When does registration open?
Summer 2026
Registration is currently open.
M123 registration deadline is May 21
M123 classes begin Monday, May 18, 2026 and end Friday, August 7.
M1 registration deadline is May 18
M1 classes are May 18-June 12
M23 registration deadline is June 15
M23 classes are June 15-Aug 7
Fall 2026
The schedule of classes is published on Monday, March 26
Registration opens on Monday, March 23
Please complete your Fall 2026 registration by Wednesday, April 1
Classes will begin on Monday, August 24 and end on Saturday, December 12
Here is the current Add/Drop Deadline Calendar: https://www.purdue.edu/registrar/calendars
Here is useful information from the Registrar including frequently asked questions.
How to register for standard courses:
- Go to your myPurdue page and click on the Registration tab located along the top in myPurdue.
- Under Register for classes, click on Use Scheduling Assistant. A new window will open.
- Enter in your PIN number (which you call find in MyPurdue under Registration)
- Click “new course”, enter the course number, and select your class.
- Enter the courses in which you wish to register. All of your planned classes will appear in your Course Requests list of the Scheduling Assistant.
- After your courses are entered, click on Build Schedule in the bottom right corner
Please visit the registrar's website for further instructions
Basic Registration Guidelines for Graduate Students:
Only courses taken for a grade will appear on a Plan of Study (P/NP and Audit are excluded).
All courses taken for a grade will appear on one Plan of Study (either MA or PhD, not both).
During the Fall and Spring semesters, the Political Science Department requires 9 credit hours for full-time graduate students. Who must be a full-time student? If you are funded quarter-time or higher for research, teaching, a graduate professional assistantship or a Purdue fellowship, then you are required to register for courses or research full-time.
Summer enrollment is generally not required, except for students who TA/RA and they must enroll in at least 3 credit hours. Students can take a summer course without working if they TA'd in the Spring semester immediately prior and will TA in the Fall semester immediately after.
Note that International Students have additional registration requirements regarding course credits, last-semester credits, distance classes, auditing, residency, CPT, OPT, and hours worked. Please refer to the ISS website for more information, and see the Graduate Coordinator for assistance.
Research Credits:
Please complete the "Agreement on Deliverables" form, have your advisor sign their approval, and submit it to the Graduate Coordinator.
Off-Campus Research:
All domestic & international PhD students who have NOT completed their Preliminary Oral Exam and POS coursework and are conducting research off-campus for greater than 22 days must complete the electronic G.S. Form 19 and submit it to the grad school. If you are also in an RA position, a Change of Duty Station request will be generated in the business office and forwarded to you for signature.
PhD students who have already completed prelims and coursework, are not funded by Purdue, and will be conducting research off campus need to file a Research in Absentia form: G.S. Form 12. They must also register for at least 3 research credits (POL699) that semester and each semester going forward.
Please talk to the Political Science Graduate Coordinator about completing GS Forms 12 and 19.