Registration Holds & Errors

On the Academics tab on myGate, click your "Hold" link in the "Registration Tools" box. Any holds shown will list the hold type, reason for the hold, and the processes affected by the hold. For detailed information and how to resolve the hold, click on the "How Do I Resolve Holds?" link.

Students must review their RACR with their academic advisor before scheduling classes each semester. Students can find their advisor's name and email address on their Academics tab on myGate. Advising holds are released by the academic advisor once advising has taken place. Note: advising holds are not displayed on your Holds link.

Students new to Murray State University who are under the age of twenty-five (25) must complete the online Alcohol and Drug Awareness Training called e-checkup. This hold prevents registration (adding and dropping courses) for students who have not completed the training.

Mandatory Training

Once the training is completed, the system will remove the hold within 24 hours. For more information, please contact the Oakley Resource Center in Oakley Applied Science, Suite C102 or call 270.809.3140. For technical issues with Canvas, please contact the Service Desk at 270.809.2346. Office hours for both the Oakley Resource Center and the Service Desk are 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday.

Students who owe a balance of $200.00 or more cannot schedule for future semesters. Log in to your myGate account to review your account balance on your Money tab and resolve your balance. If you have any questions about your account, contact the Bursar's Office at msu.bursar@murraystate.edu or 270.809.4227.

Students who owe a balance have a Bursar’s Office transcript hold applied to their student account, which prevents a student from requesting their MSU transcript and from viewing their unofficial transcript on their myGate. The transcript hold will be released after the student account is paid in full. Log in to your myGate account to review your balance on your Money tab and resolve your balance. If you have any questions about your account, contact the Bursar’s Office at msu.bursar@murraystate.edu or 270.809.4227.

All degree-seeking undergraduate students are required to submit all transcripts from accredited institutions upon admission to MSU. Undergraduate students who are receiving financial aid and are concurrently enrolled at another institution are required to submit updated transcripts to MSU after each semester of enrollment at the other school(s). Students will have a “College Transcript Needed” hold on their account until
the Admissions Office has received an official* transcript from that school. The hold will list the name of the school for which a transcript is needed.

If you have a “College Transcript Needed” hold and you did not attend that college for the semester(s) listed in the Hold Reason, request a letter of non-attendance from that school’s Registrar’s Office to be sent directly to MSU’s Admissions Office.

Many schools use the National Student Clearinghouse as their agent for transcript request processing. You may be able to request your transcript from Get My Transcript, search for the school, and follow the steps. If your school is not listed on Get My Transcript, contact that school’s Registrar’s Office for assistance.  

The address to send transcripts to is: 
Murray State University Admissions
102 Curris Center
Murray, KY 42071

*Please note that college transcripts cannot be considered official when faxed, hand-carried, or mailed by the student.

For questions about this process, please contact Admissions at 270.809.3350.

Undergraduate students are required to declare an area or major by the time they earn a minimum of 45 credit hours. Undergraduate students who declare a major (as opposed to an area) are required to declare a 2nd major or a minor by the time they earn a minimum of 60 credit hours.

Use the electronic form link below to request to declare your major/ minor/ concentrations/ catalog years/ degree objective.

Major Change forms

Department signatures are required for declaring or changing areas, majors, and degree objectives. The only signature required for declaring or changing minors, concentrations, or catalog years is the student’s signature.

This hold prevents students who have not met language skill requirements from registering for university classes. For more information on this hold, please see Weihong Gao, 453 Blackburn.

Please contact your high school and ask that they send your official final high school transcript including graduation date to msu.admissions@murraystate.edu or by mail to:

Murray State University
Admissions
102 Curris Center
Murray, KY 42071

*Students may also use Parchment to order their high school transcripts.

For questions about this process, please contact Murray State Admissions at 270.809.3350.

