Office of the University Registrar

Senior Reduced Status and Extended Credit

Senior Reduced-Rate Status

Senior Reduced-Rate Preapproval Application

Applications will not be reviewed until after the add/drop period of your seventh semester. Please refer to the academic calendar to view the deadline for submission.

Senior reduced-rate status enables seniors who have completed all requirements and who wish to take additional courses in their eighth and final term to take one or more semester courses and to pay at the per-course rate. Reduced-rate is only for one semester. To qualify for this status seniors must have:

  1. Completed all general university requirements.
  2. Completed 128 credits and the number of semesters required for graduation.
  3. Completed the requirements in at least one major.

The following categories of students are not eligible for senior reduced status:

  1. Students who have studied abroad for a full year.
  2. Students who are in BA/MA or BS/MS programs.
  3. Transfer students who transfer in 64 credits from another institution.

Exceptions to the Above Qualifications

  1. Students completing a two-semester honors thesis can qualify if all that remains for completing their major is the second semester of their thesis. They must have completed 124 credits at the end of the seventh semester, and all general university requirements must be met.
  2. Studio art majors can qualify if all that remains for completing their major is taking FA 110b in their eighth semester. They must have completed 124 credits at the end of the seventh semester, and all general university requirements must be met.
  3. Health: Science, Society and Policy (HSSP) majors can qualify if all that remains for completing their major is taking HSSP 110a in their eighth semester. They must have completed 124 credits at the end of the seventh semester, and all general university requirements must be met.
  4. Mathematics (MATH) majors can qualify if all that remains for completing their major is taking the final honors course in their eighth semester. All nonhonors requirements for the MATH major must be completed. They must have completed 124 credits at the end of the seventh semester, and all general university requirements must be met.
Course Load Requirement

There is no minimum course load requirement. Students can take as few as one class or as many as three classes under Senior Reduced Status. If four classes are taken, regular full-time semester tuition is charged.

Completing Additional Majors or Minors
  • While on Senior Reduced Status, students may complete additional majors, minors and/or a thesis.
  • Transfer students who transfer in fewer than 64 credits may qualify for reduced rate in their final semester.
  • To qualify, seniors petition through the Office of the University Registrar for this status. Final eligibility for reduced rate status must be determined before the first day of instruction in the spring term. Detailed information and petition forms may be obtained from the Office of the University Registrar. Completing and submitting the reduced rate petition does not guarantee approval will be granted.

Extended Credit

A student who has completed eight semesters of study at Brandeis (or the equivalent in the case of transfer students) and who has earned a minimum of 120 semester-course credits (equivalent to 30 four-credit courses) is eligible for extended credit status.

This status allows completion of required course work only.

Extended credit courses may be taken over the summer (at Brandeis or elsewhere) or during the academic year either at Brandeis with tuition being charged on a per-course basis, or at another university (if the student has not already transferred in the maximum number of courses allowed).

Students who complete their course work on extended credit status are awarded their degrees at the end of the first term following the evaluation and posting of the extended credit to their academic records.

The award and posting of extended credit is dependent upon the following:

  1. Prior approval by the Office of the University Registrar of the courses to be taken.
  2. Meet the minimum grade requirement for courses taken while on extended credit (B-minus for summer courses, C-minus for courses during the academic year).
  3. The receipt by the Office of the University Registrar of an official transcript from the school where any extended credit courses were completed.

Students who do not meet the above criteria (eight semesters and 120 course credits) are not eligible for this option and must petition for a ninth semester in residence through the Office of Academic Services.