Advising & Registration
Your faculty advisor is here to help you chart your academic course. You will meet with your advisor each semester to make sure you register for the right classes, have access key resources, and stay on track to graduate.
Haven't chosen a major? Connect with Student Success to receive advising for undecided students.
Prepare for advising
One of the keys to your success at Calvin is making a meaningful connection with your faculty advisor. This professor will help you make wise decisions about the courses you take, the major/minor you choose, and your career options.
To make the most of your advising relationship, make sure you’re prepared for each session. Take advantage of our new advising checklist.
TIP: Your advisor will do their best to help you choose great courses. If you need to make changes to your schedule after it’s created, contact us. We're happy to help!
Your role
- Find out how and when you’ll register for classes.
- Learn how to use Workday to create and track your Academic Plan.
- Learn about core curriculum requirements.
- Talk to your advisor about majors, career options and other things (music? sports?) that might affect your academic life.
- Ask a lot of questions!
Your advisor's role
- Provide information about core and major/program requirements.
- Listen to your concerns and goals to help you make wise academic decisions.
- Refer you to other academic resources to aid your decision-making.
Frequently Used Terms
Here are some of the terms you may hear when registering for class, meeting with your advisor, or looking at the course catalog.
Real-time personalized page tells you what is needed for your core and program requirements. You can access it by logging in to Workday with your Calvin account and going to your Academics Hub.
This is our office, which also includes the registrar and registrar's staff.
You contact or visit us to change your schedule, change your major or minors, and obtain academic documentation.
Calvin’s core curriculum is a set of liberal arts courses designed to give you a breadth of knowledge in many areas. Often called “general education” by other colleges, Calvin’s core will strengthen your academic life and future career while also helping you explore new academic options. Taught from a Reformed, Christian perspective, core classes will help you become a deeper, more knowledgeable person.
Here's how core fits into your academic program:
CORE COURSES +
YOUR MAJOR +
YOUR OPTION* +
= YOUR ACADEMIC PROGRAM
*Options include a second major, minor or two minors, pre-professional courses or electives.
In numerous core categories, you can choose from many course options. Are you planning to major in biology but love art? Take an art history class to satisfy a core requirement. Want to study abroad? Many study abroad courses also fulfill core.
If you’ve taken AP courses or several years of foreign language in high school, you may be exempt from some core courses.
Find out more about core requirements.
The number of credit hours you take each semester.
The average course load consists of 14–16 hours (usually about five classes, ranging 1–5 semester hours each).
Students are required to complete 124 credits to graduate, so to complete your program in 4 years, you should plan to take an average of 15.5 credits per semester.
- Add a course only during your first week of classes.
- Drop without consequence by the 10th calendar day of the semester.
- Withdraw (W on transcript) from a course through the ninth week of classes.
Stay on track to graduate
Many Calvin students graduate within four years. Here are some tips to stay on track:
Are you an academic advisor?
This handbook explains how to use Workday to assist with advising:
