Registration Handbook

Spring 2021 and Snowmester Registration Handbook

Directory

Spring 2021 and Snowmester Academic Calendar

Any Registrar's Office deadlines occurring on a weekend will be extended to the next business day.

All new graduate students will be automatically registered for the Graduate Student Training & Orientation, it will appear in your BrightSpace portal.

Helpful Links

• My Passwords- View your accounts, change your passwords
• NetID Help- Claim or recover your NetID
• National Student Clearinghouse- Order a copy of your official transcripts
• Academic Advising Center- Assistance for Undergraduate students who need help with choosing a degree program, or completing CORE requirements
• University Information Technology

DegreeWorks Information

DegreeWorks is a web-based degree audit and tracking system for students and academic advisors to monitor progress toward degree completion.

Semester Withdrawal

If a student must withdraw from all classes after he or she has confirmed attendance or paid fees, he or she must initiate the withdrawal through the Office of the Registrar.  Graduate students must initiate the withdrawal through the Graduate School.

Students who withdraw before the end of the fifteenth day of instruction will not receive grades for any registered courses. Thereafter through the last day of instruction a grade of W shall be assigned in all courses for which the student is registered unless an appeal is approved by the Dean of Students authorizes otherwise.  The Dean of Students Office also indicates the official date of the university withdrawal in these instances.

Students who leave the campus without withdrawing through regular channels or who withdraw late without extraordinary reasons will receive F grades in all course work for that semester. 

Registration Instructions

In order to register, you must have your “Alternate PIN” (often referred to as the “Advisor PIN”), your account must be clear of holds, and it must be within your designated registration time (see Registration Timetable). 

• Registration Instructions website- Registration Information and Instructions for adding and dropping classes.
• Registration Process website - Priority Registration 4 Step Process

Final Exams and Common Hour Exams

Explanation of the Time Schedule of Classes

Schedule of Classes - View a complete list of available courses

• Schedule of Classes- Gallatin College
• Schedule of Classes- CORE
• Schedule of Classes- Online (for all MSU campuses, Undergraduate level only)

All courses are scheduled, generally, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. The following abbreviations are used in the Schedule of Classes:

Building Abbreviations

To view the abbreviation protocols please visit the Campus Planning, Design & Construction website.

Bill Confirmation and Fee Payment

You can confirm your bill (pay fees) through the mail (Box 172640) or e-mail ([email protected]) without having to stand in line. You can also confirm your bill on the Web in “MyInfo” and pay your bill online via credit card or e-check.

In early December University Business Services will assess fees for all registered students and continue assessing daily. You must go online in “MyInfo” to view your Web bill. Student Accounts does not mail copies of bills to students. It is the students’ responsibility to view their balance online and confirm their bill (pay fees) by the deadline date. It will be necessary to have your bill confirmed by January 8, 2021, for Spring semester, even if your balance is zero. This can be accomplished in several ways:

1. If all costs are paid by you, send your check and/or money order in the mail with a copy of your Web bill. DO NOT SEND CASH IN THE MAIL! Your payment MUST be received by January 8, 2021.
2. If all costs are paid by you and you wish to pay by credit card (Visa, Master Card, AmEx, or Discover), you can view your bill on-line and pay on-line by credit card or e-check no later than January 8, 2021. Note: no additional cost to pay online!
3. If part or all of your costs are paid by other sources (i.e. financial aid, athletics, vocational rehabilitation) and there is a remaining balance, you MUST pay that balance in one of the two ways listed above by January 8, 2021.
4. th (i.e. financial aid, athletics, vocational rehabilitation) and you owe nothing (zero), you MUST still “confirm your bill” on the Web in "MyInfo" by the deadline of January 8, 2021.

• If you are NOT planning to return and have not paid fees for Spring Semester 2021, please call the Registrar’s Office at 406-994-6650 to drop all of your classes.
• Tuition Payment Plan: This plan permits qualified applicants to pay a minimum of one-fourth of the applicable university charges at the beginning of the semester with the balance being deferred until later in the semester. A nonrefundable processing fee is assessed for each approved application. Tuition Payment Plan applications or additional information may be obtained from the Student Accounts Office in person or on the Student Accounts Office Web site.

Optional Fees

For students taking six credits or less ONLY. These fees are regularly assessed to full-time students, but not to those students taking six credits or less. The option to pay is available if the following services are desired:

• Health and Dental Fees- These fees allows students to use the Health and Dental Services, as well as the pharmacy
• Athletic Fee- This fee is used to support the Bobcat Athletic Program. It allows students to receive
  free or discounted tickets to all MSU athletic events.

