Policies, Procedures and Guidelines | SUNY Empire State College

Graduate Enrollment in Undergraduate Courses Policy

Sponsor:	School for Graduate Studies and School of Nursing and Allied Health
Contact:	Graduate Student and Academic Services
Category:	Graduate Studies
Number:	800.
Effective Date:	01/01/2023
Implementation History:
Keywords:	Financial Aid, Graduate, Start term, undergraduate
Background Information:	This is a new policy request.

Purpose

Provides for graduate enrollment in undergraduate courses with explicit controls for such enrollment and the use of the credit.

Definitions

Graduate-level course: A course with a number that ranges from 5000 to 8999.
Graduate program: An advanced certificate, master’s degree, certificate of advanced study or doctoral degree.
Start term: The first academic term for which a student’s acceptance into a graduate program is valid.
Undergraduate-level course: A course with a number that ranges from 1000 to 4999.

Statements

If a student admitted to a graduate program finds that they need to complete an undergraduate-level course to fulfil a prerequisite or deficiency requirement, or to build academic skills, the student should complete the course before the start term of the graduate program as a nonmatriculated undergraduate student.

If a matriculated graduate student wants to enroll in an undergraduate-level course after the start term of the graduate program, the student should discuss this with their academic advisor. Permission is granted by the academic advisor. If permission is given for a graduate student to enroll in an undergraduate-level course, the following applies:

Undergraduate-level courses cannot be used to meet the requirements of a graduate program.
Graduate students who enroll in undergraduate-level courses are charged the graduate tuition/fee rate for those courses.
Financial aid awarded for a graduate program cannot be used to pay for undergraduate-level courses.
Undergraduate-level courses cannot be used to meet the enrollment requirements to maintain active status.
Undergraduate-level courses are excluded from the graduate GPA calculation.

If a nonmatriculated graduate student wants to enroll in an undergraduate-level course, the student should apply to be a nonmatriculated undergraduate student.