Registration

Registering for Courses

Students in the BA in Liberal Arts and the MA in Buddhist Classics programs follow an integrated curriculum in which every course is a requirement. Students are expected to register each semester during the registration period as announced in the Academic Calendar.

Students receive their schedule of courses approximately one month prior to the start of every semester in several ways:

  • Email: The Office of Academic Affairs announces the course schedule through an email to all students, faculty, and staff of the University.

  • Student Information System (SIS): The Office of the Registrar publicizes the course schedule and enrolls each cohort of students in their required list of courses. Students may access their course registration and register for language courses on SIS.

  • Faculty Cohort Mentors Meetings: Faculty mentors of each cohort may address any questions on the curriculum or gather student concerns and feedback regarding the course schedule at this time.

  • Bulletin Board: A paper copy of the schedule is posted on the bulletin board in the main lobby of the DRBU building.

Withdrawing from a Course

Because each degree program consists of an integrated curriculum, withdrawing from an individual course is only permitted in special circumstances. Students requesting to withdraw from a course must fill out the Course Enrollment Modification form at the Office of Academic Affairs for review by the Dean of Academics. A student withdrawing for medical reasons must submit a letter from the attending medical professional stating that it has become inadvisable for the student to continue the current course load for medical reasons and briefly stating the medical issues. Confidentiality will be maintained regarding the circumstances around the request. If a student withdraws prior to the end of the thirteenth week of instruction, a “W” will appear on the transcript. If a student withdraws after the end of the thirteenth week of instruction, a grade of “F” will appear on the student’s transcript.

If a student is withdrawing due to extraordinary circumstances, the Dean of Academics, in consultation with the course professor, will decide what appears on the student’s transcript. Students are responsible for consulting the current academic calendar for the last day to withdraw without receiving a failing grade.

The quality of the student’s work up until the point of his or her withdrawal will be recorded in the student’s academic file. Whenever possible, an unofficial, not-for-credit letter grade will be assigned to the student based on the student’s 52 DRBU 2021–2022 Catalog work prior to withdrawal. This internal grade will not appear on the student’s transcript but will become part of the student’s academic file at DRBU.

Refund Policy

The student has the right to cancel the Student Enrollment Agreement without obligation and obtain a refund of refundable charges paid through attendance of the first class session or the seventh day after enrollment, whichever is later.

Cancellation shall occur when the student submits a written notice of cancellation to the University. The written notice of cancellation, if given by mail, is effective when deposited in the mail properly addressed with postage prepaid. The written notice of cancellation need not take a particular form and, however expressed, is effective if it indicates the student’s desire not to be bound by the Student Enrollment Agreement.

The written notice of cancellation shall be submitted by mail or in person to:

Office of Admissions and Financial Aid
Dharma Realm Buddhist University
1991 Virtue Way, Ukiah, California, 95482

The University shall remit a refund as described below within 45 days following the student’s withdrawal.

When a student cancels the enrollment agreement prior to or on the first day of instruction, the University will refund 100 percent of the amount paid for tuition and other refundable fees. Fees for instructional materials purchased will be refunded provided that the materials are returned undamaged and unused.

When a student withdraws after the first day of instruction, refunds are calculated on a per diem basis starting the first day of instruction through the date of withdrawal. Tuition is charged on a daily basis through the first 60 percent of the semester (nine weeks of instruction). After the first 60 percent of the semester, students are liable for the full amount of tuition that they were charged.

A student on financial aid who is considering withdrawal is urged to consult the Director of Admissions and Financial Aid. A student may not be eligible for financial assistance for a semester in which he or she was previously enrolled. Exceptions to this policy may be granted by the Dean of Students in cases of an involuntary withdrawal due to serious illness or other severe and mitigating circumstances.

Repeating Courses

A student is not ordinarily permitted to repeat a course unless he or she has either received a failing grade (F) for the course, failed to complete the course due to absences (O), or withdrawn (W) from the course. Students who failed a course or failed to complete a course will be allowed to repeat the same course only once. If the course is successfully repeated, the original grade (F, O, or W) will be replaced with an RP (a repeated course) on the transcript. Only the new grade will contribute to the student’s cumulative grade point average. Students who fail to successfully complete the same course a second time will be placed on academic probation. Students requesting to repeat a course must fill out the Course Enrollment Modification form at the Office of Academic Affairs for review by the Dean of Academics.

Part-Time Study

Classroom conversations at DRBU assume familiarity with previous course materials as well as with materials studied in concurrent courses. Students who are attending the program part-time may find themselves at a disadvantage both in the course work and in the contribution they can make to class discussion. For this reason, part-time study is highly discouraged. Nevertheless, the Dean of Academics may permit students to enroll part-time under extraordinary circumstances.

Auditing

Due to the integrated nature of DRBU’s curriculum, auditing is permitted only under extremely rare circumstances (e.g., DRBU alumni wishing to audit a course or students seeking readmission). Auditing a class is a special privilege and requires the permission of both the Dean of Academics and the professor of the course. The number of students enrolled in the class as well as the auditor’s commitment to completing all course assignments and attending all the classes will be taken into consideration in the decision to allow auditing. Auditors pay an auditing fee of $200 per unit. Grades for audited classes will only appear on the transcripts of currently enrolled degree students:

  •  AUD — Audit
  • WAU —Withdrawn from audit