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Find the official policies that govern our student and academic community.
Special registration statuses allow a student to take fewer units than are typically required. Students on an approved special registration status are usually assessed a reduced tuition rate.
Graduate students are required to enroll in at least 8 units during the autumn, winter, and spring quarters. Special registration statuses allow a student to take fewer units than what is typically required. Students on an approved special registration status are usually assessed a reduced tuition rate.
All special registration status requests must be submitted by the Preliminary Study List opens in a new tab deadline of the applicable quarter.
Coterminal students with an active undergraduate program should review the Coterminal Special Registration Statuses policy for applicable options.
Doctoral students who have been admitted to candidacy, completed all required courses and degree requirements (other than the university oral exam and dissertation), completed 135 units or 10.5 quarters of residency, and submitted a Doctoral Dissertation Reading Committee form, may request Terminal Graduate Registration (TGR) status to complete their dissertations.
Degree programs may establish requirements for continued enrollment and to support academic progress through completion of degree. These expectations are separate from requirements for the degree and, thus, do not impact TGR status.
Students pursuing Engineer degrees may apply for TGR status after admission to candidacy, completion of all required courses, and completion of 90 units or six quarters of residency.
Students enrolled in master's programs with a required project or thesis may apply for TGR status upon completion of all required courses and completion of 45 units.
Students with more than one active graduate degree program must be TGR-eligible in all programs in order to apply for TGR status.
During the academic year, TGR students must enroll for zero units in their department's TGR course under the appropriate section for their advisor (801 for master's and Engineer degree students or 802 for doctoral students). Students on TGR status are charged a special tuition rate and are certified as being enrolled full-time. TGR students may enroll in up to 3 units of coursework per quarter at the TGR tuition rate without incurring additional tuition charges. If a TGR student elects to enroll in more than 3 units, tuition will be charged at the applicable unit rate. Courses completed while in TGR status cannot be applied towards requirements for any degree program. See the Minimum Progress Requirements for Graduate Students opens in a new tab policy pages for information about satisfactory progress requirements for TGR students.
While enrollment in summer quarter is typically optional, degree programs, advisors, or funding sources may require students in TGR status to enroll. The minimum enrollment requirement in summer quarter is one unit or the appropriate TGR rate.
The TGR Final Registration status may be granted for one quarter only to graduate students returning after an approved reinstatement, working on incompletes in their final quarter or registering for a final term after all requirements are completed when a Graduation Quarter is not applicable. TGR requirements above apply with the exception of the residency requirement. Students may be working on "I" (incomplete) or "N" grades in order to reach residency requirements while on this status. Students are not permitted to have any enrollment aside from their TGR course in the quarter they are applying for this status.
Graduate students who need fewer than 8 remaining units to complete all degree requirements or to qualify for TGR status may register for one quarter on a unit basis (3 to 7 units) to cover the deficiency. This status may be used only once during a degree program.
Graduate students who have not reached TGR status, and who are enrolled for less than 8 units in any quarter, cannot be certified by the Office of the Registrar as being in full-time enrollment in that quarter. This may be a factor to consider when enrollment is required for such purposes as insurance, loan deferments, medical coverage, scholarship eligibility, and so on.
International students should consult with Bechtel International Center opens in a new tab prior to requesting part-time enrollment to ensure compliance with visa regulations.
Stanford University recognizes the importance of balancing the family and academic needs of new parents and provides support for graduate students who are anticipating the birth or adoption of a child. Stanford extends this support to parents expecting a baby, to parents who are adopting a child, to parents through surrogacy, and to parents nursing their infants.
Students should review and carefully consider the Childbirth Accommodation Policy. In some cases, depending on the coursework appropriate to the stage of their academic program, part-time enrollment would be appropriate. Part-time enrollment requires careful consultation, in advance, with the students’ advisor, the degree program's student services administrator and, for international students, the Bechtel International Center. The consultation will ensure that the implications for academic progress, visa status, loan eligibility and deferment, etc., have been thoroughly investigated.
After discussion of their academic situation with their advisor and degree program, the parent may choose whether to remain enrolled with or without an Academic Accommodation for Expecting Parents.
When completing the petition for the Academic Accommodation for Expecting Parents, students may request up to two quarters of part-time enrollment. If approved, they will retain all benefits associated with the Accommodation for Expecting Parents Policy.
Approvals of childbirth academic accommodations are made by the Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Education and communicated to the Office of the Registrar. Students with an approved childbirth academic accommodation, who wish to reduce their enrollment during this period, will also need to complete and file the Part-time Enrollment Petition for Graduate Students opens in a new tab.
Graduate students with disabilities covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act may enroll in an approved reduced course load as recommended by the Office of Accessible Education (OAE) opens in a new tab. Students who have been approved by OAE may request this status for multiple quarters.
International students should consult with Bechtel International Center opens in a new tab prior to requesting part-time enrollment to ensure compliance with visa regulations.
The following two graduate programs, designed for working adults, are the only programs permitting part-time enrollment on a regular basis and are not eligible to apply for this status:
The Honors Cooperative Program (HCP), administered through the Stanford Center for Global & Online Education (CGOE)
The Masters of Liberal Arts (M.L.A.) program offered through the School of Humanities and Science.
Registration is required for the term in which a student defends and/or submits a dissertation, or has a degree conferred. Students who meet all the following conditions are eligible to be assessed a special tuition rate for the quarter in which they are receiving a degree:
All coursework and residency requirements for all graduate degree programs, including joint degree programs, have been completed prior to the start of the requested Graduation Quarter.
The student has only to defend and/or submit the dissertation, project, or master's thesis by the deadline for submission in the term designated as the graduation quarter.
The student has formally applied to graduate in Axess.
The student has filed all necessary forms for a graduation quarter before the first day of the applicable quarter.
A student who is returning after reinstatement in which all degree requirements are complete, with the exception of the dissertation defense and/or submission, is eligible to reinstate into a Graduation Quarter status.
Students on graduation quarter are registered at Stanford and, therefore, have the rights and privileges of registered students. Graduation Quarter status may be used only once during a degree program. There is a tuition rate of $150 for the graduation quarter. Students in Graduation Quarter status and enrolled in a course numbered 801 or 802 are certified as enrolled full-time. Students may not enroll in any additional units.
Students should review guidelines and information for requesting special registration statuses on the university website opens in a new tab.
By the Preliminary Study List deadline each quarter, students must be enrolled at either full-time status or enrolled in sufficient units to meet requirements for an approved part-time status.
Undergraduate students are required to take at least 12 units per quarter. Graduate students must take at least 8 units per quarter, but departments and schools may set a higher minimum.
Leaves of Absence can allow a student to take a break from enrollment either before or after a quarter begins. Leaves of absence may not exceed a cumulative total of two years, across both the undergraduate and graduate careers.
Leaves of Absence can allow a student to take a break from enrollment either before or after a quarter begins. Leaves of absence may not exceed a cumulative total of two years.
