Advising for Registration

• Class of 2025: October 23, 2024
• Class of 2026: October 30, 2024
• Class of 2027: November 6, 2024
• Class of 2028: November 13, 2024

6th course registration for the Class of 2025 opens October 24, 2024.

6th course registration for the Spring 2025 semester opens November 15, 2024. 

Undergraduate students will be permitted to drop/add courses from the start of their registration time until Monday, January 20, 2025 at 11:59 p.m.

Please note that AASC will be closed on January 20 for the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday. If students are in need of manual registration assistance (i.e. approved overrides or specialized studies), they must visit AASC in MH 138 prior to 5:00 p.m. on Friday, January 17.

• Class of 2026: March 19, 2025
• Class of 2027: March 26, 2025
• Class of 2028: April 2, 2025

Undergraduate students will be permitted to drop/add courses from the start of their registration time until Monday, September 8, 2025 at 11:59 p.m.

Prior to fall and spring registration, faculty advisors are required to meet with each of their students to go over course selection and grant them electronic permission to register. Encourage your advisees to contact you for an appointment at least three days before their scheduled class registration date. You may need to arrange for additional office hours prior to and during each registration day. Advisees should come prepared to discuss course selection, prerequisites, and several alternative courses in the event that their first choices close before their registration day/time.

Advisors grant their advisees electronic permission to register through Student Planning. Your official approval for registration means that you think that the choices your advisee is making are appropriate for the advisee's course of study. You have the right to refuse to give permission to register for students who have not met with you or discussed their plans for class registration.

Students may register for only five courses, exclusive of one-credit, two-credit, and military science courses, on their assigned day of registration. In order to register for a sixth course, students must request and receive electronic sixth course permission from their advisor. Advisors grant sixth course permission through Student Planning.

First-year students are permitted to request a sixth course for their second semester if they earn a GPA of 3.00 for five three-credit classes during their first semester. Upperclassmen must be in good academic standing (cumulative GPA of 2.00 or higher) to request a sixth course.

Sixth courses should only be undertaken by students who can handle the extra work and commitment that a sixth course entails. Faculty advisors should help the student make this decision, and have the right not to grant permission to a student for whom a sixth course is not an appropriate course of action. Advisors may also give permission with reservation to indicate that the student is technically eligible to take a sixth course, but is doing so against the advisor's recommendation.

Students looking to repeat or replace a course must complete the Repeat/Replacement form and visit AASC to be manually registered for the course.

Repeat

A student may repeat any course; however, a student will only receive credit once for the course. If a course is repeated, both grades are factored into the GPA. The original grade remains on the transcript, and the repeat course appears with an "R" next to the new grade on the transcript.

Replace

A maximum of two grades can "be forgiven" or "replaced" during a student's Loyola career. The grade for the forgiven or replaced course is removed from computation of the cumulative QPA; however, the grade will remain on the transcript. The semester QPA is unaffected. The forgiveness or replacement option is unavailable for courses involving an Honor Code violation.

To request grade forgiveness or replacement, students must obtain a Repeat/Replacement Form, available in the Academic Advising and Support Center. The completed form is signed by the Academic Advising and Support Center (AASC) and forwarded to the Office of the Registrar for processing.

Note: Federal financial aid will pay for only one repeat of a previously passed course (D or better). Using the grade forgiveness or replacement option for a course may have implications for financial aid. For additional information, please contact the Office of Financial Aid (410-617-2576). In addition, VA benefits may not be used for grade forgiveness or replacement if a student successfully completed (did not fail) the course. Visit the VA website or contact Loyola's School Certifying Official for additional information.

The following grade "forgiveness" or "replacement" options are available to students. Please note that any grades forgiven or replaced using these options are included in the forgiveness and replacement grade maximum (two grades).

First-Year Course Forgiveness
Fully admitted, degree-seeking first-year students may use the "forgiveness" option to recover academically from their first semester. Students may replace grades of D or F from courses that they took in their first semester.

Transfer Student Course Forgiveness
Fully admitted, degree-seeking first semester transfer students, may use the "forgiveness" option to recover academically from their first semester. Students may replace grades of D or F from courses that they took in their first semester.

Change of Major Course Replacement
Upper-class students changing declared majors may find that major course requirements are significantly different from department to department. These students are permitted to use the "replacement" option to replace grades in major courses from the original major with grades in major courses from the new major.

Independent Study

Independent study courses are special courses that permit a student to study a subject or topic in considerable depth beyond the scope of a regular course. The student works closely with the instructor as a scholarly team. To register for an independent study, the instructor and the student complete a Specialized Study form, which is submitted to AASC along with a registration form.

Private Study

Private study courses are Loyola courses (courses found in the Academic Catalogue) that a student has not been able to schedule in the regular sequence. To register for a private study, the instructor and the student complete a Specialized Study form, which is submitted to AASC along with a registration form.

Internships

Internships provide opportunities for practical experience in a particular discipline or field. Ordinarily, students with sophomore, junior, or senior status are eligible to take internships for credit. An internship may not be used to satisfy a Core requirement, and only two internships (three credits) may count towards graduation requirements. All internships are arranged within a department and involve a student working in a regular business or professional environment under the guidance of an on-site supervisor and a Loyola faculty member. One-credit internships require a minimum of 50 hours of on-site work; three-credit internships require a minimum of 150 hours of on-site work.

