Enrollment Definitions Terms

Relay’s academic year is divided into three terms: summer, fall, and spring. Enrollment and participation in all three terms may be required for successful program completion depending on a program’s course scope and sequence. Eligible students’ individual enrollment is certified by the Registrar’s Office within the institutional term dates. Therefore, documents requiring proof of enrollment in the academic year, such as loan deferment forms, will only reflect the term dates in this table. Proof of enrollment can be provided after the census date of each term. For more information, see Census Dates.

Term Dates

*Finalized for SY23-24; dates finalized November 2022

Credit Hours

The unit of credit used at Relay is the semester credit hour (referred to in this document as “credit(s)”). One semester hour of credit represents a minimum of 15 clock hours (of 50 minutes each) of instruction plus an expectation of 30 hours of out-of-class student work, or an equivalent amount of work for other academic activities as established by the institution, over the course of an academic term.

Enrollment Load and Status

Enrollment Status

For students taking classes in Connecticut, Illinois, Tennessee, and Texas: Students' status changes from "accepted offer" to "enrolled" when students attend class(es) and are marked present. Failure to attend classes after accepting admissions will result in students being classified as “no shows” and withdrawn from Relay.

For students taking classes in any other location: Students’ status will automatically change from “accepted offer” to “enrolled” upon receipt of the completed Enrollment Agreement.

Enrollment Load

The number of credits students are registered for and enrolled in per term will determine students’ enrollment loads. Students’ enrollment loads are either classified as being enrolled in full-time or part-time programs. Students enrolled in part-time programs can be further classified as being enrolled in half-time or less-than-half-time programs. At Relay, most students will be enrolled in half-time programs. The table below demonstrates student enrollment loads by credit per term.

Transfer Credit 

Relay does not generally accept transfer credit from outside institutions but will review outside credits on a case-by-case basis. Transfer credit will be evaluated through the submission of a course description, syllabus, and associated transcript by the Registrar’s Office, in partnership with the Office of the Provost. The Registrar’s Office will communicate with the student the outcome of the evaluation.

Students seeking to transfer credit from Relay to another institution are advised that transfer of credit is controlled by the receiving institution and that accreditation does not guarantee transferability.

Should students wish to transfer from one Relay program to another, the credits for coursework with a grade of C- or above in their original Relay program will be applied to the applicable coursework in their new Relay program. Please see Program Transfers for more details.

First year students in CT, IL, TN, and TX who participated in Relay’s initial programmatic structure (effective academic school year 2021-22 and before) and transfer into Relay’s revised programmatic structure (effective beginning Summer 2022) will earn credit for coursework completed with a passing grade if there is an equivalent course in the revised programmatic structure. Relay's Vice Provost of Teacher Preparation or their designee will approve coursework equivalency for transfer credit. A grade will be presented as part of the student’s academic history for the equivalent course(s) based on the student’s previous grade(s) from Relay’s initial programmatic structure; however,  it will not be included as part of the student’s overall cumulative GPA. If a student does not agree with a transfer credit evaluation, they can request a reevaluation by sending an email tosupport@relay.edu. 

All other students will earn the grade and credit from their original Relay program. The grade(s) and credit(s) from their original program will contribute to the student’s cumulative GPA. 

Credit for Prior Learning

In some cases, experienced teachers may be admitted into Relay’s MAT program with advanced standing and awarded credit for prior experience. Relay will determine the specific amount of credit to be granted for prior experience upon review of documentation submitted by the applicant that demonstrates that the experiences are equivalent to graduate-level study. Please reach out to support@relay.edu with questions about Relay’s transfer credit policy.

Census Dates

A census date is the point in a term at which students’ enrollments are final and credits are locked. Census dates coincide with the last date in a term that students can withdraw for a full tuition refund (please see Billing Due Dates and Refunds for more details), request a switch in major/area of study, submit a program-transfer request, and/or return to Relay from a leave of absence, withdrawal, administrative withdrawal, or program dismissal. Students returning from a medical leave may be permitted to return after the term census date if approved. Census dates for the academic year can be found in this table. 

Students who take leaves of absence, withdraw, are administratively withdrawn, or are dismissed on or before the term census date will not receive credit for assignments or assessments submitted during that term, even if they receive a grade in the course. 

Students who take leaves of absence, withdraw, are administratively withdrawn, or are dismissed after the term census date and before the end of the term will not earn grades and/or credit for courses taken that term. In this case, students’ transcripts will demonstrate a “W” in lieu of a course grade. Students who take a leave of absence, withdraw, are administratively withdrawn, or are dismissed on or after the last date of the term will earn the grades for the term they just completed (see Terms for more details).

2022-2023 Census Dates

*Projected for SY23–24; dates will be finalized in Spring 2023