University Registration

University registration is the official recognition of a student’s relationship with the University and is the basic authorization for a student’s access to campus resources. Completion of registration is essential to enable the University to plan for and provide education and services, guided by the highest standards for safety and efficiency. The University assumes certain legal responsibilities for persons who participate as students in the University environment. As a result, specific requirements must be met in order to become a registered student.

All students must be registered, including those studying off-campus or in absentia. To become a registered student at Cornell University, a person must:

• settle all financial accounts, including current semester tuition

• satisfy New York State and University health requirements

• have no registration holds from their college, Cornell Health, or the Bursar.

Students who are reinstated after being withdrawn will be assessed a $500 late fee. Enrollment in courses does not constitute or imply University registration.

Failure to register:

Students who fail to become registered will be withdrawn from the University. Students withdrawn for non-registration will be dropped from classes, and services such as library access, housing, dining, door access, Blackboard, and bus service will be terminated. The University reserves the right to require unauthorized, non-registered persons to leave the University premises. The University does not permit retroactive registration. Courses and grades for students who have been withdrawn due to non-registration will not appear on official transcripts.

Leaves and Withdrawals

Students wishing to take a leave from their college are required to apply for a voluntary Leave of Absence (LOA) with an expected return date in a future semester. Medical leaves are granted by the student’s college upon recommendation by Cornell Health. Students on a LOA may not enroll in any courses offered by the University. Students on a LOA are not eligible services such as housing, dining, library and transportation services. For purposes of enrollment reporting, University LOAs are treated as withdrawals.

A college may place a student on leave of absence or withdraw a student who fails to meet the academic expectations of the college.  A college may withdraw a student who fails to return at the end of a period of authorized leave.  Students may withdraw from the University at their own discretion.

Unofficial withdrawals:

When a student ceases to participate in a course, but has not provided official notification of withdrawal, the student shall be considered unofficially withdrawn.  Additionally, due to regulatory requirements, the Office of Financial Aid may consider students to be unofficially withdrawn if students do not receive a passing grade for any of the courses they attempted in a term.

If students are unofficially withdrawn, any financial aid the student receives may be adjusted according to federal and state regulations and institutional policy.

Causes of unofficial withdrawals:

• Students enroll in but do not attend classes, which may result in failing grades of (U, UX or F) and outstanding tuition charges.
• Students drop all enrolled classes within a term and fail to notify their college.
• Students do not enroll for one or more terms and lose automatic registration eligibility.
• Students earn non-passing grades for all courses within a term.

Important information for financial aid applicants considering a leave or withdrawal:

Students attending Cornell University who are receiving federal Title IV financial aid (e.g., federal Stafford or PLUS; Pell or FSEOG) are required to return the portion of unearned federal aid if they withdraw, go on leave of absence, do not register, or otherwise fail to complete the period of enrollment for which the Title IV aid was provided. For federal aid purposes, a student is considered to have withdrawn from Cornell when a student ceases to be enrolled for any reason – required by the college, requested by the student, medical reasons, etc. Please note, Cornell University does not process Title IV Leaves of Absence.

For more information, refer to the Financial Aid website: http://www.finaid.cornell.edu/policies.