Tuition Charges & Registration

A Thayer student enrolled in two or more credit units, is considered a full-time student. A full-time student who is in good academic standing is considered to be making satisfactory progress unless the relevant program committee for their degree has placed the student in unsatisfactory academic standing or taken action to separate the student.

Most Thayer degree candidates are full-time students, however the MEng, MS, or PhD can be completed on a part-time basis. Students in other degree programs may be allowed to enroll on a part-time basis, depending on their remaining degree requirements.

• A Thayer student pursuing the BE, MEM, MS, PhD, or on-campus MEng and enrolled in less than two credit units is considered part-time or "less than half time" and ineligible for financial aid or federal loans.
• Part-time MS or PhD degree candidacy requires approval from the MS and PhD Director and is not allowable for PhD students receiving research or teaching assistantships.
• For students enrolled part-time, residency requirements are satisfied at the rate of one-third term per enrolled course.
• For part-time MS or PhD candidates, when all degree requirements, other than the thesis, are completed, part-time candidates are required to be registered for thesis research in each subsequent term until the residency requirement has been fulfilled. Part-time candidates may elect to complete their thesis in absentia with approval of their thesis committee and the Dean or Director.

With approval of their advisor and the MS/ PhD Program Director, the Master's thesis or the Doctoral dissertation may be completed in absentia. In order to be eligible to request this status, a student must meet the following criteria.

For all MS and PhD students:

• Residency requirements complete
• All coursework, following an approved course program plan, complete
• All research requiring the use of Thayer or Dartmouth facilities and resources finished, including research requiring the use of either physical lab space and computing resources.

For PhD students (in addition to criteria above): 

• Advancement to PhD Candidacy approved
• Thesis committee approved
• Thesis proposal defended and passed

While in absentia, students may not:

• Receive a graduate student stipend
• Register for academic credit, and they will not be considered full-time students
• Be employed by Dartmouth, except with express authorization of the Director of the MS/PhD Program and the Thayer Chief Financial and Administrative Officer
• Remain on campus or use the facilities for continuing research

In almost all cases, students in absentia have completed their research and are only completing writing or revising their dissertation. This may also be an appropriate status for PhD students awaiting acceptance of a journal publication in order to meet their program requirements.

If approved, students may register for up to 12 terms in absentia. Students will be required to seek approval from their advisor for each year of absentia. At the end of the 12th term, if the student has not yet completed their degree requirements they would need to seek approval for additional terms of absentia, enroll as a regular full-time student, or they will be administratively withdrawn from the program.

While in absentia, normal tuition and fees are not charged. Instead, students are charged a $500/ term fee. While ultimately this fee is the student’s responsibility, it may be paid by either the student or the student's advisor's funds. This fee must be paid on a termly basis in order to stay registered with Thayer. Failure to pay this fee will result in administrative withdrawal of the student.

In absentia degree candidates remain eligible for the Dartmouth Student Group Health Plan, and will be responsible for payment of their health insurance. If it is no longer needed, students will need to complete an Insurance Exit Form (available from the Thayer Registrar). The Exit Form needs to be completed each coverage year while students remain in absentia.

To request to complete degree requirements in absentia, students should contact the Thayer Registrar at thayer.registrar@dartmouth.edu to confirm they have met the eligibility criteria.  Once confirmed, they may contact the Program Director of the MS/ PhD Program to request approval.

Special Students are individuals enrolled in one or more Thayer courses who are not enrolled in a Dartmouth degree program.

Students are admitted to Thayer as Special students under one of four categories:

1. Students whose prior preparation does not fully satisfy prerequisites for a Thayer post-AB/ BA/ BS degree program to which they have applied. Special student status is normally reflective of a deficiency of more than three courses in meeting entrance requirements to Thayer. Students may also be admitted as Special students on a trial basis, if their ability to succeed in a graduate program is questioned.
2. Members of the Dartmouth community interested in enrolling in one or more Thayer courses without pursuing a degree. Appropriate examples might include residents of the Upper Valley interested in engineering or Thayer alumni interested in additional coursework after completing their degree requirements. Individuals in this category would need a Thayer faculty member willing to recommend them for admission as a special student.
3. Dartmouth employees utilizing Dartmouth's Educational Assistance Benefits.
4. Students enrolled in an advanced degree program at another institution who are visiting Thayer for a limited amount of time and will receive academic credit from Thayer, such as a PhD student on exchange conducting research with Thayer faculty.  Students in this category must have a Thayer faculty member willing to host them, which involves supervising the student’s research and could include providing funding and/ or research space, depending on the specific situation.

