Enrollment Tutorial

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• GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

  There are 3 components to earning a degree at CSUSM: University Requirements, General Education Requirements and Major and/or Minor Requirements.

  

  COMPONENT 1: UNIVERSITY REQUIREMENTS

  Diversity & Equity Requirement:

  Students must satisfy two Diversity and Equity requirements by taking two courses certified for Diversity and Equity in the United States (DEu) and Diversity and Equity in Global Contexts (DEg). Diversity and Equity certified courses can double-count with other general education, major, minor and/or elective courses.

  Minimum Grade Point Average:

  Grades for major and/or minor coursework must be a “C” or higher.
  Students at CSUSM must maintain a 2.0 minimum GPA (“C” average).
  Failure to maintain a 2.0 GPA may result in academic probation or disqualification, even after your first semester!

  Unit Requirement:

  The minimum number of overall units required to graduate at CSUSM is 120 units. After you have completed all of your general education and major requirements, you may still need additional electives to reach 120 units.

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  COMPONENT 2: GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS

  General Education requirements are referred to as Areas A through E. You must complete all subsections of these areas prior to graduation. You can review your GE Requirements on our GE Worksheets, your Academic Requirements Report (ARR) and your Degree Planner.

  Area A: Basic Skills

  A1 – Oral Communication
  A2 – Written Communication
  A3 – Critical Thinking

  Area B: Math & Science

  B1 – Physical Science
  B2 – Biological Science
  B3 – Science Lab
  B4 – Mathematics
  BB – Upper-division Mathematics or Science

  Area C: Arts & Humanities

  C1 – Fine Arts 
  C2 – Humanities
  C3 – Language other than English
  CC – Upper-division Arts or Humanities

  Area D: Social Sciences

  D7 – Interdisciplinary Social Science (only transfer students need to take D7)
  Dh – United States History
  Dc, Dg – U.S. Constitution/CA Government 
  DD – Upper-division Social Science

  Area E: Lifelong Learning

  For Area E, the majority of first year students take GEL 101, a course designed to assist in your transition to university life. We strongly recommend that first years students enroll in GEL 101 in the first semester. Liberal Studies – Elementary Subject Matter should take PE 203 for Area E. 

  Area F: Ethnic Studies

  Only first-time freshmen are required to take an Area F course.

  Notes about your General Education Requirements:

  • A grade of C- or higher is required for courses used to satisfy the A1, A2, A3 and B4. If any general education courses are also counting towards your major and/or minor, a grade of C or higher is required. For Liberal Studies – Elementary Subject Matter majors, all General Education requirements and major courses must be passed with a C or higher. 
  • There are 3 upper-division GE courses listed above (BB, CC, DD). These requirements are not to be taken until after you have completed GE Areas A1, A2, A3 and B4. First year students should not enroll in BB, CC or DD courses in their first semester.

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  COMPONENT 3: MAJOR AND/OR MINOR REQUIREMENTS

  Every major and minor possesses their own particular set of requirements. They are listed in the catalog, major/minor worksheets, Academic Requirement Report and in your Degree Planner.  Your Degree Planner will let you know which classes to take and when. 

• UNIT LOAD

  Setting a Pace That's Right for You

  It's important you consider the other factors of your life when selecting your unit load. Different students require different paces, depending on outside obligations. Be sure to set a pace that works best for you.

  First Year Student

  Graduation Goal  (entering as a first-year student)	Units Per Year	Units Per Semester
  4  year pace	30	15
  5 year pace	24	12
  6 year pace	20	10

  Transfer Student

  Graduation Goal  (entering as an upper-division transfer student)	Units Per Year	Units Per Semester
  2 year pace for ADT students	30	15
  2 year pace for non-ADT	30	15

  

• HOW TO ENROLL IN CLASSES

  Enrolling in Classes:

  Enrollment videos are based on the Full Site view in the Student Center. If you are on a mobile device using the modernized view, you will need to select the Full Site view. (Visiting the Student Center in Full Site View PDF)

  The videos below will walk you through the process for enrolling in your first semester classes.  

  For additional step-by-step help see Enrollment Instructions Visual Aid (PDF)  

• HOW TO ENROLL FAQs

  Show All

  • Where do I find what classes I need to take?

     Your Academic Requirements Report (ARR) shows you all the requirements needed for graduation.  Your Degree Planner lists your remaining requirements in a suggested semester by semester plan.  Click on the How to Enroll in Classes tab above to find information for how to use your ARR and Degree Planner. 

  • What if classes on my Degree Planner are full?

    If the classes in your degree planner are full, review Still Looking For Classes? for strategies to finalize your schedule. 

  • How do I waitlist a class?

    1. During the enrollment process or in the Shopping Cart, click on the class to view course details. 
    2. Under Class Preferences, check the Waitlist if Class is Full box. 
    3. Click Next. 
    4. Click Proceed to Step 2 of 3. 
    5. Click Finish Enrolling. 

    Your waitlist position number is displayed in the message. Check My Class Schedule to monitor waitlist position and enrollment status. More info: Waitlisting a Class  

  • How do I know if I’m enrolled or waitlisted in classes?

    In your Student Center, on your enroll screen, you will see a green check if you are enrolled and a yellow triangle if you are waitlisted.  You can also check ‘My Class Schedule’ to see if you are enrolled or waitlisted as well as your position on the waitlist.

  • What if I get an error message that says “prerequisite needed”?

    Some classes require a prerequisite course to be completed before you can enroll.  If you have not taken the prerequisite, you will need to take that first.  If you receive this error message and believe that you have taken the prerequisite course, follow these instructions to get a prerequisite waiver. Please note that approval to override prerequisites does not guarantee enrollment into a course. 

