Office of the Registrar

Develop your schedule and alternate course options with your advisor. All students must secure their Alternate PIN from their advisor before registering. (Liberal studies majors who are not rising seniors, are exempt from this requirement.)

• It is the student’s responsibility to ensure compliance with all college requirements and policies. Check the College Catalog for academic policies and course descriptions.
• Be sure to include all required course information on your form. This includes corequisites.
• Sign the registration form and keep a copy for your records and reference.

Advance registration begins on your assigned day and time. If you have any questions regarding the system, or should you encounter problems while using the system, call the Office of the Registrar during business hours at (914) 251-6361

In-person registration takes place in the Student Services Building. Please see Academic Calendar for days and times. For in-person registration, please bring the following:

• Completed Registration Form with appropriate signatures
• Completed Special Course Contracts with appropriate signatures

See the Academic Calendar for days and times of add/drop. Students may not add or drop a course after the add/drop period has passed.

All late registrations are subject to a $40 late fee. See the Academic Calendar for the start of the late registration period.

Each course has a three-letter prefix, followed by four numbers. The three-letter prefix identifies the academic discipline. The four numbers identify the level: 1000–2999 = lower level; 3000–4999 = upper level; 5000–5999 = graduate level.

This number uniquely identifies each section of each course and is required for registering, adding, and dropping courses.

High school students who wish to enroll in credit courses must have (a) completed their junior year and (b) received approval from Purchase College to register. Proficiency in English is required. They are strongly encouraged to only consider lower-level (1000–2999) credit courses and are responsible for meeting any prerequisites.

To register:

1. Use the online course search to find your desired course(s). Refer to the course search instructions in the myHeliotrope Student User Guide for tips on finding courses.
2. Please submit the following documents for review:
   - A high school transcript (official or unofficial) that reflects an 85 percent or B average
   - A letter of recommendation from the student’s guidance counselor or principal
   - A cover letter, written by the student, including phone, email, and course desired (course number and CRN), and alternate course(s) in case the first option is not available
   
   All materials may be:
   – Scanned and emailed to conted@purchase.edu
   – Faxed to (914) 251-6515
   – Mailed or delivered in person to:
   School of Liberal Studies & Continuing Education
   Purchase College, State University of New York
   735 Anderson Hill Road
   Purchase, NY 10577

Upon receipt, the materials will be evaluated and the student will be notified via email about the decision within five business days. If applicable, next steps for proceeding with registration will be provided at this time.

Special Course Contract forms are available at Enrollment Services for students who wish to register for a tutorial, independent study, or learning assistantship. Special course contracts are due no later than the end of the scheduled add/drop period. Be sure to completely fill out this form and obtain the appropriate signatures prior to registration. Enter the course number on your registration form. Only Purchase College matriculated students are eligible for tutorials, independent studies, or learning assistantships.

Students cannot register online for these courses.

New York State residents who are at least 60 years of age are welcome to enroll tuition-free as an “older adult auditor” each semester, including summer session and one course in the winter session, in a maximum of two credit-bearing, on-campus courses in which space is available to older adult auditors. Course and space availability may vary. Vaccination will be required. Older adult auditors must pay the following nonrefundable fees at the time of registration:

• $50 special auditor’s fee
• $25 Purchase College ID processing fee (one-time fee for new students. If you have a current ID card, this fee does not apply)
• Course fees – also referred to as “lab fees” or “studio fees” – if applicable

Parking fees are paid separately: If you will be parking on campus, you must obtain a parking decal.

Registration Dates:

• See the academic calendar for current and future registration dates.

Older adult auditors do not receive grades or earn college credits, but are encouraged to discuss expectations for class participation and work assignments with the faculty after older adult auditor registration.

If you want to …

• earn college credit; and/or
• guarantee space in a particular credit course; and/or
• enroll in noncredit courses; and/or
• use the Physical Education facilities

… you must register and pay full tuition and fees during the regular registration period. Older adult auditors may not subsequently drop credit courses and request to audit them on a tuition-free basis during older adult auditor registration.

 

Older Adult Auditor Registration Information and Process

All seniors register online for their senior project. Students should register for Senior Project I their first semester and for Senior Project II their second.

If you have a hold, you may not register or add/drop. To find out if have holds, check-in myHeliotrope, or contact the offices that indicated they would put a hold on your account. You must clear your hold(s) with the appropriate office(s) prior to registration.

To be considered a full-time student, you must be registered for at least 12 credits (9 credits for graduate students). To graduate in four years, an undergraduate student would need to register for 15 to 16 credits each term. Permission must be obtained from your advisor to register for more than 18 credits (for students in BA or BS programs or BFA students in Art+Design) or more than 22 credits (in BFA and MusB programs) in one term. You be registered for at least 12 credits by the end of the add/drop period to receive certain forms of federal, state, and institutional financial aid. If you are a part-time student, please consult with the Office of Student Financial Services.

Winter session: Because of the intensive pace of winter session courses, all students are limited to a maximum of 4 credits—no exceptions.

Summer session: Students may enroll for a maximum of 12 credits across the summer sessions.

The internship is a supervised work experience for which the student receives academic credit. It provides an opportunity for the student to gain experience in an area of academic study or in the fields of a student’s career interest. The internship site placement should be set up during the semester preceding the commencement of the internship. An extensive listing of internships are available online through Purchase JobScore. Once the internship has been secured, the student, the internship on-site supervisor, and the faculty sponsor must complete a learning contract.

The internship must be registered by the last day of the add/drop period. See the Academic Calendar for add/drop dates.
Internships are currently available for sophomore, junior, and senior studies in the following schools and conservatories: Humanities, Natural and Social Sciences, Music, and Art+Design.

Further information on the internship program and various internship opportunities may be obtained in the Career Development Center (Student Services Building, 2nd floor).

Final course grades are obtained through myHeliotrope.

After add/drop until the ninth week of the semester, students can withdraw from a course and receive a grade of “W.” This is a grade representing withdrawal without prejudice and appears on the transcript. “W” grades are not punitive and are not calculated in the grade point average. Forms will not be accepted after the deadline published in the Academic Calendar.

Students who never attend or stop attending all their classes before the ninth week of the semester (generally around the end of October for the fall semester and end of March for the spring semester), but do not complete the official leave or withdrawal paperwork, are considered to be “unofficially withdrawn” from the college. Federal financial aid regulations require the college to collect last day of attendance and return federal financial aid grants and loans based on the last day the student attended a class or completed an academic activity. For more information on financial aid regulations, contact the Office of Student Financial Services. Visit the Leaves and Withdrawal page for information on how to file for an official leave or withdrawal.

The SUNY Learning Network (SLN) is a consortium of SUNY campuses that have joined together to offer graduate and undergraduate courses online. Credits earned in the program may be transferable; for all matriculated students, check with your advisor before registration. Visit Open SUNY for more information.

• Course Search
• Registration Instructions
• Degree Progress Report Overview
• Holds
• Proxy Access for Students
• Proxy Access for Parents
• Registration Instructions for New Registration Module