Does the Degree-Seeking Requirement Discourage Intellectual Curiosity?

While Santa Clara University’s expansive required classes seek to create a well rounded education, many students feel it can be burdensome. (Dylan Ryu/The Santa Clara)

Santa Clara University’s status as a Jesuit University diversifies students’ learning experiences, centering around educating the whole person, known as “Cura Personalis.” The University also integrates liberal arts values into curriculum by employing a wide range of core requirements to create an interdisciplinary education, rather than just focusing on a singular field of study.

Despite these values, the University office that manages billing and financial aid, One Stop, sent an email on Jan. 2024, clarifying the intention of financial aid as “designed to assist students… in covering the costs associated with degree completion,” meaning additional courses must be paid for in full. 

As seniors like me plan their last quarters, this policy becomes increasingly relevant.

Degree completion courses include classes that count towards majors, minors and core requirements. While pathways allow an opportunity for students to explore a new area of study, is this enough to quench thirst for knowledge? 
With few classes left to fulfill my degree requirements, I have started to feel pressure to take fewer courses so as to not raise my tuition. I have the desire to take more courses, but it does not seem likely without increasing tuition costs.

Abby Wilwerding ’26 plans on taking 12 units in both the winter and spring quarters to complete her Communications major and Sustainability and Retail Studies minors.

“I have space to take a few more classes and I would love to if I could, but I wasn’t aware of that rule,” Wilwerding said, referring to the degree-seeking requirement. “You’re paying so much for your education that I don’t think that there is a reason that as a senior… you shouldn’t be able to sign up for one or two more classes as long as you aren’t overloading.”

One possible solution would be allowing students to sign up for extra classes after the initial registration period has passed to avoid barring other students from taking courses required for graduation. This could function similarly to how overloading or auditing classes works, where students must wait until a certain period to sign up for extra classes. “If a spot wasn’t going to be filled, what is the point of not letting someone into that when they are paying tuition?” Wilwerding questioned.

Wilwerding notes that some senior students might want to take a class to learn a skill, even if it is not related to their major. “What if you want to take public speaking as a senior?” she asked.

Some classes prepare students for post-graduate life regardless of career path, and taking extra classes gives students the opportunity to learn more. Further, certain courses might be required for enrollment in a graduate program but not be required for degree completion, leaving students in a position where they need to argue with the registrar in order to justify adding a course.

Students come to Santa Clara University to enroll in a wide range of courses and embrace a Jesuit-style education, and financial aid allows people of diverse backgrounds to attend the University. But, putting limits on this aid privileges students who can afford to pay out of pocket for extra classes that interest them.

Students who need more information about the degree-seeking requirement should reach out to academic advisors and One Stop to see how their financial aid might be affected. This requirement is confusing; not all advisors are equipped to answer questions in regards to this policy. Making information more readily accessible can allow students to make informed decisions about the courses they take. 

Speaking with professors in different departments as well as attending speaker events not related to your majors are ways to continue learning without actually enrolling in more courses. 

Santa Clara University fosters an environment for intellectual curiosity, but falls short in requiring degree-seeking classes to be taken to ensure financial aid.