Class Size Policy

Independent study, internships, thesis, and research courses are not held to these minimums; however, they do apply to Special Topics courses.

Working with the CAS Associate Dean for Undergraduate education, units can request to run an under-enrolled course for the following reasons:

  • The specific course is required for the student's major or graduation and will not be offered again before some of the enrolled students are planning to graduate.
  • The course is one in a sequence in which a delay in taking it is likely to lead to decreased proficiency and future success.

When an exception is granted, departments will be expected to carefully analyze enrollment data to determine the appropriate number of sections and seats in the future.

If a class is cancelled due to low enrollment, the faculty member may be required to teach another class in the same semester or teach an overload in the following year or some alternative assigned by the chair.

Units can also request a long-term enrollment management plan when actively building enrollment in a program. This is a collaborative process that must be approved.

LevelMinimum Enrollment
100 16
200 16
300 12
400 12
4/800 10
800 7
900 5