This hold is placed on students who have past semester debt that has been transferred to Internal Collections at Murray State University. Future scheduling and transcripts will not be allowed until this debt is paid in full. If you have any questions and/or to set up payment arrangements, contact the Bursar's Office at msu.bursar@murraystate.edu or 270.809.3473.

Students must submit the required documents outlined in the admission letter to the Admissions office. The hold will not be removed to allow scheduling until the official documents have been received and verified by the Admissions office. For more information, please visit the Admissions office, msu.intl.ap@murraystate.edu, 102 Curris Center, Murray, KY 42071.

All F-1 and J-1 visa holders are required to provide proof of mandatory health insurance. Specific health insurance requirements were provided in your admission packet. If more information is needed, please visit Blackburn Bldg. basement, room B0019. Health insurance must be purchased prior to registering for classes. Proof of insurance may be delivered in-person to International Student and Scholar Services, Blackburn Bldg. basement, room B0019 or send to mbrown@murraystate.edu or bmckibben@murraystate.edu. Insurance may be purchased for a semester at a time or for the duration of the academic year. Insurance periods must start on the first day of classes and end on or after the last day of finals. To be eligible to register for the next term, proof of insurance must be provided to the addresses mentioned above. Holds will not be removed until the insurance requirements have been met.

Students whose debt has been transferred to the Kentucky Department of Revenue will not be allowed to receive a transcript or schedule for classes until the debt is paid in full. Students should contact the state at 502.564.4921. For further information contact the Bursar's Office, Internal Collections at msu.bursar@murraystate.edu or 270.809.3473.

Racer Academy students intending on completing more Racer Academy courses in the spring semester do not need to take further action. Racer Academy students planning to attend Murray State University after high school graduation in the upcoming fall semester should complete a first-time freshman admission application.

Admission Application

For questions about this process, please contact Murray State Office of Undergraduate Admissions at 270-809-3350.

Please contact the Transfer Center at 270.809.3350.

All new Murray State University students are required to complete an orientation program. Orientation may be completed in person or online depending on the student's campus location. Students completing the online orientation are "enrolled" in the Canvas Orientation module. Students will complete the module and quiz at the end with at least an 85% to release this hold. For questions about this process, please contact Alison Marshall at 270.809.5796.

Students who did not pay the graduation application fee when submitting the application must now submit the fee. Students who fail to pay will not be allowed to register for future semesters, order transcripts, or receive a diploma. Contact msu.graduation@murraystate.edu to remit payment.

Students who have applied for graduation are not permitted to register for classes for a future semester without officially being readmitted to the university for a new program of study. If you are attempting to register for classes for a new program, please contact either the Admissions Office, msu.admissions@murraystate.edu (to schedule for undergraduate classes) or the Graduate Admissions Office, msu.graduateadmissions@murraystate.edu (to schedule for graduate-level courses) for details on how to be admitted to a new program. For international students, international students applying for another undergraduate or graduate degree, contact Office of Admissions, msu.admissions@murraystate.edu.

For students who need to take additional classes for the current degree program, please email the Graduation Office at msu.graduation@murraystate.edu and request your graduation application be moved to a future term. The Graduation Office will then move your existing application and release the hold so you may register for classes.

Please contact the Office of Admissions at 270.809.3350.

Please contact the Office of Admissions at 270.809.3350.

Social Security Numbers are required for all enrolled students. The IRS, the Department of Education, and the State of Kentucky’s Department of Education requires Universities to collect a student's correct SSN and full legal name for reporting purposes.

Occasionally, we are notified the name or social security number we have on file for a student doesn’t match IRS/KY DOE records or doesn’t match previously submitted information from other schools. A copy of the SS card is required to prove a legal name and SSN.

If your hold message says “Required: Copy of SS card,” provide a copy of your SS card to the Office of the Registrar via the SSN form.

If your hold message says “Needed: SS card or W-9 form,” either provide a copy of your SS card or provide the completed W-9 form to the Office of the Registrar via the SSN form.

