Departments & Offices » Registrar » Applying as a Non-Degree Seeking Student

Applying as a Non-Degree Seeking Student

William & Mary accepts non-degree seeking applications from post baccalaureate, visiting, and concurrent high school students during the fall and spring semesters. Senior citizens, individuals auditing a class, faculty spouses and faculty/staff making use of tuition waivers and not in a degree-seeking program, are also considered non-degree seeking applicants. Non-degree seeking applicants admitted to the College may not register until the first day of classes and must therefore be flexible with course selection. In summer only, the College may also enroll non-baccalaureate degree-holders for non-degree coursework without the formality of "visiting" student requirements that exist in the Fall and Spring terms.

All necessary application forms, instructions and information for non-degree seeking applicants can be found below. If you have any additional questions please contact the Office of the University Registrar Office at 757-221-2800.

General Information for All Non-Degree Seeking Applicants:

Non-degree seeking applicants must apply for admission every semester and visiting students may attend William & Mary for one semester only. See application deadlines below and review the academic dates and deadlines
If you wish to take graduate courses in an area other than Arts and Sciences, you must apply/register with the appropriate school. Please note that some of the graduate schools do not admit non-degree seeking students except under special circumstances. Contact the school for more information.
If you have teacher certification questions, please contact the School of Education.
Generally, non-degree seeking applicants must present academic or other credentials comparable to those of admitted full-time students. Because it is not possible for the College to accommodate non-degree seeking status requests from traditional college applicants who are initially denied admission, it is our policy not to offer this option.
All non-degree seeking applicants register for classes on a space-available basis.
For questions about residency and domicile status or space availability in a course, please contact the Office of the University Registrar at 757-221-2800.
There is no maximum or minimum number of credits that can be taken by a non-degree seeking student at the College during a given semester—visiting students, please see section below. However, if a student elects to take more than twelve credits in a semester he or she will be charged all general fees.
Submit completed form to the Office of the University Registrar. We prefer to receive the form in person.
If you wish to apply for in-state tuition eligibility, you must also submit the Application for In-State Tuition Privileges when you submit this application, or by the first day of classes.
Please expect to receive, by U.S. mail, a secure mailer with instructions on accessing the myWM portal. Most college communication will be sent to your WM email address.
Please watch for email notification of receipt and next steps, and for a "secure mailer" including your myWM portal information, which will be mailed to the address you provide on the application. If you have not received this within a week of the beginning of the term, please contact the Registrar’s Office.
Please expect to attend the unclassified orientation offered at the beginning of each Fall and Spring semester. This is required for new unclassified students enrolling in the "regular" terms.

Information for:

2009-2010 Application Forms:

2009-2010 Non-Degree Seeking Application [PDF]

2009-2010 Non-Degree seeking Application for Concurrent High School Students (submit to the Office of Undergraduate Admission)[PDF}

Application for Virginia In-State Tuition Privileges [PDF]

2009-2010 Application Deadlines:
Fall Semester - Friday, August 14, 2009
Spring Semester - Friday, January 8, 2010
Summer Terms - TBA

Guidelines and Instructions for Non-Degree Seeking Applicants:

Post-Baccalaureate Students:

Please Note: College policy prohibits the awarding of a second baccalaureate degree.
Complete the Non-Degree Seeking Application and the in-state tuition form (if a VA resident).
If you did not receive your bachelor's degree from William & Mary, send an official transcript from your degree granting institution to the Office of University Registrar. If it has been two years or more since you have last applied as a non-degree seeking student, you will need to re-submit your transcript.
Graduate courses in Arts and Sciences (courses numbered 500 and above) are restricted to degree-seeking students. If you are interested in taking such a course, you will need to obtain permission from the instructor and the department's director of graduate studies prior to admission. The Non-Graduate Credit Permission Form is available through the Office of Graduate Studies and Research (757-221-2467) or from the department where you intend to take classes. This form must be completed and signed by the instructor and the department's director of graduate studies and returned to the Office of University Registrar with your application for admission. Once you have been admitted, the Registrar's Office will then register you for the class. To register for graduate courses in the Department of History, non-degree seeking students must follow the guidelines established by the department. Please visit the Department of History web site for details.
If you have teacher certification questions, please contact the School of Education prior to submitting the Non-Degree Seeking Student Application.
If you wish to take graduate courses in an area other than Arts and Sciences, DO NOT complete this application. Instead, you must apply/register with the appropriate school. Please note that some of the graduate schools do not admit non-degree seeking students except under special circumstances. Contact the school for more information.

Visiting College Students:

Students enrolled full-time at other institutions may request to attend William and Mary for one semester provided they have permission from the sending college and they plan to return to that institution.
Enrollment must be for a specified purpose for the student who is seeking a degree at their home institution and is limited to one semester, except for existing exchange agreements.
Visiting student status should not be considered an initial stage for transferring to the College. Admission as a visiting student will not guarantee subsequent admission as a transfer student to William and Mary.
Students who have been denied admission to William and Mary as transfer applicants will not be offered admission as non-degree seeking visiting students.
International students interested in visiting student status should not complete the Non-Degree Seeking Application but should contact the Reves Center for International Studies for information regarding submitting an exchange student application.
Students must be in good standing and matriculated at an accredited four-year college or university.
Visiting students are expected to enroll full-time (12 or more credits for undergraduates) unless part-time specific goals are approved in the application process and validated by the student's home institution.
Complete the Non-Degree Seeking Application and the Application for In-State Tuition Privileges (if a VA resident).
Send official transcript(s) for all college work to the Office of the University Registrar.
Send a letter of approval from your Registrar's Office or your academic advisor. This letter should be sent to the Office of the University Registrar and must include the following:
- Permission to take classes at William & Mary.
- Confirmation that the specific classes you intend to take will transfer back to your current school towards a bachelor's degree.

High School Students Seeking Concurrent Status:

General information for students seeking concurrent status:

Students must have the support of their high school and apply to the Office of Undergraduate Admission by the established deadlines.
Enrollment in a particular class cannot be guaranteed since all non-degree seeking students register immediately before classes start each semester, after all degree-seeking students have registered.
Admission as a concurrent student does not guarantee subsequent admission as a degree-seeking student.
In order to be considered as an in-state resident for admission and tuition purposes, an applicant must also submit the Application for In-State Tuition Privileges when you submit the application, or by the first day of classes.

A student seeking concurrent status should meet all of the following criteria:

Have few, if any, grades below "B" in high school.
Present standardized test scores (PSAT, SAT I or ACT) that at least approximate those of regularly admitted in-state freshmen.
Have special interest in an area not offered at the high school, have exhausted the high school curriculum in that area, or have scheduling conflicts that prevent enrollment in an applicable high school course.

The procedure for applying for concurrent status is as follows:

Obtain written permission from the high school and send an official transcript with courses, grades and standardized test scores to the Office of Undergraduate Admission.
Complete the Non-Degree Seeking Application for Concurrent High School Students and the Application for In-State Tuition Privileges.
If permission is required for a specific class, you are responsible for contacting the instructor.
If the student is under the age of 16, written permission from the instructor is required. Written permission must be returned to the Office of Undergraduate Admission along with your unclassified application. Once you have been admitted, the Registrar's Office will be notified to register you for the class.
Follow enrollment directions as laid out in your admission letter.

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