About the Registrar's Office
The Registrar’s Office is open year round to stop in, email or call for everything academic record related. Through a joint agreement with the National Student Clearinghouse, Nichols College Students may obtain transcripts, degree/enrollment verifications and receive assistance with loan deferments. This department confers degrees, maintains student records, processes all incoming transfer credits, oversees class registration, distributes grade reports, tracks all student academic progress and upholds academic policies. In addition, the Registrar’s staff works closely with the Academic Affairs Office to coordinate the annual Commencement Ceremony.
Documents and Forms
Forms:
Electronic Forms
- Change of Major Form
- Declaration/Removal of Minor
- Declaration/Removal of Certificate
- Declaration/Removal of 2nd Major/Concentration
- Course Withdrawal Form
- Petition Form
- Undergrad Petition to Double Count Graduate Course
- Academic/Financial Appeal
- Independent Study
- Course Transfer Request
- Honors Scholar Course Project Petition
- Declaration of Intent for Honors Scholar Program Application
- Honors Scholar Course Permission Form
- Self Service Parent/Guardian Proxy Sign Up
- Student Legal Name Change
- Readmit Application
- Status Change: Day Progam OR Eve Program
- Student Withdrawal Form
Course Listings:
Registrar Documents:
Registering for Classes
Prepare Your Schedule
- Use the Fall 2024 Course Schedule Listing and your Program Evaluation to choose your courses
- The section number is the last two digits of the course number, for example, ACCT-238-02
- Courses for the Day student population have a section number from 01-99.
- Sections with the letter "R" are remote only
- Courses for the UGO student population have an alphabetical section ON1 or ON2. (Please see Online courses for criteria to take a UGO course)
- Day students may not register for courses with a section of HS. These courses are only open to students in those private programs.
- Make an appointment with your advisor prior to registration
- Advising will take place from March 18 to March 29.
THE COLLEGE RESERVES THE RIGHT TO CANCEL ANY COURSE DUE TO INADEQUATE ENROLLMENT OR STAFF AVAILABILITY, AND LIMIT THE COURSE ENROLLMENT SIZE DUE TO OVERSUBSCRIPTION. ANYTIME THE COLLEGE EXERCISES THIS RIGHT, A STUDENT’S SCHEDULE MAY BE AFFECTED. IT IS IMPORTANT TO CHECK YOUR CLASS SCHEDULE, UP TO THE FIRST DAY OF CLASSES.
Registration will take place April 1 - April 3. You will receive an email from the Registrar's Office with your day and time.
Registration for Online courses will open on April 4 at 12:00a.m. (Please see Online courses for criteria to take a UGO course)
You may continue to register after your scheduled time but not before it. Please resolve holds prior to registration
Staff members from Academic Advising, Student Financial Services, Registrar’s Office, Residence Life, and Student Services will be in their offices to help if you experience problems with registration.
Need help using the online registration mode? Click here for step-by-step procedures to use Student Planning to register.
Occasionally a special request is needed such as an Independent Study Form, Petition Form or Transcript Request Form. These forms can be found at the top of this page or on the Hub home page.
The normal course load for full-time day students is 14 - 17 credit-hours per semester. Students that register for 12 or more credits per semester are considered full-time. Students that are not full-time may have problems with Student Financial Services, Health Insurance, Residence Life, and Athletics.
You must meet the following criteria to take more than 17 credit hours in a semester:
- Senior 2.4 GPA or above
- Junior 2.7 GPA or above
- Sophomore 3.0 GPA or above
- Freshman 3.3 GPA or above
As of the Fall 2020 semester the day student overload rate of $1000 per credit hour will be charged starting with the 19th credit hour.
- Senior 87+
- Junior 57 - 86
- Sophomore 27 - 56
- Freshman 0 - 26
If you would like to take a course at Nichols College but are not looking to earn a degree, please use the form found here to register.
- SEM 239 Sophomore PDS must be taken in the Spring of your Sophomore year
- SEM 339 Junior PDS must be taken in the Spring of your Junior year
- SEM 439 Senior PDS must be taken in the Fall of your Senior year
Several courses have new titles but meet the same requirements. Please note that if you have taken a course with the former title, do not register for the course with the new title per the chart below. It will count as a repeated course and you will not receive credit for it. If you have not taken the course under the former number, please register for the course under the new number and it will meet the same requirement. List of courses with new titles can be found here.
You may change your Fall 2024 schedule from your registration start time through August 30, 2024
Classes and Add/Drop begin on August 26, 2024. Add/Drop ends on August 30, 2024.
If you wish to be removed from a course after add/drop has ended, please file a “Withdrawal from Course” request on the Registrar’s Hub page at this link: Withdrawal from Course Form
You may not withdraw from a Fall 2024 Day division course after November 1, 2024.