For questions, contact (270)809-3759 or msu.registrar@murraystate.edu.

Students who have been awarded an Institutional Loan and are not current with payment will not be permitted to request their Murray State University transcript or to schedule for future semesters. If you have any questions, contact the Bursar's Office at msu.bursar@murraystate.edu or 270.809.2669 regarding these loans.

A Study Abroad Hold is placed on a student who has returned from their program if there is still a balance owed on the program bill. To have the hold removed the student must pay all remaining program fees in full and have a zero balance.

A Study Abroad Hold is placed on a student who has not yet studied abroad if that student has not yet met all requirements with the Education Abroad Office. There are two things to do to complete these requirements:

1. Login via the MSU Education Abroad application system, and complete all required post acceptance forms.

2. Complete the mandatory online Canvas orientation and meet required accuracy on all quizzes.

Students who have not completed the Title IX and Harassment Prevention online training on Canvas will have a Title IX Hold placed on their accounts. This hold prevents students who have not achieved a score of 100% on the assessment/quiz portion of the online training to register for, drop or add university classes. Once the score of 100% on the assessment has been achieved, the system will remove the hold within 24 hours.

For more information on this hold, please see the Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX (OEO) in 103 Wells Hall or call 270.809.3155. For technical issues with Canvas, please contact the Service Desk at 270.809.2346. Office hours for OEO is 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. Visit RacerNet for Service Desk Hours.

Students who are admitted as ESL Conditional must meet university admission requirements before this hold will be removed. Graduate students must meet individual graduate program requirements and be admissible to the university. An application and all required admission documents must be submitted to the Admissions office, 102 Curris Center, msu.intl.ap@murraystate.edu. For more information, please contact the ESL Office, 452 Blackburn, awyatt@murraystate.edu or wgao@murraystate.edu.

Students are required to pay a $150 deposit when they complete their initial application for a space in housing. If a student cannot pay the deposit at the time of application, the deposit can be deferred. The hold is placed on the account after the semester has started and will be removed once the deposit has been paid.

Students who do not have a valid permanent/home address on file with Murray State are required to add a valid permanent address on myGate. View instructions for adding your address. Once you have added/updated your permanent address, please email msu.registrar@murraystate.edu. Please include your name, M number, and that you have updated your address on myGate. The Office of the Registrar staff will review your address and release the hold. 

Some courses are set up to only allow students with specific classifications (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior) to register for those sections. To determine what classification is allowed to register for that particular section, click on the CRN, then click on the course title. Restrictions will be listed near the bottom of the page. You can verify your classification on the Academic Profile channel on your myGate, Academics tab.

All classes have enrollment caps (maximum number of students allowed to register for that specific course/section. If you receive this error, you (1) should search for an open section of the course, (2) contact the instructor for a closed class override, or (3) contact your academic advisor to discuss other class alternatives. 

If you contact the instructor for an override and the instructor has approved your request, the instructor will apply the override through their myGate on your account, notify you, and then you will need to add the course on your myGate by the registration deadline. You will add the course by typing in the CRN in the Add Classes Worksheet section and clicking the SUBMIT CHANGES button.

Corequisite courses are courses that must be taken in the same semester. If you receive a corequisite error, you have attempted to register for one of these courses without the corresponding required corequisite course. In order to register for this course, you must also add the corequisite course at the same time.

NOTE: If you have completed the corequisite course at another institution and the transcript is not yet on file, request the official transcript to be sent to MSU Transfer Center immediately.

Step-by-step instructions can be found under "Registration Add Errors" on Racer One Stop Self-Service.

Some courses or course sections are set up to be restricted by major. These courses or sections will only allow students with certain majors to register for those specific CRNs. Click on the CRN to view the restrictions on student majors.

Some courses require the permission of the instructor before any student is permitted to register for those specific courses. Contact the instructor of that course/section and ask for an instructor permission override. If approved, the instructor will add the override, notify you, and then you will need to add the course on myGate yourself by the registration deadline.

