Registration and Enrollment

Auditing Courses

An audit designation must be specified at the time of registration. No credit will be given. Audit status can only be converted to credit status and credit status can only be converted to audit status during the first twenty percent of scheduled meeting dates of a section. Students may convert their status only once during that period. Audited courses do not count as part of the academic term’s credit hour load nor as credit towards graduation. Audited courses will appear on the transcript with a grade of "N." Students must meet course prerequisites to audit; audited courses do not satisfy prerequisites for another course.

CustomClass

CustomClass is an enrollment option that allows students to enroll in credit classes for personal and professional enrichment without having been admitted as credit students or meeting the normal prerequisites. CustomClass students select this option at the time of registration and cannot later change to credit or audit status. They will be exposed to the material and instruction in a credit course but will not receive grades or transcripts for the course. Students may take up to eight credits of CustomClasses per term. For more information, call 443-518-1700 or visit CustomClass.

Cancellation of Courses

Howard Community College builds its schedule of courses based on enrollment trends and community needs. The college may cancel any course at its sole discretion. Sometimes courses are canceled due to insufficient enrollment. Early registration and payment helps ensure that a course will run. If a student is affected by a course cancellation, the student will receive a notification via HCC email.

Credits

One semester hour of credit is generally assigned for each lecture period or laboratory session. Lecture periods are 52 minutes and laboratory sessions are two to three hours in length per credit.

Academic Schedule (Full-Time/Part-Time)

At Howard Community College, full-time or part-time student status is based on the number of credit hours the student takes.

Full-Time Status

*A schedule in excess of the term credit hour maximum must be approved by an academic advisor. Except in extraordinary circumstances, such approval does not extend beyond a load of 21 credit hours and is based on a student’s demonstrated ability to be successful with a full load of 18 (non-audit) credit hours.

Part-Time Status**

**Students enrolled in certain allied health programs with a schedule of fewer than 12 credit hours, during the clinical phase, may be considered full-time from a program perspective.

For financial aid purposes, a student must enroll in 12 aid-eligible credit hours to be considered full-time, and only coursework required for the student’s declared area of study is included in the student’s financial aid enrollment status. Total developmental coursework in excess of 30 attempted credit hours is not aid-eligible. More than one repeat of a previously passed course is not aid-eligible credit hours. For financial aid purposes, enrollments during the winter term are included as a part of the spring semester enrollment status.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) calculates enrollment status based on the number of credits a student is enrolled in during a period of weeks during a term. Only coursework required for the student’s declared area of study is included in the student’s VA enrollment status. Students using VA education benefits must work with a school certifying official in the office of records, registration, and veterans’ affairs to determine their enrollment status and impact on education benefits.

Late Credit Registration

Once the term has begun, registration will only be permitted in sections that have available seats.

For 15 week classes, students may register for classes that have available seats through the close of business on the fifth business day of a term, excluding Saturday, Sunday and holidays. After that, the department chair, associate dean, or dean may grant permission for late entry via the late exception request process or a credit section override form. Late exceptions may be made if there are extenuating circumstances, and the request must be submitted to the office of records, registration, and veteran's affairs for review prior to submission to the appropriate academic dean. Dual enrollment requests for late exceptions are reviewed by the office of advising and then forwarded to the appropriate academic dean.

For classes that meet less than 15 weeks, registration is permitted in sections through the first business day after the section start date; after that, late exception request rules apply.

Students who want to register for noncredit classes after sections have begun should contact the workforce, career, and community education division.