Advising and Registration

• Academic Advising
  • Summer Advising
  • New Student Orientation
  • Mandatory Enrollment Requirements
  • General Education Placement Equivalencies
• Registration Procedures
  • Credit Hours and Maximum Load
  • Off-Campus Enrollment
  • Independent Study
  • Change of Registration
  • Dropping a Course
  • Withdrawing from the University

Academic Advising

Although each student is responsible for planning a course of study and fulfilling the requirements for graduation, faculty advisors must be consulted at all levels.

All students with fewer than 30 hours will be advised through the Academic Advising and Assistance Center (AAAC). Students who have 30 to 45 hours and who have not declared a major are also advised through the AAAC. Undecided students with 46 or more hours will be referred to the Counseling Center.

After completing 30 hours and declaring a major, students will be assigned an advisor in the college of their major. Any student seeking a degree (associate’s, bachelors, or master’s) from SAU must work with that advisor to develop an official degree plan, which must then be approved by the dean of the appropriate college. Failure to complete this process may hinder or jeopardize the student’s completion of the requirements for a degree and graduation.

The Office of the Registrar approves and maintains the official approved degree plan. A transfer student must have transcripts and records evaluated by the appropriate dean prior to their initial registration and enrollment in classes at SAU.

Summer Advising

Southern Arkansas University provides summer advising for beginning freshmen and transfers. Students who fulfill all admission requirements will receive a card from the University informing them about registration procedures.

New Student Orientation

New student orientation, “Becoming A Mulerider” (BAM), occurs in two phases. Phase I will take place on selected dates during the summer. The orientation sessions will include registration and general information needed to begin a student’s college career. Mulerider Round-Up occurs the Sunday through Tuesday prior to the first day of fall semester classes. Sunday, Monday and Tuesday focus on the incoming SAU students with mini courses in diversity, safety, student activities, and computers. Mulerider Round-Up occurs prior to the first day of spring semester classes. Evening social events add to the excitement with entertainment and cookouts. All activities are designed to give incoming SAU students a warm welcome and a great start to a successful college career.

Mandatory Enrollment Requirements

Full-time students must complete the following three graduation requirements at the time prescribed below:

1. Full-time students whose test scores and/or high school GPA places them into transitional coursework must enroll in the appropriate General Studies reading, writing, and math every semester until they have successfully completed these courses.

2. All full-time students must enroll in a writing course each semester until they have completed ENGL 1123 - Composition II.
3. All full-time students must enroll in a mathematics course each semester until they have completed MATH 1053 - Mathematical Literacy; MATH 1023 - College Algebra; or a higher level mathematics course.

General Education Placement Equivalencies

Registration Procedures

After being admitted to the University, each student must register for courses at the time designated by the University. The student is responsible for the accuracy of the registration schedule, which should correspond with planning a program of study and meeting the requirements of graduation. No credit will be granted for courses for which the student has not been duly registered.

The last day a student will be allowed to register is the sixth class day of a regular semester or the second class day of a summer session. Students registering on or after the first day of classes must pay a $50 late registration fee and may be required to take a reduced class load. A student’s registration is incomplete until all admissions requirements are met and all fees have been paid.

Credit Hours and Maximum Load

The unit of credit at the University is the semester credit hour. A semester credit hour is defined as the credit earned upon completion of one hour per week in class for one semester, or two or three hours of laboratory, shop, or field work per week per semester.

An undergraduate student must be enrolled for 12 or more semester credit hours during a regular semester or five or more semester credit hours during a five-week summer term to be defined as a full-time student. Any other student is considered a part-time student.

An undergraduate student may not enroll (including correspondence courses, extension courses, and by concurrent enrollment at another college or university) for more than 18 credit hours in a regular semester or seven credit hours in a summer term without prior written approval.

A student with a cumulative grade point average of 3.00 or higher may request approval from the dean of the college in which the student is majoring to take an overload (for additional hours). This request may be denied because of the student’s academic history or because of accreditation standards.

