Registering for Classes

Summer and Fall 2008

The course offerings and assignment of instructors may be added to, amended, or canceled by the decision of a department or the University. Every effort will be made to notify students of changes through e-mail.

Advance Registration
Advance registration provides an opportunity for degree-seeking students to register in advance, on TOWER, for courses during the upcoming semester(s). Registration priority for classes is determined by cumulative earned hours with priority given to students with the most hours. Students who do not register in advance will lose their priority position during the advance registration process. It is the responsibility of each student to follow directives relating to student housing, billing, payment of bills, registration, and financial aid that are published annually. Various offices can place holds on student records that will prohibit registration. These holds can be seen by the student in TOWER. The student needs to resolve the hold with the appropriate office prior to registration.

Continuing Students
Continuing students may register using TOWER April 7 through May 15. Registration priority for classes is determined by cumulative earned hours through Interterm 2008 with priority given to students with the most hours. This priority determines when your registration access code (RAC) will be enabled. Academic advising should be scheduled prior to your scheduled registration beginning date.

Priority Registration Beginning Dates:

 April  7  Seniors
 April  9  Juniors
 April  14  Sophomores
 April  18  Freshmen
 April  20  Guests and Credits-in-Escrow students
 April  29  TOWER Closed for Summer Schedule adjustments
 May  15  TOWER Closed for Fall adjustments
 August  1  TOWER Reopens for Drop/Add
 August  29  TOWER closes for Fall 2008

December Graduates
All students whose anticipated completion dates are May 2008 or August 2008 should have already submitted an Application for Graduation & Agreement. The deadline for submission of the application was April 13, 2007.

Graduation Applications & Agreements due for anticipated May 2009/August 2009 graduation are due
April 9, 2008.

Readmitted Students
Students who have been readmitted through the Admissions Office should complete and return registration materials to the Registrar's Office by May 15, in order to receive priority registration.

Guest Students
Guest students may register online beginning April 20.

REGISTRATION PROCEDURE
You will need to meet with your academic advisor to receive your RAC. If you are unsure of your advisor's name, check your TOWER account. It is important that you register as soon as your RAC is enabled to avoid losing your priority position during the advance registration process; however, you should not leave or miss class to do so. All students continuing enrollment for Interterm/Spring semester need to be registered by 5:00 p.m. on May 15. Students are responsible for following directives related to registration, student housing, billing, payment of bills, and financial aid. To ensure correct billing and certification of enrollment status as a full-time student for state and federal financial aid, scholarships, insurance, loan processing and deferments, you must be enrolled for 12 or more hours prior to May 15. This is equally important for those students participating in USCAA intercollegiate athletic programs during the Fall semester.

Step 1 – Make an Appointment to meet with your Academic Advisor
Appointments for academic advising should be scheduled prior to your registration appointment time. You will receive your registration access code/time ticket (RAC) during your scheduled appointment with your academic advisor. Double majors in different disciplines should be advised by an advisor in each area; however, you should obtain your RAC from your first major advisor.

IMPORTANT: While Taylor publishes program information and materials and assigns advisors to assist students in planning their academic programs, students are solely responsible for ensuring their course selections fulfill all academic program requirements and comply with the policies of the University.

  • You are responsible for printing your unofficial transcript from TOWER for use during your advising appointment.
  • Complete TOWER registration and time schedule worksheets. Have these worksheets with you when you logon to TOWER.
  • For the Fall term, indicate one or two courses you need, and build the rest of your schedule around those anchor courses. If necessary, make additional copies of the blank registration form and build different schedules prior to meeting with your advisor.

Step 2 – Secure Enrollment Authorizations
The University uses several methods in the registration process to help ensure that a student is eligible to enroll for the term or a particular course.

  • Business Office Hold – If a student fails to meet payment requirements by the due date, the following will take place: (1) a hold will be placed on the student's records and registration will be blocked until the problem is resolved; (2) the student will not be permitted to register for a subsequent term and will lose priority registration; (3) the student will be sent an e-mail notification from the Business Office of such a hold in advance of the appointed time to register. It is extremely important that all students communicate with the Business Office about unresolved account balances.
  • Registrar Holds – The Registrar may place a hold on a student's account for: (1) failure to pay the required fee to have AP/CLEP posted to the academic transcript by the deadline outlined in the catalog and in this schedule of classes; (2) failure to have final transcripts (high school or college) sent by the required deadline.
  • Prerequisite Checks – In some cases, students are expected to have completed a course or received an appropriate test score before being allowed to enroll in a course. Not all prerequisites are listed in this schedule, so you should check the online catalog for prerequisites. Course restrictions include class year (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior), permission of the instructor, major, campus, etc. If you do not satisfy course restrictions, TOWER will explain the reason you were not registered for the course you selected. Departmental requirements on course restrictions are firm. However, if you believe that you merit an exception, please contact the course department chair and/or the instructor (depends on course department policy and procedure).

Step 3 – Register for your Courses
Please pay careful attention to your registration start and end times. Follow the TOWER instructions included in this schedule. The Registrar's Office is available to help you with registration during business hours. If you have problems with registration, call ext. 48629, 48778, or 48765.

