Overview
Canvas-Based Online Program Registration
Visit the CU Boulder Online website for specific academic and financial dates and deadlines. Students should also consult individual programs for additional information on special requirements and deadlines. The following registration policies are intended to serve as general guidelines.
Students who require accommodations because of a disability should visit the Disability Services website or call 303-492-8671.
Buff Portal
Student registration and other important information and services are available through Buff Portal. Students access the portal using a secure CU login name and IdentiKey password and Duo Multi-Factor Authentication. For more information and registration instructions, visit the Registration webpage.
Registering for Classes
All CU Boulder students register for classes through Buff Portal, where they can also check their assigned enrollment dates, view any holds that may prevent registration (see "Holds"), and see to-do lists.
Registration instructions are also available on the Enroll in Classes webpage.
Enrollment Dates
Canvas-based Online Programs
Each term, students are assigned enrollment dates based on the number of credits they have completed. Accessible in Buff Portal, the enrollment assignment indicates the dates and times during which the student may enroll, as well as the maximum number of credits they can take.
CU Boulder on Coursera Program
Enrollment opens two weeks prior to the start of each session and closes two weeks prior to the end of each session for all CU Boulder on Coursera students. See the CU Boulder on Coursera Calendar for details.
Holds
A hold may be placed on a student's record for a number of reasons, including but not limited to financial, advising, scholastic, conduct and health. A hold may prevent a student from registering, returning to school, obtaining an official transcript or receiving a diploma. Students should resolve holds as quickly as possible by contacting the appropriate campus office identified in the hold details in Buff Portal.
University Employees and Dependents
CU Boulder offers a tuition benefit to eligible employees and their dependents for eligible programs. For current benefit information, visit Employee Services' Employee Tuition Waiver Benefit website and program-specific pages on the CU Boulder online website. The Employee Tuition Waiver Benefit is not applicable to CU Boulder courses hosted on the Coursera platform.
Withdrawing from the Semester
Rules for withdrawing may vary with each college, school, and program. Students anticipating a withdrawal should consult their advisor to understand the potential impacts to their degree requirements and the process for withdrawing.
Canvas-based Online Programs
Withdrawing students (including students applying for a graduate leave of absence) with Federal Perkins/NDSL loans must complete a loan exit interview and clear all outstanding financial balances before leaving the university. Failure to do so results in a hold on the student's record. This hold prevents registration for future terms. Students can complete a loan exit interview by contacting University Student Loans & Debt Management in the Bursar's Office at 303-492-5571, toll free at 800-925-9844 or TTY 303-492-3528.
Active Duty: Students who are military personnel, fire fighters and police officers called to active duty and/or to help with disasters may request to go on a leave of absence. These students should contact the Office of the Registrar. For more information, visit the Withdraw from the Semester webpage.
CU Boulder on Coursera Programs
For CU Boulder on Coursera programs that have flexible course start dates, all drops, tuition refunds, withdrawals and grades are handled at the individual course level. It is the student’s responsibility to monitor these deadlines. CU Boulder and, if applicable, Coursera are not responsible for notifying students of these deadlines.
Students who access a final assessment (or equivalent) are ineligible for a drop, withdrawal, or refund, and are assigned a final grade. For programs housed on the Coursera platform, students who complete some but not all coursework and who do not attempt the final assessment (or equivalent) will be assigned administrative withdrawals (W) after the session end date passes.
For more information, visit the Graduate School policies for degrees hosted on the Coursera platform.
Leaves of Absence
Canvas-Based Online Programs
Students who do not enroll in the term to which they were admitted will get discontinued at the end of the term. Graduate degree-seeking students who do not maintain continuous enrollment (summer excluded) must apply for a leave of absence or be discontinued from the university. Graduate students who wish to take a leave of absence from the university must submit an application by the published deadline in a given term and get approval from their department and their school, college or program to avoid having to reapply. Certificate students’ plans will get discontinued after three (3) terms of non-enrollment. The three terms include summer.
Graduate students taking an approved leave of absence are allowed two inactive semesters (plus summer), and are guaranteed a place in their current college or school and in their current major when they return to the university. Students must not have any disciplinary holds and must be in good academic standing with the university. Students registered for the semester in which they plan to begin their leave of absence must formally withdraw. See the section on withdrawal procedures above.
For an application and more information, visit the Leave of Absence webpage.
CU Boulder on Coursera Programs
Students are not required to take a minimum number of credit hours over any given period of time and are not required to apply for a leave of absence when not enrolled in courses. However, students who have not enrolled for two years will be discontinued until they enroll in a new for-credit course. At that point, the student will automatically be reinstated. For more information, visit the Graduate School policies for degrees hosted on the Coursera platform.