Registration
Registration resources
Our office can assist you throughout the registration process. Whether you need to register for a class or view your current schedule, you can do it all online.
All students on and off-campus must schedule through myGate. Before scheduling, you must consult with your academic advisor about your class selections. Students choose their classes from the Schedule of Classes viewed through myGate. It is your responsibility to be aware of and comply with all university, college, department and program requirements and regulations. Those participating in athletics and/or the honors program also must have the approval of the advisors for those programs.
All financial obligations to the university must be cleared before a student will be permitted to schedule. Any questions concerning payments should be directed to msu.bursar@murraystate.edu or to the Office of the Bursar at 270.809.4227.
Advance Scheduling
Advance scheduling takes place through myGate only. Priority for advance scheduling is based on the student's classification. See Academic Deadlines for the advance scheduling timetable.
- Freshman classification = earned less than 30 credit hours
- Sophomore classification = earned between 30 and 59.99 credit hours
- Junior classification = earned between 60 and 89.99 credit hours
- Senior classification = earned 90 credit hours or more
Late Registration
All late scheduling will be done through myGate. For further information contact the Office of the Registrar at msu.registration@murraystate.edu or 270.809.5630. When late registration begins for the term, a late registration fee will be assessed for everyone scheduling for the first time or rescheduling after their original schedules have been removed from the system. See Academic Deadlines for late registration dates.
Murray State University is committed to helping you achieve your academic goals; however, we realize that sometimes circumstances may arise that prevent you from successfully completing your coursework as planned. Dropping and/or withdrawing from a course can have financial and academic implications that should be taken into consideration when making this decision. Before dropping or withdrawing from a course, we suggest you review the answers to the most frequently asked questions.
Deadlines
How Do I Add and Drop Classes?
All registration and drop/add processing must be done through myGate. Students choose their classes from the link on their Academics tab in myGate. For information on specific deadline dates for drop/add/audit refer to the Academic Deadlines or myGate Academics tab, Deadlines Channel.
Students dropping all classes may do so by accessing the "Withdraw From All Courses" link under the Registration Tools channel on their Academics tab on myGate. Date restrictions apply for dropping and withdrawing from the semester. See Academic Deadlines for drop/withdrawal deadlines. You will not be withdrawn from the semester until you successfully submit the withdrawal request through myGate. An email confirmation will be sent to your MSU email address when you have successfully submitted your withdrawal request and again after your request has been processed.
NOTE: Student-athletes and international students must contact their athletic advisor and/or international advisor, respectively, prior to making any changes to their schedules.
Auditing Courses
To audit means to attend and participate in class without earning a regular letter grade. Audited classes are listed on a student’s permanent record with a grade of AU. An AU grade does not affect the GPA and does not count as credit earned. Instructors are not obligated to approve audits and some departments may not allow some classes to be audited.
NOTE: Student-athletes must discuss auditing a class with Athletics before submitting an approved audit form to the Office of the Registrar. International students should also contact the International Office prior to auditing a class.
How to Audit a Class
To audit a class, a student must request to audit the class from the instructor. If the instructor approves, they must sign the audit permission form. This approved form must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar for processing. The deadline to submit an instructor approved audit to the Registrar’s Office is by the last day to add a class.See the Academic Deadlines for audit deadline dates. It is the sole responsibility of the student to submit the instructor approved form to the Registrar’s Office by the published deadline for processing.
Will an Audit Affect My Financial Aid?
Students who choose to audit a class will NOT receive credit, which may affect current and future aid eligibility. Contact the Student Financial Aid Office at msu.sfa@murraystate.edu or 270.809.2546 for additional information.
Overload of Hours
Undergraduate
Since the maximum load without special approval for other undergraduate students is 19 semester hours, it is not possible to schedule for more than 19 hours via myGate. If an exception is to be made the following criteria must be met:
- The undergraduate student must be at least sophomore standing.
- The undergraduate student must have an overall GPA of at least 3.00 or have earned at least 12 hours with a 3.0 for the previous semester.
- The undergraduate course overload form must be signed by the student's advisor and chair.
- It is the student's responsibility to add the course via myGate by the published add deadlines.
- The signed form must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar prior to deadlines.
Under no circumstances may an undergraduate enroll in more than 22 semester hours without approval and a letter of justification from the student's dean along with the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.