Prior to TOWER registration, be sure to obtain all required section authorizations or course approvals. The faculty instructor is authorized to enter required section overrides online. Sufficient time should be allowed for override entry by instructors prior to your registration date.

IMPORTANT: An override does not register you for the course; it is the "signature" of the instructor permitting you to register for the course via TOWER.

TOWER Registration/Faculty Instructor Authorization

  • Closed section
  • Class year (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior)
  • Major restriction
  • Prerequisite (see prerequisite checks above)
  • Courses requiring permission of the instructor
  • Time conflict (permission of both instructors required)

TOWER Registration/Registrar Authorization

  • Academic load greater than 17 hours for fall and spring (academic petition may be required)
  • Academic load of 5 hours for interterm (academic petition may be required)
  • Courses requiring permission of the Registrar

Manual Registration at the Registrar's Office

  • Audit Registration – Audit registration requires signatures of both the student and instructor on an audit form, available in the Registrar's Office. Audit registration will be processed after August 1, if space is available in the class. Some courses are not available for audit registration, such as private lessons, music ensembles, studio art courses, physical education skills courses, laboratory courses, practicums, and internships. Last day to change to or from an audit registration for Fall term is August 29.
  • Pass/Fail Registration – Pass/fail registration requires the signature of the student and the advisor on a pass/fail form, available in the Registrar's Office. See the University Academic Calendar for deadlines on pass/fail registration.
  • Practicum, internship, independent study, tutorial, directed research, selected topics, departmental honors – Registration requires completion of special forms with signatures of the instructor, advisor, and course department chair. Forms are available in the Registrar's Office and on the Registrar's web page. They should be submitted April 7 - May 15 for evaluation by the Registrar and Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Manual Registration at the Music Department Office

  • Private Music Lessons – Registration for private music lessons requires the authorization of the music department. Registration for a private lesson does not guarantee you will be placed with an instructor. Make sure you fully understand the procedure prior to completing a registration form at the music department. If you have not received confirmation of instructor assignment from the music department by the first day of classes, contact the department as soon as possible, since you may need to make adjustments to your schedule before August 29, the last day to add a class.

Step 4 – Print your Schedule
After submitting your schedule, print it from TOWER to confirm your registration. It is especially important that you confirm your schedule prior to the first day of classes, since there may be changes to course times and locations.

Step 5 – Schedule Adjustment
We do not anticipate students needing to make schedule adjustments after May 15 for Fall Semester. However, TOWER will re open to make changes August 1, 2008 for Fall Semester.

Academic Load
Registration for 12 or more hours during fall or spring semester constitutes full-time standing. A normal academic load is 14 to16 hours per term. Students with at least a 2.00 grade point average (GPA) may take 17 hours. A 3.00 GPA is necessary to carry 18 hours, 3.30 for 19 hours, and 3.60 for 20 hours. An additional charge exists for each semester hour over 17.

Registration for three to four hours is considered a normal load for January interterm. Five hours is the maximum load for this 17-day term and requires a 3.00 GPA. An additional charge exists for the fifth hour.

The first summer session is a full term lasting the entire summer (approximately 12 weeks) in which all practicums, independent studies, and directed research studies are offered. A normal academic load for the second summer session (18 days) is three to four hours; a 3.00 GPA is necessary to carry five hours. A normal academic load for the third summer session (24 days) is three to six hours; a 3.00 GPA is necessary to carry seven hours, a 3.60 GPA is necessary for eight hours. Registration for 12 hours over all three summer terms constitutes full-time standing.

Change of Registration
The student is held responsible for each course in which he or she officially registers. Changes of registration require the approval of the advisor, and may be made using TOWER during the dates outlined in this schedule. Please note that we do not make changes by phone or email, please use the drop/add forms as necessary. Courses may be added during the first week of classes; however, each missed class that week counts as an unexcused absence. A missed 3 hour class meeting one day each week will count as 3 unexcused absences. Courses dropped during the second and third weeks of the term appear on the student's transcript with a grade of withdrawn (W). Students dropping a course after this period and up to one week after midterm receive either a grade of withdrawn/passing (WP) or withdrawn/failing (WF). When a course is dropped later than one week beyond midterm, the grade automatically is WF. The effect of WF on the GPA is the same as that of a full-term failing grade. Discontinuance of attendance does not automatically constitute a withdrawal from a course. Students failing to file a proper change of registration form by the appropriate deadline must complete classes for which they are registered or they will receive a grade of F.

Drop from Full-time to Part-time Hours
A full refund will be given to students dropping from full-time to part-time by August 29, the last date to drop a class without a transcript entry. There is no refund for dropped hours beginning on August 30.

Drop of Overload/Audit Hours
Beginning on August 29, students registered for 18 hours or more will not have the amount of their fees reduced if they withdraw from a course (including private lessons, ensembles, and audit). Therefore, it is important that you adhere to the registration deadlines outlines in this schedule.

Withdrawing from a Course
If you find that you need to drop a course during the semester after the drop/add period, the process to withdraw from a course begins in the Registrar's Office. Please note it is the student's responsibility to initiate this formal withdrawal from a course. Neither failure to pay nor failure to attend will automatically remove a student from a course. Please do not risk owing the University all tuition and fees, repaying financial aid, and failing courses because of not withdrawing properly, should you need to drop a course.