Registrar’s Office FAQs
What we do: Academic calendars, academic transcripts, assistance with course registration, drops, adds, & withdrawals, awarding & conferring of degrees, commencement and baccalaureate coordination, course scheduling, enrollment verifications, final exam schedules, graduation audits, recording & verifying final grades, student privacy, and transfer credit.
FERPA: The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 is a Federal law that sets forth requirements regarding the privacy of student records. The law provides that Piedmont University will maintain the confidentiality of student educational records.
Semester length: The regular semester is divided into fall and spring semesters, each approximately 16 weeks in length. Summer session is made up of 8-week evening sessions..
Class level: Thirty semester hours is the normal amount of academic work completed in each of the freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior years. A student must have completed 30 semester hours to be classified as a sophomore, 60 to be a junior, and 90 to be a senior.
Course load: The normal study load is five courses or 15 semester hours per semester (fall, spring) for students attending day classes. Students taking a minimum of 12 semester hours are considered full time. Students who wish to take more than 18 semester hours must have a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 and must complete the Registration Overload Request form, available in the Registrar’s Office. A student may take no more than 21 hours during any semester. Residential freshman may not register for evening classes.
Academic Advisor: Upon entering the University, a student is assigned either a freshman advisor or a major advisor, depending on class status and declaration of a major. The advisor works with the student to help in the choice of courses and with academic matters, as well as, to ensure a rich and rewarding educational experience that will lead to the fullest realization of a student’s potential as an individual.
Self Service: Self Service is the student information portal for Piedmont University. On Self- Service you may register for classes, find advisors, view schedules, find progress towards academic programs, view unofficial transcripts, and view past semester registration & grades.
Quick Links: Quick Links is the student request form portal for Piedmont University. Quick Links on the Piedmont website may be found at the very bottom of the webpage or at the following link: Quick Links | Piedmont University. You may locate forms relevant to your academic needs such as Major Change or Declaration, University Withdrawal request links, Change of Student Contact, etc. These and others academic requests may be also found on the Registrar’s page on the Piedmont University website: Registrar Forms | Piedmont University.
How to register: The Registrar’s Office provides an Academic Calendar online that provides students with registration dates. Before registration, a student should meet with their advisor to agree upon a proposed schedule. Proposed schedules in Self-Service should be made to plan what courses need to be taken for the upcoming semester. Once you are eligible for registration, you may submit your classes for registration on Self-Service.
When do classes meet : After you register, your schedule information will be available on Self-Service. This will include dates/times/locations of your classes as available.
Drop/Add/Withdrawal: The drop/add period is typically the first five days after registration for fall/spring semesters. Drop/Add may be completed through Self-Service with advisor approval during the drop/add period for the course. Drop/Add forms are also available in our office if needed. If you drop a course it will not show on the academic transcript. Withdrawals occur after the drop/add period has ended. Withdrawals require the advisor's signature on the form. The drop/add/withdrawal form is used for withdrawals. A grade of “W” (withdrawn) appears on your transcript if you withdraw prior to the deadline published on the academic calendar. A “W” is a non-punitive grade, which is not included when figuring the term or cumulative GPA. If a withdrawal is processed after the last day to withdraw without academic penalty, a “W” is posted if the student was passing at the time of the withdrawal or a grade of “WF” is given if the student is failing at the time of the withdrawal. A “WF” grade is considered a failing grade and has a negative effect on the term and cumulative GPA. In both cases, tuition is charged for the course/s. A withdrawal from all courses in an academic semester is considered a University Withdrawal from the semester. The University Withdrawal request must be completed through the online request. The online request may be found under the Quick Links on the Piedmont University website: Quick Links | Piedmont University.
Students meet with the Financial Aid Office and Business Office before dropping, adding, or withdrawing from a class. Each change can have an effect on tuition and/or aid. Student athletes should also meet with coaches to discuss eligibility if they are dropping or withdrawing from a class.
Grades: At the end of each term, grades are available on Self-Service. Grades are not mailed home, nor will they be given over the phone.
Declaration of Major/Change of Major: A Change of Major/Minor form is available in the Registrar's Office, and it is available on Self-Service.