Course listed in the Undergraduate Online Program schedule are denoted with a section code of ON1 or ON2. You may register for these courses online; you must meet the following criteria:
- Senior 2.4 GPA or above
- Junior 2.7 GPA or above
- Sophomore 3.0 GPA or above
- Freshman 3.3 GPA or above
Important Notes:
1. Only one UGO program course is permitted per semester.
2. Session I & Session II courses must be registered for by the end of Day student add/drop the first week of the semester.
3. There is a limit of 12 Day students per UGO course allowed.
Day students planning to take courses for transfer credit from any other school must submit a “Course Transfer Request form” with an attached course description to the Registrar’s Office at least one week in advance of registration to allow time for processing.
- The maximum number of courses you may take over one summer is four
- Ten of your last twelve courses must be taken at Nichols
- A grade of "C", 2.0 or better is required in all courses to be transferred
- Transferred courses do not count toward your Nichols Grade Point Average
- All course repeats must be taken at Nichols College
All Academic Internships, Research Associate Internships (RAI) and Teaching Associate Internships (TAI) must be submitted through "Handshake".
The deadline to submit your Summer 2024 Internship on Handshake is May 17, 2024.
The deadline to submit your Fall 2024 internship on Handshake is August 30, 2024.
If you are not returning for the upcoming semester, please fill out the Student Withdrawal Form here.
Holds
- If you receive a HOLD message, you cannot register until you clear the hold with the appropriate office.
- If you receive a Business Office hold, please contact Student Financial Services either in person, by phone: 508-213-2288, or via email to: SFS@nichols.edu.
- If you receive an Academic hold, please contact the Office of the Registrar either in person, by phone: 508-213-2290, or via email to: Registrar@nichols.edu.
Other Issues
- Prerequisite Problem - If you receive a message that states “Course # prerequisites have not been started”, please select another course. If you think you have received this message in error please go to the Registrar’s Office.
- Closed Courses - If you see “Course # is “Closed”-- enrollment not allowed,” you must select another course because the course is full. If you need a specific course to graduate or you need to register for a major course that is closed, please stop by the Registrar’s Office. We do not offer a waitlist option.
- Change Schedule - If you need to change a course or if you make a mistake and wish to drop a course go to “Register and Drop Sections”. Check the course you wish to drop. After you submit the change, a message will appear in the course status “Dropped from this Section”.
- Time Conflict - If you register for two courses that meet at the same time you will receive the following message: “Course # conflicts with Course #".
- Overload Problem - If you receive this message “Registration in Course # puts student in overload”, “Petition is Required”. Check to make sure that you have dropped COLL-002-01.
Graduation Information
ALL Students anticipating graduation must submit an "Application for Graduation" through the One-Login Self-Service App in the semester they expect to complete their degree. This Application is to order your diploma and does not indicate that you will or will not be attending the annual ceremony held each May.
Submission Deadlines
- May Completion January 1
- August Completion June 1
- December Completion October 15
A graduation fee is billed to all degree candidates per diploma received. This is a mandatory fee that is charged to all students regardless of attendance at the annual graduation ceremony.
An appropriate degree is awarded to each student who fulfills the following requirements:
- Application for graduation submitted.
- All admission requirements completed.
- Successful completion of one of the programs of study in the catalog in effect at the time of the student’s matriculation. For full-time students, the program must be completed within 10 semesters, not necessarily consecutive. Part-time bachelor’s degree candidates and master's degree candidates shall complete all degree requirements within 10 calendar years.
- Achievement of a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0 for Undergraduate students and a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 for Graduate students.
- Achievement of a grade point average of 2.0 in the concentration or the major area of study. **
- Achievement of a grade point average of 2.0 in the minor or the certificate. Students may opt to drop the minor or certificate from their program of study if they don't meet the GPA requirement. **
- If a student has completed all course requirements for graduation but does not meet the 2.0 overall CGPA and/or the 2.0 GPA in the major or concentration requirements, the student may take a maximum of 3 courses to meet the GPA graduation requirement. **
- Satisfactory completion of two W-designated (Writing Intensive courses). *
- All Undergraduate students (including transfer students) must take at least 30 credit-hours – immediately preceding graduation – at Nichols College and complete all degree requirements. 30 of the final 36 credit-hours must be taken at Nichols College. Graduate Students may only transfer in 9 credit-hours at the start of their program. All remaining Graduate courses must be taken at Nichols College.
- Payment In full of all tuition, fees, fines, etc., including the graduation fee.
