Identify your Advisor.
You can search and identify your advisor through Web Banner or Degree Works. Watch this Finding Your Advisor in Less Than 2 Minutes! tutorial for guidance.

Throughout the semester, invest time in getting to know your advisor.
Your relationship with your advisor can help in your academic success and benefit your long-term career goals. Make note of your advisor’s name and contact information so that you may contact them when you have questions. It is courteous to give your advisor ample time (at least 48 hours) to respond to your inquiry.

Communicate with your advisor to get your advisement key to register for classes.
Every semester, faculty will provide their graduate student advisees with an “advisement key number”, which students need to be able to register for classes in their fall and spring semesters.

Meet with your advisor to create your plan of study.
By the end of their first semester in matriculated status, graduate students are encouraged to meet with their faculty advisor to determine their plan of study. While students’ plans of study are evident in their electronic Degree Audit (Degree Works), some academic departments require students, by the end of their first semester, to work with faculty advisors to draft a printed plan of study.

Don’t just assume your degree audit is accurate; read it critically!
Never assume that your degree audit report is always accurate. Read it carefully and discuss any questions with your advisor or the Center for Graduate Studies. Course substitutions and waivers must be entered manually and need to be reflected on the Degree Audit report. You also want to be sure all your information is displayed accurately.

Find and familiarize yourself with your program catalog.
It describes the graduation requirements for your program. If that program changes while you are enrolled at Brockport, you will be given the option of keeping the requirements in effect at the time of your most recent matriculation or completing the new requirements of the program. If you withdraw from Brockport and are later readmitted, you will be required to follow the program in effect at the time of your readmittance. Also, familiarize yourself with the academic regulations, college policies, resources, and student rights listed on the Student Policies Website.

Be sure you understand all program requirements.
All degree program requirements can be found in Degree Works. Be sure to familiarize yourself with Degree Works and communicate with your advisor to ensure that you understand your program requirements. Also, note that some graduate courses may require a prerequisite. At the end of your program, be sure to apply for graduation.

Understand your grade point average.
If any semester GPA is below 3.0, contact your academic advisor as soon as possible to create a return to good standing plan. There will be a hold that prevents future registration until this plan is approved. NOTE: Before you register for any course, contact financial aid regarding your eligibility.

Use the GPA calculator to plan how to improve your academic standing.
If your GPA falls below a 3.0, you can use the GPA calculator to plan the grades you need to earn in new courses moving forward or in repeating courses. Watch this GPA Calculator User Guide for step-by-step instructions.

Understand how academic credits are earned.
A letter grade is given for every course for which a student has registered. At the graduate level, academic credit is earned for grades of “A,” “A-,” “B+,” “B,” “B-,” “C+,” “C,” or “S.” No credit is awarded for grades of “E,” “U” (Unsatisfactory), “I” (Incomplete), “PR” (In Progress), and “AU” (Audit).

Don’t wait to repeat courses with an “E” grade.
Since the most recent grade replaces the first, repeating immediately is the easiest way to avoid academic probation and raise your GPA. As mentioned before, however, make sure you know the rules regarding repeating a course.

Unless otherwise prohibited by departmental policy, students are permitted to repeat courses in which they have earned a grade below “B.” Only the new grade earned during the most recent repeat of a course, whether it is higher, lower, or the same, will be used in computing a student’s cumulative grade point average. All attempted courses and grades remain on the transcript.

Repeating a course at another college or university will not remove the previous grade earned at Brockport.
Courses may transfer, but grades don’t. Old grades are figured into your GPA. If you want that grade removed, retake the course at Brockport, not at another college.

Request a Temporary Academic Leave if needed.
Students whose progress toward degree completion is interrupted by circumstances beyond their control may apply for leave up to three consecutive semesters (fall, spring, and summer). Application for such a leave is made to the student’s department. Leaves of absence approved by the department will not be charged against either the continuous enrollment or time to degree completion Brockport graduate policies.

Know that if you leave the college for an extended period of time, your requirements may not be the same when you return.
Under a Leave of Absence, students are allowed three semesters to earn no credit in which they are still an active student; if you do not return in or by the fourth semester, you are made Inactive. If you wish to return after that fourth semester has lapsed, you will need to submit a Request for Reinstatement. Please note that your requirements will be those in place at the time you return, NOT at the time you left. If you are planning to separate from the College, whether temporarily or permanently, familiarize yourself with the Leave of Absence/Separation policy.

Understand the transfer of credits policy.
If you are attempting to transfer credits into your program, please request an official transcript from each institution attended. Instruct institutions to send your transcripts directly to SUNY Brockport, 350 New Campus Dr., Brockport, NY 14420, ATTN: Center for Graduate Studies, Rakov 101. If the institution utilizes an electronic transcript service, send an official transcript to gradappdocs@brockport.edu. Please communicate with the Center for Graduate Studies to be sure your transcripts have been received. Your transfer credits will not be finalized until all transcripts have arrived and been evaluated.

When dropping from full-time to part-time status, remember to consider implications for your financial aid.
A graduate student at SUNY Brockport has full-time status for Enrollment Verification purposes when: enrolled for at least 9 graduate credits per semester and/or registered for thesis credit(s).

Do not drop a course without formally notifying the Office of Registration and Records.
If you simply stop attending a course without formally dropping it, you will likely end up with a failing grade and a bill.

Contact the Financial Aid Office if you have questions about your credit load.
Full-time graduate student enrollment for tuition and federal financial aid purposes begins at 9 graduate credits per semester. Graduate student eligibility for federal student loans begins at 6 graduate credits per semester.

Use the Hazen Center for Integrated Care if needed!
If you are struggling physically, mentally, or emotionally, don’t hesitate to seek out help at the Health Center, Counseling Center, or any other resource available through Hazen. Hazen is available to any registered SUNY Brockport student.

Contact Title IX Coordinator, Denine Carr, for guidance on sex-based discrimination.
If you are a victim of discrimination based on sex including sexual assault, intimate partner violence (IPV), or stalking and you are interested in reporting, learn about the options available to you.