Course Selection and Registration

Once matriculated, students must take all courses on campus or through a Babson-approved program (e.g. cross-registration programs, approved institutions abroad, approved off-campus course work). Students who wish to accelerate their program of study should take coursework at Babson during the summer or winter sessions or take approved course overloads. 

Course registration takes place in the fall term for spring courses and in the spring term for fall courses. Registration for winter and summer courses occurs before the start of those terms. Students may register online if they were registered in the previous semester and are continuing their coursework in the next term. Students who have been on an approved Leave of Absence with an Expected to Return date of the coming semester can also register online for the semester they are returning. Registration opens by groups, which are assigned by the Registrar’s Office based on students’ progress toward graduation and computed total credits (earned credits plus enrolled credits). Earned credits include AP, IB, transfer, and other advanced standing credits. Students can find their registration group and corresponding registration date on the Registrar’s website. 

Failure to take courses in sequence may cause a delay in normal academic progress and achievement. Some courses at Babson College have prerequisites (required courses that must be completed before taking another course). Students may look up prerequisites by course through the Course Listing in Workday. 

Course Listing

Students can find current course offerings online through Workday. 

Note: Babson College reserves the right to make changes and updates to the courses offered and to cancel or reschedule any class where low enrollment or other considerations warrant. Babson does not offer every course every semester.

Registration

Once matriculated, students must take all courses on campus or through a Babson-approved program (e.g. cross-registration programs, approved institutions abroad, approved off-campus course work). Students who wish to accelerate their program of study should take coursework at Babson during the summer or winter sessions or take approved course overloads. Course registration takes place in the fall term for spring courses and in the spring term for fall courses. Registration for winter and summer courses occurs before the start of those terms. Students may register online if they were registered in the previous semester and are continuing their coursework in the next term. Students who have been on an approved Leave of Absence with an Expected to Return date of the coming semester can also register online for the semester they are returning. Registration opens by groups, which are assigned by the Registrar’s Office based on students’ progress toward graduation and computed total credits (earned credits plus enrolled credits). Earned credits include AP, IB, transfer, and other advanced standing credits. Students can find their registration group and corresponding registration date on the Registrar’s webpage. Failure to take courses in sequence may cause a delay in normal academic progress and achievement. Some courses at Babson College have prerequisites (required courses that must be completed before taking another course). Students may look up prerequisites by course through the Course Listing in Workday.

Schedule Confirmation

Students may view their course schedules, grades, or other options by clicking the academic icon in Workday. Schedule confirmations are not mailed to students.

Course Changes: Add, Drop, or Withdrawal

All students may make adjustments to their schedule during the add/drop period. Please view the Academic Calendar for specific add/drop deadlines for a given semester or term. Students adding courses during this period will be reasonably accommodated with regard to any assignments, examinations, or other deliverables assigned prior to their registration in a manner that does not unreasonably disadvantage them. It is the responsibility of the student to approach the instructor as to this matter. If students add a course during the add/drop period that requires additional tuition, the additional tuition cost must be paid prior to registering. 

Following the conclusion of the add/drop period, students may withdraw from individual courses up to the withdrawal deadline. The withdrawal deadline is determined by the Registrar’s Office each semester/term. Please visit the Registrar’s website for the specific dates, which are listed on the Academic Calendar. No withdrawals will be approved and no tuition will be refunded after the 60 percent point of the academic period. There are not prorated tuition refunds for individual course drops or withdrawals after the add/drop period. For information on the financial implications of withdrawing from the College, please refer to the Tuition Policies section of the handbook. 

Students who wish to withdraw from a course must first obtain the approval of a Student Success Advisor. Students who withdraw from a course after the add/drop period and no later than the withdrawal deadline will receive a W on their transcript for that course. Students who do not formally withdraw from a course by the withdrawal deadline will receive a grade in that course. Final grades will be accepted only for students listed on the official class roster. 

For 2-credit courses that start in the middle of the semester, students may add or drop the course before the start of the second class meeting. Students have the opportunity to withdraw from these courses prior to 60 percent of the course being completed. 

For courses that are taught entirely online or via Web-Ex, dropping the course before the start of the second online class meeting carries no academic or financial penalty. After that, if the course withdrawal occurs between the start of the second online class meeting and the 60 percent point of the academic period, the student will receive a grade of “W” for the course in progress at the time of withdrawal. For course withdrawals from summer or winter term courses, tuition and fees will be refunded on a prorated scale based upon the date of the withdrawal, with no refund to be awarded after the 60 percent point in the academic period. Prorated tuition refunds are not applicable for individual course withdrawals during the fall or spring semesters. 