- Writing-Intensive Courses: Full-Time Undergraduate Day Students are required to complete at least two writing-intensive “W” courses prior to graduation. “W” courses are upper-level offerings designed to give students additional writing practice in various academic disciplines. Normally, students are expected to take one “W” course in their concentration or major, and another outside the concentration/major. Transfer students should consult Academic Advisors about the “W” course requirement and the selection of “W” courses. The schedule of classes, published by the Registrar, indicates the “W” courses being offered during a given semester.
**Applies to Undergraduate student only
High scholastic achievement during the entire college career is recognized at Commencement. Outstanding scholars are awarded degrees with three levels of distinction. In order to be eligible for Commencement Honors a student must have earned at least 48 credits at Nichols College and must have achieved the following cumulative averages:
- Cum Laude 3.40 - 3.64 GPA
- Magna Cum Laude 3.65 - 3.84 GPA
- Summa Cum Laude 3.85 - 4.00 GPA
In order to be recognized as valedictorian or salutatorian a student must have earned at least 90 credits at Nichols College.
Undergraduate students who complete 47 or fewer credits at Nichols and meet the following GPA requirements will earn the honors distinction:
- With Distinction 3.70 - 3.84 GPA
- With High Distinction 3.85 - 4.00 GPA
MBA students are not eligible for commencement honors as all graduating MBA students must have a 3.0 or above in order to graduate, however One MBA student is chosen for each program each year to receive an "Award for Academic Excellence".
During the two week period after the end of each semester the Registrar reviews all degree candidates who have submitted an application for graduation. All students who have completed their graduation requirements are then "graduated" and their degree information is added to their transcript.
The Registrar then orders the diplomas from a printing company that specializes in degree and award printing. The lead-time for the diplomas to be returned to Nichols College can range anywhere from 6 to 8 weeks depending on the volume of orders in-house at the printing company. When the diplomas are received at Nichols College, they are reviewed for accuracy and then repackaged into mailers for each student. Once the Student Accounts office has completed a financial audit on each student, they then release diplomas as appropriate. A student's account must be released by the Student Accounts office before the diploma is mailed to the student.
Although Nichols College confers degrees in May, August and December, Nichols College only holds one formal ceremony each year in May. All graduates from August and December are invited to attend the May ceremony. Diplomas are not handed out at the ceremony. A ceremonial diploma cover with certificate is handed to each student as they pass across the stage. The Academic Affairs Office will mail and email information to all eligible graduates regarding the ceremony in early March of each year. Please be sure to update your address if you move.
The application for graduation can be found on Self Service. Go to the Graduation Overview page and click on Apply.
National Student Clearinghouse
The National Student Clearinghouse is the authorized agent of Nichols College for providing enrollment and degree verifications.
Nichols College participates in the National Student Clearinghouse, located in Herndon, Virginia. Several times each semester, the College submits a report of students’ enrollment status to the Clearinghouse which, in turn, supplies verification of enrollment to lending agencies.
Most lenders and loan servicing organizations participate in the Clearinghouse also participate in our paperless deferment process. With this process, no paper forms need to be completed by either students or schools – the student simply calls his or her servicer to request a deferment. The servicer then posts a deferment to the student’s account after the student’s verbal order is matched against the Clearinghouse electronic data verifying in school status.
If your lender needs a deferment form processed, bring it to the Registrar's Office located in room 223 of the Academic Building. We forward all deferment forms to the Clearinghouse. They will confirm your enrollment has been sent to your lender. Nichols College does not provide this information directly to lending agencies.
If you receive a collection letter from a servicer, you should:
- Call your lending agency to see if they received a deferment form from the Clearinghouse after they sent you the collection letter.
- If after calling your servicer it still appears that your deferment was not processed, call the Clearinghouse at 703-742-4200. A Clearinghouse representative can verify the date they received the deferment form, when the deferment was certified, when your enrollment status was certified, and to which lenders and guarantors your deferrable status was reported.
- If an emergency exists (e.g., you are being threatened with default), the Clearinghouse can intervene on your behalf by faxing another enrollment certification to your servicer. Further, it will work with your servicer to ensure that the form is processed on a high-priority basis.
Current Students
If you are currently enrolled at Nichols College and need verification of your enrollment status for your employer or insurance company, you may obtain an enrollment certificate online through the National Student Clearinghouse:
- Go to the Clearinghouse site.
- Click on Obtain an Enrollment Certificate
- Print the certificate and attach it to the form that requested enrollment verification
- Return both documents to the requester
Registrar's Office
Contact Information
Registrar@nichols.edu 508-213-2290
Office Hours
Mon-Fri 8:30 to 4:30
Summer Office Hours
Mon-Thu 8:30 to 4:30
Closed Fridays
Location
Academic Building
Room 223