Registration

Office of the Registrar

Mickey Diez
Registrar

Rusk Building, Suite 204
Phone: (936) 468-2501
Fax: (936) 468-2261
P.O. Box 13050, SFA Station
Nacogdoches, TX 75962-3050
Email: registrar@sfasu.edu
Web: sfasu.edu/registrar

Registration dates for both full-time and part-time students, as well as registration deadlines for terms and parts-of-term, can be viewed online. After a student registers, courses should not be added or dropped except for class conflicts or other acceptable reasons.

Unit of Credit and Course Load

The unit of credit is the semester hour, defined as one class meeting per week (or its equivalent) for one semester of 15 weeks. Most courses meet three hours per week and have a credit value of three semester hours. For each hour in class, at least two hours of preparation are expected on the part of the student. Many students should spend more than this amount of time in study.

For Title IV purposes, any undergraduate student registered for 12 semester hours or more during the fall, spring or summer is considered a full-time student. The normal load is 15 to 19 semester hours during the fall or spring semester. Approval for heavier loads may be given by a student’s academic dean, college advisor or academic department under exceptional circumstances or if a student had an average of B or higher during the preceding semester or the preceding summer session.

Student Classification

Students are classified as freshmen, sophomores, juniors or seniors according to the number of earned cumulative hours as follows:

Registration Procedures

Prior To Your Registration Time

1. Students must be advised and clear their registration hold with their academic advisor or department chair.
2. Students who have not demonstrated college readiness in reading, writing and mathematics according to the provisions of the Texas Success Initiative must be cleared for registration by the Student Success Center (Steen Library, Room 203).
3. Clear all delinquencies and registration holds.
4. Currently enrolled and returning students may register according to the published time schedule. If you forget your password, you must contact the Help Desk at (936) 468-4357.
5. For registration, follow procedure described on the Registration Process Information page.

Complete Registration (at your scheduled time)

You must access mySFA for registration. If you require assistance, phone (936) 468-1370 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. or request personal service in Room 202 of the Rusk Building during the same business hours.

You must visit each of the following offices and complete procedures to ensure receipt of a proper billing statement and schedule of classes:

1. All students who have a Residence Life hold should report to the Residence Life Department, Baker Pattillo Student Center, Room 1.301, or call (936) 468-2601, or email reslife@sfasu.edu.
2. All students living on campus must rent an SFA post office box.
3. If you plan to park any motorized vehicle on campus property, you must purchase a parking permit at Parking Services, located near the Wilson Drive Parking Garage. Parking permits are required.
4. Log in to mySFA at mysfa.sfasu.edu to enroll in the installment payment plan, if desired. Contact the Student Business Services office in Austin Building, Room 204, or at (936) 468-6960, or email sbs@sfasu.edu if you have questions.
5. Stone Fort yearbooks may be ordered online via mySFA.

Clearing Holds

Adding and Dropping Courses

(Also see Dropped Course Refunds  elsewhere in this bulletin.)

Students may add courses through the dates published online here. Academic department chairs may reconcile class schedules through the official reporting date. Students may drop classes through the published drop deadline. Student will not be allowed to drop a course after these dates unless they withdraw from the university. The first class day is listed in the university calendar.

Students may add courses through the second class day of parts of term less than 16 weeks and through the fourth class day of 16-week parts of term. For cases in which special permission is granted by the academic unit, students may add classes up to the official census date for the part of term in question. Students adding classes on or after the first day of classes may be required to pay certain late add/registration fees as noted on the SFA Student Business Services website. Students may drop a course or withdraw from all courses until the fifth business day prior to the first day of final exams for the appropriate part of term. A student may not drop a course or withdraw from all classes after this date. For drops or withdrawals related to medical concerns, see Policy 6.24.

The following rules apply:

1. A drop or withdrawal on or before the official reporting date of the appropriate part of term will not be recorded on a student’s transcript.

2. After the official reporting date and before the last day to drop or withdraw in a part of term, a drop will be noted as a “W6” or “W” grade and a withdrawal will be noted as a “W” grade on the student’s official transcript.

3. Students who enrolled in a Texas public institution of higher education for the first time in the fall 2007 or thereafter may not drop more than six courses with a “W6” grade during their undergraduate career. This number includes any course dropped at another Texas public institution but excludes full semester withdrawals and exceptions as defined in Texas law. After six drops, the student will receive the grade awarded for each attempted course.

4. Students cannot drop or withdraw from a course in which they have already earned a final grade.

Legislation was passed by the Texas Senate (SB 1231) in late spring 2007 that could seriously impact the education careers of college students. This legislation applies to all students entering any Texas public institution of higher education as a first-time freshman for fall 2007 and subsequent terms. Please read the following information carefully.

Under section 51.907 of the Texas Education Code, “an institution of higher education may not permit a student to drop more than six courses, including any course a transfer student has dropped at another institution of higher education.” This statute was enacted by the state of Texas in spring 2007 and applies to students who enroll in a public institution of higher education as first-time freshmen in fall of 2007 or later. Any course that a student drops is counted toward the six-course limit if “(1) the student was able to drop the course without receiving a grade (A, B, C, D, WF, or F) or incurring an academic penalty; (2) the student’s transcript indicates or will indicate the student was enrolled in the course (signified by a W6 grade at SFA); and the student is not dropping the course in order to withdraw from the institution.” Some exceptions for good cause could allow a student to drop a course without having it count toward the limit, but it is the responsibility of the student to establish that good cause.

