Center for Academic Excellence
Registration Planning
Welcome to Registration Planning, your central hub for all things registration. Here, you’ll find guides designed to make your academic planning process smooth and efficient. Start by reviewing the Pre-Registration Checklist so you’re fully prepared for registration day. Got questions? Our detailed Registration FAQ section likely has the answers you’re looking for.
Our goal is to empower you with knowledge and resources, making your course selection and registration experience as straightforward as possible. Whether you’re a first-year freshmen or a graduate student, this portal is your key to a successful registration process.
- The Registration Status page in TruView tells you the date you can begin registering for a future semester as well as what holds you may have.
- Confirm what steps you need to complete prior to registering, including whether you are cleared to register by your advisor, if you have any holds on your account preventing you from registering, etc.
- Meet with your advisor to determine the appropriate courses to take next semester. If you have a CAE advisor, you can use their Calendly link to schedule an advising appointment.
- You must meet with your advisor to be clear to register.
- A registration hold impacts your ability to register in courses. You will need to resolve holds or other course registration restrictions in order to register in courses. If you are unsure how to resolve a registration hold, review the Registrar Office’s list of common holds and restrictions.
- You can view your registration holds using the View Holds link in TruView.
- This step is optional but highly recommended!
- Completing a Plan Ahead reduces the pressure of finding the courses you need the day-of your registration. Instead, you can make up to 5 Plan Ahead options of course schedules. To make a Plan Ahead, go to TruView and select the Register/Change Schedule link under Registration Tools. Choose the Plan Ahead option.
- You can begin registering for courses on the date and time listed in your Registration Status. Registration will continue until the end of the first week of courses for the semester.
- To begin registering, go to TruView and select the Register/Change Schedule link under Registration Tools. Choose Register for Classes to access the registration portal. Use this step-by-step guide to help you register for courses.
Registration for the Summer and Fall semesters typically occurs in mid-March and lasts until the end of the first week of classes each term. Registration for the Spring semester typically occurs in mid-October and lasts until the end of the first week of classes each term. For a list of registration dates each semester, you can view the Registrar Office’s “Schedules and Calendars” webpage.
The date students can begin registering is determined by the amount of college credits a student has. The higher your college credits, the sooner you register. This allows students who are closer to graduation to register sooner and enroll in the critical courses they need. The view your beginning registration date, view the Registration Status page in TruView.
If a class has filled up, a student can choose to be placed on a waitlist to enroll in the course if a seat becomes available. These Waitlist Instructions outline how to add yourself to a course waitlist (if one is available). If a seat becomes available in the course, you will be emailed and given 24 hours to enroll in the course.
Truman’s University Catalog is a great tool for understanding the requirements of each academic program as well as our Dialogues Curriculum requirements. Degree Works is also a tool for checking your academic progress and determining unfulfilled requirements.
Override requests are not guaranteed and are granted at the discretion of the college or department in question. Use our Override Forms and Registration Errors webpage to determine how best to pursue a course override.
To audit a course, a student must enroll in the course and then complete an Audit Form from the Registrar’s Office (McClain Hall 104) to change the grading system for the course. Students should NOT audit a course that is required for their degree.
Auditing a course means you are enrolled in a class without receiving academic credit for it. This option allows you to attend and participate in the course as if you were a regular student, but you don’t have the expectations of completing coursework to earn a grade. It is important to understand that students auditing a course are expected to make a commitment to their education by attending classes regularly. If the auditing student fails to meet the regular attendance requirement as defined by the instructor, the instructor will record a “W” on the final grade report to the Registrar.
For more information on auditing a course, review the University Catalog policies or the “Auditing a Course” TruView page.
Some Truman courses have a Pass/Fail grading system instead of “A” through “F” grading system. Primary examples of Pass/Fail courses include INDV courses and some internships. Students receive either a “P” (Pass) or “F” (Failure) grade. While a “P” does not factor into a student’s GPA calculation, a grade of “F” is calculated into the student’s GPA.
To provide students the opportunity to broaden their experiences, Truman allows students to enroll in a limited number of classes on a Credit/No Credit grading system. Forms to change a course to Credit/No Credit are available at the Registrar’s Office (McClain Hall 104). For a complete list of Credit/No Credit guidelines, review the University Catalog for details.
A student may take up to 5 credits per semester as Credit/No Credit. Seniors may request a waiver to take 2 courses (up to 8 credits) as Credit/No Credit in a single semester. A request to take more than 5 credits as Credit/No Credit must be submitted via the Appeals Form.
Depending on the student type and term, there are a maximum amount of credit hours a student can take each academic term. The below chart outlines the credit hours maximums.
For 8-week sessions: 14 credits max
If a student needs to take more than the maximum credits listed, they should complete an Appeals Form requesting to take more credits. Students shuod first discuss their decision to take additional credits with their academic advisor.
Once the registration period for the upcoming semester has started, students can add or drop courses from their schedule up through the end of the first week of courses without fees or penalties. Once the first week of courses has ended, students are assessed an add/drop fee of $50 for each instance of adding or dropping a course from their schedule, and the student must complete an Add/Drop Form from the Registrar’s Office. When attempting to add a course after the free add/drop period, students must obtain a signature of approval from the course instructor.
Before dropping a course, speak with your academic advisor about possible implications of changing your schedule.
To drop a course, go to TruView and select the Register/Change Schedule link under Registration Tools. Choose Register for Classes to access the registration portal.
- Find the Summary box of courses in the bottom right part of the page.
- Find the class you want to drop and the “Action” box next to the class.
- From the dropdown menu, select “DROP.”
- Click on Submit to officially drop the course.
There are a number of factors to consider when adding/dropping a course after the free add/drop deadline each semester. These factors can impact a student’s financial aid, tuition refunds, and transcript. The following provides a list of factors to consider before adding/dropping a course from your schedule.
Will adjusting my schedule keep me at full-time status?
Full-time student status for undergraduate students means they are taking between 12-17 credit hours. Being at full-time status is important for financial aid reasons. If a student drops below full-time status (i.e., below 12 credits), this may impact their ability to receive all their financial aid. For graduate students, full-time status is between 9-12 credit hours.
For international students, staying at full-time status is critical for visa eligibility. If you are an international student who is considering being below full-time status, you must speak with the International Office first.
Will dropping a course impact my transcript?
Depending on when a student drops a course, your transcript may be affected. If a student drops before the “W” deadline, a dropped course will not show on the student’s transcript. If a student drops a course after the “W” deadline, the course will remain on their transcript and a “W” grade will be recorded. A grade of “W” (withdrawal) does not impact GPA calculation but does remain listed on the official transcript.
Does dropping a course impact my timeline to graduation?
Depending on the class, it can. Contact your academic advisor before dropping a class to discuss possible implications on progression in your major.
Free add/drop week occurs during the first week of courses each semester. This is a time period where students can continue to add or drop courses to their semester schedule without fees or penalties. Once the free add/drop ends, students can continue to add or drop courses, but they will be assessed a $50 fee for each instance of adding or dropping a course. In addition, there is no guarantee that a student can add a course to their schedule after the first week since they will need permission from the course instructor to be added to the course.
For a list of schedule change dates/deadlines each semester, you can view the Registrar Office’s “Schedules and Calendars” webpage.
If you are unable to add or drop a course due to a hold on your account, we recommend reviewing the Registrar Office’s list of common holds and restrictions. You can also view your registration holds using the View Holds link in TruView.