Students wishing to drop all of their courses are regarded as withdrawing from the semester and must complete a Separation form, which is available online through the Babson Hub. In addition, students who drop or withdraw from all courses are required to vacate College housing. Under such a status, students are not eligible to participate in any College activities including athletics, student clubs and organizations, student business development space, or student employment. For students who drop all of their courses, failure to complete the Separation form may result in a status change to Administrative Withdrawal. 

The minimum credit threshold during a fall or spring semester to be considered a full-time student is 12 credits. The undergraduate program at Babson is a full-time program, and students seeking to enroll in less than a full time credit load must seek permission from the College.

Semester Course Load

The minimum credit threshold during a fall or spring semester to be considered a full-time student is 12 credits. The undergraduate program at Babson is a full-time program, and students seeking to enroll in less than a full time credit load must seek permission from the College.

Course Overloads and Underloads

For students who matriculated prior to Fall 2021, the following policies apply: 

Normal progression through the curriculum is defined as 16–18 credits per semester. It may be appropriate for students to deviate from a full course load, and in certain circumstances, their tuition may be approved for an adjustment to the flat-rate tuition. In those cases, students must submit a Tuition Adjustment form. This form must be submitted no fewer than 24 hours before the end of the add/drop period for the semester in which the student seeks the tuition adjustment. Tuition Adjustment Request forms are available through the Babson Hub and are reviewed by Student Financial Services. The forms are approved by Student Financial Services based on the policies outlined below. 

International Students in F-1/J-1 immigration status must remain enrolled in at least 12 credits per semester. There are limited exceptions aside from final semester enrollment, if students have less credits to complete their degree. Students should consult with an international student advisor in the Glavin Office of International Education before dropping below 12 credits. 

Reduced Course Load Tuition Adjustment 

1. Where students have documented disabilities that necessitate enrollment in less than a full course load as deemed appropriate by the Director of Accessibility Services. 
2. Where students have documented medical conditions that necessitate enrollment in less than a full course load as deemed appropriate by the Director of Accessibility Services. 
3. Consistent with the Family and Medical Leave Act, a student may be granted a tuition adjustment for enrollment in less than a full course load as deemed appropriate by the College for any of the following reasons:
   1. To care for a child within one year of birth, adoption, or the initiation of foster care; and/or To care for a child, spouse, partner, or parent with a serious health condition. 
4. In the seventh and eighth semesters, students with senior status who do not need a full course load in order to graduate may choose to enroll in a reduced course load by up to 4 credits per semester. To qualify for a tuition adjustment in this case, students must have enrolled in a Babson College undergraduate course during a winter or summer session (not including the GAP Summer term), or taken an overload in a prior fall or spring semester for which tuition was charged beyond the flat rate. If a student graduates in seven semesters, the tuition adjustment may only be requested for the seventh semester. The amount of the tuition adjustment will be based on the number of credits for which a student has been charged by Babson over flat-rate semester tuition, up to a maximum of 8 credits in senior year (4-credit maximum per semester). Course work not considered for tuition adjustment includes AP/IB credits, college courses taken elsewhere, Babson high school summer study courses, and credits from Babson-approved education abroad programs beyond the equivalent full course load at Babson. 
5. For transfer students, tuition adjustments as described above in bullet four will be approved in either or both of the student’s last two semesters, if credits had been taken at Babson in either the winter or summer sessions, or if students had been approved and paid for an overload above flat-rate tuition in a prior semester at Babson. 

Course Acceleration (Overload: up to and including 20 credits) 

In the fall and spring semesters, Babson charges flat-rate tuition for credit loads up to and including 20 credits. For students in good academic standing with at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA, registration for an additional course beyond the normal load will be possible when the add/drop period opens, which takes place after the initial registration period for all students. Students do not need to complete an e-form to register for an additional course as long as they do not exceed 20 total semester credits. 

• Only students who have established themselves in good academic standing (at least a 2.0) at Babson will be permitted to enroll in additional credits above the initial 18-credit limit. 
• Students on academic probation or returning from academic suspension may not enroll in more than 18 credits. 
• There will be an additional limitation on first-year students and new transfer students. Those students will need to achieve a 2.7 or higher GPA in their first semester at Babson in order to enroll in more than 18 credits for their second semester. 
• Only students who have settled their semester bills will be permitted to enroll in additional credits above the 18 credit limit. 

Course Acceleration (Overload: more than 20 credits) 

Occasionally, students may receive permission to take more than 20 credits in a given semester in order to accelerate or make up for missed courses. The Department of Student Advising & Success will use discretion in determining if students may qualify to exceed 20 credits based upon courses selected, the student’s ability to handle Babson course work, and other appropriate factors. Please note: 

• If students would like to exceed 20 credits, they must submit a request to overload through the Tuition Adjustment Request form found under Academic eForms on the Babson Hub. 
• Students should consult with their Student Success Advisor in Student Advising & Success when making this decision and know that additional tuition charges will apply if students receive approval to take more than 20 credits. 
• Payment in full is required before registration for overload courses above 20 credits. 

