How to prepare and succeed.

How to get and make the most of advising.

How to understand your degree audit.

How to use Starfish to make appointments and check progress.

How to use the online registration system, including adding and deleting classes.

PINs are "personal identification numbers" that allow you to register for classes. The university requires that all students meet with their advisor prior to registering for classes; your advisor will issue your PIN at your advising meeting.

Time tickets are when you can begin registering for the following semester, They are issued about one month in advance of pre-registration and can be found in MyRedDragon in the Registrar channel. They are based on how many credit hours you have completed (not counting courses you are currently taking).

How to find, understand, and address financial holds that can prevent you from registering for classes.

How to report an incident of bias.

If you're considering making any changes to your major(s) or minor(s), you can use DegreeWorks to explore what it means for your degree progress.

Using the Banner Course Schedule may offer you more options, and better information, than using just the Schedule Builder. For information on how to use it, see the link provided.

​12 credits per semester is full-time - which is often needed in order to receive financial aid and for certain scholarships. 15 credits per semester is a "normal" load to achieve the 120 credits needed for a BA in 4 years. 18 credits is the maximum allowed without receiving permission for an overload. To apply for an overload, you must have a GPA of at least 3.0 and apply for permission. Winter Session overloads are 6+ credits and Summer Sessions I & II are 9+ credits. The overload form is found at the provided link.

There are basically 3 types of electives you will take while completing your degree. 1) Electives that are part your major. These are any Communication courses that are not part of the core requirements.You can choose these courses based on what best fits your scheduling needs or based on what best fits your interests or career goals. 2) For the Liberal Arts and Sciences Requirement, most courses you take for your GEs, major(s), and any minor(s) will also count as LASR courses. But they won't necessarily fill all of the 90 "LASR" credits you need. So, you have the option to take any course designated LASR to fill the remaining credits. Activities courses (like internships, sports, and media participation) usually don't count in this category, nor do "special topics" classes (courses number 129, 229, 329, or 429). You can check to see if a course is LASR by looking at its Attributes in the course schedule on Banner/MyRedDragon. 3) General Electives. Every degree requires 120 total credits. It's possible to meet all the requirements -to check off all the boxes in your DegreeWorks - and still have not reached 120 credits. Every course you take and pass will count towards the 120, and if the course doesn't fall into any of the major requirements, minor requirements, GE requirements, or college requirements, it will count as an "elective."

How to understand, use, keep, and get financial assistance for your education.

How to use the Food Cupboard.

How to apply and prepare for graduation and everything that goes with it.

How to identify where you should start in the required language sequence.

Communicate your concerns to the instructor first. If a satisfactory resolution is not reached, communicate with that faculty's department chair. If necessary, follow the procedures for filing a grievance.

How to find, acquire, and register for internship credit.

Also see: Quick Internship Overview

How to get health services.

How to get mental and emotional help/support.

How to use Schedule Builder.

How to find and apply for the right international experience.

How to take classes during the summer.

How to transfer credits earned at another school toward your SUNY Cortland degree.Note:

SUNY Cortland grants the maximum number of transfer credits possible for courses completed from approved sources.  Students may earn:

• 30 credits maximum combined, from tests such as AP, IB, CLEP, OPI, A levels.

• 64 credits maximum from two-year colleges. This maximum credit limit includes not only coursework but also credit by exam. 

• 90 credits maximum from four-year colleges

To earn a Cortland bachelor's degree, all students must complete in residency (at/through Cortland):

• Half the required coursework in majors and minors must be completed at SUNY Cortland

• 30 credit hours minimum must be completed at SUNY Cortland

How to get academic help and support, beyond talking to your instructors about it.

The first week of each semester is the "add/drop" period; during this time, you can make changes to your schedule in MyRedDragon. Between weeks 2 and 11, if you want to drop a course, you have to formally withdraw from it. Withdrawing from a course means that you will receive an X on your transcript; this is not a grade and has no impact on your GPA; it is just a marker that you did not complete the course and may opt to take it again. Before withdrawing from a class, you should talk to your advisor about the impact it will have on your degree progress and to financial aid about how it might impact your aid, scholarships, or other billing concerns. To withdraw, you must complete the form found at the link provided.

How to take classes between the Fall and Spring semesters.

How to understand, and prevent, registration error messages.

If you are trying to register for a course that you have already taken, have transfer or other credit for, you must contact the department offering the course for permission to retake the class. When you retake a Cortland course, all grades received will remain on the official transcript, but only the last grade received will be included in the quality and GPA and hours toward graduation.