Office of the Provost
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Academic Policies

Closed Section Override Policy

  • Issuing Office: Office of the Provost
  • Issued: Fall 2005

Policy Statement

A request for a Closed Section Override is made by a student when a course section has reached its maximum capacity that is, when room, regulatory or pedagogical limits established by the College or School in conjunction with the Office of the Registrar have been met and the course section is closed. Consideration of an override request by the College/School and the Office of the University Registrar must balance the needs of the individual student against the well-being and vitality of the class. The following provides the criteria by which student requests are evaluated as well as the step-by-step process for enacting a course override.

Roles

The Collegiate Advisor/Office of the Dean (hereafter the Advisor) is responsible for evaluating the student request in order to determine whether an override is warranted. Criteria for a Closed Section Override have been established to guide this decision.

The Instructor is responsible to comply with the maximum capacities for the course section established by the Department.

The Department Scheduler is responsible to manage pedagogical, seating, and/or regulatory maximums established by Departments in conjunction with the Office of the University Registrar.

The Office of the University Registrar will ensure that the Criteria for Closed Section Override are being met and will process the request.

Criteria for a Closed Section Override

The following Criteria for a Closed Section Override are to be considered by the Advisor in shaping the decision to advance an override request to the Office of the University Registrar.

  • The student meets all of the course prerequisite, co-requisite and registration restrictions.
  • The student is a graduating senior in their last term and must complete the specified course in order to graduate or,
  • The student is a graduating senior not in their last term of study but needs the specified course as a prerequisite in order not to delay graduation. In order to qualify as a graduating senior, the student must have applied for graduation and have AP status.
  • The student is a student-athlete or an ROTC member and cannot take the open section of the course in question because that section conflicts with required university commitments.
  • The student cannot attend the open section of the course because of access issues due to a disability. The student has such disability documented in the Office of Disability Services.
  • The Advisor has determined that the student requires the course in question in order to meet term-by-term requirements; that is, the course in question is required for the student to stay on track in their program of study.

Procedure

The request for override is evaluated according to the procedure outlined below. Final approval of an override assumes all criteria are met and signatures are obtained.

  • The Advisor determines whether the student meets the Criteria. If the student does not meet the Criteria for Closed Section Override, the Advisor informs the student that the request is denied and works with the student to identify an alternate course that will meet program requirements, particularly if the student is registered for less than 12 credits for the term.
  • If the student meets the Criteria, they must then complete an Add/Drop/Withdraw form, and obtain the instructor's signature for the course.

    The instructor's signature on this form is provided as an indication that the addition of the student will not negatively impact their ability to achieve pedagogical goals for the course and that the seating capacity of the room has not been exceeded.

    Once the instructor's signature is obtained, the student must return the Add/Drop/Withdraw form to their Advisor. The Advisor will advance a Request for Closed Section Override on behalf of the student, signifying that the Advisor has evaluated the appeal on the basis of the established Criteria.
  • The Request for Closed Section Override will be processed by the Office of the University Registrar within one business day following confirmation that the seating and/or regulatory capacity limits are not exceeded.

  • Upon notification from the Office of the University Registrar, the Advisor will contact the student via email to notify them of the outcome of the override request and registration status.