Graduate
If a course overload exception is to be made in any individual instance, a graduate student must have a cumulative GPA of no less than 3.0. Permission to exceed the credit hour limit can be granted only by the collegiate graduate coordinator/academic advisor and chair of the department in which the student has a major. A Graduate Course Overload form must be completed by the student and signed by the graduate coordinator/academic advisor and the chair to authorize exceptions. Under no circumstances will an overload exception be granted to a student who does not have a cumulative 3.0 GPA. Graduate students petitioning to take more than 16 hours in any semester must have the approval of the collegiate graduate coordinator, and the university graduate coordinator in the Office of the Provost/Academic Affairs.
Withdrawing from all classes for a semester
Students dropping all classes may do so by accessing the "Withdraw All Courses" link under the Registration Tools channel on their Academics tab on myGate. Date restrictions apply for dropping and withdrawing from the semester. See Academic Deadlines for drop/withdrawal deadlines. You will not be withdrawn from the semester until you successfully submit the withdrawal request through myGate. An email confirmation will be sent to your MSU email address when you have successfully submitted your withdrawal request and again after your request has been processed.
Withdrawal FAQs
Q. Will I receive a refund?
- Refund dates are listed in the Refund Table. There is an appeals process to request a refund if there are extenuating circumstances, and it is past the deadline for a specific refund. To appeal for a refund, contact the Bursar's Office for additional information at msu.bursar@murraystate.edu or 270.809.4227.
Q. What if I just quit going to class and do not officially withdraw from school?
- If you stop attending class and do not officially withdraw for the semester, you will receive failing grades in your courses, which negatively impacts the GPA and future financial aid eligibility.
Q. What will show on my transcript when I withdraw from the semester?
- If you are enrolled in full semester classes only and withdraw during the 1st five days of the semester, your record will indicate only a withdrawal date, with no grades. Beginning the 6th day of the semester, there will be "W" grades, non-punitive, on your academic record. Students can withdraw from full semester classes approximately 3 weeks prior to the last day of the semester. NOTE: Other sessions within the full semester have separate drop/withdraw deadlines.
Q. Will I be able to receive financial aid in the future if I withdraw?
- Any questions regarding future financial aid eligibility should be directed to Student Financial Aid at msu.sfa@murraystate.edu or 270.809.2546.
Military Activation Withdrawals
Students need to provide the Office of the Registrar a signed statement requesting to be withdrawn. Students must also provide a copy of their orders or an official letter from the 1st Sergeant/Unit Commander on unit letterhead in order to receive 100% refund.
Official withdrawal will be as of the date orders/letters are received. If orders are received after the date for students to drop a class with a grade of "W", the withdrawals will be back-dated to that date in order for the students to receive grades of ‘W’ which do not affect the student's GPA. For courses that are largely complete or that can be completed from a distance (directed studies, etc.), students may choose to work with faculty to take grades of "I" to give more time to complete the course. See Academic Deadlines for last day to change a grade of "I". If circumstances don't permit the student to complete the incomplete grades, the student and faculty member can work with the Registrar to process a later withdrawal.
The Office of the Registrar will forward a copy of the orders/letters to the Financial Aid Office and the Bursar's Office to process paperwork for students to receive a 100% refund. (Any necessary return of Title IV Funds must be calculated and if this calculation results in the school being required to return funds to a Title IV program, then the student will be charged for what has to be returned.)
If the student lives in University Housing, the Office of the Registrar will forward
a copy of their orders to the Housing Office unless the student is able to take care
of checking out of the residence halls themselves.
If the student has any library books checked out, they must return them to the library
in order to avoid any charges. The Office of the Registrar will work with students
who are unable to return their books immediately.
Military Activantion Withdrawals FAQ
Q. How do I withdraw from my classes?
- Students wanting to withdraw from all of their classes must submit a withdrawal request through their myGate Academics tab. Students must also provide the Office of the Registrar with a copy of their orders or an official letter from the 1st Sergeant/Unit Commander on unit letterhead containing the student’s name, MSU ID number and activation date for review. Also, anyone with a power of attorney that allows him/her to transact all business can initiate a withdrawal for a student if the student is unavailable or does not have access to their myGate portal to complete the submission through their myGate.
Q. What if I want to register for classes in the next semester?
- If students are planning to attend the next semester, they can register as if they were still attending. Those out of school for two or more semesters should contact Admissions Services.
