Registration

Four registration options are available to you (procedures for registration vary from program to program):

1. In person in Student Academic Services (SAS). In person registrations must be received in the SAS office by 4:00 p.m. on the day of a registration deadline.
2. Via fax at 206-281-2669. Faxed registrations must be received in the SAS office by 4 p.m. on the day of a registration deadline.
3. Via mail to Student Academic Services, 3307 Third Avenue West, Suite 113, Seattle, Washington 98119. Mailed in registrations must be received in the SAS office by 4 p.m. on the day of a registration deadline.
4. Online via the Banner Information System. The fifth and 10th day online registration deadlines are at 11:59 p.m. the day of the published deadline.

Check with your program's graduate coordinator regarding procedures for registration.

Registration on the Web

SPU offers undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, graduate, and doctoral students the opportunity to register for classes through Banner.

Registration deadlines are published in the University Calendar. Matriculated graduate and doctoral students may register online for courses with regular registration deadlines until 11:59 p.m. on the fifth day of the quarter. There are some select graduate and doctoral level courses that have an extended registration deadlines of the tenth day of the quarter. These courses would include Independent Studies, Master’s Thesis and Dissertation credits. Students have until 11:59 p.m. to register online for courses with an extended registration deadline.

The refund, if there is one, will be determined by the date the withdrawal statement is received.

Changes in registration

Students are permitted to change their registration online until 11:59 p.m. on the fifth day of the quarter. Courses with extended registration deadlines have an online registration deadline of the 10th day of the quarter at 11:59 p.m.to make changes.

The deadline for withdrawing from courses is the seventh week of the quarter. Specific dates for these registration deadlines are listed in the University Calendar. Withdrawals must be submitted to Student Academic Services in writing via the Withdrawing from a Course form after web registration ends. Graduate students do not need permission from their instructors to drop a course within the regular drop period.

Auditing

A person who wishes to attend class but who does not desire credit is an “auditor.” With approval from the instructor, auditors may register to audit most 6000-level courses.

Students may change from audit to credit or vice versa during the quarterly add period published in the University Calendar. Auditors may neither participate in class discussions nor take examinations. If they do daily assignments, the instructor is under no obligation to read or correct them.

Students who are unable to remain at the University because of low grades and new applicants who do not qualify for admission may not register as auditors. A student may receive credit for an audited course only by enrolling in it as a regular student in a subsequent quarter.

Courses that are audited do not count toward financial aid. Tuition rates for auditors will be equal to the regular tuition credit rate for the program in which the course is offered.

Adding classes

Students are permitted to change their registration as long as the change is submitted by the fifth day of the quarter (refer to the University Calendar for specific dates) for courses with regular registration deadlines. Changes to courses with extended registration deadlines of the tenth day of the quarter may be changed up until the published tenth day deadline.

Students may not attend or sit in classes unless officially registered by the fifth day of the quarter. Graduate day and evening classes (classes beginning after 4 p.m.) must adhere to this deadline.

Any class addition after the published registration deadlines will be considered a change of registration and will be subject to a $50 fee; these are handled via a registration petition (PDF).

Waitlisting closed classes

As a graduate student, you have the option of waitlisting, via Banner, any classes that are closed. If a spot opens up for you, Banner will generate an email to your SPU email address with a deadline for you to take action on your registration. Typically, this deadline will be 24 hours; however, it may be extended for breaks.

When Banner emails you, if you still want the spot in the course, you will access your own registration in Banner and add yourself to the course. If you miss your window to register for the course you will need to re-add yourself to the waitlist. When you re-add yourself you will be added to the bottom of the waitlist. With few exceptions, the waitlist works on a first come, first served basis.

The automated process that generates emails to waitlisted students begins running after the scheduled "buffer week" (the week after registration for continuing students) and goes through 4:30 p.m. on the fifth day of the quarter. Refer to the University Calendar for these dates.

If you have questions about the waitlist process, contact Student Academic Services at sasinfo@davidegalliani.com or 206-281-2031.

Independent study

Independent study agreements are courses in which you do specific work independently with the instructor, as outlined in the official independent study agreement. Work for an independent study occurs outside the classroom setting.

An independent study should be created only when a needed class is not available for a particular quarter, or when your schedule cannot accommodate a course.

Independent studies can be created in situations when you wish to study a topic not covered in an actual course in the SPU Graduate Catalog. A student should not attend a class being offered and use that as part of independent study credits.

Only matriculated students at SPU may register for “independent study.” You must complete the form and have it signed by your instructor, and the dean or department chair. You and your instructor then must meet on a regular basis for the number of consultations noted in the agreement.

Registration for an independent study must be submitted to SAS no later than the 10th day of the quarter (see the University Calendar for specific dates). SAS will create the course as noted on the agreement. Copies of the agreement will be forwarded to you and the instructor.

Non-matriculated students

A student who is not seeking a degree at Seattle Pacific, but who wishes to take courses may be able to do so as a non-matriculated student. Below are policy issues surrounding this type of student status:

• There is no application fee to become non-matriculated.
• The maximum credit load per quarter is 20 credits.
• No more than 9 such credits may be applied to a graduate degree — although some graduate degrees differ in maximum credit amount.
• If a student decides to pursue a degree or certificate program at SPU, he or she is required to go through the normal admissions process.

To register as a non-matriculated student, complete the Registration Form for Non-Matriculated Students (PDF) and submit to Student Academic Services (SAS) to be processed.

This form asks for directory information, the student’s social security number, date of birth, requested courses and the student’s signature. It is important to indicate all current contact information so that the student may receive information from SPU departments. The University will review the completed form to determine whether the individual will be permitted to take courses as a non-matriculated student.

Course offerings can be found in the Time Schedule. Students should note that some courses may not be available to non-matriculated students and/or that some courses may have registration restrictions attached. In either case, the student would need to request special permission from the appropriate department.

One disadvantage for non-matriculated students is that registration does not begin until all matriculated students have had a chance to register. See the University Calendar for specific dates for each quarter. For Autumn Quarter, non-matriculated students can begin registering on September 1 or the first business day in September.

Other things to consider

• Non-matriculated students are not eligible to receive financial aid and will pay regular tuition for courses on a per-credit basis.
• Veterans may not be able to receive benefits through the G.I. Bill.
• Non-matriculated students may not be allowed to take the same course more than once.
• Non-matriculated students must comply with all of the expectations, policies and procedures applicable to matriculated graduate students.
• Non-matriculated students are not eligible to participate in clubs or student government organizations.
• Non-matriculated international students who are non-native English speakers* are required to submit an acceptable official English proficiency test score to Student Academic Services, and must pay for their courses at the point of registration.

*SPU considers an international student to be a native English speaker if both their primary and secondary education took place in Australia, Canada (other than Quebec), Great Britain, Ireland, New Zealand, or the U.S. (other than Puerto Rico).