Minimum Registration

Rutgers University requires that all students register every semester, beginning with the semester that they are admitted, and lasting until they graduate or leave the program. Students not wishing to register for formal credits must generally register for a status that Rutgers calls Matriculation Continued, and pay a fee, each semester. Certain students are required to register for larger number of credits.

Students whose enrollment has lapsed may request re-enrollment using the Application for Re-Admission Form.

The Graduate School-New Brunswick has maximal times until degree. These allowed times are sufficient to permit either the MS or PhD degrees to be completed part-time, but significant periods of minimal registration may delay a student past the time allowed by the graduate school.

International students on student visas should check the full Course of Study requirements for all international students and the Reduced Credit Load page.

Students may be required to maintain full-time status in order to remain eligible for university housing, or to defer repayment of some student loans. If you are required to maintain full-time status for these or other reasons, consult with the entity requiring the status for their precise definition of "full time", and with the graduate director.

The university's student health insurance requires that students register for half-time study to be eligible for health insurance. Half-time study is generally demonstrated by registration for at least 6 credits; there is a form for certifying half-time status in some cases in which the student registers for fewer than 6 credits.

Maximal Registration

Students may register for no more than 16 credits per semester. Registration for a number of credits exceeding 16 must be approved by the Graduate School - New Brunswick Administrator for Student Services. Students who are required to take an ESL course are allowed to take up to 19 credits for the semester.