5th Course Requests

The Role of the Faculty Advisor

The first person that a student should reach out to is their Faculty Advisor. The Faculty Advisor can help the student assess their actual need for taking 5 courses and discuss some of the implications of the increased course load on their ability to perform up to their personal standard in the remaining 4 courses as well as their ability to engage in important co-curricular activities and opportunities. If the Academic Advisor and student agree that it is academically necessary to take a 5th course and that there are no concerns about negative impacts on the student’s performance in their remaining courses, the next person the student should consult is the instructor of the 5th course that the student is requesting to add.

• The Faculty Advisor should email confirmation of their support to the student. The student will need to upload a pdf of this email into their application to take 5 courses.

The Role of the 5th Course Instructor

The instructor of the 5th course should share with the student whether they think that a student could reasonably succeed in the proposed 5th course given that the student will be taking 4 other courses. It may also prove helpful for the professor to discuss important points in the semester for the student to assess how well they are keeping up with the course material and requirements so the student can make timely adjustments to their schedule if needed. 

• The instructor will need to confirm their approval in an email to the student making the request. The student will need to upload a pdf of this email into their application to take 5 courses.
• The instructor will also need to add an approval in Banner for the course to be added. 

The Role of the Assistant Dean for Student Success 

Once the student has gathered all necessary permissions, they should then submit their request to take a 5th course (link). There are several things that an Assistant Dean for Student Success must take into consideration while evaluating a student’s application to take 5 classes. To be eligible for consideration, students must:

• Be of Sophomore or Junior standing
  • First year students are not eligible (but they can petition the Administration Committee for an exception to this policy. Be advised that permission is rarely granted.)
  • Seniors need only faculty approval for a fifth course, entered in BannerWeb
  • have at least a 3.2 GPA in their two preceding semesters
• Demonstrate that they can handle the increased workload

Students who meet the above criteria will need to submit a Care Form.

Once the decision has been made, students will receive an email with an Approval or Denial of the request.

After students have received this approval, they will be added to the course by the Registrar. It is important students monitor their email for outreach from the Registrar in the event there are barriers to their request.

Students and faculty may email the Center for Student Success if they have any questions about this process. Once again, keep in mind, 5th courses can be added during the add period, which is separate from normal registration. We ask that students wait to submit their request to add a 5th class until after grades for the previous semester have been posted.