Because a residential college seeks to create an environment in which students and faculty benefit from the exchange of insights, ideas, and experiences, a residence requirement provides adequate time for such an exchange for the student's development both inside and outside the classroom. Contemplative study, maturation, and time for reading and discussion in the college community all are considered important to a student's development.

All students are expected to complete eight full-time college semesters, a specified number of which must be in residence at Grinnell. Students who enter Grinnell after June 2002 as first-semester first-year students or who transfer to Grinnell as second-semester first-year students are required to complete at least six semesters of full-time enrollment in residence at Grinnell. One semester of approved off-campus study may count toward the six-semester residency requirement. Transfer students who enter as first-semester second-year students, as second-semester second-year students or as third-year students must complete at least four semesters of full-time residence at Grinnell. Full-time enrollment is enrollment for at least 12 semester credits. The only off-campus programs that can be counted toward residency for second-year and third-year transfer students are those operated by Grinnell College (currently Grinnell-in-London and Grinnell-in-Washington,D.C.).

Students who enter Grinnell as first-semester first-year students may develop degree programs of six, seven, or eight semesters of full-time enrollment. The major adviser and the Committee on Academic Standing must approve the student's plan for accelerated graduation. In completing the application, students should consult the Elements of a Liberal Education of the college catalog. The completed application normally is submitted to the Committee on Academic Standing no later than the time of registration two semesters prior to the expected date of graduation. Students may graduate after six or seven semesters if they have satisfied requirements for the degree, including the requirements for major, residence, and total credits, and if they have demonstrated a commitment to a strong program of liberal education, normally including three four-credit courses in each of the three major divisions of the College. The last full semester of work before graduation must be completed at Grinnell, except for students participating in cooperative programs leading to professional degrees (see Cooperative Programs).

A student who is attempting to follow an approved accelerated program to graduate in fewer than eight semesters is not reclassified forward on the basis of credits earned until his or her final semester. The credits necessary to remain in good academic standing are determined by a student's actual class status, not by the accelerated program he or she is attempting. If an eighth-semester student in good standing leaves the College with eight or fewer nonmajor credits to complete toward the degree, these credits may be completed at another accredited college or university, as long as the minimum residency credit requirement has been met and prior approval has been granted by the student's adviser and the registrar. Degrees are not conferred beyond three years after the date a student leaves Grinnell.

All students are expected to complete their academic programs within eight full-time semesters. Some students may be permitted to take more time. Examples would include students with disabilities that prevent them from carrying a full course load; students who have fallen behind normal progress as determined by the Committee on Academic Standing; or students whose comprehensive academic program would be substantially enhanced by another semester of work. In all cases of extended study, the student must secure prior approval from the Committee on Academic Standing. The Committee on Academic Standing will review such requests in consultation with appropriate administrative offices. The College reserves the right to refuse college housing to students beyond eight semesters, and the College will not provide its own aid funds to students who exceed eight semesters of college residence.