Associated Students of Montana State University (ASMSU) Fees

• ASMSU Activity Fee provides for the operation of the student government and its committees. Students paying this fee may vote, use the ASMSU Legal Services, and use the ASMSU Tutorial Services.
• ASMSU Intramural Fee contributes to the operational cost of intramural facilities and programs. Students paying this fee may participate in intramural programs and use intramural facilities.
• ASMSU Bus Fee funds the Streamline Bus Transit (www.streamlinebus.com) which students may use.
• ASMSU Student Sustainability Fee contributes to the promotion and implementation of sustainability practices.
• ASMSU Student Organization Fee supports Registered Student Organizations.
• ASMSU Press Fee provides funding for the student Newspaper, The Exponent.
• ASMSU Student Leadership Fee provides funding for the MSU Leadership Institute.
• ASMSU Outdoor Recreation Fee provides funding for the Outdoor Recreation Program.
• ASMSU Student Recreation Facility Fee and O&M Fee provides funding to build and maintain a facility where students can participate in sports outside all year.

Program Fees

(Fees subject to change with Board of Regents approval)

• Students who have declared a major, minor, or double-major in Film and Photography are charged a program fee of $320 per semester beginning their sophomore year.
• Students who have declared a major in Art are charged a program fee of $185.00 per semester.
• Students who have declared a major in the College of Engineering will pay an additional program fee each semester ($98.50 for freshmen, $140.90 for sophomores through graduate level, and $55.90 for all levels during the summer).
• Students who have enrolled in a class within the Jake Jabs College of Business and Entrepreneurship will pay an additional $21 per credit for each course.
• Students who have declared a major in Music Technology will pay an additional $186.25 program fee each Fall and Spring semester.
• Students enrolled in Graduate Nursing classes will pay an additional $50.00 per credit.
• Undergraduate nursing students will pay an additional $420 program fee each semester.
• Students who have enrolled in a Math or Statistics course will pay an additional $6.25 per credit for each course.

Tuition Payment Plan

The Tuition Payment Plan is an installment plan available for qualified applicants who are unable to make full payment of current semester tuition, fees, and/or room and board charges on regular fee payment day. This plan is available to all students with these exceptions: students whose financial aid is ready at fee payment day and is equal to or greater than fees charged, students who are in default on a Perkins/Nursing loan, or students who have a poor repayment history at Montana State University in Bozeman.

General Information

Go to the Tuition Payment Plan website for  information on how to submit an application. A nonrefundable processing fee will be added for each approved application. Application Deadline for Spring 2021 is January 8, 2021.

Please note: All available financial aid credited to your university account will be applied to the total charges for the semester. The remaining balance will be divided into 4 payments with the first payment due on January 8, 2021. A late fee will be assessed for each installment payment which is late.

Payment Plan installments, as well as any other outstanding charges due Montana State University-Bozeman, are to be RECEIVED on or before the due date.

FALL

• Second installment payment due October 1
• Third installment payment due November 1
• Fourth installment payment due December 1

SPRING

• Second installment payment due February 1
• Third installment payment due March 1
• Fourth installment payment due April 1

Montana State University reserves the right to reject or decline any application and to require a guarantor on any tuition payment plan.

Financial Aid

Financial Aid Priority and Deadline Dates

• November 15, 2019 Last day to apply for Fall 2019 assistance
• December 1, 2020 Priority FAFSA filing date for 2021/2022 Academic Year
• March 31, 2020 Priority application date for Summer Session 2021
• June 30, 2020 Last day to complete a FAFSA for 2019-2020 Academic Year

Satisfactory Academic Progress

To receive financial aid, you must meet all Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy standards. This policy is available online at Financial Aid Services. Communications are sent at the end of each term if standards are not achieved. Regardless, it is your responsibility to know if your academic performance meets the standards.

Change in Enrollment Status On or Before the 15th Class Day

The disbursement of your aid is contingent upon the number of credits for which you are enrolled at the time your aid is disbursed. Changes to your enrollment after the date of disbursement MAY negatively impact financial aid funds that you received. Please contact the financial office regarding enrollment changes such as drops or withdrawals. This includes retroactive drops. As financial aid becomes aware of such changes, overpayments of aid will be evaluated. Overpayments will result in a bill from the Student Accounts Office. Withdrawing after the 15th class day will not affect your aid if you actually begin and engage in the course. However, a grade of “W” carries a credit value and can have an impact on your ability to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress.

