Policy

The minimum and maximum number of students who may enroll in any given course section is based on pedagogical, spatial, fiscal, and safety considerations.

Reason for Policy

To ensure an optimal learning experience for all students.

To Whom Does the Policy Apply

All Deans, Faculty, Adjunct Faculty, Professional Staff who teach, Enrollment Management, Registrar

Related Documents

Procedure

Contacts

Office of the Provost – 201-684-7532

Minimum and Maximum Course Enrollment

Procedure

The minimum enrollment in a section is 10 students.  Sections with less than 10 students may be canceled prior to the semester, unless approved otherwise by the Provost.  Exceptions to the minimum requirement are made for required courses in new undergraduate majors or graduate programs when each of the following requirements are met:

1. This section is the only section of the course offered in the current semester.
2. Graduation of students within the program will be delayed if the section is not offered.
3. Low enrollment is a function of new program development, not a structural (recurring) concern.

Requests for exception should be forwarded to the Dean of the School, and will be approved/disapproved by the Provost.

Maximum Enrollment (Capacity)

All sections shall have a maximum capacity as follows:

• Capacity for 000 200 level courses are set at 35
• Capacity for 300 400 level courses are set at 30
• A lower capacity may be set in coordination with the Convening Group and Dean, for courses with one or more of the following pedagogical characteristics:
  • Required use of equipment/space-limited classrooms, such as laboratory seats, computer workstations, and studio work areas.
  • Required extensive social interaction or public presentations which place specific constraints on the number of students who can enroll.
  • Courses categorized as Writing Intensive (WI) in the College Catalog or other courses with multiple writing assignments which incorporate feedback and rework, a high level of individual attention, and intense interaction between faculty and students during class.
  • Sections of First Year Seminar and Critical Reading and Writing courses.
  • Sections of HNRS College Honors courses.
  • 50+ hour fieldwork component indicated in the course description.
  • Courses subject to outside accrediting bodies which stipulate lower enrollment.
  • Upper level courses in low-enrolled majors.
  • Graduate course sections, which may have a maximum capacity set to 25.

All sections of the same course must have the same maximum capacity unless:

1. A particular section must be taught in a classroom with a specific and unavoidable capacity constraint requiring it to be lower, and there are no other suitable room/times available for the section.
2. The section is an asynchronous, online course; in which case the maximum capacity may be set to 25.