  • What if I get an error message that says “over unit limit”?

    Students may enroll in up to 16 units and waitlist up to 10 units. 

    On August 16 at 3:00pm the enrollment limit increases to 19 units.

  • What if I get an error message that says I "need a permission number"?

    Some classes require that you get permission from the instructor to enroll in that class.  Follow these instructions to get a permission number. 

  • What if I get an error message that says I don’t meet the reserved seat requirement?

    You may receive a message stating the class you are attempting to enroll in has reserved seats for students in particular majors or minors. Some will include the date that the class opens to all students.  You can place yourself on the course waitlist to be added when open seats become available to all students. 

    Helpful Hint: Reviewing class notes carefully can be a very helpful part of your enrollment experience as these notes will reveal important information about the class. 

  • What important dates do I need to be aware of?

    Important dates for the fall 2021 semester can be found on our Fall 2021 Enrollment Calendar.  

  • How do I know what the class format/mode of instruction means?

    Each class will provide information regarding the mode of instruction or class format. Please visit our page with information on instruction modes and class formats for the fall 2021 semester.  

    Helpful Hint: Keep in mind, your first goal is to enroll in the Fall 21 classes suggested by your Degree Planner. Flexibility is key! Not all courses will be offered in your preferred instruction mode.  

  • I am having difficulty enrolling in MATH 105, what should I do?

    There are particular supplemental courses called MATH 5 that are uniquely paired with each section of MATH 105. See chart below.

    Only enroll in MATH 105/5 if suggested in your Degree Planner.

    

  • I am having difficulty enrolling in GEW 101a, what should I do?

    There are particular supplemental courses called GEW 100 that are uniquely paired with each section of GEW 101a. See chart below.

    Only enroll in MATH GEW 101a/GEW 100 if suggested in your Degree Planner.

    If GEW 101b is suggested, take it instead. It does not have a supplemental course.

    

  • Why are some courses showing up as required in my Schedule Assistant?

    Some courses in the Degree Planner will be labeled as ‘Required’ in Schedule Assistant. They are labeled this way because they are strongly recommended or required for that term of enrollment. For instance, classes that fulfill General Education Area A2 Written Communication and B4 Mathematics are marked as ‘Required’ for many first-year students. You are strongly encouraged to enroll in these classes as Area A2 and Area B4 must be satisfied in a freshman’s first year. 

  • I'm a transfer student. How do I know what units transferred in?

    Transfer credit information can be found here.

  • I’m a transfer student and my degree planner is suggesting a class that I’ve already taken. What should I do?

    It is possible that your transfer credit may not yet be posted to your records. Transcripts are entered and posted in priority order based on when you submitted your intent to enroll and when your transcripts were received.  It can take up to three weeks for transcripts to be processed.  

    On rare occasions, students have taken coursework outside of the California Community College system that may meet major specific requirements. If your transfer credit is up-to-date and you have taken courses at another institution that you believe satisfies a major or minor requirement, please submit a Major Course Approval Request.   

  
  

• HOW TO CONNECT WITH ACADEMIC ADVISING

  Ways to Virtually Connect With Us:

  Beginning June 1, 2021, we are offering the following advising services for new students who have completed the Enrollment Tutorial.

  • Academic Advising uses Microsoft Teams for all of our virtual services. 
  • View instructions (PDF) or watch a video on how to access Microsoft Teams.
  • Access Microsoft Teams prior to utilizing our advising services.

  • Guests may not accompany a student into their advising session (including teleconference/virtual sessions) without a FERPA Release [Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act]

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  Virtual Front Desk

  Message the Virtual Front Desk on Microsoft Teams, a public channel to ask general questions. Please do not share confidential information. Until further notice, in person appointments are not being scheduled.

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  Email an Advisor (eAdvisor)

  An Academic Advisor will answer your question as soon as possible via email.

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   Virtual Drop-in Advising

  Fifteen-minute Virtual Drop-in Advising for incoming Fall 2021 new students will begin June 10, 2021. Until further notice, in person drop-in advising sessions are not being scheduled.

  In order to limit student wait times, please only sign in for drop-ins after you have either completed this entire Enrollment Tutorial and/or attended an Enrollment Workshop.

  Please remember there will be multiple opportunities to connect with our many services throughout the summer.

  Date	Time
  Thursday, June 10:	9-11:30 am & 1:30-3:30 pm
  Monday, June 14:	9-11:30 am & 1:30-3:30 pm
  Tuesday, June 15:	9-11:30 am & 1:30-3:30 pm
  Wednesday, June 16:	10-12 pm & 2-3:30 pm
  Thursday, June 17:	10-12 pm & 2-3:30 pm
  Friday, June 18:	9-11:30 am (Engineering advising unavilable)
  Monday, June 21:	9-11:30 am & 1:30-3:30 pm (Engineering advising unavilable)
  Tuesday, June 22:	10-11:30 am & 2-3:30 pm
  Wednesday, June 23:	10-11:30 am & 2-3:30 pm
  Thursday, June 24:	10-11:30 am & 2-3:30 pm
  Friday, June 25:	9-11:30 am

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     Schedule a Virtual Advising Appointment

  Thirty-minute Virtual Advising Appointments via Microsoft Teams will be limited because we are also offering Virtual Drop-in Advising.  If you are unable to schedule an appointment, visit us during Virtual Drop-ins. Until further notice, in person appointments are not being scheduled.

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  Email a Peer Advisor

  Student to student support for basic questions and help with advising/enrollment tools.

Congratulations, you have almost completed the Enrollment Tutorial! The last step is to submit the acknowledgment form below letting us know that you have reviewed all topics in this tutorial and watched all the videos.