D-Plan Terminology Glossary

Glossary Term

Definition

On-Term

An On-Term is any term a student is enrolled in Dartmouth courses or courses offered through a Dartmouth-sponsored program. Resident (on-campus) Terms are the most common, however, enrollment in Off-Campus Programs and Exchange Programs offered through the Frank J. Guarini Institute for International Education are also considered On-Terms. A typical D-Plan consists of 12 On-Terms.

Resident Term

Resident Terms (also called On-Campus Terms) are the most common type of On-Term. A typical starting D-Plan consists of 12 Resident Terms.

Off-Campus Program

Off-Campus Programs are Dartmouth-sponsored programs supported by the Frank J. Guarini Institute for International Education. Off-Campus Programs count as On-Terms.

Exchange Term

Exchange Terms are Dartmouth-sponsored programs supported by the Frank J. Guarini Institute of International Education. Exchange Terms count as On-Terms.

On-Campus Term

An On-Campus term is an unofficial name for a Resident Term, the most common type of On-Term.

Off-Term

Off-Terms include Leave Terms and Transfer Terms. During an Off-Term, students are still considered to be actively pursuing their Dartmouth degree although they are not enrolled in any Dartmouth courses that term. A typical D-Plan consists of 3 Off-Terms.

Leave Term

Leave Terms are the most common type of Off-Term. A typical starting D-Plan consists of 3 Leave Terms.

Transfer Term

Transfer Terms are considered Off-Terms but differ from Leave Terms as the student has independently sought out an alternative program offered by another institution and has received prior approval to transfer their course work back to Dartmouth for credit.

D-Plan (Enrollment Pattern)

A student’s D-Plan maps out in which terms over their four-year career they will be enrolling in Dartmouth Courses (On-Terms) and which ones they will not (Off-Terms). A typical starting D-Plan consists of 15 total terms: 12 On-Terms and 3 Off-Terms.

Maintaining an accurate D-Plan or Enrollment Pattern ensures students have a pathway to complete their degree requirements and should align with their approved Major Plan.

Enrollment Pattern (D-Plan)

Enrollment Pattern is another name for a student’s D-Plan.

D-Plan Petition

D-Plan petitions are requests for an exception to Enrollment Pattern (D-Plan) policies established by the Arts and Sciences Faculty as defined in the ORC/Catalog. See the D-Plan Petition Definitions page for more information.

Major Plan

A student’s Major Plan refers to the plan they develop to complete their major requirements when declaring their major. The Major Plan must be approved by the department/program offering the major. An approved Major Plan is required to submit a D-Plan Petition to ensure their D- Plan aligns with their Major Plan.

Expected Graduation Term

A student’s Expected Graduation Term is the term at the end of which they expect to complete all requirements necessary to graduate from Dartmouth with their A.B. Degree.

Students who have or will have met all graduation requirements after twelve terms are not approved for additional terms, including Leave Terms.

Students who graduate at the end of a term other than spring may contact the Undergraduate Deans Office about participating in Commencement.

Degree Audit

The Degree Audit is a tool in DartHub where students track their progress towards degree completion. This is separate and distinct from a student’s Major Plan or D-Plan.