Registration Procedures

In order for a student to register, they must be admitted to Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) or be a continuing student. A continuing student is defined as someone that has been registered in at least one of the preceding three terms. A student that is not enrolled for three consecutive terms must re-apply for admission.

A student must meet the published prerequisite and co-requisite requirements for each course in which they wish to register. Any requisites are found in the course listing in the University Calendar.

How to Register

Students can add, drop or change courses via online Registration. Students are responsible for their registration and must review their registration activity for accuracy and completeness. Please note, some students may not be able to access online registration due to their program of study. Detailed instructions about how to register, dates and deadlines for registration, the academic timetable and more are available in the Registration information webpages.

Registration Dates & Times

Students are given a date and time when they are eligible to register; this date will fall in the formal registration period for the term. On or after the assigned registration date and time, students may register online. Detailed instructions can be found in the Registration Date and Time section of the Registration information webpages. The assignment of registration dates and times to students is governed by Policy AR10, Priority and Scheduling of Registration.

Registration Deadlines

Students must register according to the dates published in the Dates and Deadlines section of the Registration information webpages. Registration continues during the Add/Drop Period at the start of each term until the Add/Drop Deadline. Switching sections and/or courses is not permitted after the Add/Drop Deadline without obtaining the necessary approval by submitting a completed and signed Request for Permission to Register form. Attending a course does not constitute registration and is not a basis for approval of late registration. Students must be registered in a course to receive a grade.

Course Selection

Students should consult the University Calendar, along with KPU's graduation auditing system - My Action Plan (MAP), in order to plan their courses and ensure they are on track to graduate. Students should select courses based on their program requirements, academic goals, and interest in the subject matter. Students must ensure they meet all requisites for the courses in which they register. Based on the published timetable, students should choose course sections that do not conflict. For further academic information or assistance, current students should contact Academic Advising.

Prerequisites & Co-requisites

Students must meet the published prerequisite and co-requisite requirements for each course in order to register. A prerequisite course that is in progress within the current term will be recognized for registration in the following term provided the requisite grade is achieved when final grades are awarded. De-registration will occur in any circumstance where a student is registered in a course without meeting prerequisites or co-requisites.

Unless otherwise stated, the minimum letter grade necessary to meet a requisite is a 'C'.

Waitlists

Most undergraduate courses offer the ability for students to place themselves on a course waitlist when a section is full. Students may place themselves on waitlists for more than one course but they may not be listed on multiple waitlists for the same course. Likewise a student may not be registered in a course and be on the waitlist of a different section of the same course.

Since seat offers for waitlisted courses are made through email notification to the KPU email account, students are responsible for checking their KPU email frequently. The time duration for taking up a seat offer is short and the offer must be acted upon quickly. More information and FAQs can be found in the Waitlisting section of the Registration information webpages.

Course Load

A full course load is normally five, 3-credit courses or a total of 15 credits per term, although some programs require a higher number. Except for those students enrolled in a program that specifically requires a higher number of credits, students are restricted from registering in courses totaling more than 17.5 credits per term.

A request to exceed this limit and enrol with a course credit overload may be made using the form Request to Register with a Course Credit Overload. Students requesting a course credit overload must have completed at least one term with a minimum of five courses, totaling at least 15 credits, with a minimum Term GPA of 3.00. In addition, they must have a minimum Institutional CGPA of 3.00. A course credit overload will not normally be considered for a student in their first term at KPU.

Part-time Status, Full-time Status

A student who is enrolled in 9 or more credit hours is considered to be a full-time student. A student who is enrolled in fewer than 9 credit hours is considered to be a part-time student. Note: the minimum full-time course load for students in receipt of government student loan may be higher than 9 credit hours in some cases. Please contact Student Awards and Financial Assistance (SAFA) for more information.

Repeating a Course

Normally a student may register for the same course (in either credit or audit status) a maximum of two times (some exceptions apply). This policy applies to all registrations, whether the course was successfully completed or not. A student who withdraws will be considered to have registered if the withdrawal occurs during the period when a grade of W is assigned. In the case of a repeated course, the grade used in computing Grade Point Average (GPA) will be the highest grade received. The grades for all attempts will remain on the student's permanent academic record and will appear on their transcript. Students who attempt to register for a course a third time (or more) without prior approval, will be blocked by the online registration system. The student retains the right to apply for special consideration or exemption from the policy by submitting a Request to Repeat a Course.

Auditing a Course

A student who wishes to take a course but does not wish to do so for credit may request to audit the course. An auditor is expected to attend class but does not participate in the evaluation process. To audit a course, a student must be currently eligible to enrol. Priority is given to credit students, so students are not permitted to register for a course and then change to audit status. Students will be permitted to request audit enrolment only during the Add/Drop Period. The tuition fee for auditing a course is the same as that for a student taking the course for credit. Contact Student Enrolment Services for a request to audit the course.

Guided Study

Guided study refers to the offering of a course using a mode of instruction other than classroom instruction or distributed learning. In general, this will primarily involve self-study by the student with periodic guidance from an instructor. Guided study is not to be construed as instruction by correspondence or distance education.

