Explanation of Terminology

Note: The terminology employed in this section is offered as a guideline to understanding commonly used and often misunderstood words used at the University, and is not to be taken as a definitive lexicon.

By the act of Registration, students accept the responsibility for charges of the entire semester, regardless of attendance in class.
The terms “Enrollment” and “Registration” in the academic context are generally interchangeable; however, “registration” is often viewed in the broader sense of registering for a term, while “enrollment” usually refers to enrolling in a specific class. In spite of this distinction, we certify students’ terms of enrollment as opposed terms of registration.
A Full Term, also known as an Academic Term, refers to the Fall, Winter and Spring-Summer Terms. This should not be confused with Full Time as described below.
A Half Term, also known as a Divided Term, refers only to the Spring Term or the Summer Terms. This should not be confused with Half Time as described below.
A Credit Hour is a measure of the academic weight of a course, which may or may not actually correspond to contact hours or class time, without regard to whether a student will ultimately receive credit for the course.
The “First” Credit Hour includes the Health Services Fee and the Infrastructure Maintenance Fee. This is applicable only with reference to Part Time status (see below).
Each “Additional” Hour does not include either the Health Service Fee or the Infrastructure Maintenance Fee.

“Full Time” tuition rates include both the Health Service Fee and the Infrastructure Maintenance Fee. This is applicable only with reference to Full Time status (see below).

A Full Time load is sometimes called a Full Program. Full Time in an Undergraduate School or College in a full term for tuition purposes is defined as 12-18 credit hours; in a half term it is 6-9 credit hours. Full time in a Graduate School, in a full term for tuition purposes is defined as 9 or more credit hours; in a half term it is 5 credit hours. Full time in Professional Schools varies. This should not be confused with Full Term as described above.
A Part Time load is sometimes called a Reduced Program. Part Time is a credit load less than full time. Part time students are assessed tuition by the credit hour, the first being more expensive than any additional hours, since it contains fees described above.

Undergraduate students taking more than 18 credit hours will likewise be assessed the additional hour rate for each hour over. There is no maximum number of credit hours for Graduate or Professional students for tuition purposes. While part time status may be further defined as ¾ time, half time and less than half time in some contexts, for tuition purposes a student is only full time or part time. Half time should not be confused with Half Term as described above.

Retroactive changes to a student’s academic record may result in retroactive charges to a student’s account.

This may include changes in enrollment, transfer course credit, test credit such as AP, cross-campus transfers, concentration or major declarations late grade postings or any other changes which would have impacted tuition had they occurred on time.

Upper Division tuition is assessed to undergraduate students with 55 or more credits toward program (CTP) as of the beginning of the term.
Lower Division tuition is assessed to undergraduate students with less than 55 CTP as of the beginning of the term.

Students’ academic levels (i.e. sophomore & junior), while generally coinciding with this cut off, do not determine whether they are Upper or Lower Division. The number of terms or years attended likewise has no bearing. Only their CTP is taken into consideration. Credits added late or retroactively, such as Advance Placement, Credit by Exam, Transfer Credit late grades or enrollment status changes in a past term, may affect CTP “as of” the beginning of the term for which they are applied and may result in tuition recalculation for that term.

Non-degree seeking students will be assessed tuition based on their school of enrollment and residency status. Undergraduate non-degree seeking students are assessed Upper Division tuition rates.
Master’s level programs in the graduate schools are assessed tuition at the Pre-candidate rates.
Pre-candidacy refers the Academic Level a doctoral student has prior to being Advanced to Candidacy. They are assessed the same tuition rates as students at the Master’s level.
Candidacy refers the Academic Level a doctoral student attains upon completion of a set of requirements, culminating in the passing of their Preliminary Examinations. Once a student has been Advanced to Candidacy, special tuition rules become effective. See the Graduate Student Handbook for details, especially the sections on Rackham Fee Totals and Augmented Candidacy Enrollment.
Disenrollment is to discontinue formally all studies in a School or College at the University for a given term prior to the beginning of that term.
Term Withdrawal is to discontinue formally all studies in a School or College at the University for a given term once the term has begun. Withdrawing from a term is not the same as withdrawing from a course.
Dropping courses is reducing the credit hour load in a given term before the Drop/Add Deadline. There is no academic or financial penalty.
Withdrawing from courses is reducing the credit hour load in a given term after the Drop/Add Deadline. W grades appear on the academic record and there is no adjustment in tuition.
Residency: Please refer to the Residency Classification Guidelines.

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