Frequently Asked Questions

No. You won’t need a PIN to sign up. You can log into MyHeliotrope, do a course search for the term (e.g., Winter 2024), and choose from the course schedule to register. For full guidelines follow these Registration Instructions or view the Using the Registration System video.

New York state residents, aged 60 or older, are welcome to enroll tuition-free as a “special auditor”. Registration is a web-based request process for both in-person and online classes. Please reference the Older Adult Auditing Program Registration Information and Process for details.

Summer financial aid is based on your FAFSA and TAP applications for the future academic year so you will need to complete these applications first if you need financial aid to pay for summer courses. Once these applications are completed you may enroll in your summer coursework and the Student Financial Services office will automatically (within 2 business days) determine both the degree applicability of your coursework and your summer financial aid eligibility.

To plan ahead you can see the types of financial aid you can receive based on the degree applicable credits you plan to take on the Student Financial Services website.

For more information, visit Student Financial Services located on the first floor of the Student Services building or contact them by email at sfs@purchase.edu or by phone at 914-251-7000, press 2.

You should discuss your registration with your advisor.

Most likely the course wasn’t paid or paid in full. Re-register and make sure you follow the payment instructions in the email sent to you by the office of Student Financial Services. Make sure you regularly check and maintain your Purchase email account and  (re)activate it if necessary.

Follow the instructions in the email that is sent to your Purchase email account from the office of Student Financial Services. The billing page on the Purchase College website will give you an overview of the payment options.

You will get an email in your Purchase email account that you will have a window of 24 hours to register for the course. Make sure you pay in full by the payment deadline notified to you by email to secure the registration.

You can register up to the day the session starts, but we don’t recommend you wait that long. Textbooks may be needed (If you don’t have your textbook and course materials before the first day of class, you will fall behind), courses may fill or, conversely, get cancelled due to low enrollment. You may still register in the add/drop period, with an additional $40 late fee, if it is your first registration in the semester.

Purchase College uses a single sign-on to access password protected applications.
Your username is your Purchase email address without @purchase.edu.
Your password can be (re)activated or reset.
The college uses multi-factor authentication with a mobile app called Duo. You should have received an email to your personal email account from no-reply@duosecurity.com with instructions for set up. If your phone does not support the Duo Mobile app, or you didn’t receive the email, please contact Campus Technology Services at helpdesk@purchase.edu for further help. You may also dial 1 646 876-9923 and use Meeting ID: 914 251 6465.

Students taking summer courses are able to apply for housing while the class is in session as long as it is in-person. To request housing email RSL@purchase.edu.

They’re quick…

You can finish an entire course in four or eight weeks.

Drive less…

Our selection of courses during the winter is 100% online and several courses over the summer are entirely online or a hybrid of in-person and online.

Stock up…

You may be able to shave time off earning your degree by getting ahead on credits.

Catch up…

Did you drop a class or change majors? Summer and winter are the perfect time to catch up on credits.

Take a chance…

Is there a subject that’s always interested you but you never have a place in your schedule? Give it a test ride.

Avoid the slide…

Taking classes during your breaks will keep your mind engaged and ready for school the next semester.

Your registration may not have synched yet with Brightspace. This process runs daily at 9:30am, 1:40pm and 9pm. 

The three other most common issues are:

• Wrong username. Leave @purchase.edu off your purchase email address to get your username.
• Campus Affiliation error, when a (visiting) student has an email address or affiliation other than Purchase College. Contact SUNY Online for help.
• Global ID/SUNY ID errors. If SUNY Online mentions that there is a Global ID/SUNY ID issue then contact Global ID/SUNY ID support.

Need more help? Contact Purchase College’s Campus Technology Services.

The maximum number of credits you can register for is 12 in the 8 week long summer term. Spread multiple registrations over the three sessions as much as possible. Three intensive courses in a 4 week session is just too much.

Plan to dedicate approximately 35 - 45 hours per week for a 3- and 4-credit course in the 4-week sessions. And half that in the 8 week summer courses. Spread multiple registrations as much as possible over the three summer sessions. 

If you can’t find book info on the bookstore’s website, then contact the instructor or write to summer@purchase.edu or winter@purchase.edu as appropriate for a sample syllabus.

Tutoring service is available online with our partner Thinking Storm (on-demand 24/7).

Areas:

• Writing
• Math – Basic Math through Multivariable Calculus, including Statistics
• Sciences – Biology, Chemistry
• Advanced topics: Human AP, Finance in the Arts, etc. scheduled in advance.

Format: live chat, whiteboard, file upload. Students can access tutoring from Moodle.

If you will be taking an online or hybrid course, log into Purchase College Brightspace to view the course. The course page will be available 4 days prior to the start of the session. You can also log into Brightspace from the Current Students Portal. Also, you should make sure to (re)activate and regularly check your Purchase email account to communicate with your instructor.

For a sample syllabus, you can contact the instructor or write to winter@purchase.edu or summer@purchase.edu as appropriate.

You can do so with our Parking Office.

First you should look up information needed by the Registrar’s Office at your school. You might need to request an official transcript to be mailed back to your school, and the instructions can be found on the Purchase College Registrar’s Office page.