Most graduate students register at the Graduate School. Graduate students initiate registration procedures with their advisor or the Graduate Coordinator of their department or program, and bring, mail, or fax registration forms, signed by the advisor, to the Graduate School. New students are urged to register as early as possible prior to the start of the semester. All continuing students should pre-register. A late fee is charged to students not paying their tuition and fees on or before the date designated each semester by the Office of Student Records.

Graduate assistants must maintain full-time registration status (usually six or more degree hours per semester) while they hold an assistantship, and they may not register for more than 12 credit hours in one semester. Recipients of some fellowships and scholarships are required to register for nine degree hours each semester. Students holding assistantships in the summer must register for at least one graduate credit hour to be considered full-time. Students must also be registered in the semester in which they graduate.

Add-and-Drop: Beginning on the first day of classes each semester, there is a five-day period during which a student can add or drop a course, change divisions of a course, or change credit status. Courses can be dropped only during the official add-and-drop period. Consult the Graduate School for registration and add-and-drop procedures. Failure to properly drop a course may result in tuition charges.

Continuous Enrollment: Continuous enrollment means every graduate student admitted for full-time study is required to register each fall and spring semester for at least 6 credit hours except as noted in the General Policies and Regulations of the Graduate School. Full-time students must register each semester from the time of the first enrollment in the Graduate School until the completion of all requirements for the graduate degree, including filing the thesis or dissertation and passing the final oral examination.

A graduate student who has been admitted on a part-time basis is required to enroll and register at least once every 12 months from the time of first registration in the Graduate School until the completion of all requirements for the graduate degree.

Course work included in a student's program of study taken at a campus other than The University of Maine may satisfy the continuous enrollment requirement provided the student's University of Maine advisor and the Graduate School have approved the registration in advance and in writing.

A student who fails to maintain continuous enrollment is considered inactive and must apply for readmission to the Graduate School in order to resume work on a graduate degree.

Summer Session: The University offers the opportunity to pursue graduate studies during the summer. Although many graduate-level courses are offered during the summer session, the University does not guarantee that any particular course will be offered. Details regarding courses offered may be found in the Summer Session Bulletin, which may be obtained from the Graduate School.

The availability of individual faculty members to supervise research or to participate in final oral examinations during the summer session varies. Graduate students should determine, in advance, whether the members of their advisory committee will be available during a particular summer session.

CED Registration: All graduate students registering for CED (Continuing Education Division) courses must have been admitted to a graduate program or must have non-degree graduate student status. CED students must process their registration through the Graduate School. This is especially important for new CED graduate students in order to keep their records correct from the beginning of their programs.

600-Level Courses: Enrollment in 600-level courses is limited to graduate students admitted to a degree program or who have received a non-degree admission, or to a student from another recognized school who has been admitted as a visiting graduate student. The instructor is normally the final authority in judging a student's qualifications to take a particular course.

Additional information on On-Leave and Extramural and Away Registration can be obtained from the Graduate School.