level credit hour during terms in which they are doing their comprehensive exams, dissertation prospectus, or final thesis/dissertation defense (even if this occurs in the summer, which is otherwise exempt from requiring enrollment)

Failure to meet this requirement will result in the student being discontinued from their graduate program.
 

If you would like to stay active in your program but need to take a semester or two off, you may request a leave of absence. Be sure to discuss this with your faculty advisor and/or the SOLS graduate office before requesting. You may request up to two semesters of leave. This can be served sequentially or at two different times in your degree. Summer terms do not require a leave of absence request, as you are free to simply not enroll and take the summer off if you wish.

To request the leave of absence, you will need to access your iPOS, click the petitions tab, and select the leave of absence option from the drop-down. Then, please provide a brief description of the need for leave and submit for review. The SOLS graduate office will review your request and let you know if anything additional is needed.

Once approved, the leave of absence will prevent you from using university resources for that particular term, but it will allow you to remain active in your program and resume seamlessly upon your semester of return.
 

If you experience a serious illness, injury or other significant personal situation that prevents you from continuing your classes, you may request a medical/compassionate withdrawal (MCW) from The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. MCWs require relevant and detailed supporting documentation for consideration. Approval is at the discretion of the college and there is no guarantee a request will be approved.

View the ASU policy on Medical/Compassionate Withdrawals.

If you are an international student with an F1/J1 visa, you must consult with the International Students and Scholars Center to discuss the serious immigration consequences that may result from your withdrawal from ASU. 
 

Steps for submitting a MCW:

1. Meet with your academic advisor in the SOLS graduate office to explore the withdrawal procedures.
2. Work with faculty for alternative class arrangements or incomplete grades if relevant (your advisor can provide guidance on this).
3. Consult with a student financial assistance counselor to determine financial obligation.
4. Review documentation guidelines and submit a MCW form to start the process, here.
   
    

To remain eligible for federal financial aid, you must make satisfactory academic progress (SAP) as a student, meaning you need to make good enough grades, and successfully complete enough classes in a timely manner to demonstrate that you are successfully working toward your degree. SAP should be taken into account if you are considering any changes to your enrollment.

Arizona State University measures Satisfactory Academic Progress yearly after the spring semester using three metrics:

GPA Standard

You must maintain a minimum ASU GPA according to the ASU Graduate Academic Standards. Students on academic disqualification are not eligible for financial aid. 
Graduate student minimum cumulative GPA: 3.0. If you’re not meeting this standard, here’s how you can submit a review.

Learn more

 

Pace Rate Standard

You must pass at least 67% of your total attempted ASU credit hours in your current degree program. You may need to consider reducing your course load in order to improve your cumulative pace rate. All courses must apply to your degree program.

Passed credits do not include courses with grades of E, EU or W. A passed course, if retaken, will be considered passed only once, yet attempted twice. Audited courses, ungraded courses, remedial no-credit courses and courses with a grade of Z are excluded from this measurement. If you’re not meeting this standard, here’s how you can submit a review. 

Learn more

 

 Maximum Credit Hour Standard

You must not exceed the maximum attempted credit hour limit for your degree program. This standard applies to all programs, including minors, dual majors, dual/concurrent degrees, and prior degrees. All transfer credit hours accepted by ASU are included in this measurement. Audited courses are excluded from this measurement.

If you are approaching your Max Credit Hour limit, ASU will send you an email notification so you can work with your advisor and make a plan to successfully complete your degree without exceeding your maximum credit hours. If you’re not meeting this standard, here’s how you can submit a review.

Learn more