Registration

Registration Requirements

Information concerning registration may be obtained from the Academic Calendar provided in this publication, the Student Advising Center (SAM Center), or from the Registrar’s Office.

Academic Advisement for Registration

Sam Houston State University offers advisement throughout the year at the Student Advising Center (SAM Center).

Students select a degree and major at the time of application to SHSU and are assigned a catalog year based on their term of acceptance.  Students must meet the academic requirements of their selected degree for the assigned catalog year. In addition, a later catalog may be selected, provided the requirements are met no later than six years from the effective date of that catalog. The student is responsible for knowledge of the degree program's requirements, including any special requirements of the major and/or minor department. Students must speak to their advisor in order to make a change to their major.  Academic department approval is required for all change of majors.

Some students must receive mandatory advisement prior to registering for courses. Check with the SAM Center to determine if advisement is required.

Core Mathematics Enrollment 

Best practices in higher education indicate that students perform better at challenging subjects when they are immersed in learning the material with minimal interruption.  To ensure students are more successful in the general education mathematics courses and remain on track to graduate in four years, SHSU encourages students to complete their mathematics requirements in Component Area II of the Core Curriculum within their first two semesters.

TSI Request Form and Exemptions

Submitting TSIA2 (TSI Assessment Version 2) Scores

If you have previous TSIA2 scores, you must submit the TSI Score Request Form to provide SHSU with written permission to download and access your TSIA2 results. 

  • The Registrar's Office may be unable to locate your TSIA2 scores if the details you provide on the form do not match the information you provided to the testing center where you completed the TSIA2.
  • Please allow up to two business days for your TSIA2 scores to be updated within your SHSU student record.

Exemptions

You may already be exempt from taking the TSI Assessment based on your standardized testing scores or other criteria.

TSI Requirements

Taking the TSIA2 Exam 

If you are not exempt, you must complete three steps in order to meet TSI requirements:

TSI Placement

Students may be College Ready or Not College Ready based on TSIA2 scores.  

If you DO NOT receive a College Ready classification score from the TSIA2, you must follow the developmental education policy that requires registration into a developmental support course(s).

Not College Ready students must follow required course placements and meet with their Academic Advisor to confirm course selection. Students must enroll and participate in at least one developmental education course each semester until they satisfy all TSI requirements.

Developmental Education Policies

Retesting - Things You Need to Know!

Additional Resources

Visit the TSI Success Initiative (TSI) website for additional information

Registration

Once accepted and advised at SHSU, students may register for classes during the scheduled registration periods. See the Registrar's website for instructions regarding registration.

Online courses incur an additional fee per credit hour. See the Additional Fees section on the Cashier’s site. 

To register for a mini-semester, an overall SHSU GPA of 2.50 is required.

Maximum registration hours allowed per term:

  • UG – 19 hours (fall/spring term) and 14 hours (summer term)
  • GR – 12 hours (fall/spring/summer terms)

Some students may have a minimum hour requirement (i.e. international students and student-athletes)

Class Schedule Changes

What should students consider when adding or dropping courses?

  • Adding or dropping courses can impact financial aid. Students receiving financial aid and/or scholarships are encouraged to visit with a financial aid representative prior to adding or dropping courses. 
  • Adding or dropping courses can impact time to completion. Students should meet with their academic advisor to discuss potential impacts.
  • Beginning with the first class day of each term, added courses will result in tuition and fee charges that must be paid by 4:00 p.m. on the date the course(s) are added.
  • An undergraduate student is allowed no more than 6 Q-drops during their combined career at all Texas public colleges and universities.
  • A student, under specific conditions, may be charged a higher tuition rate for excessive undergraduate hours. Please reference Tuition for Excessive Undergraduate Hours from the Registrar's website.
  • International students must make changes through the Global Engagement Center.

When can students change their schedules?

 For registration times, please refer to Registration Dates and the Academic Calendar.   

Resignations

A resignation is a withdrawal from all courses and becomes effective on the date it is received by the Registrar's Office. This is the date that is used for determining any refund. The student is responsible for clearing all debts owed to the university before any potential refund is issued.

A resignation will not be allowed if a grade has been earned or a final has been taken. 

Students who fail to officially resign from the university will receive an "F" grade for each course in which they are enrolled. If you are enrolled in only one class and are requesting to drop the class, a resignation is required. See Academic Policy 990407 Student Resignations for more information.

