The free elective provides each student with the opportunity to select a course that might not otherwise be applicable to his or her degree. Its aim is to broaden the educational experience at Dutchess Community College or to meet a particular interest or need. To achieve the aim of the free elective, the course chosen should be outside the subject area of the student’s degree program.

The free elective course should be chosen thoughtfully with the assistance of the faculty advisor (full-time students) or a Registrar’s Office advisor (part-time students). A student may choose for the free elective a course that is either applicable or non-applicable to his or her program. A student may not choose a course that is a prerequisite for a required course in his or her program.

If the free elective course chosen is applicable to the student’s program, the grade and credit earned for the course will automatically count in the semester in which the course was taken.

If the free elective course chosen is normally non-applicable to the student’s program, the grade and credit earned will not count until the course is designated as the free elective course. Ordinarily, this is done at the time of the student’s graduation application. The student may cause the grade and credit earned to count at a time earlier than graduation by filling out a Free Elective Designation Form in the Office of the Registrar.

Students receiving TAP or APTS must fill out a Free Elective Designation Form when they pre-register for a non-applicable course as a free elective to avoid jeopardizing their financial aid.

Ordinarily, a student may fill out the Free Elective Designation Form only once.