The Steering Committee of the Faculty Senate, acting in administrative session on behalf of the full senate, unanimously approved changes in special registration and transfer credit policies for the 2020-21 academic year, developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Steering Committee of the Faculty Senate, which met via Zoom on Thursday, unanimously approved policies regarding special registration status and transfer credits for the 2020-21 academic year. (Image credit: Andrew Brodhead)

The Steering Committee, which met via Zoom on Thursday, is authorized to act on behalf of the full senate on pandemic-related matters until the end of January.

Senate Chair Tim Stearns, a professor of biology and of genetics, noted that the meeting was the final meeting of the 52nd Senate. The 53rd Senate will be chaired by Judith L. Goldstein, a professor of political science, who will take office Sept. 1.

The special registration policies for 2020-21 apply to seniors who meet the eligibility requirements for Permit to Attend for Services Only (PSO) status and seniors who receive permission to register for a 13th quarter at Stanford.

The transfer credit policies apply to undergraduate and graduate students who enroll in online or correspondence courses at a non-Stanford, regionally accredited college or university during the 2020-21 academic year.

The policy changes were requested by the Registrar’s Office and the Academic Continuity Group in consultation with the Committee on Graduate Studies and the Committee on Undergraduate Standards and Policy.

Permit to Attend for Services Only (PSO)

Under the new policy approved by the Steering Committee, seniors who meet the requirements for Permit to Attend for Services Only status in 2020-21 will be charged the special tuition rate of $150, rather than $5,476. The university estimates that the new policy will affect about 30 students.

The updated policy reflects the fact that students will not be living on campus for the full academic year and as a result will not have access to university resources. (The tuition modification was also approved for spring quarter of 2019-20.)

Under the new policy, the students will not have the option of living on campus, unless they receive approval from the Housing Assignments Office. Among the requirements for PSO status: Students are clearing incomplete grades or finishing an honors thesis, have applied to graduate, and do not plan to enroll as an undergraduate for another quarter at Stanford.

13th quarter status

Eligible Stanford seniors may apply for a 13th quarter in 2020-21 in the summer quarter. Previously, 13th quarter status was only available during autumn, winter and spring quarters. (Stanford approved a four-quarter academic year in July.) Among the eligibility requirements for 13th quarter status: Students must have completed a minimum of 12 full-time quarters and have applied to graduate.

The university estimates that the new 13th quarter status will affect about 50 students.

Undergraduate transfer policy changes for 2020-21

The Steering Committee also approved a new policy eliminating the unit cap on correspondence and online courses for undergraduate students who complete coursework at a regionally accredited college or university in 2020-21.

Previously, students were able to request to transfer up to 15 quarter units of work completed via correspondence and online courses.

Transfer credit for correspondence and online courses are subject to review and approval by both the Registrar’s Office and the department. Under a new process approved yesterday, students may contact their department first, instead of having to seek and receive approval for transfer credit first from the Registrar’s Office, as was the previous policy.

(The unit caps for total units accepted in transfer – 45 units for those admitted as first-year students and 90 units for those admitted as transfer students – remain unchanged.)

Detailed information on transfer credit can be found here.

Graduate transfer credit policy changes for 2020-21

Under another new policy approved by the Steering Committee, graduate students may receive residency credit for correspondence and online coursework in 2020-21 as long as the coursework meets all other graduate residence credit policy conditions.

Previously, no graduate residency credit was allowed for online or correspondence work. The Registrar’s Office website offers detailed information on graduate residency transfer credit.