All continuing students in good standing and all applicants accepted to the University are eligible to register each semester.
Students are responsible for ensuring that their address and phone number on file with the University are correct and up-to-date. Address changes may be made in-person with the Office of the Registrar, sent via fax to 303-556-3999, or via the Student Hub.
Information on the registration procedure, registration dates, and student responsibilities and obligations related to registration is available via the Student Hub.
Students should review the sections of this catalog that describes in detail the academic programs available at MSU Denver.
The Office of the Registrar will send an e-mail message to the student’s university assigned/official email address, inviting the student to register, which includes registration information and registration time assignments. Registration is permitted by time assignments only. Students may register via the web on or after their assigned time.
MSU Denver offers students a completely online system for planning their schedules and registering for classes. As a student, you are responsible for knowing the deadlines, rules, regulations, course loads, prerequisites, and policies of the University, as well as those of the college or school in which you are enrolled.
Once a student registers for classes, the student remains registered and is held responsible for the fees and grades assessed for these classes unless the student cancels their registration. If a student neither pays for or nor attends these classes, they are still held responsible for the fees and grades assessed. If a student decides not to attend any classes, they must drop all of them (including classes that begin later in the semester) no later than the published deadline (see the Academic Calendar) through the Student Hub.
If a student does not cancel registration or pay fees by the fee payment deadline, the student will remain registered, and will be charged course fees, and assessed a late payment penalty.
Note: Cancellation of courses may have financial aid implications. Students may be required to repay all, or a portion of, any financial aid awarded.
Metropolitan State University of Denver’s Academic Calendar, lists all registration deadline dates for the current catalog year for full term courses and can be found in the front of this catalog and on the Registrar’s website (https://msudenver.edu/events/academic/). The calendar specifies the following: registration, adding and dropping classes, and withdrawals. Students are strongly encouraged to become familiar with this calendar, especially the add/drop dates, and application for graduation Students enrolled in terms other than full-term must check the detailed schedule in the student hub for specific add/drop/ withdraw dates.
Changes in Registration
Enrolled students may adjust their schedules by dropping and/or adding classes. Students must add or drop classes before the drop deadline. Students must follow proper drop or withdrawal procedures in the event that they do not attend a class. Failure to attend class does not constitute withdrawal. Students who do not officially withdraw or drop their classes will be assessed full tuition and fees.
Drop/refund and withdrawal deadlines are located via the Student Hub on the Student Detail Schedule.
Students who reduce their course load after the drop deadline and before the withdrawal deadline will receive a “W” notation for each course they have dropped. Refer to the withdrawal policy in the university catalog under Academic Policies and Procedures .
ALL STUDENTS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL REGISTRATION TRANSACTIONS. Students are also responsible for following all drop deadlines.
Students who wish to take more than 15 semester hours (12 in the summer semester) must have a minimum GPA of 3.00, have approval from the graduate program director, and have approval from the Associate Vice President of Graduate Studies.
The Office of Graduate Studies at Metropolitan State University of Denver recognizes six (6) semester hours during a regular semester (fall, spring and summer) as the minimum full-time course-load. Individual graduate programs may require more.
Emergency Withdrawal
Called to Active Military Duty:
The University will assist any student called to active military service with reasonable accommodations. As a primary point-of-contact, students must work with the Veteran and Military Student Services in order to review all options prior to leaving the University. Depending on when in the semester the student is called to duty, they will have different options, including administrative drop, withdrawal, or incomplete.
Veteran and Military Student Services, Tivoli 215, 303-605-0044, veterans@msudenver.edu.
Other Emergency Withdrawal:
Students who must withdraw during a semester due to unforeseen or extenuating circumstances including state or national emergency should contact the Office of the Registrar. The Office of the Registrar will make the final determination for administrative withdrawal on a case-by-case basis according to the administrative withdrawal policy. Students who request an administrative withdrawal may also request a tuition refund by filing a Tuition and Fees Appeal through the Office of the Bursar.
Office of the Registrar, Student Success Building, Suite 160 (#3), 303-556-3991, Regquery@msudenver.edu.
Office of the Bursar, Student Success Building, Suite 150 (#4), 303-615-0070.
Falsified Transcripts and Diplomas
Altering, modifying, tampering with, or in any way falsifying an official Metropolitan State University of Denver transcript or diploma is a crime. The University has implemented multiple measures to detect such conduct. To protect the integrity and value of an MSU Denver degree, the Attorney General will vigorously prosecute, through the criminal justice system, those who commit these crimes.