Additional tuition will be applied as defined in the Tuition Policies section of the Undergraduate Handbook. Students are charged for an overload based on the number of credits above 20 the student takes. For example, if students overload to 21 credits, their tuition will be the flat-rate tuition charge plus an additional 1-credit charge. If students overload to 22 credits, their tuition will be flat-rate plus 2 credits. 

For students who matriculated Fall 2021 or after, the following policies apply: 

Normal progression through the curriculum is defined as 16 credits per semester. It may be appropriate for students to deviate from a full course load in certain circumstances. These circumstances are outlined below. 

Reduced Course Load 

Students who wish to take fewer than 12 credits in a given semester may be approved to pay tuition at the per-credit rate in any of the circumstances described below: 

1. Where students have documented disabilities that necessitate enrollment in less than a full course load as deemed appropriate by the Director of Accessibility Services. 
2. Where students have documented medical conditions that necessitate enrollment in less than a full course load as deemed appropriate by the Director of Accessibility Services. 
3. Consistent with the Family and Medical Leave Act, a student may be granted a tuition adjustment for enrollment in less than a full course load as deemed appropriate by the College for any of the following reasons: 
   1. To care for a child within one year of birth, adoption, or the initiation of foster care; and/or 
   2. To care for a child, spouse, partner, or parent with a serious health condition. 
4. For personal reasons such as work opportunities or family obligations. 

In these cases, students must submit a formal request. This request form must be submitted no fewer than 72 hours before the end of the add/drop period for the semester in which the student seeks to enroll in fewer than 12 credits. The forms can be found on the Student Hub. 

International Students in F-1/J-1 immigration status must remain enrolled in at least 12 credits per semester. There are limited exceptions aside from final semester enrollment, if students have less credits to complete their degree. Students should consult with an international student advisor in the Glavin Office of International Education before dropping below 12 credits. 

For students who wish to take fewer than 16 credits, but at least 12 credits in a given semester, it is recommended that they discuss the impacts of this decision with their Student Success Advisor. It is not necessary for students to submit a formal request in this case. Please note that students who enroll in 12 credits will be charged at the per credit rate. If a student enrolls in any number of credits greater than 12, up to and including 18 credits, they will be charged flat rate tuition. 

Course Acceleration (Overload: up to and including 20 credits) 

In the fall and spring semesters, Babson charges flat-rate tuition for credit loads of more than 12 credits, and up to and including 18 credits. For students in good academic standing with at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA, registration for an additional course beyond the normal load will be possible when the add/drop period opens, which takes place after the initial registration period for all students. Students do not need to complete an e-form to register for an additional course as long as they do not exceed 20 total semester credits. 

Students will be charged on a per credit basis for a credit load above 18 credits. 

• Only students who have established themselves in good academic standing (at least a 2.0) at Babson will be permitted to enroll in additional credits above the initial 18-credit limit. 
• Students on academic probation or returning from academic suspension may not enroll in more than 18 credits. 
• There will be an additional limitation on first-year students and new transfer students. Those students will need to achieve a 2.7 or higher GPA in their first semester at Babson in order to enroll in more than 18 credits for their second semester. 
• Only students who have settled their semester bills will be permitted to enroll in additional credits above the 18 credit limit. 

Course Acceleration (Overload: more than 20 credits) 

Occasionally, students may receive permission to take more than 20 credits in a given semester in order to accelerate or make up for missed courses. The Department of Student Advising & Success and the Office of Undergraduate Academic Affairs will use discretion in determining if students may qualify to exceed 20 credits based upon courses selected, the student’s ability to handle Babson course work, and other appropriate factors. Please note: 

• Students will be charged on a per credit basis for a credit load above 18 credits. 
•  If students would like to exceed 20 credits, they must submit a request to overload through the Tuition Adjustment Request form found under Academic eForms on the Babson Hub. 
• Students should consult with their Student Success Advisor when making this decision and know that additional tuition charges will apply if students receive approval to take more than 20 credits. 

Additional tuition will be applied as defined in the Tuition Policies section of the Undergraduate Handbook. Students are charged for an overload based on the number of credits above 18 the student takes. For example, if a student overloads to 19 credits, her tuition will be the flat-rate tuition charge plus an additional 1 credit charge. If a student overloads to 21 credits, her tuition will be flat-rate plus 3 credits. 
 

Audit Policy

Babson College students may not audit a course. Babson offers this option only to senior citizens from Wellesley and Needham and to Babson alumni who are 65 years or older.  

Credit Hour Definition