Through Professional & Continuing Education, JMU permits students who are not seeking a degree to enroll and register for up to 11 hours of course credit during each session as non-degree students. Although the courses taken carry university credit, they do not fulfill degree requirements. Taking a course as a non-degree student does not constitute admission to a program or imply later applicability of these courses toward a program. If such students subsequently seek admission to work toward a degree, courses taken in non-degree status will be evaluated to determine their applicability to the degree being sought.
Nondegree students must submit the application form, including information about residency, and a nonrefundable $20 application fee. Applications take 3-5 business days to be processed. You will remain active as a non-degree student for one year* (fall, spring, and summer) as long as you enroll in a class each semester. If you do not enroll in a class each semester you will be discontinued as a student and will need to reapply. All non-degree seeking students are discontinued at the end of the summer and need to apply for the following year.
Note: If you are registering for a class through MyMadison please remember that you not only need to allow enough time for your application to be processed but you also need to be aware of the last day that you can add a class. Please consider this before filling out an application. Registration deadlines can be found at the registrar’s site - Office of the Registrar.
Payment of the nonrefundable fee does not constitute acceptance to the university or guarantee courses can be obtained through registration.
An individual who has been academically dismissed from another institution or denied regular admission to JMU shall be required to wait for a period of at least one calendar year for admission as a non-degree student.
Non-Degree Seeking Student Descriptions
Undergraduate students may enroll at JMU as adult non-degree seeking students and register to take up to 11 semester hours per semester for college credit. Departmental permission may be required for some courses.
Adult non-degree seeking students desiring to become regular degree-seeking students should contact the Office of Admission for advising. It is important to note that taking courses as a non-degree student does not constitute admission to a program, imply later applicability of these courses toward a program, or imply preferential regular admissions consideration. Returning adult students interested in earning a bachelors degree should contact the Adult Degree Program at 540-568-6824.
Adult students who have earned at least 30 semester hours of credit at JMU or transferable credit from another appropriately accredited institution of higher education may enroll in an individualized adult degree program. Orientation courses (IS 200) are provided to assist returning adult learners to transcend back to school.
Persons who do not wish to receive credit for courses may register to audit. Fees for audit will be assessed on the same basis as fees for credit. Approval to audit must be obtained from the head of the department offering the course.
Students applying for a certificate program should complete the certificate program application. Please indicate the certificate program desired. Students should check with departments about specific application requirements.
High school students who have completed their junior year may enroll at JMU as non-degree students. They may register for classes in the summer term preceding their senior year and/or during their senior year. While recent high school graduates may register for summer work as non-degree students, this does not constitute admission to subsequent terms.
Students in this program may enroll for no more than two courses during the summer term and for one course each term while attending high school classes.
High school students seeking to register at JMU under this program must submit the Non-degree Seeking Student Application form, a recommendation from the high school principal or guidance counselor, and a transcript of high school grades. Registration must be approved by the head of the department(s) in which the student desires to take a course(s). Should the student enroll as a full-time student at JMU following high school graduation, credits earned, where appropriate, will apply toward degree requirements following the completion of one term. Transfer of these credits to other colleges will be at the discretion of the institution concerned.
Students from foreign countries who are attending JMU for one semester, or in certain cases a full academic year, under a program sponsored by the university and a foreign institution of higher education are classified as International non-degree students. These students will be accorded all rights and privileges and will be expected to meet the same responsibilities as regular JMU students. These students will be permitted to take over 11 semester hours with the approval of the international student advisor.
Senior citizens, age 60 or over, who are legal residents of Virginia may enroll as non-degree students. Some senior students may qualify for a waiver of tuition and applicable fees. Please see Senior Citizen Tuition Waiver Credit/Audit form for more details. For noncredit continuing education courses, see the Senior Citizen Waiver Form for Noncredit Classes.
If you are a JMU faculty or staff member and wish to take a course at JMU under the university's tuition waiver policy, view the complete policy. Please go to the Cost of Attendance Calculator to see the estimated cost of attendance for your program of study.
Procedure
Persons seeking a waiver of tuition for courses taken under this policy will:
Prepare the Waiver of Tuition Form.
Non-degree seeking employees are classified as Non-Degree Seeking Students and must process a Non-Degree Seeking Student Application.
The Office of Human Resources will affirm that the employee qualifies for tuition waiver and will then forward the processed Waiver of Tuition Form to the University Business Office for final processing and approval of the waiver to be applied to employee account. Tuition waivers will only be processed after the university's semester census date. Employees receiving a balance due bill after submitting a tuition waiver will have their accounts adjusted by the amount of the tuition waiver for which they quality.
The employee will receive a confirmation email when their waiver has been processed by Human Resources.
Early processing of the Waiver of Tuition Form is strongly encouraged.
Graduate tuition waivers are subject to state and federal withholding and social security and Medicare taxes and are based on the employee's taxable income. At the end of each semester, the University Business Office will provide Payroll Services a listing of employees that have received more than $5,250.00 (the amount exempt from taxation under Internal Revenue Code Section 127). Payroll Services will collect the appropriate taxes from each employee at the end of the semester in which the employee exceeds the exempt limit. Employee's W-2 will include taxable waivers.
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