The Collegian
Friday, March 29, 2024

Cross registration program offers no guarantees

The University of Richmond's cross registration program allows students to take free courses not offered on campus at other schools, though earning a spot in these classes is not guaranteed.

Richmond has agreements with Virginia Commonwealth University, Virginia State University and Virginia Union University that enable students to enroll in courses taught at any of these schools free of tuition charges, but extra class fees including materials and labs are not covered, according to a handout provided by the registrar's office.

Fewer than five Richmond students per semester try to cross register at other universities, but the process is not formally tracked, said Jean Creamer, the registration and operations manager for the university.

Students who cross register do not have priority over students who are permanently enrolled at the other universities, Creamer said. So, if a class were filled by VCU students, the cross registration students from Richmond would be unable to register, Creamer said.

Amanda Minnitte, a junior at Richmond, is pursuing cross registration to take human anatomy next semester at VCU, but fears she will not get a spot.

"The school offers the cross registration, but it is rarely used, and I have been told that it is very hard to get into the classes at VCU," she said. "So I could go through the work of applying and filling out the numerous forms and never get a chance to register for the class I need."

Students who want to cross register must go to the Registrar's office and fill out two forms: the Transfer Form and the Cross Registration Form. The registrar will check to make sure that the course or a similar course is not offered on campus before approving the form, Creamer said.

"If you are going to take something at VCU, it has to be something that isn't available here," Creamer said, "so if Italian is filled here, you can't just sign up for Italian over there."

One of the most popular courses students cross register for is Human Anatomy at VCU, Creamer said.

Minnitte is trying to register for this class because she needs it to apply to physical therapy school, she said.

A student who wanted to enroll in Human Anatomy would need to get the course approved by the biology department and ensure that they meet the standards for registration, Creamer said.

"I sit down and talk with them to make sure they've met the criteria - their GPAs, are registered for the right number of units - because if they haven't met this criteria, we're not going to sign it and send them off to VCU," she said.

Enjoy what you're reading?
Signup for our newsletter

After filling out the forms with Richmond, the registrar's office is not notified whether the student got into the course they applied for, Creamer said.

"The program could be improved by setting up a system with VCU that the Richmond students get a reserved couple of seats in the anatomy class, and then if no one registers, they can give the seats back to VCU students," Minnitte said.

Creamer has worked at Richmond for four months and did not know whether cross registration trends dictated the courses offered at Richmond, she said.

The cross registration agreement goes both ways, Creamer said, so students from other universities can take Richmond courses. The most popular cross registration courses that Richmond offers are Japanese, Latin and Greek, she said.

Contact staff writer Maria Rajtik at maria.rajtik@richmond.edu

Support independent student media

You can make a tax-deductible donation by clicking the button below, which takes you to our secure PayPal account. The page is set up to receive contributions in whatever amount you designate. We look forward to using the money we raise to further our mission of providing honest and accurate information to students, faculty, staff, alumni and others in the general public.

Donate Now