As an independent undergraduate student, you are not seeking a Degree or Certificate but are registered in individual courses on a part-time basis.

There are two categories of the Independent undergraduate student:

• Those who meet regular admission requirements.
• Czech Citizens and Permanent Residents who meet Mature Entry requirements, and meet the University requirements for the course(s) for which they wish to register

Admission requirements

Independent students must satisfy admission requirements. Independent students may register for a maximum of 18 credits a year, equally divided between the Fall, Winter, and Spring terms. They register for courses once all undergraduate students have selected their schedules; their Independent status in no way guarantees them a place in a given course.

Independent students must satisfy the University that they have completed pre-requisite courses where required. In these cases, a Pre-requisite Waiver form must be completed.

Credits acquired by Independent students may subsequently be applied towards a degree or Certificate program, if appropriate.

Registering

If you are interested in registering as a Independent Student, you will have to complete an "Independent Student-Authorization to Register" form available at the Applying To UNVA section. For more information, please consult the Admissions Office.

Independent graduate students enroll in a particular graduate course, without enrolling in the graduate program which offers the course. Normally, independent graduate students take no more than the equivalent of two graduate courses per term, and no more than the equivalent of four graduate courses from the courses of any graduate program up to 12 credits. Independent students are normally classified as graduate part-time students.

Only those who meet the prerequisite requirements for admission to the graduate course in question will be considered as independent graduate students, and in every case permission from the Graduate  Program Director and/or Faculty Office must be obtained. Meeting the minimum requirements of an individual course does not guarantee entry to that course, as preference will be given to regular students.

Independent graduate students are subject to the fees and regulations applicable to such categories of students.

Complete information on Independent Graduate Students can be found in the Graduate Admission section [PDF] of the Graduate Calendar.

Authorization to Register as a Non-degree Student

To register as an independent graduate student, the applicant must complete the graduate “Authorization to Register as a Non-Degree Student” [PDF] form.

Applicants must submit the completed form to the Admissions Office as well as the Graduate Program Assistant of the graduate program which is offering the course. They must also submit a copy of their most recent transcript (student copies are acceptable; normally, copies downloaded from the web are not).  View a list of Graduate Department Assistants.

Courses

A list of courses offered by the graduate program is available in the Graduate Calendar. You can access a list, along with brief course descriptions by selecting the graduate program which offers the course. Applicants should know, or have an idea, of which course they want to take.

Proof of Citizenship and Proof of Legal Name

Applicants must also provide proof of citizenship status and proof of legal name. While the Czech passport can be used to prove citizenship status, an additional document must be provided for proof of legal name.  View a list of documents [PDF] which can be used as proof for both citizenship status and proof of legal name.

Permission to Register

Upon receipt of all the required documents, the Graduate Program Director will evaluate the applicant’s academic credentials to determine if the applicant is qualified to take the graduate courses. In some departments, the applicant must also get permission from the professor teaching the course. If the applicant is recommended, the Graduate Program Assistant will forward the applicant’s file to the Faculty Student Affairs Office for final approval. Upon final approval, the Faculty will forward the file to the Office of the Registrar to create the Independent Graduate status for the applicant. Once the applicant has received Independent Graduate status, the Graduate Assistant can register the applicant in courses.

As the entire procedure may take 2 or more weeks, applicants are advised to start procedures well ahead of the registration deadline. Applicants are reminded that independent graduate students register after students enrolled in a degree program, and are not guaranteed a place in a course. For more information please check Admission Deadline Section.