NOTE: You will only be allowed to register for the specific class/section that the instructor approved.

You may add the course by typing in the CRN in the Add Classes Worksheet section and clicking the SUBMIT CHANGES button or you may register for the class by searching for the class and clicking on the checkbox next to the appropriate class and clicking the REGISTER button.

Courses ranging from 000-599 are classified as undergraduate-level courses. Courses 600+ are classified as graduate-level courses. The registration system is set up to prevent students from registering for classes that are not the correct level. Undergraduate students may only take undergraduate-level courses. Graduate students may take both undergraduate and graduate level courses.

If you are an undergraduate student (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior, post-baccalaureate), you will need to contact your advisor for assistance in selecting a different course. You may only register for courses 000-599.
If you have been admitted into the accelerated graduate program, please complete the Accelerated Graduate Program Registration Worksheet online.

Several courses, especially science courses, will have a linked laboratory. If you receive the Link Course Required error, you have attempted to register for one of these courses without the corresponding required lab.

Click on the CRN of the course and then click on "View Catalog Entry". Review the course description to see if this course requires a laboratory or a corequisite course.

Step-by-step instructions on how to register for linked courses can be found under "Registration Add Errors" on Racer One Stop Self-Service. 

The maximum course load for students in good standing is 19 semester hours for undergraduate students and 13 hours for graduate students. Students on Academic Warning, Academic Probation, or Probation Continued are not permitted to register for more than 16 semester hours. It is not possible to register for more than the maximum number of hours via myGate without special permission.

If you would like to register for more than your maximum number of hours, consult with your academic advisor and review the minimum requirements to be eligible for an overload of hours. If your advisor approves, you must complete and submit a Course Overload form to the Office of the Registrar by the registration deadline.

Some courses have prerequisites. Prerequisites are requirements that must be met before a student is permitted to register for a course. Examples of prerequisite requirements may include the following:

• ACT or other test score minimum

• Other course completion

• Other course completion with a minimum grade

Click the CRN of the course and then click on the course title. Review the PREREQUISITES section of the detailed class information.

If you think you have met the prerequisites, review your academic transcript on your Academics tab in myGate to verify. Follow up with your academic advisor if you need further assistance or clarification.

If you are confident in your ability to succeed in this course without the prerequisite, contact the instructor to request a prerequisite override.

Some courses are set up to require certain student attributes before any student is permitted to register for those specific courses. Student attributes include: admitted to programs (such as teacher education, OSH, Nursing, etc.). 
Click on the CRN of the course and then click on "View Catalog Entry". Review the course description to see if this course has an admission requirement.

If you feel like you have met the admission requirement for that course, please contact your academic advisor to verify. If you have not been admitted to that program, you will need to select a different course.

Most courses are offered at specific times/days. The registration system is set up to prevent students from registering for classes that overlap times/days. When you attempt to register for a class that overlaps another class on your schedule, you will receive a time conflict error message.

Review your current schedule to see what days/times you have class. Go to your ACADEMICS tab and click on the MY SCHEDULE - VIEW/PRINT from your Registration Tools Channel. You may also use MY SCHEDULE - WEEK AT A GLANCE to view your schedule in a calendar format.

Use your schedule to review the time conflicts and to help you with checking for other potential conflicts with course(s) or section(s) you may want to add. You now have a few options on how to proceed:

1. Use the class search feature to search for a different section of the course you wanted to register for, but were unsuccessful.

2. If the time time conflict is 15 minutes or less, you may be able to obtain permission (form required) from one of the instructors to arrive or leave class early.

3. Use the class search feature to search for a different section of the course currently on your schedule. You'll want to use this option if the course you wanted to add, but couldn't, only had one section available/open.

4. If the course you wanted to add was an elective and you are open to looking for a different course, talk to your academic advisor to see what other courses may be good fits for your degree program.