This statute applies to all Texas public colleges and universities. Therefore, a Stephen F. Austin State University student who has attended another institution of higher education and who might be affected by this statute should become familiar with that institution’s policies on dropping courses.

Auditing Courses

Students may audit regular academic courses offered on campus on a space-available basis and with the permission of the instructor. Transcripts do not reflect audit courses. Students may not audit regular academic courses offered off campus. The deadline for registering as audit is the census date of the appropriate part of term.

In those cases where a student audits a regular academic course, the tuition and fees shall be the same as the tuition paid by regularly enrolled students.

Transcripts

Student may obtain a copy of their academic records from the Office of the Registrar. Students may view their unofficial transcript in mySFA by clicking on the “Academics” tab then “View Transcript (Unofficial),” if they have no holds. Additional information is available at sfasu.edu/registrar/transcripts.

Residence Status

The university is guided by state law in determining the resident status of students. Sections 54.001-54.209 of the Texas Education Code provide, in part, as follows:

• In essence, the student who has not resided in Texas for 12 months immediately preceding the student’s registration into the university will be classified as nonresident.
• A nonresident teaching or research assistant employed at least half-time in a position that relates to her or his degree program shall be entitled to pay the tuition and fees of a resident student during the period covered by the employment.
• A nonresident student holding a competitive scholarship of at least $1,000 for the academic year awarded by a scholarship committee of SFA is entitled to pay the tuition and fees of a resident student during the period covered by the scholarship.
• Rules and regulations governing the resident classification of a student shall be available in the SFA Office of Admissions, and any student who is uncertain of status should obtain such rules and regulations and seek a determination of status through that office.
• Individual determinations can be affected by death or divorce of parents, custody of minor by court order, and active military duty of student or student’s parents.
• Registering under the proper residency classification is the responsibility of the student. If there is any question of the right to classification as a resident of Texas, it is her or his obligation to raise the question with the Office of Admissions prior to registration.
• Exemptions and waivers for residency status may be subject to acts of the Texas Legislature.

International Students

Insurance requirement: The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services agency requires all international students to have health and accident insurance. The university has such a policy that meets all required coverage - applications are available at the Office of International Programs.

Tuition and fees: If an international student is awarded a competitive scholarship of at least $1,000 by a scholarship committee of SFA, she/he becomes eligible for tuition and fees of an in-state student during the period covered by the scholarship.

(See also Scholarships and Financial Assistance for International Students  in this section of the bulletin.)

Tuition Rebate For Designated Undergraduates

Section 54.0065 of the Texas Education Code authorizes a tuition rebate of up to $1,000 for certain undergraduates. The purpose of this program is to provide a financial incentive for students to complete their baccalaureate studies with as few courses outside the degree plan as possible. Minimizing the number of courses taken by students results in financial savings to students, parents and the state.

Undergraduate students who apply for a graduation audit are automatically considered for the tuition rebate.

Eligibility Requirements

• First college course after high school graduation must be taken in fall 1997 or later
• Student must have been a Texas resident at all times while pursuing the degree
• Student must have been entitled to pay in-state tuition at all times while pursuing the degree
• Student must not have graduated yet

Key eligibility requirements:

A student may qualify for the tuition rebate (up to $1,000) if:

• for a student who enrolled after high school graduation at a college or university for the first time in fall 1997 or later, she/he has attempted no more than three semester credit hours in excess of the minimum number of hours required for their degree. For example, a student who completes a bachelor’s degree that requires 120 credit hours with no more than 123 credit hours attempted might qualify for this rebate
• and for a student who enrolled after high school graduation at a college or university for the first time in fall 2005 or later, she/he also must graduate in a timely manner to earn the tuition rebate. According to the most recent revision of the rebate program, a student who wants to receive the rebate must graduate within four calendar years for a four-year degree program or within five calendar years if the degree is in architecture, engineering or any other program determined by the board to require more than four years to complete.

What could disqualify an individual?

Attempted hours include:

• transfer credits
• course credit earned exclusively by examination (except the first nine semester credit hours are excluded)
• courses dropped after the official census date
• for-credit development courses
• optional internship and cooperative education courses
• repeated courses

If a student has dropped more than one course after the official census date, she/he will probably not qualify for the rebate.

Attempted hours exclude:

• course credit that is earned to satisfy requirements for a Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program but that is not required to complete the degree program for students graduating with a bachelor’s degree in December 2007 or later
• course credit, other than course credit earned exclusively by examination, that is earned before graduating from high school (i.e. dual credit hours earned in high school) (Effective June 17, 2011)
• required teacher education courses to the extent that they are over and above the free electives allowed in the baccalaureate degree program (for students concurrently earning a baccalaureate degree and a Texas teaching certificate)
• courses dropped for reasons that are determined by the institution to be totally beyond the control of the student
• developmental or remedial education - pre-college, remedial courses if not taken for college credit

Although there are certain exemptions for hardship situations, most part-time students will no longer be eligible to receive the tuition rebate.

More information and details concerning this program are available in the Office of the Registrar and in Policy 6.21, Tuition Rebate.