Fall 2023 Registration Information

The Smart Choice

Advising

The official advising period for all students is listed in the calendar section. All students are encouraged to see their academic advisors and plan their class schedule prior to the opening of registration. Advising times/schedules can be obtained from the student’s advisor or academic department.

Students in Freshman Advising must schedule an appointment to discuss classes, registration, etc. with their advisor. Email Freshman Advising at freshmanadvising@mcneese.edu for information on how to schedule an appointment.

Each student is personally responsible for completing all requirements established for his/her degree by the university, college, and department. It is the student’s responsibility to be informed of these requirements. A student’s advisor may not assume these responsibilities, and the advisor may not substitute, waive, or exempt the student from any established requirement or academic standard. Although it is the student’s responsibility to meet graduation requirements, advisors can offer valuable advice to help meet goals.


Alternate (Registration) PINs

Groups of students who are required to meet with an advisor prior to registration are assigned alternate PINs.

The alternate PIN allows students to access the registration and drop/add services on the web. Students obtain the alternate PIN from their advisor or academic department prior to attempting to register. Once a student logs in with his/her Banner ID and PIN and selects the Registration and Drop/Add Classes option, he/she is required to enter the alternate PIN before the system will allow registration functions.

The alternate PIN is a randomly generated, six-digit number that is unique to the student. Additionally, the alternate PIN is term specific. For example, a student’s alternate PIN for summer will be different from the alternate PIN for fall.

The following groups of students must see their faculty advisor to obtain an alternate PIN:

  1. All undergraduate students who have earned 59 hours or less
  2. All veterans
  3. All students registered with the Office of Disability Services
  4. All student-athletes
  5. All Honors College students

All other students should check with their faculty advisor to determine if an alternative PIN is required.

Registration Holds

Students who owe a debt to the university are blocked from scheduling classes and must contact the Cashier’s Office in person in Smith Hall or at msucashiers@mcneese.edu.

Students may have registration holds placed by other university offices and must contact the office in question to have it removed. Only the office placing a hold may remove it. The Office of the Registrar does not have the ability to remove a registration hold placed by another office.


Planning a Class Schedule

To effectively plan a class schedule, students should consult with their advisor and refer to the online class schedule and the McNeese Catalog. Steps should include:

  • Organize and plan the class schedule using the registration worksheet and final exam schedule.
  • List class choices in order of priority. Also, list alternate classes, as some courses or sections may be closed or cancelled.
  • Schedule only classes for which all course requirements are met. If a student schedules a course for which he or she is not eligible, enrollment in that class may be cancelled at any time.
  • Schedule only courses that apply to the degree or are desirable for other reasons. If a student is unable to create a complete schedule of appropriate courses, he or she should consult with the faculty advisor or academic department to investigate alternate choices.

Registration Instructions

McNeese logs all registration transactions to trace activity and to obtain information that can be used to improve registration.

After completing the planning steps outlined above, students should log in to Banner. Then they should:

  • Select Student & Financial Aid and then select Registration.
  • Select Register and Drop/Add Classes.
  • Read and agree to the Registration Agreement.
  • Select a Term and click Submit.
  • Enter Alternate PIN if required and click Submit.
  • To register for classes or add classes, enter the CRNs (course reference numbers) of the classes to add and click Submit Changes.
  • To drop a class, select Web Drop (under Action) next to the class to drop and click Submit
  • Changes.
  • Click Student Detail Schedule or Student Schedule by Day & Time to view schedule.
  • Click Registration Fee Assessment to view the amount of tuition and fees owed.
  • Pay fees. Registration is not considered complete until fees are paid or arrangements are made with Administrative Accounting. All financial aid and scholarship recipients must return the Financial Aid/Scholarship Authorization form, or their classes may be purged from their schedule. See Fee Payment Section.

Priority Registration Begins April 3

Priority registration will begin at 1 p.m. on Monday, April 3.  Students who plan to register during this time should see their advisors during the official advising period, which begins March 13. Students needing permits or overrides with registrations can contact academic departments for assistance.

  • Priority registration for graduates, seniors, student-athletes, and Veterans begins at 1 p.m. on Monday, April 3.
    • Graduates are defined as students enrolled in or accepted to Graduate School.
    • Seniors are defined as students who have earned or will have earned 90 or more credit hours by the end of the spring 2023 semester.
    • Student-athletes are defined as students who are on the University squad list and certified as eligible by the Registrar’s Office. University varsity sports include baseball, men and women’s basketball, football, men and women’s golf, soccer, softball, tennis, men and women’s track, and volleyball.
  • Priority registration for juniors begins at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, April 4.
    • Juniors are defined as students who have earned or will have earned 60 or more credit hours by the end of the spring 2023 semester.
  • Priority registration for sophomores begins at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, April 5.
    • Sophomores are defined as students who have earned or will have earned 30 or more credit hours by the end of the spring 2023 semester.

Campus computer labs will be available for student registration during normal hours of operation.


Registration for All Students Begins April 6

Registration for all students is open from 1 p.m. on April 6 to 11:59 p.m. on August 15. (See calendar for details.)  

Dropping and Adding Courses

Once students have registered, classes can be dropped or added any time the registration system is available. Students are encouraged to drop/add courses as soon as they are aware that changes need to be made.

Fees for classes added during registration must be paid by 4:30 p.m., Wednesday, August 16, or their classes may be purged from their schedules. Students will not receive a bill in the mail.