Withdrawing from the University

If you have accepted your bill (confirmed your charges/paid fees with the Student Accounts Office) and decide to stop attending classes at MSU, you must officially withdraw from the university by contacting the Office of the Registrar (undergraduate students), or the Graduate School (graduate students). A withdrawal can occur anytime, it does not matter if it occurs before or after the 15th class day and whether you receive no grade or a grade of ‘W’. For financial aid purposes, the withdrawal date will be assessed by your first date of contact to the respective offices listed above or on some documented date of academic engagement after that initial contact. If you never attend any class, make this known upon completing your semester withdrawal.

Unofficial withdrawals occur when no contact is made to the above offices and when you have received some combination of passing and non-passing grades. If you earned all non-passing grades (“F”, “I”, “N”, “W”, “NR”) at the end of the semester, it will be determined that you unofficially withdrew and the amount of Title IV aid to be returned for the payment period will be calculated based on the latest date recorded as “last date of attendance” by your professor(s). If your “last date of attendance” cannot be determined, the amount of Title IV aid to be returned for the payment period will be calculated as if you withdrew at the 50 percent point of the semester.

Using the last date of attendance, the Office of Financial Aid Services will perform calculations to determine how much of your federal financial aid has been earned and kept and how much must be returned per federal regulation. If you received federal funds which were not earned or that you were not eligible for (no academic engagement), these federal funds will be returned to the Department of Education, and you will receive a bill from the Student Accounts Office.

If you have student loans, remember that it is your responsibility to keep the lender/loan servicer up to date regarding any changes too your address and enrollment. Changes in enrollment will initiate your loan(s) entering repayment. Future enrollment of at least half-time can put your loans back into a non-payment status.

University Charges and Financial Aid

Your university charges for the semester will be posted to your university student account maintained by the Student Accounts Office. You should receive an e-mail notification from the Student Accounts Office when your bill is processed. Financial Aid will disburse to your account once all eligibility requirements have been met. This includes most scholarships, grants, and loans. Once your bill is accepted (confirmed), financial aid will be credited to your account and applied against all allowable charges (tuition, fees, housing, etc.) Work-study funds you earn will not be reflected in your
student account.

Bill Acceptance (Confirmation)/Fee Payment

University charges must be Accepted (confirmed) by the date established by the Student Accounts Office. This means that your bill must be paid in full or that arrangements have been made utilizing financial aid and a payment plan. If you do not Accept (Confirm) your Bill by the date established by the Student Accounts Office, it will be assumed you are not attending. This will result in the cancellation of your classes and financial aid. Reinstatement of classes or financial aid will be based on availability at the time reinstatement is requested.

Refund Checks

If your financial aid exceeds your university charges, the Students Accounts Office will refund (pay) the difference to you. Refunds are generated by the Student Accounts Office as soon as possible at the beginning of each semester. Refunds will be by Direct Deposit or mailed to the student if the student has not signed up for Direct Deposit.
To sign up for Direct Deposit, choose Electronic Billing and Payment from your MyInfo page, and click on Quik Pay. Please contact the Student Accounts Office regarding any questions you may have about the amount of your refund or when your refund will be processed.

The Student Accounts Office will not release a refund check unless (1) all required
financial aid documents and promissory loan notes are completed and returned to the Office of Financial Aid Services, and (2) you have Accepted (Confirmed) your Bill (paid fees) with the Student Accounts Office for the term.

Bobcat Bridge Loan (Short Term Loan)

This is a loan which permits a student, who may be experiencing temporary difficulties, to borrow a small sum of money for a short period of time. No collateral is required for a Bobcat Bridge loan, although the student must identify a reliable source of repayment. In addition, a students should have a cumulative grade-point average of 2.0 or better at MSU, be enrolled for at least six credits as a degree-seeking student, and have a satisfactory repayment record with respect to any previous loan(s) received.

The university reserves the right to reject or decline any application, to determine the amount and a date of repayment for any loan approved, and to require a guarantor. Applications and other information regarding the Bobcat Bridge Loan program may be obtained from Financial Aid Services. Allow up to three (3) working days to process a Bobcat Bridge application.

Book Loan

This loan is designed to assist students with money to buy books at the MSU Bookstore before refund checks are distributed. Financial Aid Services will verify that each student requesting a book loan has adequate funds after university charges are paid to cover the costs of the loan.

Funds borrowed are deposited to the student’s CatCard no earlier than 10 days prior to the beginning of the term. When the student’s financial aid is disbursed, it is applied to
the book loan as well as a nonrefundable loan processing fee of $25. This loan may be requested from Financial Aid Services.

Past Term Registration Handbooks (PDF)