If you receive financial aid and resign, you may be responsible for the repayment of certain types of financial aid received. See the Return of Title IV Funds Policy for more information.  Also, review the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy to better understand how resigning could impact your future aid eligibility.

NOTE: 

  • A resignation will withdraw a student from all registered courses in the entire term. A student cannot resign from a part of term if another part of term has been completed and a grade has been earned. Ex. If a student completes Summer I and is registered for Summer II, they will not be able to resign from Summer II.
  • If this is your first semester attending SHSU and you are resigning before the Census Day (12th Class day for Fall or Spring | 4th Class day for Summer I & II), a new admissions application and non-refundable application fee through ApplyTexas.org are required. If you have any questions, please, contact the Office of Admissions at 936-294-1828 or Admissions.
  • If a year or more has passed from the term of resignation, a new admissions application will be required. If you have any questions, please, contact the Office of Admissions at 936-294-1828 or Admissions.
  • Students who resign after the twelfth class day of a fall/spring term receive a mark of W (withdrawn) for each course they were enrolled in. 
  •  If a student has received a grade in any course for that term, he/she is ineligible to resign.
  • International students must be advised by the International Student Advisor before resigning.

Students considering resigning in the current term should review the Resignation Information page and the Resignation Refund Schedule.

Courses at SH - The Woodlands Center

Courses completed at this location will incur an additional fee and carry residency credit. See SH - The Woodlands Center website for more information. 

Name Change

Appropriate documentation substantiating a legal name change for a student must be submitted to the Registrar's Office. All transcripts are issued under the student’s legal name as recorded on the student's academic record. The Request for Change of Name form can be found on the Registrar’s website under Student Resources – Forms and Documents.

Correct Addresses

It is necessary to have a correct residency address on file with the university. Students who change addresses after completing registration should immediately update their addresses by logging in to MySam. (Campus Resources -> Banner Self-Service-> Personal Information -> Update Addresses and Phones)

Official university email correspondence will be sent to the assigned SHSU email address. The university assumes no obligation for the failure of a student to receive communications.

International students must contact the Global Engagement Center.

Classification of Students

  • Freshman: 1-29 hours completed
  • Sophomore: 30-59 hours completed
  • Junior: 60-89 hours completed
  • Senior: 90 hours or more completed

College credit hours earned at Sam Houston State University (SHSU) and hours accepted in transfer from other institutions will count toward the student’s classification.

Credit awarded by examination and hours earned with the grade of Credit (CR) are counted in determining classification but are not included in determining the grade point average (GPA).

Hours earned in developmental courses are not counted toward the student’s classification.

Auditing a Course

A student auditing a course may attend lectures and other class meetings, take part in class discussions, and receive written confirmation of attendance. The student will not receive evaluations of participation and will not be allowed to submit assignments or take examinations and tests, except with special and expressed permission of the instructor.

An individual must receive prior approval from the appropriate department chair or the instructor involved in order to audit a course. Neither the instructor nor the university assumes responsibility for the academic progress of any person auditing a course. The audit fee for each course is $50; students 65 years of age or older may be exempt from paying the audit fee with an approved Senior Citizen waiver. Faculty-led study abroad courses may not be audited.  

Instructions and a copy of the Audit Form can be found on the Registrar’s Website. Audit Forms are accepted on the 2nd-12th class days during full fall, spring, and summer terms and the 2nd class day for all other parts of term. A request to audit a course will not be accepted if there are no seats available in the course at the time the form is processed by the Registrar’s Office. 

An individual auditing a course:

  • Is encouraged to attend all lectures and obtain the maximum educational benefit from the information presented
  • Is not permitted to take tests or examinations in the course being audited
  • Is authorized to receive a courtesy library card permitting use of the Newton Gresham Library for the duration of the course audit
  • Is not authorized to be issued an SHSU Student Identification Card unless also enrolled as a regular student
  • Is not authorized to use SHSU medical, athletic, or recreational facilities unless also enrolled as a regular student
  • Will not receive record of course audit (i.e. the course will not appear on a transcript), and no record of course completion will be maintained in the Registrar’s Office

Transcripts

Options to order transcripts can be found on the Student Transcripts website. Students with an outstanding financial balance(s) due to the university must contact Student Financial Services for direction on obtaining an official transcript.