Withdrawal from Courses and Resignation from the University

To withdraw from a class after late registration ends, a student must complete a Course Withdrawal Form with his/her advisor and submit the completed form to Student Central. The student will then be withdrawn from the course, and a grade of “WZ” will be assigned. Withdrawal from a course becomes official only after the properly completed Course Withdrawal Form has been received and recorded in the Office of the Registrar. Students must keep a copy of the official form in the case of a discrepancy.

  1. After the last day of late registration and through the last day to withdraw from a course as specified on the University academic calendar, a student can withdraw from a course by completing a Course Withdrawal Form with his/her advisor and submitting the completed, signed form to Student Central. The student will then be withdrawn from the course, and a grade of ‘WZ’ will be assigned. A student who is unable to visit campus to complete this process should contact his/her academic advisor for assistance.
  2. Recipients of federal financial aid who officially withdraw from a class, or who unofficially withdraw or resign by discontinuing class attendance, may be subject to repayment of all or a portion of funds received.
  3. Effective Fall 2018, the University assesses a per course withdrawal fee of $50 to all students. This per course fee will automatically be charged to the student’s account when the ‘WZ’ grade is assigned.
    1. The following drops and withdrawals are not assessed the course withdrawal fee:
      1. Course drops during registration when withdrawal grades are not assigned
      2. Withdrawals resulting from resignation from the University (‘W’ grades)
      3. Withdrawals resulting from military activation (‘W’ grades)
      4. Withdrawals resulting from administrative action (‘W’ grades)
      5. Withdrawals from linked lab sections where no credit or grade is assigned (Ex: BIOL 225 LA – 0 credits)
    2. The amount of the per course withdrawal fee is subject to change without prior notice.
  4. A student who wishes to withdraw from all courses must resign from the University.
  5. Resignations (withdrawing from all courses) must be received in Student Central by the designated date published in the University academic calendar. A resignation form may be completed at Student Central. A student who is unable to visit campus may email, mail, or fax a signed letter of resignation with a copy of a valid photo ID to Student Central.
  6. A student who officially resigns from the University prior to a designated date will receive a grade of ‘W’ in all courses; however, if a student previously withdrew from any courses, the assigned grade of ‘WZ’ will not be replaced with a grade of ‘W’.
  7. Grades of ‘F’, ‘I’, or ‘WN’ may be recorded for students who leave the University without officially resigning by the designated deadline. A course withdrawal fee of $50 is assessed for every ‘WN’ grade assigned. This per course fee will automatically be charged to the student’s account when the ‘WN’ grade is assigned.
  8. The deadline for withdrawing from a course or resigning from the University is the last day of class for a course as specified in the University’s academic calendar. After this date, a student may not withdraw from a course or resign from the University.
  9. Retroactive withdrawal after a semester ends may be permitted only by approval of an undergraduate student appeal. Information and appeal forms for undergraduates may be obtained from Student Central. A non-refundable fee must be paid prior to filing the appeal.

Cancellation of Registration

Students who complete the registration process then decide not to attend McNeese must officially cancel their registration and resign from the university before the end of late registration or tuition and fees will be assessed.


Special Course Information

Auditing Classes

Students have the option of attending a class for non-credit. This is called auditing a class. Students who wish to audit a class must register in Student Central. A student may not enroll for audit through Banner.

A grade of AU will be assigned for audited courses, and audited courses do not count toward fulfillment of any degree requirements. The deadline for changing from credit to audit or vice-versa is the close of business on the last day of registration. After that time, a student may not change the status of his or her enrollment. Classes for audit count in total hours to determine fees owed but do not count toward full-time status.


Scheduling Honors Option Courses

Qualified students may request an honors option for most university courses. Honors options require additional work designed to enrich the learning experience. Honors options must be approved by the teacher of the course, the department head in which the course is being offered, and the director of the Honors College.

To qualify for an honors option course, a student must be admitted to the university honors college or have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 and permission from the department head offering the course. To register for an honors option, a student must see the director of Honors College.

Students may choose to add or drop an honors option during the regular or late registration periods; however, once late registration ends, students may not add the honors option without the written approval of the Honors College director. If a student wishes to drop an honors option course after late registration ends, he or she must withdraw from the entire course, which will result in a grade of WZ being assigned.


Maximum Course Loads

Undergraduate Students

Undergraduate students carrying 12 or more semester hours are considered full-time students during the spring and fall. The maximum number of semester hours an undergraduate student may attempt is 22 hours. In order to schedule more than the maximum load, a student must 1) have a 3.25 grade point average the previous semester or a 3.25 cumulative grade point average and 2) obtain the appropriate form and approvals from his/her academic department.

Graduate Students

Graduate students carrying 9 or more semester hours are considered full-time students during the spring and fall. The maximum number of semester hours a graduate student may attempt is 16 hours. With approval from the student’s major professor, department head and the graduate dean, students whose cumulative GPA is 3.6 or better may enroll in 3 additional hours. Refer to the Graduate School’s academic standards in the McNeese Catalog for details.

Resolving Time Conflicts

Occasionally a student may wish to take two classes which overlap by a few minutes. If the department head(s) offering such classes are willing to make accommodations, students may enroll in conflicting classes. The student should pick up a Time Conflict Resolution form from his or her faculty advisor, seek written approval from the necessary department head(s), and return the completed form to their academic department head who will then override the time conflict. Conflicting classes may not be scheduled if the overlapping time is greater than five minutes, or if the department head(s) deny the request.