Enrollment Policies

Waitlists

If you are unable to find an open seat in a course that you need, it is advisable to join a waitlist through buckeyelink.  The Registrar's website contains a detailed explanation of how waitlists work, but there are some specific strategies that can help you effectively use a waitlist in chemistry courses:

  1. Always choose to enroll in an open class over waitlisting a full class. Waitlisting a class does not guarantee that you will be able to get a seat. If you see an open seat in a class, even one at a less desirable time, take it!
  2. If you are already enrolled in the course, there is no point in waitlisting for a different section. SIS will automatically skip you on the waitlist since it can tell that you are already enrolled.
  3. Waitlists only apply to a single lab section. You should also regularly check the OSU class search to see if additional sections may have opened that could fit your schedule.

Buckeyelink waitlists are only active until the first Friday of the semester. During the second week of the term, only a CBC advisor can add a course for you and you will need to have special permission. For general chemistry courses, this permission will come from the CBC Undergraduate Studies office. For all other courses, this permission will come from the course instructor. Until you are officially enrolled into a course, you cannot attend the lab, but we do encourage you to attend the lecture and recitations. After the second week of the term, you will be unable to switch or add any course without explicit permission from our Vice Chair of Undergraduate Studies. See below for additional enrollment policies that apply only to general chemistry or organic chemistry lab courses.


Enrollment Policies for General Chemistry Courses 

  • General Chemistry courses include: CHEM 1110, 1210, 1220, 1250, 1610, 1620, 1910H, 1920H
  • All sections have a strict capacity of 25 seats. We can not allow more than 25 students into any section, regardless of the circumstances.
  • Section changes after the first Friday of the term require permission from the Chemistry Undergraduate Studies Office (rather than the course instructor).
  • Section changes after the second Friday of the term are not permitted. 
  • See General Chemistry Waitlists- FAQs [pdf] for more information.
     

Dropped for Non-Payment

The University Registrar disenrolls students from all classes if their fees are not paid on time. We understand that financial complications arise that are out of the student’s control, and while we will do our best to enable the student to not fall behind in the course, the following policies apply:

  • Carmen: To maintain access to the electronic textbook and notes, a student can request to be temporarily added to the CarmenCanvas page for the lecture by informing their lecturer and/or course coordinator. Until the student is officially added back to the course by the Registrar (shows as a current student in buckeyelink), they may not be able to view or submit lab content.
  • Exams: A student who is not actively enrolled (shows as a current student in buckeyelink) cannot take an exam. A student will need to sign up for a makeup midterm once they are added back to the course by the Registrar. The student is responsible for keeping up with course content in order to be prepared to take a makeup exam promptly.
  • Lab: A student who is not actively enrolled (shows as a current student in buckeyelink at the time of their lab) may not attend lab or participate in lab activities. This is an important safety/liability concern. A student will need to contact the lab supervisor of their course to coordinate any missed lab work; there may be a limit to the number of missed labs that can be accommodated.
  • Lecture: A student may attend their normally-scheduled lecture to keep up with course content.
  • Recitation: A student may attend the normally-scheduled recitation. They should alert their TA of their status so that attendance/grades can be noted if they are not active in Carmen. 

Enrollment Policies for Organic Chemistry Lab Courses

  • Organic Chemistry Lab courses include CHEM 2540 and CHEM 2550
  • All sections have a strict capacity of 20 seats. Initially, enrollment is set to 19 with the last seat reserved for students with extraordinary circumstances (usually graduating seniors). If you have an extenuating situation, contact Ms. Rebeca Patton, Organic Lab Coordinator.
  • If you have more specific questions or if you are not sure what to do, email Ms. Rebeca Patton, Organic Lab Coordinator. 

State Authorization for Online Courses

State authorization allows The Ohio State University to offer education to students located outside Ohio. Each state has unique authorization requirements, so Ohio State must review each state’s laws and rules to ensure that the university is in compliance.

Effective July 2018, a U.S. Department of Education rule also will require institutions to be authorized in each state where students are enrolled in order to participate in federal student financial aid programs. 

In order to offer education opportunities to students outside Ohio, Ohio State must comply with state and federal laws. Starting next year, federal law will require an institution to be authorized in order for the institution to participate in federal financial aid programs. 

Requiring authorization of distance education programs also ensures that students are protected as consumers. Authorization laws help ensure that a student is not investing in a program that is not legitimate, or a program that does not lead to the license or credential that the student was expecting.

The State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement, also known as SARA, establishes uniform standards for distance education for all participating states and institutions. Ohio State joined SARA in 2015, which means Ohio State can offer distance education in all 48 states and districts that participate in SARA.

SARA does not cover professional licensing board approvals. If you are planning to seek a professional license or certificate in a state other than Ohio, it is highly recommended that you contact the appropriate state licensing agency to seek guidance before beginning a licensure program.

More information on state authorization can be found here: https://online.osu.edu/state-authorization

Please visit the following link to see a list of required disclosures, and to look up any restrictions for your state: https://online.osu.edu/state-authorization/disclosures


International Students

Countries may or may not regulate education provided to students in their jurisdiction, requiring higher education institutions to comply with their regulations. At this time, Ohio State cannot guarantee an online program meets the curriculum requirements in your country.


[pdf] - Some links on this page are to .pdf files.  If you need these files in a more accessible format, please email support@chemistry.ohio-state.edu. PDF files require the use of Adobe Acrobat Reader software to open them. If you do not have Reader, you may use the following link to Adobe to download it for free at: Adobe Acrobat Reader.