Only courses listed in the KPU University Calendar may be offered by guided study and the goals and objectives of the course must be adhered to. A course will not be offered by guided study if it is currently being offered. Courses that involve work experience or substantial laboratory work will not be offered by guided study. Similarly, courses that depend heavily on student-instructor interaction will not be offered by guided study.

To be eligible to enroll in a course offered by guided study, a student must normally meet the following criteria:

• have successfully completed or transferred a minimum of four (4) courses totaling a minimum of twelve term credit hours at/to KPU
• have achieved a minimum Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 3.00
• be currently enrolled in at least one course at KPU

Enrollment in a course taught by guided study must not result in the student exceeding the normal academic workload for her or his program.

The tuition and other fees for a course taught by guided study are the same as those charged for a course taught by classroom instruction. Because of the particular fee arrangements for the instructor's services, no refund will be issued after the course has begun. For more details, see Policy AC2, Guided Study.

Registration Changes

In the event that a student no longer wants to be registered in a course or program, the change to their registration may take different forms. The different forms of action depend mainly on the timing of the change within the term/instructional cycle, and are explained below.

Non-attendance in a course does not constitute drop/withdrawal, or grounds for tuition and fee refund. A student is considered registered in a course until they have officially dropped/withdrawn. Students may drop/withdraw themselves from a course via online Registration. A student who stops attending class, but does not withdraw by the deadline, will be assigned a grade based on the work completed in the course.

Dropping a Course

Prior to the first day of classes, a student may adjust their course enrolment (i.e., de-register from a course) without financial or academic penalty, as per Policy and Procedures FM8, Student Tuition and Fees. Dropping a waitlisted course incurs no financial penalty.

The Add/Drop Period is defined as a period at the beginning of each term/instructional cycle during which students may adjust their course enrolment by adding or dropping courses. See the Dates and Deadlines section of the Registration information webpages for up-to-date information. If a student drops a course during the Add/Drop Period there is no academic penalty and there is no record of the course on the transcript. However, the student is subject to a financial penalty of 30% of tuition owed, as per Policy and Procedures FM8, Student Tuition and Fees.

Withdrawing from a Course

After the end of the Add/Drop Period of the registration cycle, a student registered in a course may withdraw without academic penalty up until the established withdrawal deadline for the term/instructional cycle. The exact deadline in each term/instructional cycle for withdrawing from a course is published in the Academic Schedule of the University Calendar, as well as in the Dates and Deadlines section of the Registration information webpages. A student must officially withdraw from a course by the published deadline. If a student withdraws after the Add/Drop Deadline and before the withdrawal deadline, the course will appear on the student's official transcript with a grade of 'W'. If a final grade has been entered for a course, the option to withdraw is no longer available.

A recipient of student loans should confirm whether their status will be affected before withdrawing from a course. Normally, to be eligible for a student loan, a student must be enrolled in at least 60% of a full course load for their given program. Please contact Student Awards and Financial Assistance (SAFA) for more information.

Non-Term Based Programs

A student that is registered and wants to withdraw from a fixed-term offering must inform Student Enrolment Services. A student registered in a course may withdraw without academic penalty up until the established withdrawal deadline for the term/instructional cycle. The exact deadline in each term/instructional cycle for withdrawing from a course is published in the Dates and Deadlines section of the Registration information webpages. If a final grade has been entered for a course, the option to withdraw is no longer available.

Withdrawal under Extenuating Circumstances

KPU believes that students should be provided with an opportunity to voluntarily withdraw from courses during an initial period of engagement within the study period. At the same time, KPU recognizes that students may encounter extenuating circumstances beyond their control following a voluntary withdrawal period that necessitate a withdrawal from studies.

Students may voluntarily withdraw from a course prior to the withdrawal deadline for a term/instructional cycle and receive a grade of ‘W’ on their record that is GPA neutral. The deadline in each semester for voluntary withdrawal from a course is published in the Academic Schedule of the University Calendar. Students are expected to voluntarily withdraw themselves online if seeking a course withdrawal for any reason prior to the withdrawal deadline for the term. Requests for course withdrawal will not be accepted prior to the withdrawal deadline for the term since students have the ability to withdraw themselves up until this date.

After the voluntary withdrawal deadline for the term, students may submit a Request for Course Withdrawal Under Extenuating Circumstances form to request a grade of 'WE' on their record that is GPA neutral. The policy and procedures for withdrawal under extenuating circumstances are outlined in ST13, Course Withdrawal. KPU believes that students should not face an academic penalty when dealing with legitimate, unexpected and extenuating life circumstances during a portion of the study period where voluntary course withdrawal deadlines have passed. KPU is prepared to help students where these circumstances pose a serious threat to their academic obligations. At the same time, KPU must balance this commitment so as to ensure that students facing similar circumstances, but who continue their studies, are not disadvantaged. Withdrawal from studies for extenuating circumstances is not intended to address poor academic performance. Approval of a course withdrawal does not result in a tuition adjustment.

Cancelled Courses

In the event that a course is cancelled, students will be notified to their KPU student email address, and will receive a full tuition reversal for the cancelled course.