Q. Will withdrawing affect my financial aid?
- If students decide to return for future semesters, they need to contact the Student Financial Aid Office to verify their current and future eligibility.
Refund Deadlines
A student who makes a schedule change may receive a reduction in charges for tuition and/or course fee(s) if the student
- drops below full-time,
- is part-time and drops a class or
- is full-time and drops a class with a refundable course fee.
All types of refunds, if applicable, will be in accordance with the refund deadlines. Students who have extenuating circumstances and wish to appeal their tuition refund amount must do so in writing to the Withdrawal Appeals Committee, Bursar's Office, Murray State University, 200 Sparks Hall, Murray, KY 42071-3312. Download the appeal form.
Charges may be incurred for dropping/adding courses!
- Know the Academic Deadlines.
- Talk to your academic advisor before making any scheduling changes.
- Talk to Financial Aid, Scholarship Office and Bursar's Office to discuss the financial impact of changing your schedule.
- If you wish to add and drop courses after the semester begins, minimize the financial impact by adding and dropping courses before midnight of the same day.
- If you need to drop a course and register for another course, verify you meet all course prerequisites and availability of the course to be added before dropping the other course.
- A student's tuition bill is based on billable hours, not enrolled credit hours.
- Review your midterm grades on myGate, Academics tab, Grade channel.
Holds
Registration Add Errors
Academic Suspension Appeal
A student who has been academically suspended or dismissed from the university and feels it was due to circumstances beyond his/her control may appeal in writing to the Office of the Registrar for special consideration. The student’s request will be forwarded to the Academic Appeals Committee for consideration. Review the Appeals section of Academic Records for details and the request form.
Early Master's Admission for Murray State Seniors
Seniors at Murray State University who are within nine hours of completing the baccalaureate degree, who have a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0 and are meeting all undergraduate GPA requirements, may be admitted to graduate study provided they meet departmental and general admission requirements. Seniors admitted on this basis are considered graduate students, and will be charged graduate tuition for all courses scheduled. See the Course Load section for graduate students in the Registration and Academic Records chapter in the Bulletin. Note: This type of admission may cause problems with financial aid.
Students who fail to complete all undergraduate requirements during their first semester as graduate students (unless they are in an approved accelerated graduate program) will be denied graduate credit. All courses taken during that term will be permanently recorded as undergraduate level, with no refund of graduate tuition. Early admission graduate students may apply for graduate assistantships.
Seniors enrolled at institutions other than MSU who meet the requirements outlined above may petition Graduate Admissions for early admission. However, an official transcript with a bachelor’s degree posted will be required prior to registration.
Accelerated Graduate Program Admission and Registration
The Accelerated Graduate Program allows exceptional undergraduate students at Murray State the opportunity to complete the requirements for both their bachelor’s and master’s degrees at an accelerated pace – typically with just one additional year. Applicants to this program must meet the following criteria:
- current MSU undergraduate student
- need 30 or fewer credit hours to complete all baccalaureate degree requirements
- undergraduate cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 at the time of application
- Additional program-specific requirements for graduate admission may exist.
Qualified students who are seeking admission to an accelerated graduate program may take advantage of various benefits, including fewer total credit hours to a degree, less time to degree, cost savings and undergraduate level tuition/scholarships/financial aid for portions of a master’s program.
Accelerated Program Credit
For qualified students who have been admitted to an accelerated graduate program, a maximum of 12 Murray State graduate credit hours (30 MSU graduate credit hours for the accelerated Occupational Therapy program) may be used towards satisfying their undergraduate and graduate degree requirements. Grades earned in the Accelerated Program Credit will count in both the undergraduate and graduate GPAs.
Students who are dismissed or voluntarily drop out of the accelerated graduate program will not be eligible to use the Accelerated Program Credit courses toward any graduate degree; however, the courses will continue to apply toward the undergraduate degree.
Students must seek approval from their academic department and complete the Accelerated Graduate Program and Graduate Credit Approval form or the Accelerated Graduate Program and Graduate Credit Approval form – Occupational Therapy.
For detailed information regarding eligibility and program requirements, please review the Accelerated Graduate Program and Graduate Credit Approval form. For occupational therapy program requirements, please review the Accelerated Graduate Program and Graduate Credit Approval form – Occupational Therapy.