Classification of Graduate Students

Regular Admission

An applicant who has been determined by the coordinator of the program to have met all requirements for admission to a degree program as described in the degree program section of the catalog may be admitted as a regular graduate student.

In no instance will more than a total of 12 semester hours from any other classification(s) be applied toward a degree program.

Regular Admission to the Georgia College Graduate Program includes Admission to Candidacy. The admission to candidacy includes a program of study that serves as a mutual agreement between the student applicant and Georgia College. This agreement (program of study) must be followed and cannot be changed without the prior written approval of the coordinator of the student’s graduate program. A program of study form will be forwarded to each student upon admission. A student will not be able to register for more than 12 semester hours until they complete a program of study form.

Conditional Admission

Applicants who apply too late for full consideration for admission and/or have not submitted all required documents for evaluation may be assigned conditional admission status. While in this status a student may register for one semester only by completing a Georgia College Conditional Registration Agreement for Graduate Students; this form requires the signatures of both the student and the graduate coordinator. Any student who registers under this agreement must be admitted to either regular or provisional status by the end of the first semester of enrollment. Students may take no more than 12 semester hours of course work in conditional and provisional statuses combined. The amount of credit that may be applied towards the completion of a degree program varies. Check with the graduate coordinator of the degree program for more information.

Students are not eligible to receive financial aid under conditional admission.

Provisional and conditional students who are able to remove the condition that caused them to be designated as provisional or conditional may be eligible for assignment to another classification. A maximum of 12 semester hours earned in this classification can be applied toward meeting the requirements of a degree program. This maximum will be reduced according to the number of hours a student has earned in non-degree or transient categories.

For example, a student who has earned 12 semester hours of credit while in the enrichment category is not eligible to apply any of the hours earned as a provisional student toward a degree program. In no instances will more than a total of 12 semester hours from any one or a combination of provisional, conditional, non-degree or transient designations be counted toward a degree program.

Conditional registration provisions may vary by degree program. Please refer to degree program sections of the Catalog for individual program requirements.

Provisional Admission

Students who have completed all requirements for admission but do not meet minimum standards for regular admission, may be placed in the provisional admission classification by the graduate coordinator in the student’s degree program. Students may take no more than 12 semester hours of coursework in conditional and provisional status combined. The Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and the J. Whitney Bunting College of Business and Technology do not allow provisional admission.

To exit provisional admission and to be classified as a regular student, all admission criteria as described in the provisional admission exit requirements section of each program must be satisfied and approved by the degree program coordinator. Students are usually reviewed for a change in classification after successfully completing 9 to 12 hours of coursework.