In addition, students found responsible for falsifying an official MSU Denver transcript or diploma will face a University judicial hearing and appropriate sanctions may be imposed, including suspension, dismissal, and loss of credit, which could affect the student’s permanent record.
For the purpose of verifying enrollment, a graduate student must be enrolled in at least six (6) credits to be considered “full time” in the fall and spring semesters (with the majority of credit taught in campus). New International or exchange students who being their studies in the summer semester are required to attend full time. A minimum of three (3) credits is required during the summer for international students to be considered full time. This does not change the requirement for international students who have a Graduate Assistantship (GA) to be registered in six (6) credits during Fall and Spring but can maintain their GA without summer registration. In determining whether a student is enrolled full-time, Metropolitan State University of Denver counts all credit hours on the student’s registration form, including courses under audit status, and courses being repeated. In short, nearly every combination of any type of credit hour counts toward the required credit total.
Definition of Full-time and Half-time Status
The following chart outlines the number of semester hours required to meet full-time and half-time status for fall, spring and summer semesters:
Full-Time |
6 or more semester hours |
Half-Time |
3-5 semester hours |
Less than Half-Time |
2 semester hours or less |
Legitimate Academic Interest to Attend a Course
To attend a class, students must have a legitimate academic interest (e.g., be officially registered, waitlisted, auditing a course, enrolled through CU Denver pooled program, etc.). Individuals may not attend a class if they do not have a legitimate academic interest. Officially registered means that students have been accepted for admission by the University, and that the Course Reference Number (CRN) for the class is entered on the student’s registration record. The deadline to register for a full-semester class is the census date, specified on the Academic Calendar . There are pro-rated deadlines for all other courses outside of the full-semester courses.
Military Leave for Students Active or Inactive Duty
Members of the State or National Guard, Reserve, or active United States Military, who are called to active or inactive duty (e.g. drill, annual training) will not be academically penalized for that service. When a military student is notified of being called to duty, the student must notify all instructors and Veteran and Military Student Services.
Students activated may have different options, depending on the time of semester the student is called to duty and length of duty. In consultation with the student’s faculty member, options may include:
- Completion of any missed work without penalty to their grade provided that satisfactory academic progress is being made,
- Drop;
- Withdrawal;
- Administrative Withdrawal; or
- Incomplete.
The student is required to present proof of training schedule, official orders or letter from the service member’s unit to Veteran and Military Student Services. Veteran and Military Student Services will then contact each instructor and obtain the requirements for course completion. The requirements will be sent to the student and kept on file.
Veteran and Military Student Services, Tivoli 215, 303-615-0440, veterans@msudenver.edu.
Official Transcript (Official Academic Record)
The official transcript is a certified copy of the student’s permanent academic record at Metropolitan State University of Denver. It contains the official signature of the Registrar and the official seal of the University.
Students may order official transcripts online through a third party ordering system (https://www.msudenver.edu/registrar/transcripts/).
Preferred Name
MSU Denver is aware that many of its students use a first name other than their legal name. As part of being a welcoming and inclusive campus, MSU Denver will implement changes to increase the use of the preferred first name. However, a student’s legal first name will continue to be necessary in certain records and communications; therefore, both the legal first name and preferred name (if desired) will be stored within primary information systems. A student can add/update a preferred first name in their Student Hub.
Selective Service Registration Certification
As of July 1, 1993, any male student who fails to register for the Selective Service will be ineligible for federal student aid, according to the Military Service Act (Public Law 97-252).
Colorado Revised Statute 23-5-118 (selective service registration prerequisite to enrollment) requires all males between the ages of 18 and 26 to certify that they have registered with Selective Service before enrolling in any state-supported institution in Colorado. Any male who has not registered by his 26th birthday will be ineligible to enroll at the University. A Selective Service registration hold will be placed on the student’s account until the student registers with Selective Service at sss.gov and provides a Selective Service Certification Form to the Office of the Registrar.
Student enrollment status is public information unless you have notified the University that you want it to be treated as confidential (see FERPA). In responding to requests outside the university, Metropolitan State University of Denver will use the following definition in Figure 1. Requests for verification of enrollment status often come from such businesses as employment agencies, insurance companies, and lending agencies. Students may receive a copy of an enrollment request through the student hub (https://msudenver.edu/studenthub/).
Figure 1: Schedule to Determine Graduate Enrollment Status |
Number of Credits (currently enrolled) |
Enrollment Status |
6 or more |
Full-Time |
3-5 |
Half-Time |
2 or less |
Less than half time |
Page Modified June 24, 2022
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