Current Students

The Office of the Dean of Students is the umbrella organization for a wide array of services to students, including Cornell United Religious Work, Fraternity and Sorority Affairs, New Student Programs, Peer Support, and the Student Activities Office. The main office is located in 401 Willard Straight Hall, 255-6839.

The Dean’s List recognizes academic achievement each semester. Criteria are satisfactory completion of at least 12 credits for letter grade, no F or U grades in the semester, and a semester GPA of 3.3 or better. MMH students must have a minimum 3.7 GPA to qualify for the Dean’s List. If you satisfy these criteria, you will receive a letter from the dean and a notation will be made on your official transcript.

To earn a Bachelor of Science degree you must:

1. Complete eight terms in residence, or the requirement designated for transfer students. To satisfy a term of resident study, a student must be enrolled in a minimum of 12 credit hours. Under certain circumstances, a student may petition for early graduation;
2. Earn a minimum of 120 credits, exclusive of Phys Ed credit.
3. Complete the prescribed course curriculum and attain a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0.
4. Earn a GPA of at least 2.0 in a full-time schedule of courses on campus in the final semester.
   Note: Students must be in residence (on-campus) during the last semester. Exceptions for extraordinary reasons may be petitioned if all other graduation requirements, such as practice credit, physical education, etc. have been met and the student has a cumulative GPA of 3.0 in the penultimate semester.
5. Receive a final grade in any courses in which a grade of “incomplete” was issued.
   See: Incomplete Grade
6. Meet the qualification requirement of one language other than English.
   See: Language Requirement
7. Complete two units of practice credit.
   See: Practice Credit Requirement
8. Complete the physical education requirement, including a swim test, usually during your first year of residence.
   See: Physical Education Requirement

Note: Students who have met all graduation requirements and, therefore, can graduate are expected to do so. Financial aid, with the exception of assistance for students enrolled under the Higher Education Opportunity Act, is awarded for a maximum of eight semesters.

Students may enroll in distance learning courses offered only by Cornell University, including winter and summer sessions. Students may not receive credit for distance learning courses from other universities or colleges transcript.

In order to broaden and strengthen the intellectual and analytical base of students’ thinking, students are required to take a minimum of 18 Distributive Elective credits outside the Hotel School, with a minimum of 3 credits each to be taken in the humanities, the social sciences, and the natural or physical sciences.

A maximum of 6 credits in Distributive Electives (no more than 4 in any one term) may be taken on an S/U basis.

You may not take two courses that are identical or similar for credit. You may not use the same course to fulfill multiple graduation requirements. If you have any questions about this policy, consult with the staff in the Office of Student Services.

See: Add/Drop

In addition to the core curriculum, students are given the option of selecting electives, either in the Hotel School or outside the Hotel School.

Students must take a minimum of 12 credits of Hotel School Elective courses at the 300-level or higher. All courses taken under the Hotel Elective area must be taken for a letter grade unless the course is offered only with the S/U option. The Statler Leadership Development Program (H ADM 310), the Management Intern Program (H ADM 493 and H ADM 494), Undergraduate Independent Study (H ADM 499), and Managerial Leadership in the 21st Century (H ADM 415) may not count toward Hotel Electives, only toward free electives. Up to 3 credits of Hotel Ezra Cornell (H ADM 491) may count toward Hotel Electives. Students may declare a concentration within Hotel Electives.

In order to broaden and strengthen the intellectual and analytical base of students’ thinking, students are required to take a minimum of 18 Distributive Elective credits outside the Hotel School, with a minimum of 3 credits each to be taken in the humanities, the social sciences, and the natural or physical sciences.

A maximum of 6 credits in Distributive Electives (no more than 4 in any one term) may be taken on an S/U basis.

Note: First-year Writing Seminars may not be taken to fulfill the distributive requirements as the seminars do not provide the thorough understanding of the way of thinking and development of the various disciplines that the distribution requirement is designed to provide.

Finally, the student must take a minimum of 21 Free Elective credits in electives of his/her choice either in or outside the Hotel School.

Caution: See Double Dipping

The privately funded endowed undergraduate colleges at Cornell are the College of Engineering, the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Hotel Administration, and the College of Architecture, Art, and Planning.

The preliminary and final examination schedules are printed every semester in the Course and Time Roster and in the Course and Room Roster. The most current information about examination schedules is available on the following web site: www.cornell.edu/academics/courses.cfm Also refer to Courses of Study for complete policies on preliminary and final examinations.