A Note to Our Graduate Students

With holidays and the end of the semester approaching rapidly, we wanted to send out important information for you to review.

Remainder of Fall 2020 Semester

The last day of in-person classes for most schools and programs will be Friday, November 20. No classes will be held on the three days before Thanksgiving (November 23, 24, 25) in addition to the normal University holiday (November 26 and 27). All class sessions for the final week of classes (November 30 to December 4) and final exams (December 8 to 16) will be held remotely.

If you have not done so already, please make sure to confirm the schedule of your final exams and due dates for other coursework. If you believe the time zone difference between Cleveland and where you will be located during finals will be a concern or have other questions, communicate this with your instructors now

The last day to withdraw from the entire term is Friday, December 4, the final day of classes. See instructions from the University Registrar.

If you intend to graduate in January 2021, the deadline to submit all final materials for graduation has been extended to Friday, December 11. All forms and materials can be submitted electronically to Graduate Studies by emailing gradstudies@case.edu before or by this date. See our Graduation page for more details.

January 2021 Session

With the regular part of spring semester not beginning until February, you have the opportunity to enroll for a three-week remote-learning course, January 8 to 29, excluding Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on January 18.

The January session is considered part of the spring semester but Drop/Add for this term ends January 12 (also the last day to withdraw without financial obligation) and the final day to Withdraw from a class (with no tuition refunded) is January 29.

To search for classes and enroll in SIS, expand the Sessions tab under Additional Search Filters, then select "Regular Term - 3 week". Registration is already open and grad students can take up to 4 credit hours during the January session; these will count towards the total number of credit hours permitted in the Spring 2021 semester and tuition costs will be included in your Spring 2021 calculation and financial aid award.

If you are enrolled in classes for the spring semester and also enrolled in the student medical plan, your coverage for spring begins on January 11 regardless if you take any classes in the January term. If you are currently on the student medical plan for the fall semester, your coverage will continue through January 10.

See the FAQ on the Registrar's site for more details.

Main Spring 2021 Semester

Classes for the regular spring semester will begin on Monday, February 1 and end on Friday, May 7. Deadlines and due dates have been adjusted accordingly as well. There will be no spring break during the semester, but some schools plan to suspend classes for two days in March. Check your school's specific calendar for details. Finals will be held May 11 to 19 and Commencement is scheduled for Sunday, May 30 (Memorial Day weekend). Classes in the spring semester will continue to include in-person, remote, and a hybrid of both.

Electronically Submit all Forms and Materials

To continue to encourage social distancing and with potentially reduced staff on campus in the coming weeks, the School of Graduate Studies asks that all forms and materials be submitted electronically. All of our forms can be downloaded from our website as fillable .PDFs so you can complete, digitally sign, and email back to us at gradstudies@case.edu. You may need to communicate with your advisors and any committee members in advance to coordinate getting digital signatures and approvals. If you have any questions about the forms or the process, please reach out to us.

Passphrases Required for CWRU Login

To increase online security, all new or updated passwords for your CWRU network ID are required to be in the form of a passphrase, a string of words (including spaces) at least 12 characters long. Everyone must be using a passphrase by Monday, January 18 but you should switch now to ensure you have no difficulties accessing online resources. Review details and requirements.

Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns by emailing gradstudies@case.edu or by calling 216.368.4390. Know that a rotating segment of our staff work remotely each day so your calls may go to voicemail; please leave a message and we will respond as soon as possible.

Good luck on the rest of the semester and let us know if you need anything.