Academic Planning and Registration
When & Why to Meet With Your Academic Advisor
What is an advisor?
Your academic advisor is your partner as you navigate college. They help you plan your classes and make sure you are on track to graduate.
Who is my advisor?
You are automatically assigned an academic advisor in your college when you enroll at the university. To find out who your assigned advisor is, see the "academics" tab at MyU.umn.edu.
Each college at the U of M handles advising differently. Some may require that you come in to be seen each semester, while others may not have mandatory advising but still strongly encourage frequent contact with your advisor.
Regardless of your college, aim to check in with your advisor every semester. Be sure to plan ahead to schedule an appointment before your registration time, since those appointments fill up quickly!
You can view your specific registration date and time by clicking on the "Registration" tab in MyU: Academics.
Search for Classes & Make Your Schedule
Schedule Builder
Use Schedule Builder as a tool to explore courses, plan, and refine your course schedule. You can explore all available courses or filter courses by subject or liberal education requirements. *Remember, creating schedules in Schedule Builder does not register you for classes.
When you are ready to register, use the Send to Shopping Cart button to move your classes to the MyU Shopping Cart and complete all the registration steps.
APAS (Academic Progress Audit System)
Use your APAS (Academic Progress Audit System) report to find your progress towards your degree requirements. APAS also explains what you will need to complete your declared degree program(s) or explore requirements for different majors.
Other helpful links for searching for and choosing classes:
Undecided on Your Major?
The U has more than 150 majors! Even if you know what you want to study, it is helpful to learn more about your options.
The Center for Academic Planning & Exploration (CAPE) is an office on campus that helps students explore majors and has a range of services and resources to help you explore—such as major profiles, 1-1 coaching, drop-in peer coaching, the Major Network, a 1-credit exploration course, workshops, and more.
Succeeding in Your Classes
Utilize Academic Success Resources
Asking for help is an important part of being a successful student. In fact, the most successful students ask questions, get help, and utilize resources like peer tutoring and writing support.
Take Advantage of Instructor Office Hours
What are office hours?
Office hours are regularly scheduled times each week where students can meet with their professor or teaching assistant to ask questions to better understand the material and build relationships with professors. You can find your professor’s office hours listed in the class syllabus.
If your professor's office hours are during another class or commitment, you can reach out to your professor to ask if there is a time when you can schedule an appointment for office hours.
Why visit office hours?
Office hours are an opportunity to show your professor how hard you work in their class while also getting focused help on where you are struggling. If you make a few of these visits in the beginning of the semester, it’s easier to talk to your professor when there’s a problem or you need help.
Also, the relationship you may make with your professors can pay off in grad school recommendations and job references!
Accessibility, Disability, and Accommodations Help
The Disability Resource Center (DRC) works in collaboration with the University community to ensure access for all students. Students with disabilities may request accommodations to address barriers they anticipate or are presently experiencing through the DRC. If you are currently a University of Minnesota student or are taking U of M courses, you can make an initial appointment by calling 612-626-1333.
Studying on Campus
Study Space Finder
If you need a study spot on campus, you can use Study Space Finder, empty classrooms, computer labs, or designated study spaces. Download the UMN Study Space mobile app to your iOS device.
Library Spaces
There are spaces all across campus available for homework and studying, including libraries, tech spaces, coffee shops, and more.
Study in General-Purpose Classrooms
General-purpose classrooms are also available for individual and group study when not being used by a class or event. Check out the Classroom Search for more information on classroom features and availability.
A QR Code is posted outside all general-purpose classrooms. Scanning it with your mobile device will bring you to today's schedule for the building.
Technology, Printing & Media Support
You can find an overview of computers, wireless access, printing, copying, software, and more from the Libraries.
Public Computer Labs on Campus
There are several public computer labs across campus available to all students. Each residence hall also has a computer lab.
Free Printing at MCAE
The MCAE Main Suite located in Appleby 140 offers students the ability to print for free up to $20 worth. Are you interested in free printing?
Get Technology Help
Technology Help is your first point of contact for hardware, software, and internet support (and more!). You can contact Technology Help for assistance even if you are not on campus.
Loanable Media Equipment from the Libraries
Cameras, tripods, microphones, hard drives, DSLRs, and other media equipment are available for checkout from the libraries. No reservation is needed; equipment is available on a first-come-first-served basis.
Media Project Support
Get media and technology help with your class projects. Media consultants can help you organize your project, develop a story, decide on equipment, give video and audio pre-production advice, and answer specific questions about editing software.
Getting Textbooks & Course Materials
Course Works
Course Works is designed to ensure that all undergraduate students have the materials they need to succeed in their courses at the start of each semester. The program also aims to ensure that students retain choice over what materials they want, how they purchase the materials, and how they receive the materials.
Course Works Complete provides degree-seeking undergraduate students access to their required textbooks and library materials on the first day of class for one flat rate. Eligible students are automatically enrolled in the program, but any student can fully opt out each semester, acquire their own materials, and not pay the fee.
Students who opt out of Course Works Complete will be given the option to select which materials they want to have provided through the program via Course Works Select. Students in Course Works Select will see the pre-negotiated cost for the materials for the courses they are enrolled in, and have the option to choose which to acquire through the program and which to acquire on their own. Non-degree seeking undergraduate students will also have access to Course Works Select.
Library materials and open educational resources are always freely available regardless of a student’s participation in Course Works.
Free Software and Subscriptions for U of M Students
Did you know there are many kinds of software that are available to students at no charge? You can download Microsoft Office 365 Pro, Wolfram Alpha Pro, JMP Pro and JMP Genomics, and Esri ArcGIS at no cost and set yourself up for success this semester.
Ways to Get Free Textbooks and Course Materials
There are a few ways to get free textbooks, but most of them require a little planning.
- Check out your books from the UMN library or your local library.
- If your books aren't available in the library, use Interlibrary Loan (ILL) to request a copy and have the library deliver it to the most accessible campus library for you. Requests can take up to two weeks for ILL, so do this as soon as possible.
- If you are waiting for a library request, ask your professor if there is a copy you can borrow.
- Ask friends who took the class before you if you can borrow their textbooks. Make sure to check the edition or version.
Renting Used Textbooks and Course Materials
Renting used books is really common. Not only is it cheaper than buying new books, but you often can get books with text highlighted and annotated, which, for some students, can make studying easier.
The University of Minnesota Bookstore offers textbook rentals on some textbooks and course materials. To find out if a textbook is rentable, search the book on the bookstore website and it will have a "Rent New" and "Rent Used" price next to it. Read through the rental agreement before completing your purchase. Rental textbooks have a sticker on the back with the rental return deadline and are able to be returned via mail for online and distance students.
For more information about getting textbooks and course materials from the UMN bookstore, review the Course Material FAQ page here.
You can also rent textbooks through other websites, such as Chegg.com, Amazon and other websites.
Buying New Textbooks and Course Materials
You can purchase your textbooks through the University of Minnesota Bookstore or through various online websites. It is helpful to search across a few different websites to compare prices, but check to see delivery times and when you will need the books and course materials in your syllabus.
Use the ISBN to search for the textbook to make sure you have the correct edition and version for your course. You can check in with your professors to see if the newest edition is required for your class, because sometimes older editions are less expensive and the newest edition may not be required for class. If your professor hasn't updated the textbook list through the bookstore and hasn't made a syllabus available, you can reach out to them directly to ask for a list of books to order them in time for class.
Search through the University of Minnesota Bookstore for you textbooks or by searching in MyU on the My Classes page for your textbook list and compare prices from what is offered here to other booksellers online.