If you are interested in rounding out your course of study with courses or instruction not offered at Princeton, you may wish to apply to one of our cross-registration programs with Princeton Theological Seminary, Rutgers University or Westminster Choir College.
With approval, you may take courses during the academic year at any of these three schools for Princeton credit and free of charge if such courses are not offered at Princeton. These courses do not satisfy distribution area requirements, but they may be used to satisfy departmental requirements and do count towards the number of courses needed in a term, to advance to the next year of study, and to meet the overall number of courses needed to graduate.
Credit will be granted only if the student earns a grade of “C” or higher. Courses cannot be taken on a pass-fail basis. A student cannot receive credit both for a course taken at another institution and for its Princeton equivalent. Courses approved for Princeton credit and passed with a grade of "C" or better will appear with transfer credit instead of a grade on the Princeton transcript after the receipt of an official transcript from the sponsoring institution.
Princeton Theological Seminary
Princeton Theological Seminary offers graduate courses in five fields of study: biblical studies; history and ecumenics; theology; religion and society; and practical theology. If you are considering a course at the seminary, you must visit the Office of the Registrar to request an inter-institutional course enrollment application. The application has two copies and must be signed by your departmental representative and your residential college dean or assistant dean. Once you have these signatures, you will need to contact the instructor of the course to arrange for their signature. One copy of the signed and completed form is submitted to the Registrar at the Seminary and the other copy is submitted to the Princeton University Office of the Registrar which then enrolls you in the PTS course. Courses taken through the seminary will appear on your transcript with a grade; they cannot be used to satisfy distribution requirements.
Rutgers University
Princeton seniors may take courses at Rutgers University on the recommendation of Dean Elizabeth Colagiuri and with approval from Rutgers’ associate dean of academic services. The Rutgers campus is approximately 35 minutes from Princeton, and you will be responsible for your own transportation. If you are considering a course at Rutgers, you should pay special attention to making sure the timing and logistics will work with your schedule.
First, consult the institution’s course offerings to confirm that the course is offered in the semester and at a time that fits your schedule. Second, obtain the catalog description and any other available information (e.g. syllabus, reading list and work requirements) that may be requested in the approval process. Third, discuss your plans with the dean or assistant dean in your residential college and, if appropriate, your departmental representative. Fourth, meet with Dean Colagiuri for review. Once approval is obtained, you can contact the dean’s assistant, who will send a request to Rutgers’ associate dean of academic services to have you registered for the course. Please note that the request to enroll in a Rutgers course must be obtained one month prior to the first day of Rutgers' classes for that term. The course appears on the transcript as "OUT" along with the Rutgers course number.
Westminster Choir College
Our agreement with Westminster Choir College, located in the municipality of Princeton, permits Princeton students to take advantage of the resources at Westminster for vocal and instrumental instruction, typically in piano or organ. The agreement also covers specialized courses in subjects such as conducting. Most Princeton students who take lessons at Westminster are concentrators in music or are earning a certificate in musical performance. You do not receive Princeton credit for piano or voice study done at Westminster.
If you are approved for the program, you can take one 30-minute lesson per week or one course during the semester at no cost. You will be personally responsible for payment for anything beyond the single half-hour lesson per week as well as for your own transportation to Westminster. It typically takes no more than thirty minutes to walk to the Westminster campus. Please note that the Princeton and Westminster academic calendars do not coincide; make sure you know when the semester begins and ends, and when the semester break occurs. You must be approved by the start of Westminster Choir College's first day of the semester to participate in this program. You will not be allowed to begin at Westminster after the first day of the semester.
If you are interested in this program, you should first speak to the departmental representative in the Department of Music, who will write a letter recommending lessons to Dean Elizabeth Colagiuri. You can then contact the dean’s assistant, who will reach out to the appropriate dean at Westminster to request permission for the lesson or course. The dean’s assistant will contact you once the Office of the Dean of the College obtains permission from Westminster.
All interested Westminster students should contact Dean Marshall Onofrio at Westminster to discuss enrolling in Princeton courses.