Student Advising Process

What does academic advising look like for students? This page will guide you through how advising works at Northwest University for students in the traditional undergraduate program.

Contents:

Before Welcome Weekend

As soon as you make your tuition deposit, you will be registered for a SOAR (Summer Orientation, Advising, and Registration) event. At this event, you will attend sessions led by departments such as Advising, Student Financial Services, and Student Life, and you will get the chance to meet one-on-one with an Academic Advisor who works with students specifically in your major.

At your one-on-one meeting, you will learn more about your major and get your recommended class schedule for your first semester. This class schedule is specifically built for you based on your prior high school and college work. You can ask questions and possibly request changes to your schedule; once you and your advisor finalize the schedule, you will be registered for your first semester of classes!

Summer Checklist:

Before SOAR:

  • Submit your official High School and College transcripts
  • Submit any SAT/ACT/CLEP tests
  • Complete any placement tests emailed to you

After SOAR:

  • Purchase your textbooks (list available on your Eagle profile)
  • Review your class syllabi (available in Discovery the week before classes start)

During Your First Semester

During your first semester at NU, you will be assigned to an Academic Advisor from the Academic Success & Advising Office who specifically works with students in your major. This advisor will reach out to you around the third week of the semester to check in with you. Take the opportunity to meet with your advisor and receive some early support!

Not sure who your advisor is? You can see it in your Eagle profile in the “My Advisor” box below your class schedule.

iMAP Assignment

If you are enrolled in UNIV 1091 Life Together or UNIV 1001 Academic Success, one of your class assignments will be to create an iMAP (Individual Master Academic Plan). In the iMAP, you will plan out, semester-by-semester, the courses you need to take to graduate. The Advising Office will provide resources for you to use to assist with this assignment:

  • Degree Templates, which list all the requirements for your degree
  • Sample Four Year Plans, which list a typical course sequence for the classes in your major
  • Self-Service and Transfer Review guides, which will help you access the information available to you to understand where you are in your degree progress

Although not all students take classes with the iMAP as an assignment, it benefits every student to have a master plan for completing all graduation requirements.

First Advising Appointment

When the next semester’s schedule is released (typically during the 8th week of the semester – before Reading Days in the Fall and before Spring Break in the Spring), you will receive an email from your Academic Advisor inviting you to schedule your first Advising Appointment. This appointment serves several purposes:

  • Checking in about your classes and major
  • Reviewing midterm grades
  • Finalizing your class schedule for the next semester
  • Authorizing you to register
  • Teaching you how to register for classes

Advising Appointment Checklist:

Before your appointment:

  • Check your midterm grades in Self-Service (“Grades” tab → “Grade Report”)
  • Review your degree progress in your What-If Plan (“Registration” tab → “What-If”)
  • Create your personal schedule based on your iMAP using the course schedule

After your appointment:

  • Check your email for a meeting summary from your advisor
  • Register for classes once your registration window opens

Meeting with your Advisor is mandatory. At your appointment, your advisor willauthorize you to register in Self-Service. You cannot register without your advisor’s authorization.

Class Registration

Class registration opens on a staggered basis, with priority going to seniors and juniors. Your registration window will depend on your class standing. These are the typical dates for when registration opens:

Week 10:

  • Seniors (90+ credits): Monday
  • Juniors (60-89 credits): Wednesday

Week 11:

  • Sophomores (30-59 credits): Monday
  • Freshmen (0-29 credits): Wednesday

Note: Your class standing for registration counts your completed and registered credits. For example, if you have 28 credits completed and are currently taking 15 credits, your credits for registration is 43 credits and your class standing is sophomore.

How to Register

You can register for classes in Self-Service by clicking the Cart icon in the top right, searching your classes, and adding classes to your cart. You can register once you have:

  • Received advisor authorization, and
  • Cleared any financial holds

If you have questions at any point in this process, please contact your advisor via email or email the Advising office (advising@northwestu.edu).

Changing Your Major

What if you want to change your major? You can make this choice at any time. Before officially changing your major, you need to meet with the advisor for that major in the Advising office to:

  • Go over the requirements of your new major
  • Determine the impact on your graduation timeline and transfer credits
  • Learn other potential important steps (meeting with student financial services, professors, etc.)

Once these pieces are reviewed, the advisor will request to have your major officially changed in our system.

Once you change your major, you will be assigned to a new advisor. Most likely, this advisor will be whichever advisor you met with.

After Your First Semester

Your advisor will continue to email you every semester when the course schedule comes out to schedule your advising appointment. As with your first appointment, you will review grades, discuss your major, and plan your personal schedule for the next semester.

Getting a New Advisor

After your first semester, you will have the same advisor unless/until:

  • You change your major
  • You reach 60 credits

Once you reach 60 credits (junior status), you will be assigned to a faculty advisor in your major by the Advising office. This faculty advisor will work with you for the remainder of your degree until you graduate.

Note: Interdisciplinary Studies majors will not be assigned to a faculty advisor; instead, they will work with the Interdisciplinary Studies advisor until graduation.

Advising with Faculty

Why am I being assigned to a faculty advisor? Advising with faculty has several benefits:

  • Building a personal relationship with a faculty in your discipline
  • Faculty have in-depth knowledge of your courses and course content
  • Faculty are well equipped to assist with internship ideas and career exploration

Eventually, you will be assigned to a faculty advisor for the remainder of your time as a student. The Advising Office is always willing to support you in your goals; we want to see you successful during your entire time at and after Northwest. You are always welcome to consult and meet with our staff for secondary advising support, academic coaching, and relational connection even after you are assigned to a faculty advisor.

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