Off-Campus Enrollment

Any degree-seeking student, while enrolled at the Magnolia campus, taking a course off campus may not exceed the maximum class load of 18 hours without obtaining prior approval. This approval consists of an “Exception Form” listing the course(s) the student is requesting to take. This form is available in the office of the Registrar (Nelson 102) and from the college deans. Any student who does not follow this process may not receive credit for the course(s).

Official articulation agreements and seamless transfer between SAU and other state institutions and the State Minimum Core agreement will be honored.

Independent Study

Independent study is coursework that may be available and is not listed in the regular course offerings. For information on the availability of independent study, a student should contact the chair of the department involved.

Change of Registration

A student’s schedule may be changed during the first six days of classes of a regular semester or the first two days of a summer term, subject to the approval of the advisor and the payment of a $10 fee.

Dropping a Course

A student may drop a course without penalty until the end of office hours on Wednesday of the 11th week of a regular semester or Wednesday of the third week of a summer term subject to the consultation with the advisor and the payment of a $10 fee. A student will not be allowed to drop a course after these deadlines except for circumstances beyond the student’s control, which are approved by the registrar.

A student who stops attending class but does not officially withdraw may receive a grade of WN (“withdrawn non-attending”), WF (“withdrawn failing”), or F in the course at the course instructor’s discretion.

A student receiving VA benefits will be governed by Veterans Administration regulations regarding the dropping of courses and should contact the Office of the Registrar for information. Other agencies furnishing financial assistance to a student may have regulations affecting the dropping of courses which differ from those of the University policy.

Withdrawing from the University

Early to Mid-Semester Withdrawals

Through week 11 of a semester, or week three of a summer session, or week 10 of a long summer session, or day 4 of an intersession, a student who chooses to leave the University for any reason must officially withdraw from that semester/term. The student should submit a request to withdraw via their mySAU account through their CampusConnect Student Dashboard. The process is not complete until the withdrawal has been approved by each of the following administrative areas: 1) Office of Housing, 2) Post Office, 3) Dean of Students, 4) Magale Library, 5) Business Office, 6) Financial Aid, and 7) Registrar’s Office. The official date of withdrawal will be the date on which the withdrawal request was submitted. Any student who pre-registers and saves their schedule online or by signing a statement with the Business Office must follow this withdrawal process.

Late Semester Withdrawals

If a student withdraws from the University from week 12 through week 14 of a semester, or week four of a summer session, or week 11 of a long summer session, a grade of W will be given for each course the student is passing at the time of the withdrawal, or a WF will be given if the student is failing. Exceptions to this policy may be made in the case of illness or some other valid reason. To withdraw during this period, a student must request a paper withdrawal card from the Office of Student Life. The process is not complete until the withdrawal has been approved by each of the following administrative areas: 1) Office of Housing, 2) Post Office, 3) Dean of Students, 4) Magale Library, 5) Business Office, 6) Financial Aid, and 7) Registrar’s Office. The official date of withdrawal will be the date on which the withdrawal request was submitted.

End-of-Semester Withdrawals

A student may NOT officially withdraw from the University during the two final weeks of a semester or during the final week of a summer term, except for documented circumstances beyond the student’s control and cases approved by the vice president for academic affairs. If approved, a student must request a paper withdrawal card from the Office of Student Life. The process is not complete until the withdrawal has been approved by each of the following administrative areas: 1) Office of Housing, 2) Post Office, 3) Dean of Students, 4) Magale Library, 5) Business Office, 6) Financial Aid, and 7) Registrar’s Office. The official date of withdrawal will be the date on which the withdrawal request was submitted. A grade of W will be given for each course the student is passing at the time of the withdrawal, or a WF will be given if the student is failing. Appeals to this policy must be approved by a committee of the vice president for academic affairs, the vice president for finance, and the vice president for student affairs.