Registration

Components of registration

Registration will be on line and involves three (3) components, all of which must be done for the process to be complete:

1.         Selection of courses and approval of academic programme,
2.         Financial clearance
3.         Registrar’s approval

Rules governing registration

A student may not be registered for two or more programmes simultaneously, whether at UWI or at any other institution, unless the Board for Undergraduate Studies or the Board for Graduate Studies and Research as appropriate in any particular case decides otherwise.

A student awaiting the final results of a programme in which he or she is registered may be granted permission to register provisionally in another programme pending the outstanding results. If the result is unfavourable, the student will be required to withdraw from the programme in which he or she is provisionally registered or from the original programme if it is not a prerequisite for the second programme.

Registration process

Registration is online. You should access the following URL (website) in order to complete your registration:

http://www.dec.uwi.edu/registration

Procedures for registration – new students

Having been accepted to the programme, your next step is to complete your registration online by accessing the website listed above and selecting the courses you require. Your Fee Assessment will be generated after you have received approval for your course registration. You will then complete the registration by submitting to the relevant staff member/s proof of payment.  You will be provided with specific instructions on how to carry out this process. Ensure that you follow them correctly.

Print a record of your online registration and retain it for your personal records. You can access the student administration system at anytime to view your registration.

You must complete your registration by the date specified. There is a set period allotted for late registration. However, you will incur a late registration fee. If your registration is not completed by the end of the late registration period you will be considered to have withdrawn from the UWI.

Procedures for re-registration - continuing students

Please ensure that you:

• Obtain your examination results through your Head of the University Centre/Site Coordinator or directly from the relevant Campus Registry.
• Pay all fees by the date specified.
• Complete your registration online accessing the website above

 Registration Approval

Your registration will be approved online by the Academic Committee and the Registrar or her designated official.

Changes to your initial registration (add/drop)

You may change your registration online throughout the registration period. At the end of the registration period, no changes will be permitted without the approval of the Academic Committee. In such cases you will complete a paper Change of Registration Form as detailed below.

After the registration period and you wish to change a course, you must complete a Change in Registration/Add/Drop Form available from the Head of the University Centre/Site Coordinator. It must be forwarded through the Head of the University Centre/Site Coordinator to the Campus Registry for processing through the relevant faculty office.

Course changes must be completed in accordance with the official UWI deadline dates. You can make changes up to the end of the third week of Semester 1, and up to the end of the second week in Semesters II and III.

Late Registration

If you are unable to register by the final registration date, you should seek permission for late registration or you will be considered to have withdrawn from UWI. You will incur a late registration fee if you register late.

Number of credit hours for which you can register

You must register for the total number of courses offered in the particular semester: i.e. three courses in semesters I and III and four in semester II.

Registering for courses for which you are awaiting results

The Registrar recognises that sometimes results are late and therefore allows students to register for courses while awaiting results. However, you must get approval from the Academic Committee. Your Head of the University Centre/Site Coordinator will facilitate this process.

Registering for a course already passed

If you have recorded a pass in a course you will not be permitted to re-register for that course.

Trailing courses

You will not be allowed to trail courses. Courses will be offered once per academic year. Therefore, if you are unable to successfully complete the required number of courses in any given semester, you will have to wait till the next offering which will take place in the same semester of the following academic year.

Requests to Carry Forward Coursework

Requests to carry forward coursework must be made through your Head of the University Centre/Site Coordinator to the Academic Committee by the end of the relevant registration period for each semester.

Exemptions

If a course already completed successfully in one programme is the same as that to be pursued at a particular level in another programme, a student may receive exemption from that course. Note that not more than five years must have elapsed from the time of graduating to the date of entry into the programme for which you have applied. You should ascertain which courses have been approved for exemption by writing to the Academic Committee through the Assistant Registrar, Distance Education, Cave Hill.

Leave of absence

If you cannot do any courses in a particular semester during the academic year, you should apply for leave of absence (LOA). However, you must have spent at least one year at the University before being eligible for a LOA except in extenuating circumstances. In any case, the granting of leave of absence is subject to the UWI regulations, which may be in force.

Any student who wishes to take leave of absence must apply for it by writing to the Assistant Registrar, Distance Education through the Head of the University Centre/Site Coordinator. The student must give the reason(s) prompting the request and give any additional comments pertinent to the request.

Applications for leave of absence for a semester must be submitted by the end of the third week of the relevant semester.

Applications for leave of absence for the academic year must be submitted by the end of the third week of Semester 1.

A late request may be considered, but your written request must be submitted before the start of midsemester examinations.

Withdrawal

Voluntary withdrawal

If you find it necessary to withdraw from UWI, you must apply in writing to the Assistant Registrar or use a withdrawal form available at the University Site and submit it to the Head of University Centre/Site Coordinator for forwarding to the relevant Campus Registrar’s office. This should be received no later than January 31st of the current academic year.

You cannot withdraw from UWI by simply telling a tutor or the Site Coordinator/Head of University Centre or by ceasing to complete assignments. You must apply in writing or use the withdrawal form prescribed for the purpose.

Required to withdraw

Each Faculty has regulations concerning rate of progress within a programme of study. You are expected to gain a specified number of credits by the end of a designated number of semesters or you will be required to withdraw from the programme. See the section entitled Award of Certificate in Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment on this website for the number of credits needed for each semester.

Change of personal information

Name changes

There are two (2) types of change in one’s name that the UWI recognises (other than the correction of a clerical error):

1) Change due to marriage or divorce.

2) Legal name change, e.g. adoption, court order, etc.

All students requesting a change of name must complete a Correction of Biographical Data form and submit the legal document certifying the change to the Head of the University Centre/Site Coordinator or Campus Registry. The Head of the University Centre/Site Coordinator will certify a photocopy of the document and forward this to the Campus Registrar’s office with the confirmed Correction of Biographical Data form.

If the change of the name is due to a UWI administrative or clerical error, a student’s valid passport or national ID card is sufficient identification to correct the error.

If the change in name involves several hyphenated parts to the surname, please ask your Head of University Centre/Site Coordinator to write to the Campus Registry to point this out, as the computers used to prepare student’s records will normally accept a specific number of letters (e.g. maximum 18 for surname). You should note, however, that late submission of a change of name may prohibit any change to your documentation, especially where certificates have already been issued.

Address/telephone number changes

Students may update their addresses, telephone numbers and emergency contact information online at anytime. In order to ensure that important correspondence reaches you in good time, you must keep this information current.

You may also notify the University of these changes in writing (on a correction of Biographical Data form) through your Head of the University Centre/Site Coordinator or the Campus Registry. The newinformation will then be entered into the Student Administration System.

The Student Administration System will normally store at least three types of addresses for students:

1)         Permanent address - the address to which correspondence can be sent to the student at any time.
2)         Business address - the address of the place of employment.
3)         Emergency Contact address - the address of a person to contact in case of an emergency.

Deceased students

If you learn of the death of a currently enrolled student, please notify the Head of the University Centre/Site Coordinator who will then inform the Distance Education Centre in writing. You should note also, that under the Examination Regulations, the “University shall not award a posthumous aegrotat degree except in cases where the decision to award such degree was made before the candidate’s death”.