Non-Degree Admission

Admission as a Non-Degree Graduate Student

Non-degree status is principally for those who do not expect to work toward an advanced degree at the university. Any person who has an earned bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution and is in good standing at the last university attended may be admitted as a non-degree graduate student. Application may be made at the time of registration. In the application, non-degree applicants certify that they possess a bachelor’s degree and are in good standing at the last university attended. They are required to have an official copy of the transcript showing the award of the bachelor’s degree sent to the Registrar’s Office before the end of the first semester of registration.

Credits earned as a non-degree graduate student will require the same quality and amount of work as similar credits earned in advanced standing status, provisional, and regular graduate status. Up to 12 graduate semester credits earned as a non-degree graduate may be applied toward a master’s degree, on the conditions that the student was eligible for regular status at the time the courses were taken, the courses were acceptable to the discipline, and the approval of the chief academic officer, Office of Graduate Studies, is obtained. A petition to apply non-degree credits toward a degree will be accepted only after the student has been admitted into a graduate program.
Non-degree students may not take a graduate course unless they would be eligible for that course as regular or provisional graduate students.

Non-degree students are not eligible for financial assistance. Students in a licensure track may be eligible for loans. Please consult with the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships for information pertaining to eligibility and application procedures.

Non-degree admission is available to anyone who meets the following guidelines:

• Undergraduate – Must be at least 18 years of age
• Graduate – Must possess a bachelor’s degree
• Non-degree admission allows a student to enroll in classes indefinitely. However, students wishing to use these classes toward completion of degree requirements must follow policy and procedures that govern the use of these classes toward attaining such degree.
• If a student’s intent is to pursue a degree, it is the responsibility of each student to ensure that classes taken in non-degree status will be acceptable toward that degree.
• At the graduate level, students wishing to enroll in non-degree status must contact the discipline where classes reside to obtain permission to take classes.
• Early registration offers expedient enrollment through non-degree status. Non-degree admission does not ensure admission in degree-seeking status. Thus, the student must assume responsibility for requirements of and understand the limitations set forth by this type of enrollment.
• Approval of undergraduate credits for use in obtaining a bachelor’s degree may be determined by limitations set forth by specific catalogs and the discipline(s) involved.
• Graduate policy states that "up to 12 semester credits earned as a non-degree graduate may be applied toward a master’s degree . . . ." (Graduate Catalog, p. 4) A student who has completed more than 12 credits in this status and is admitted to a master’s program must petition for approval to use these credits toward their master’s program. An "Academic Petition for Graduate Students" must be filed with the Office of Graduate Studies.

Non-Degree Information | Degree Completion Programs

CENTERS : Farmington | Rio Rancho | Roswell | Santa Fe | EspaÑola

DISTANCE EDUCATION SITES | STATEWIDE CENTERS
VIDEO CONFERENCING | WEB CT