Institute for the Psychological Sciences

Enrollment Status

Students attending the Institute enroll in one of four categories:

• Full-time Study: Full-time students must be admitted to the M.S. in Clinical Psychology, M.S. in General Psychology, or Psy.D. Degree program. A student in either M.S. degree program is considered full-time if a minimum of nine (9) credit hours of coursework is taken per semester. A Psy.D. degree program student is considered full-time if the student is: a.) enrolled in a minimum of nine (9) credit hours per semester; b.) enrolled in a minimum of six (6) credit hours and is enrolled in a practicum/externship; c.) actively working on a dissertation (i.e., enrolled for dissertation credit hours); or d.) engaged in a pre-doctoral internship.

• Part-time Study: Part-time students must be admitted to the M.S. in Clinical Psychology, M.S. in General Psychology, or Psy.D. Degree program. A student in either M.S. degree program is considered part-time if enrolled for eight (8) or fewer credit hours per semester. A Psy.D. degree program student is considered part-time if enrolled for coursework or a/an practicum/externship at the Institute, but does not meet the criteria for full-time study.

• Course-for-Credit : Students can take certain Master-level courses offered by the Institute as long as they have an appropriate Baccalaureate degree. Any person wishing to register on a course-for-credit basis must submit a completed application and pay the required application fee; interviews are not required, but the application is reviewed and approved by the Chair of the Department. Students receiving permission to take courses-for-credit are not admitted nor guaranteed admission to a degree program. Permission is subject to limitation of class size, with a priority given to degree candidates, and pre-requisites. In addition, only the following courses are eligible to be taken by non-degree program students (unless special permission is received from the Department Chairman and Academic Dean): PSY 500, PHT 502, PSY 503, PSY 504, PHT 533, PSY 605, PHT 614, and PHT 619. For more information regarding Course-for-Credit, click here.

• Auditor: Students can audit a Masters-level course offered by the Institute as long as they have an appropriate Baccalaureate degree. See section entitled Auditing Courses for additional information about the courses available for audit and related policies. For more information regarding Auditing a course, click here .

Current and incoming students who would like more information on transferring credits, click here.

Change in Enrollment Status

There are three types of changes in a student’s enrollment status:

1)      Full-time to Part-time

2)      Leave of Absence

3)      Withdrawal

Full-time to Part-time

If a reduced course load changes a student’s enrollment status from full-time to part-time, it is the student’s responsibility to recognize the possible consequences (i.e. potential reduction of financial aid awards, SEVIS status, degree completion time, etc.) and take necessary action with the corresponding office (Financial Aid , International Student Coordinator, Registrar, etc.). Students who withdraw from the Institute using the Institute’s withdrawal procedure or reduce the number of credit hours using the Institute’s course changes procedure during the fall or spring semester are allowed a return of tuition and refundable fees according to the official schedule.

Leave of Absence

Should a student enrolled in a degree program of the Institute find it necessary to interrupt active pursuit of their degree, he or she should discuss the need for a leave of absence with their academic advisor and must petition the Dean in writing. Generally, a leave of absence is granted for good cause, and for a minimum of one academic semester, and limited to one academic year. Requests will be considered prior to the beginning of an academic semester. For any request made during the academic semester, the grade assigned will follow the Institute’s withdrawal policy.

The right to make use of the Institute’s facilities is suspended while the leave of absence is in effect. The student who discontinues active enrollment in courses without being granted a leave of absence, or a student granted a leave of absence who does not return to active enrollment in courses at the close of the approved period of time will be considered withdrawn, must apply for re-admission to the degree program, subject to the regulations and requirements then in force. In such cases, acceptance into the program is not guaranteed, and any courses taken prior to the interruption of enrollment may not count toward graduation if they were not completed within the time allowed for degree completion.

While Institute policy may allow students a leave of absence of up to one calendar year, students who take advantage of this policy may be required to begin repayment of Title IV federal loans. Students who are participating in Title IV federal financial aid programs may be granted a leave of absence of up to 180 days in a calendar year without entering repayment. Therefore, students receiving federal financial aid are required to receive counseling from the Financial Aid Office prior to being granted a leave of absence.

Withdrawal from the Institute

A withdrawal from the Institute is defined as dropping all registered courses or failure to enroll each semester prior to completing all requirements for graduation.

To withdraw from the Institute at any time other than the close of the semester, students are required to consult their academic advisor and the Financial Aid Officer, complete the Institute’s withdrawal procedure, and obtain written notification of withdrawal to be considered withdrawn. Discontinuation of class attendance or notification to an instructor of withdrawal does not constitute an official withdrawal from the Institute.

Any student who withdraws from the Institute will be assigned a Withdrawal (W), Withdrawal Passing (WP), or Withdrawal Failing (WF) as stated in the Institute’s Course Change policy. Refunds will be made in accordance with the Institute’s Refund policy.

A student who withdraws from the Institute and wishes to continue course work at the Institute must reapply for admission following all applicable procedures required and pay the appropriate re-application fees. In instances where the Institute’s Withdrawal procedure is not completed, students will be responsible for the full payment of their accounts.