Students admitted as Special students in lieu of admission as a degree-seeking student must apply for admission as formal degree candidates in the term during which they will have satisfied all course requirements prerequisite to admission to that degree program, or in their third term, whichever comes first. Extension of the Special student status beyond three terms can only be granted under exceptional circumstances and may only be granted by the Dean of the Thayer School of Engineering.

No more than three courses taken as a Special student can count toward a Thayer degree requirement. In extenuating circumstances, students may petition the relevant program director to allow them to count more than three courses taken as a special student toward a Thayer degree.  If the relevant program director supports the petition, it will be forwarded to the Dean of the Thayer School of Engineering for final review and approval.

Special students must be at least 18 years of age.

Course Enrollment

Special students must be enrolled in one or more academic credits in order to maintain active student status.

Special students may not enroll in Thayer courses numbered 400 and above.

Special students will not receive priority enrollment over degree-seeking students from Thayer or other Dartmouth programs, and are only able to enroll on a space available basis.

Special students must seek permission from the instructor prior to course enrollment, to ensure they meet the necessary preparation for the course.

Special students are subject to the same course enrollment policies and timelines as all other Thayer students.

Special students will receive final grades on the A, B, C, etc. scale.

Tuition and Fees

Tuition charges for Special students are based upon the number of courses for which they enroll. Students enrolled in two or more courses are charged full tuition for the term. Students enrolled in one course are charged 40% tuition for the term.  

Students enrolled as Special students are ineligible for financial aid. They may be considered for hourly employment as their background permits.

Special students will be charged for health insurance and fees. If they have other insurance, they will need to submit a waiver request to Dartmouth College Health Services. All J-1 Exchange Visitor students are required by Dartmouth College to purchase the Dartmouth Student Group Health insurance plan. For questions about the cost of that plan, email Dartmouth.Student.Health.Plan@dartmouth.edu.

For information on tuition billing deadlines, refund schedules, and other key dates, please refer to the Thayer School of Engineering's Billing Schedule.

How to Apply

The application process begins slightly differently for each category of special student defined above:

• Individuals in category A would be recommended for special student status after a review of their application to a regular Thayer degree program.
• For individuals in category B, the faculty member recommending them for special student status should contact the Thayer Registrar's Office to request this enrollment. The Registrar’s Office will provide the individual with an enrollment form.
• For individuals in category C, Dartmouth employees requesting enrollment in Thayer courses should follow the procedure outlined for utilizing Dartmouth's Educational Assistance Benefits.
• For individuals in category D, students enrolled in a degree program at another institution and visiting Dartmouth, the sponsoring faculty member contacts the Thayer Registrar's Office to complete the necessary steps.
   

In all cases, once approved for special student status, the student completes the Special Student Information Form and submits it via email to engineering.admissions@dartmouth.edu.

Other affiliated statuses

The Special Student status is only appropriate for individuals who will be enrolled in Thayer courses and receive academic credit from Dartmouth.  For affiliates who do not intend to enroll in courses for academic credit but need Dartmouth credentials, other statuses such as a sponsored account or an appointment via Thayer HR may be more appropriate, depending on the needs of the situation.

Degree candidates enrolled in two or more courses will be charged full tuition.

Degree candidates enrolled in one course will be charged the one course fee (40% of full tuition).

For MEM degree candidates who also pursued, or are pursuing, the Dartmouth BE, after six terms in residence:

• students enrolled in two or more courses will be charged full tuition
• students enrolled in one course will be charged the one course fee (40% of full tuition)

For all other MEM degree candidates, after four terms in residence:

• students enrolled in two or more courses will be charged full tuition
• students enrolled in one course will be charged the one course fee (40% of full tuition)

Degree candidates enrolled in two or more courses will be charged full tuition for each term of residency.

Degree candidates taking one course per term toward degree requirements will be charged a one course fee, 40% of the tuition.

Tuition is based on the number of courses for which Online MEng candidates register.

Degree candidates enrolled in two or more courses (or ENGG 298, Graduate Research) will be charged full tuition for each of their first five terms of residency.

Except for candidates registered in absentia, all MS candidates are regarded as "full-time students paying full tuition" and thus entitled to Dick’s House Health Care Service. MS degree candidates receiving a graduate research assistantship, funded by your faculty advisor, will receive a credit toward medical insurance if purchased through the College.

PhD degree candidates eligible for Thayer Fellowship tuition credit will be assessed full tuition for each term of enrollment, less the Thayer Fellowship funding, regardless of their full- or part-time status.

Except for candidates registered in absentia, all Doctoral candidates are regarded as "full-time students paying full tuition" and thus entitled to Dick’s House Health Care Service. PhD degree candidates receiving a graduate research assistantship, funded by their faculty advisor, will receive a credit toward medical insurance if purchased through the College.