Policies You Need to Know for Registration

All students are assigned to a specific academic year catalog upon enrollment. This catalog provides a set of academic requirements for graduation that students must complete. Berklee reserves the right to change these requirements. In instances where program requirements change, Berklee will communicate such changes to students and, where necessary, provide equivalencies for substitution. Any changes will not affect a student’s ability to complete their requirements within their program’s published length. Students who leave and return to Berklee after five or more years will automatically be assigned to the new catalog year that is in effect at the time of their return. If you have declared a major, your catalog year can be found in the top section of your degree audit.

You may opt to change to a more recent catalog year assignment if you prefer to graduate under a newer set of curricular requirements, but you may not change your catalog year assignment to an earlier catalog. 

The credit by exam (CBX) option is available for many, but not all, majors and courses. Students seeking to obtain CBX for a course should first consult the course chair, who is the final source of determination about all aspects regarding CBX in that particular department. The following limitations apply:

• Courses passed by CBX are not counted as part of a semester’s course load.
• A minimum grade of B must be earned in exam and/or project assignments for CBX to be awarded.
• Courses for which a student received a grade of F or I are not eligible for CBX; in these cases, the policies governing grade change apply.
• Students must complete and submit CBX requirements before the start of the semester. Any schedule changes a student wishes to make as a result of a CBX are subject to the published add/drop deadline.

After registering for courses, students may make adjustments to their course schedule during the add/drop period, which occurs at the beginning of each semester. During this time, students may add or drop courses to their schedule through my.berklee.edu. Please refer to the academic calendar for specific dates and deadlines.

Note: Entering students may not add or drop courses online. They must contact the academic department that manages the course before the add/drop deadline.

After the deadline to drop a course has passed, students may withdraw from a course by submitting a Withdrawal from Courses Form (login required). A withdrawn course will remain on a transcript with a grade of “W” (Withdrawn) and is not eligible for a tuition refund. 

Note: Withdrawn courses are considered attempted courses and, as such, may affect a student’s satisfactory academic progress (SAP). Withdrawn courses are not considered when calculating a student’s GPA. If you receive financial aid, scholarship, or veterans’ benefits, withdrawal from a course(s) may impact your eligibility. If you are an international student, withdrawal from a course(s) may jeopardize your F-1 Visa status. 

Semester course withdrawal deadlines are listed in the academic calendar.

Certain courses are designated as repeatable for credit. These include most instrumental labs, ensembles, non-leveled private instruction, non-leveled ensembles, dance and somatic technique courses, independent study, directed study, special topics courses, and internships. A grade earned in a course that is repeatable for credit cannot be replaced by a grade from a later retaking of the course. All attempted and earned credits in these repeatable courses are factored into the student’s grade point average and satisfactory academic progress. 

Retaking Courses
Students may enroll in non-repeatable courses for a second or subsequent time. The following rules apply: 

• Only the most recent grade in a retaken course will be computed into the cumulative grade point average and the major cumulative grade point average; 
• Only the most recent grade in a retaken course will count as completed credit for satisfactory academic progress (SAP); 
• All retakes of a course will count as attempted credit;
• The grades for all retaken courses will be shown on the student’s transcript; and 
• Only the most recent grade in the retaken course and credits for the retaken course may count towards satisfying any graduation requirements, including the total credits required for graduation.

Certain majors may have additional limitations on which courses, or how many courses, may be retaken. Students are strongly advised to contact the appropriate department chair or program director for further information before repeating any course.

Students are not permitted to audit any course within the curriculum.

All students are required to declare a major field of study by their third-semester credit standing. You have the option to declare up to two minors as well. Each program has specific guidelines for declaring a major, so it is critical that all entrance requirements have been met before submitting a declaration of major form. For more information, including requirements and declaration deadlines by major, see the Declaring a Major/Minor page. 

To stay on track for graduation, it is strongly advised that after meeting the departmental entrance requirements, you submit the declaration of major form at least two weeks before your assigned online registration time during your second semester if you would like to register for courses in your new major. 

To declare, change, or drop your major/minor, you must submit either the Change or Declaration of Major Form or the Change or Declaration of Minor Form. 

English as a Second Language

All degree and diploma students for whom English is a second language and whose entering Berklee English assessment or TOEFL score places them in an ESL course are required to enroll in that course in their first semester. All degree and diploma students must continue to enroll in an ESL course in subsequent semesters until they attain proficiency, as defined as ready to enroll in LENG-111 Writing and Communication. 

LENG-111 Writing and Communication

All degree students are required to enroll in LENG-111 Writing and Communication in their first semester, unless they have received appropriate transfer credit or are enrolled in an ESL course. All degree students who have received transfer credit for LENG-111 will be required to select another liberal arts course for their first semester.

The semester level is determined by the program of study (Bachelor of Music degree or Professional Diploma) and the total number of credits a student has earned. It is not determined by the number of semesters a student has been enrolled. The following is a chart of semester levels with credits earned.

The Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) policy is intended to provide early identification of students requiring additional academic support and governs the eligibility of all students for enrollment and financial aid.

All students are required to consistently meet or exceed the following three SAP standards each semester:

• A cumulative grade point average (CumGPA) of 2.00
• A cumulative credit completion percentage (CumCCP) of 70 percent, calculated by cumulative credit hours completed divided by cumulative credit hours attempted
• The completion of graduation requirements within 150 percent of the published length of the degree or diploma program, e.g., complete the 120-credit degree program within 180 attempted credits

Failure to Meet SAP Standards

Students who fail to meet or exceed any one of the SAP standards for the first time will be placed on suspension warning. Students in suspension warning status are given one additional semester of enrollment and financial aid eligibility to meet SAP standards.

Failure to achieve SAP standards for a second time will result in academic suspension from the college and a loss of financial aid eligibility.

The college’s primary commitment is to full-time study and does not allow for the unrestricted enrollment of part-time students. All students are considered full time and charged the full-time diploma or degree tuition, unless a student meets certain criteria and is authorized to enroll part time by the college.

The maximum credit load within full-time tuition for each program is:

• Bachelor of Music degree program: 16 credits
• Professional Diploma program: 13 credits

Exceeding the maximum credit load will result in an extra credit fee, listed on the Tuition and Related Costs page.

Maximum Extra Credits per Term

Students may register for up to four extra credits each term and will be charged per credit for each extra credit. Degree students may register for a maximum of 20 credits and diploma students may register for a maximum of 17 credits. 

First-semester students and entering transfer students generally may not exceed the registration credit limit of their programs. Students who have demonstrated high academic and/or artistic achievement may request approval to register for more than the maximum number of credits. Students without a declared major should contact their student success advisor; all other students should contact the department chair of their major. 

Part-Time Status

To enroll in fewer than the full-time minimum of 12 credits per semester, students must request official part-time status by the posted deadline—the last day of the check-in period for that semester—to be effective for the same semester. Part-time study is charged on a per-credit basis. Students receiving any financial aid who are requesting part-time status may have their award affected.

• The deadline to request part-time is listed in the academic calendar. Go to the Part-Time Status Request form.

More information regarding full-time and part-time attendance can be found in the Student Policy Handbook. Specific information for international students can be found at Part-Time Enrollment (login required).