You need to be able to log in to Cardinal Students to register for classes and to activate your Cardinal Mail account. You received your unique Cardinal Students user ID and password when you were accepted to Catholic University. If you have lost or forgotten your user ID, call the Computer Help Desk at 202-319-4357. The Computer Help Desk staff cannot give out log-in information by e-mail for security reasons.

When you reach the Cardinal Students Home Page, follow this path: Self-Service>Enrollment>Enrollment:Add Classes.

To activate your Cardinal Mail account, you first need to find your Cardinal Mail address and temporary password.

With your Cardinal Mail address and temporary password, you can now log in to Cardinal Mail. Bookmark the page, reset your password, and begin regularly checking this account, as all University email correspondence will be sent to your Cardinal Mail address.

If you have trouble or questions, visit our help site or call the Computer Help Desk at 202-319-4357.

There are two critical deadlines of which graduate students should be aware. Both deadlines can be found in The University's Academic Calendar and on Cardinal Students under Self-Service>Enrollment>Enrollment Dates. 

The first deadline is the registration drop/add deadline for the semester, which is usually the second Friday of the semester, but can change from semester to semester. Adding or dropping classes on or prior to this deadline results in no penalty for the student.

The second deadline is the registration withdrawal deadline for semester classes. If the student withdraws from semester classes any time between the registration drop/add deadline and this deadline, the student will receive a “W” on his/her transcript. If the student withdraws from semester classes after the registration withdrawal deadline, the student will receive an administrative F (which appears as an F* on the transcript.) 

Receiving a “W” or “F*” on one’s transcript will negatively impact eligibility for scholarship and will make it more difficult to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress. Therefore, it is extremely important to know the deadlines and the last day to appeal grades or request a pass/fail.

Graduate Students should also be aware of the following dates, which may vary from school to school:

• When are the comprehensive examinations for the student's school or department scheduled?
• When must the student register for comprehensive examinations through Cardinal Students?
• What are the submission dates for depositing theses and dissertations prior to graduation?

The consequences for not submitting the thesis/dissertation on time may include the failure to graduate as scheduled.

Log on to Cardinal Students and follow the path Self-Service>Enrollment>Enrollment:Add Classes. You can also follow these instructions.

Log on to Cardinal Students and follow the path Self-Service>Enrollment>Enrollment:Drop Classes. You can also follow these instructions.

Log on to Cardinal Students and follow the instructions for dropping a class. However, keep these deadlines in mind (all of which are listed on the Academic Calendar):

If you withdraw from semester classes any time between the registration drop/add deadline and the registration withdrawal deadline, you will receive a “W” on your transcript.

If you withdraw from semester classes after the registration withdrawal deadline, you will receive an administrative F (which appears as an F* on the transcript).

Receiving a “W” or “F*” on your transcript will negatively impact eligibility for scholarship and will make it more difficult to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress. Therefore, it is extremely important to know the registration deadlines!

Cardinal Learn is the Catholic University learning management system, powered by Blackboard Learn.

The Instructional Technology team in Technology Services offers training and drop-in sessions for Blackboard and other instructional technology as needed. 

Student tutorials on Cardinal Learn/Blackboard can also be found online.

In order to qualify for a graduate degree from The Catholic University of America, a graduate student must maintain continuous enrollment. Graduate students should be aware of many important factors that affect continuous enrollment.

There are minimum academic standards one must uphold in order to maintain scholarships. Furthermore, academic leaves and withdrawals from The University not only affect the graduate student’s status as a continuously-enrolled student, but also negatively affect the student’s loan eligibility. It cannot be over-emphasized that failure to be enrolled continuously has significant consequences that may hinder the progress toward one’s graduate degree.

Also, failure to maintain requirements for Satisfactory Academic Progress (that is, upholding a minimum GPA as well as a certain percent course completion rate) will affect one’s government loans. For more information, visit the Office of Student Financial Assistance website.