Under a new registration policy, students who wish to audit a class must have approval by today – or pay a $5 for each class they audit until Sept. 10.

No students may audit a class after Sept. 10 without extenuating circumstances.

The new audit policy could create problems if students don’t know about the current changes, Registrar Kathleen Jones said.

Students must have an audit request approved by their professor by today to audit a class for free.

Audits will be accepted until Sept. 10, but requests must be approved by the professor and the student’s advisers.

In previous years, individuals who wished to remain full-time students had the option of auditing a course in which they were getting poor grades.

Theoretically, the student would ask the instructor, and if approved, the student would agree to continue attending class – but not for a grade. The student would then be better prepared when they retook the course.

In most instances, however, the student simply stopped attending the class, Jones said. In essence, they were taking the place of another potential student who may have needed that empty seat, she said.

“Students were not using the system as it was intended, and that is where the problems arose,” Jones said.

“Students would, for instance, realize they were doing poorly late in the semester and drop the course.

“On the same add/drop slip, they would add the course as an audit, if the instructor approved it.”

According to registrar documents, more students decided to audit classes in October rather than August or September.

Jales Hupke, junior in art and design, said he did not know of the updated policy, but he approves of the changes.

“Now they can no longer take advantage of the policy,” he said.

Max Wortman, chairman of the Academic Affairs Council, said the number of undergraduate students who opt to audit classes has been increasing over the years.

Wortman, distinguished professor of management, said students who count on a late-semester audit option may be forced to drop the course to avoid a failing grade.

Many parental health-insurance policies do not cover part-time students, he said.

Jones said there are many reasons a student may opt to audit. A graduate student changing majors may not necessarily need the course, but he or she may need the content, for instance. The audit option allows these students to take a course without having to worry about grades.

Wortman said the reworked policy also will enforce the requirement for instructor’s approval on all audits. The new audit policy was discussed by the Faculty Senate for two years before it was enacted in October of last year, he said.

“The entire process was very complex,” he said.