Academic Policies and Exceptions Requiring Special Advising and/or Permission

Please contact the Office of the Dean of Studies if you need permission or advice regarding the following policies:

Change of Divisional Status
At Oberlin it is possible for a student to request a change of divisional status if the request is made in a timely fashion and if the student meets the entrance requirements of the appropriate division.

Enrolled-Not-In-Residence
This category generally applies to students who are participating in programs sponsored by individual departments of Oberlin College: the Danenberg Oberlin-in-London Program, the Oberlin in Italy Program, the Studies in Spain at the University of Córdoba Program, and the Oberlin-in-Europe Program.

Final Exam Time Changes
An individual student may not take a final examination at other than the scheduled time—not even at the time allocated to other sections of the same course—without special permission from the Office of the Dean of Studies (for courses in the College of Arts and Sciences) or the Associate Dean in the Conservatory (for courses in the Conservatory).

Finish Away Status
Oberlin College allows students to complete their degree requirements away from campus under certain regulations.

Incompletes
There are two kinds of incompletes – Educational and Emergency. All requests for incompletes and extensions of incompletes from Arts and Sciences students must be submitted to the Office of the Dean of Studies.

Marching at Graduation
The Oberlin College policy on participation in Commencement exercises states that students must be registered for work sufficient to complete, by the end of the last semester in residence, all requirements for the degree(s) sought, in order to be eligible to participate in the annual Commencement exercises.

Overload Status
Oberlin students are required to take a full schedule of courses (between 12 and 16 credits for Arts and Sciences students and between 12 and 17 for Conservatory and Double-Degree students) each semester. Under special circumstances, a student may request permission to take more than the stated maximum credits in a given semester.

Part-Time Status
Oberlin students are required to take a full schedule of courses (between 12 and 16 credits for Arts and Sciences students and between 12 and 17 for Conservatory and Double Degree students) each semester. Under limited circumstances, a student may request part-time status for a semester, i.e., register for fewer than 12 credit hours.

Private Reading Courses
Students who wish to pursue a topic not covered in the regular curriculum may register for a private reading course. This one-to-one tutorial is normally at the advanced level in a specific field and is arranged with a member of the faculty who has agreed to supervise the student.

'Summer' Winter Term
Under a limited set of circumstances, an Arts and Sciences student may request permission to complete a Winter-Term type project during the summer. Such a project can only be authorized by the Office of the Dean of Studies.