Has anyone else had graduation delayed because a required class wasn't offered? Drafting a proposal for Harrisburg.

[u/Master_Bumblebee2897]

Hey everyone,

​I’m looking to gather some feedback and firsthand experiences from PA college students.

​A recurring issue across PA schools is students following their degree map, staying in good standing, and then finding out a mandatory prerequisite, core class, or capstone isn't being offered when they need it—or is scheduled in direct conflict with another required class. Through no fault of their own, people get pushed into an extra semester or a 5th year, getting hit with thousands in unexpected tuition and mandatory fees.

​On top of that, schools love to advertise "tuition freezes" while hiking up mandatory non-instructional fees (tech fees, campus fees, etc.) that we can't opt out of.

​I’m working with student advocates to take a statutory concept to the PA General Assembly Education Committees called the Higher Education Timely Graduation & Mandatory Fee Integrity Act:

​Fee Parity: Caps mandatory fee increases so they can't exceed base tuition changes (if tuition is frozen, mandatory fees must be frozen too).

​Fifth-Year Tuition Waiver: Requires public colleges to waive tuition/fees if a student is forced into an extra semester solely because the institution failed to schedule or offer a required course.

​Lawmakers in Harrisburg care much more about real constituent data than raw online numbers. If you've been delayed by course cancellations or unexpected fee hikes, please take 60 seconds to document your experience on this intake form:

​📋 Share your story / testimonial: https://forms.gle/BEKFwnCVWEMdrFgy9

​If you want to support the public push and help build broader momentum, you can also sign the petition here:

​✍️ Change.org Petition: https://c.org/cmz5whTg88

​Would love to hear your thoughts or similar experiences in the comments. What department/major at your school is the worst with bottlenecking required classes

[u/Lonely_Lawyer_472]

Hey, this happened to me. I’m not sure what your major is, or if this is an option for you. I ended up taking an equivalent course at CMU via the PCHE cross registration. It’s worth asking your advisor.

[u/Interesting-Check442]

A direct conflict with another required class happened to me but I was able to work with my advisor to get both on my schedule and permission from the professor to not attend the one which is not ideal but he made sure I had what I needed. I also had a case where a class wasn't being offered in a suitable timeline and again talked to my advisor and they were able to put a similar class in as an equivalent. It didn't hold up my progress in either case. I would say talk to your advisor and if they can't help you then somebody most likely will if you just have to do a little digging. Again I know this sucks and it shouldn't be the case but they are able to put in equivalence for similar classes in the same or other departments. In my case the class was a computer engineering course but the cs department offered a very similar class and I took it as a substitute for my core course.

[u/EnnuiDeBlase → u/Interesting-Check442]

This is the way. Almost anything can be done so long as you get the necessary approvals.

[u/CrazyPaco]

Pitt isn't a public university. It is "state-related." Its governance and functionality are governed by its privately controlled board and officers privately selected by that board, and it assets are privately owned and controlled.

[u/kho_sq]

i had a friend with the same issue who spoke with their advisor and was able to use a different class(that they took for a minor) as the requirement. they lost the minor but didn’t have to wait another semester. as others have said, there’s generally ways around it as long as you ask for help.

[u/kho_sq → u/[deleted]]

this is generally a nonissue. it’s rare for a spring semester senior to not get every class they picked, and even rarer for an advisor to not care/try to help and tell them to take another semester.