In the last few years there has been a growing number of students from local high schools and others from the community desiring to attend mathematics courses at the University of Michigan. These students fall generally into two categories:
(1) those who are officially admitted to the University as non-degree students and
(2) those who want to attend the course “informally”.
Students in category (1) can formally enroll in the course and receive a transcript showing their enrollment and a grade, while those in category (2) receive no university documentation but often want an “informal” grade transmitted by the instructor to a high school teacher.
The courses attended by such students include most frequently Math 115, 116, and 215 and the honors versions 156, 175, 176, 185, 186, 285, 295, and 296. Occasionally these students attend courses numbered 300 or higher. Until recently, the number of such students has been sufficiently small that it has not seemed necessary to adopt a formal policy for dealing with them.
In accord with the policy of the University Admissions Office, the Department strongly recommends that high school students take courses in their schools whenever possible. University courses should be taken only when they represent an important advantage for the student, such as an honors or advanced course. Although we welcome students for whom this is the case, it is administratively impossible for us to reserve spaces for them and therefore we cannot guarantee that every student will be able to take the desired course at the desired time.
(i) Every student in the courses 105, 115, and 116 must be officially admitted to the University and enrolled. Officially admitted non-degree students do have the right to enroll in these courses, subject to the University restrictions that apply to such students.
(ii) For the courses 214, 215, and 216, students without official University status may at the discretion of the Course Coordinator be permitted to attend lectures but they will not be provided with any form of evaluation or certification. A student who wishes to participate fully in the course by taking exams and attending recitation sections and computer labs, or to receive a grade, must be officially admitted and enrolled.
(iii) For all other courses, attendance of unenrolled students and their participation in class activities is at the discretion of the instructor. However, the availability of spaces in these courses cannot be determined before the first day of classes. The Department strongly recommends that all students be officially admitted and enrolled.
**Unenrolled students may gain access to course websites (Canvas) by creating a University of Michigan Friend Account. For more information on how to set up a Friend Account please visit the ITS website.
