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Undergraduate Special Studies Enrollment (non-structured) Credit

Important Enrollment Information

January 2026: The online application for Independent study, Undergraduate Research, and Teaching Assistant positions will be available through Experience Cornell using the keyword search 'Special Studies.'

Enrollment Process

CALS Student Services will NOT manually enroll students in special studies courses. Once your application is submitted and fully approved, you will receive a Permission Number by email. You must self-enroll through Student Center (search by Class Number). 

You are not enrolled until the class appears on your Student Center schedule.  

Friday, February 20, 2026: Enrollment Deadline 

Friday, February 20, 2026, is the deadline to enroll in Independent study, Undergraduate Research, Internship, and Teaching Assistant courses. 

  • Applications initiated by February 20, 2026, and subsequently approved, will be processed without a petition.
  • Application-related emails will be sent from noreply-cep [at] cep.cornell.edu. Be sure to check your clutter and junk email folders.

Application Availability and Add Deadlines
Students may access the application form through the fifth week of the current semester.
Petitions to add courses will not be accepted after the add deadline, with no exceptions.
Questions about adding or dropping after the deadline should be directed to your home college.

Maximum Credits and Special Studies:

  • If you have already submitted a Special Studies and/or TA application for the semester and are waiting for approval, do not submit a duplicate application.
  • If you have submitted an application but are unable to enroll due to needing an exception to exceed the maximum credit limit, do not submit a new application. 

The maximum credit petition for CALS seniors will be available starting the first day of Add in DUST. For policies regarding exceeding the maximum term credits, contact your home college.

Non-Structured Credit Limits

  • Up to 15 credits of non-structured coursework can be applied toward CALS graduation requirements.
  • A minimum of 105 structured credits is required to complete CALS degree requirements. 

Out-of-College Students at Cornell:

Students should contact their college registrar or advising office to determine how special studies credits apply to their graduation requirements. 

  • ILR students may not enroll in Supervised Teaching 4980. For more information, contact the ILR Office of Student Services.
  • Graduate students may not enroll in undergraduate special studies.

Several departments in CALS offer undergraduate independent study (4970) and undergraduate research (4990) for academic credit. Credit hours should be determined following Cornell’s credit hour policy.

After pre-planning with the faculty instructor, use this form to request academic credit as a teaching assistant in a CALS course. Credit hours should be determined following Cornell’s credit hour policy. 

Available to CALS students only: Refer to the CALS Internship Guidelines before proceeding with this form. Note, credit is not awarded before matriculation to Cornell University or while a student is on leave of absence. Instructor consultation must take place before the internship experience has begun.