To register for an internship already listed on WebAdvisor, students must obtain permission from the internship coordinator in the department. Once permission is granted, students can register for the internship via WebAdvisor. To register for an internship course not listed on WebAdvisor, students must submit a Specialized Study form, along with a registration form, to AASC.

The Baltimore Student Exchange Program (BSEP) is a consortium of colleges in the Baltimore area that have partnered to allow undergraduate students to take a course not available at their home institution at a partnering BSEP institution in the fall and/or spring semesters. While there is no extra tuition cost, some courses may requires an additional fee to cover materials, facilities, or equipment use. In those cases, such fees would be paid to the host institution.

The following schools participate in BSEP:

• Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC)
• Goucher College
• Johns Hopkins University
• Loyola University Maryland
• The Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA)
• Morgan State University
• Notre Dame of Maryland University
• Towson University
• University of Baltimore
• University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)

Who is BSEP for?

Any full-time (registered for 12 credits or more at Loyola) sophomore, junior, or senior at Loyola is eligible to take one BSEP course each fall and spring semester, if the course is not offered at Loyola.

What is the approval/registration process?

Students must be in good academic standing at Loyola (minimum of 2.0 cumulative QPA) and receive the permission of their advisor and the AASC on the BSEP Request Form and in the offices of AASC and Registrar). Students seeking to count a course towards their major must also receive the approval of the respective department chair. The BSEP form must be submitted prior to the end of Loyola's drop/add period.

After submission of the BSEP form, Loyola's Registrar office will work with the other institution to register students. Students must satisfy any pre-requisites for the course. Availability of courses is not guaranteed, as BSEP students are registered after the host institution's students have registered. Students are notified via Loyola email regarding their BSEP request.

How do I advise my students about BSEP?

Encourage your advisees to look at exciting course opportunities at other colleges. For example, are they interested in a foreign language or dance class that Loyola does not offer? Suggest that they branch out and try BSEP!

Students can search for courses at other colleges easily by accessing the listing of BSEP institutions online through Baltimore Collegetown. Further information can be found through the Office of the Registrar. 

Other FAQs:

• Students are limited to a maximum of eight BSEP courses during their academic careers.
• Independent/private study courses are excluded from BSEP.
• Courses taken through BSEP count towards residency requirements and the grades are included on the Loyola transcript and in the Loyola cumulative QPA.
• Students must provide their own transportation.
• Online BSEP courses are permitted.
• Towson University will not accept graduating seniors in their final semester.

During registration, students seeking permission to register for classes that are full may submit an Override Request form to AASC. Override forms can be found on the AASC website and submitted by email or in person to AASC in Maryland Hall 138. An administrator in AASC contacts the appropriate department chair to seek approval. Department chairs are the only faculty members who may grant or deny a student's request to override into a course. Professors cannot approve or deny override requests. AASC will notify students via Loyola email regarding the department chair's decision.

The drop/add period begins after a student’s assigned registration time, and extends through the first five days of classes of the next semester. Schedule changes may be made through Student Planning or through AASC during this time. The signature of the faculty advisor is not required to make schedule changes during drop/add.

Students taking their first world language or math course at Loyola have the first two weeks of the semester to consider changing levels. All level changes must be approved by the department chair. Although students are given extra time to find the appropriate level, they cannot add courses outside of world language or math after the end of the traditional drop/add period.

The course withdrawal period begins on the sixth day of classes in the fall or spring semester. Classes can no longer be added at this point. Students looking to withdraw from a course must complete a Change of Registration form and obtain the signature of the instructor of the course.  Student athletes will also be required to recieve the signature of their Academic Coordinator for Varsity Athletics (if applicable) before bringing the form to AASC for the final signature prior to the withdrawal deadline.

During the final two days of the withdrawal period, the Academic Advising and Support Center may approve a course withdrawal without the signature of the course instructor.

Things to Consider When Advising a Student Whom is Contemplating Withdrawing from a Class:

• Withdrawing from a course may affect a student's scholarship or financial aid. It is the responsibility of the student to contact the Office of Financial Aid before submitting the Change of Registration Form.
• Dropping below twelve credits may affect a student's eligibility for on-campus housing. The Office of Residence Life & Housing will be notified when a student drops below twelve credits.
• If a student on academic probation wishes to withdraw from a course, the student must consult with their probation advisor.

Failure to comply with the official withdrawal procedure will result in a permanent grade of F.

Students planning to take summer courses through Loyola obtain summer course permission from AASC. Advisor permission is not required. Ordinarily, students may take a maximum of four courses over the summer.

Students are permitted to take a maximum of two courses away from Loyola each summer (residency rules apply). Students must submit a request for each summer course online using AASC's summer away request form. Students are notified via Loyola email if their request is approved or denied. A grade of "C" or higher is required in order for the course to transfer back to Loyola. Students must submit an official transcript to AASC upon completion of the course(s).

Students are permitted to take one course away from Loyola each winter (residency rules apply). Ordinarily, the winter course must begin after a student's last scheduled final exam in fall and end before Loyola's spring semester begins. Students must submit a request for each winter course online using AASC's winter away request form. Students are notified via Loyola email if their request is approved or denied. A grade of "C" or higher is required in order for the course to transfer back to Loyola. Students must submit an official transcript to AASC upon completion of the course.