Academic Advising and Registration

Advising

Minimum and Maximum Credits Limits

Full Time enrolled students may take thirteen (13) to sixteen (16) credits per semester.

Part time enrolled students may take eight (8) to twelve (12) credits per semester.

Students may take up to 8 credits per summer term.

With permission of the Associate Dean for Academics, students may request to take an excess credit load of one (1) additional credit over the full time maximum, for a total semester enrollment of seventeen (17) credits.  No student may be permitted to enroll in more than seventeen (17) credits in a semester.

With permission of the Associate Dean for Academics, students may request to take a reduced course load from the standard curriculum plan, due to exceptional circumstances. A review of the impact on the timeline to graduation is required before approval.

Online Credits Limit

A maximum of twenty-eight (28) credits of online coursework may be counted toward the J.D. degree, with no more than ten (10) credits in the first year required courses.

Non-Classroom Credits Limit

Students may earn up to twenty-two (22) credit hours through externships and Co-Curricular Activities for Credit (journal, moot court and trial competition teams). Within the twenty-two (22) credits, students are allowed a maximum of eighteen (18) credits through externships.

Auditing Courses

Students who wish to audit a specific course for no credit may do so by seeking permissions of the instructor and the Associate Dean for Academics. Students must then follow established registration procedures, clearly stating which courses they wish to audit. Course auditors pay the same tuition as non-auditors and may participate fully in classroom activities. They are not required to take examinations or complete class assignments. Course auditors receive a grade of “AU” (audit) that will be reflected on the transcript but that will not affect grade point average (G.P.A.) and will not be counted towards the degree. Students may not attend courses unless they are enrolled for credit or audit.

Repeating Courses

If a student receives a grade below (C-) in a required course, the student must retake the course to graduate. Both the failing grade and the grade from the retake will appear on the student’s transcript, and both grades will be factored into the student’s cumulative grade point average (G.P.A.). The highest-grade attempt will be used towards any and all graduation requirements, while lower grade(s) will be excluded in the graduation requirements review.  This means students repeating courses with grades of D+, D, and D- in required courses will graduate with more than 86 cumulative credits on their transcript.

Students may not retake any course in which they have already received the minimum passing grade unless required to do so as part of a reinstatement or readmission decision.

Enrollment - Add, Drop, Withdraw

Students will be administratively enrolled for all required core courses, except for courses taken in the third year for full-time students and fourth year for part-time students. Information about self-registration will be distributed to students when appropriate.

Students who self-register will do so online via myWilmU during the prescribed registration period. Registration materials will be posted online in advance. Students will be permitted to add and drop self-registered courses on myWilmU from the time registration opens for the term through the first week of the semester. No credits may be added following the end of the first week of the semester.

Students who wish to drop or withdraw from a required core course must make a written request to the Associate Dean for Academics, and permission will be granted only upon a showing of extraordinary circumstances.

Dropping a course following the first week of the semester is considered a course withdrawal and requires the permission of the Associate Dean for Academics. A grade of “W” will be recorded on the transcript, except in extraordinary circumstances and with the approval of the Associate Dean for Academics. No withdrawals are permitted after the last day of classes in the term, except in extraordinary circumstances and with the approval of the Associate Dean for Academics. If the student does not notify the Associate Dean for Academics of their intent to withdraw in writing by the last day of classes in a term, a failing grade will be entered for every course in which the student has not completed all course requirements.

Students who withdraw from courses may be liable for all the tuition and fees for those courses, in accordance with Wilmington University’s tuition refund and credit policy and must comply with all financial aid rules with respect to any loan monies they may have received. Students should be aware that if their credit load for the semester drops below six (6) credits, they may no longer be eligible for federal financial aid and that any aid distributed to them may have to be returned immediately. Students should also be aware that withdrawals may cause other financial aid implications, such as failure to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress. Any student considering a withdrawal should arrange a meeting with the Financial Aid Office before finalizing their withdrawal.