SAS Guidelines

• Students with medical or extenuating circumstances may apply to SAS for a reduced credit load (below 12 credits) each semester, as needed. Approval is for one semester at a time.
• Requests for reduced credit loads must be made before the beginning of the semester. On-time requests approved by SAS will result in classes dropped without grades of W.
• Students registered with the Office of Disability Services will need to contact their ODS Coordinator to begin the process of applying to SAS for a Reduced Credit Load.
• Students NOT registered with the Office of Disability Services should instead contact the Dean of Students Office by emailing , to begin the process of applying to SAS for a Reduced Credit Load.  Be ready to supply documentation of your health or emergency circumstances.
• If approved for a reduced credit load, an SAS advisor will make a one-time adjustment to reduce the student’s registered course load.
• Students may request a course load as low as half time (six credits). Students may also request more than 6 credits, but should carefully consider how many credits they can carry successfully. Students who feel unable to carry six credits should instead consider a semester Withdrawal/Leave of Absence.
• After the initial course load reduction is completed, no further adjustments or reductions will be permitted unless the student chooses to Withdraw from the Entire Semester before the University Deadline for Withdrawal, and in consideration of Deadlines for Tuition Refunds.
• Before applying for a reduced credit load, please review the Cautions for Students Considering Reduced Credit Loads section at the bottom of this page. After reading, students who still have questions about applying for a reduced credit load are asked to please email their questions with name and RUID number to 

Students Exempted from the Full-time Requirement

• Seniors in their final semester who need fewer than 12 credits to graduate are exempted from the requirement of full-time enrollment and may register for just those credits needed to complete their degree. No request or application is needed except for international students (See next section, below)
• Seniors should reach out to us through Live Chat for registration assistance to drop below 12 credits or to drop additional courses while already registered below 12 credits.
• Only courses not needed for degree completion may be dropped or withdrawn.
• Seniors reducing their enrollment after the Last Day to Drop without a W will receive W grades for all withdrawn classes. No drops are permitted after the Last Day to Drop with a W, even if the credits are not needed. Consult the Drop and Withdrawal deadlines at Semester Calendar.
• Only courses not needed for degree completion may be dropped or withdrawn.

• International students on an F1 or J1 visa who are in their final semester before graduation and need fewer than 12 credits to graduate must apply for a Reduced Course/Credit Load via the Rutgers Global website and use the academic advisor email . Once your RCL is approved by , the Rutgers Global Office will arrange for you to drop unneeded classes yourself via WebReg before the Last Day to Drop without a W. Rutgers Global will notify you by email when you can use WebReg to drop your unneeded classes. If you make your drops before the Last Day to Drop with a W, and are then registered below 12 credits, your term bill will change.
• Only courses not needed for degree completion may be dropped or withdrawn.

Students may need to apply for official SAS nontraditional status.

• The following documents must be included in the application for nontraditional status. Without this documented proof, students cannot qualify for a reduced credit load:
  1. a copy of your current 1040 tax return indicating that you claim yourself; and
  2. a signed, dated copy of your current lease showing your name, your landlord’s name and your monthly rental fee.
• To apply for Nontraditional status, please email your name, RUID number and the required documentation to .
• If approved for nontraditional status, students may register for fewer than 12 credits in any semester, or reduce their enrollment during the semester, without any further permission from SAS.For more information about Nontraditional status in SAS, visit our Nontraditional Students page.

• Students who receive financial aid under Independent status.
• To verify your independent status, please email your request for nontraditional status to .  Include your name, RUID number and a copy of your current award letter from the Rutgers Office of Financial Aid indicating your independent status.

Deadlines

Requests for reduced credit loads (below 12 credits) must be made before the beginning of the semester. Any requests made after the semester has commenced will be considered for the following semester.

All credit reductions must be made before the Last Day to Drop without a W. After that deadline, it is no longer possible to drop below 12 credits or to make any additional credit reductions that result in a reduction of tuition. 

See Office of Student Accounting website for specific fees and reductions.

Cautions for Students Considering Reduced Credit Load

Students registered for fewer than 12 credits are considered part-time students under University regulations and federal law. Hence, the decision to register for fewer than 12 credits can affect visa status and eligibility for important University services such as financial aid, health insurance, campus housing, scholarships, etc.  Students are urged to consult the appropriate University offices for information before applying for a reduced credit load.  Please see the specific cautions below:

Students on Academic Warning or Academic Probation should meet with an SAS Advising Dean to consider whether enrolling in fewer than 12 credits will jeopardize their ability to meet academic standards, even if they qualify for reduced enrollment.

International Students are required to maintain full-time enrollment of at least 12 credits, except potentially in their final semester before graduation. Additional information can be found on the Rutgers Global–International Student and Scholar Services website and under the section above, entitled International Seniors on F1 or J1 visas in their final semester who need fewer than 12 credits to complete their degree.

Recipients of University merit-based scholarships considering enrolling in fewer than 12 credits are required to contact the SAS Scholarship Office to ensure continuance of their scholarship. Requests for a scholarship review should be sent to  with the following information:

• Name
• RUID
• Name of merit-based scholarship(s)

Students receiving financial aid should contact One Stop Student Services Center online or in person to determine how much their aid will be reduced as a result of their reduced credit load, and how their tuition and other semester fees may be affected.

Students currently following an Academic Plan for Financial Aid should consult with the SAS Advising Dean who helped them prepare and submit it, to see whether registering for fewer than 12 credits will violate their plan and render them ineligible to receive aid in future semesters.