Academic Advising FAQs

To find your academic advisor's name and contact information Log in to myMiami. In the search bar at the top, type "academic advising" and look for an icon that says, "Who's my advisor?"  Your faculty advisor is the person you should contact with any questions you have about your academic plan. If you need immediate assistance or your faculty advisor is not available, contact the advising office.

Many students need time and assistance to decide on a major. In most cases, it's fine to choose "exploratory" or "undecided" as a major on your application for admission. In fact, this category is the one most entering first-year students select. And for those who do select a major, 60 percent of all Miami students change their major at least once.

Regional academic advisors work with students to explore majors. Use our pre-major advising resources to explore. 

When you apply, you can choose "Undeclared" in various divisions. On the application for admission, you can choose one of the following:

• University Studies (Undeclared - College of Arts & Science)*
• Undeclared (Farmer School of Business)**
• Undeclared (College of Education, Health, and Society)**
• Undeclared (College of Engineering and Computing)
• *If you don't want to choose a division right away, choose this option. You'll be placed in the College of Arts and Science where you'll have the help of an academic advising office whose primary focus is assisting undecided students.

**Admission is limited. First-year students are usually admitted as "pre-" majors, eligible to become full majors after meeting certain requirements.

Meet with a professional advisor on either Regional campus, who will put you in touch with the appropriate Regional campus faculty advisor of the major/minor that you would like to declare.  You'll work with the faculty advisor to decide on the particulars of your new major and the faculty advisor will submit the major change so it is reflected on your academic record.

Miami Regionals encourages students in bachelor's degree programs to declare and complete an Associate of Arts (AA) degree on their way to completing a bachelor's degree. Associate of Arts degrees show that you have completed 62 hours of coursework with a 2.0 GPA or higher, and that you have completed the Global Miami Plan for Liberal Education as well as 12 semester hours in a specific area or concentration.

Concentration areas include:

• Business
• Creative Arts
• Education, Health & Society
• Engineering & Computing 
• Humanities
• Natural Science & Mathematics
• Liberal Studies & Applied Sciences
• Social Science

For more information on Associate of Arts degrees at Miami University, please read the information about AA degrees. 

To see if you have met the requirements for an Associate of Arts degree, or to declare an AA degree and add it to your academic record, please call the Office of Academic Advising, 513-727-3440 and make an appointment.

A degree audit shows your completed coursework and current registration matched with degree requirements of your declared major; it identifies deficiencies and lists courses to satisfy specific requirements. The report assists you, your advisor, and the university in determining your progress toward completion of your program requirements and serves as a graduation check. For more information on how to access your degree audit, see the OneStop website.

The online Course List allows students to narrow their course search based on selection criteria such as Campus, Subject, Term, etc. This program does not require logging into BannerWeb (however you must login to use the ROR System).

Please note: Course offerings/schedule/fees are subject to change, and all courses and credit workshops are enrollment contingent.

Miami is using a new instance of Banner beginning in 2023. View videos about the new registration system on the One Stop website.

When "Change of Schedule (drop/add)" web registration is available, students may make schedule changes through BannerWeb (see the academic calendar for dates/deadlines). Once web registration ends, students must obtain instructor permission to force add or drop courses. For complete information on the policy, please see the General Bulletin.

After 60 percent of the course is complete, a student may no longer withdraw from a course, unless a petition is approved by the Interdivisional Committee of Advisors. The petition must describe and document the extenuating circumstances (usually beyond the student's control) that form the grounds of the petition. If the petition for withdrawal is approved, the student will be withdrawn from the course with a grade of W. If the petition is not approved, the student will be expected to remain in the course (see Student Handbook, Exceptions to the Scholastic Regulations).

If a student requests to withdraw from more than one course, a separate petition must be submitted for each course. A formal withdrawal from all courses is a different procedureand is an option for students until the final Friday of classes during each term. Please make an appointment with an academic advisor on the Hamilton or Middletown campus to prepare a petition to withdraw from a course after the deadline.

Banner Waitlisting is a feature that allows students to “get in line” for a spot in a class that’s full. Departments may also use waitlist information to determine when additional sections of a class are needed.

Contact your instructor with your Miami University email account and request to be dropped from the course. Your instructor's authorization is required in order for the course to be dropped from your schedule. It is strongly recommended that you allow ample time for your instructor to receive and act upon your request. Drop requests made shortly before the deadline may not be received by your instructor in time to be acted upon before a drop deadline.

You should make sure that you are able to add a course before you drop a course. If you are attempting to change sections of a course, you must drop your current section before adding the new section. Beginning with the 2024 undergraduate cohort, students are charged an overload fee if they exceed 18 billable credit hours (billable credit hours include all hours you register for, even if you drop them later).  For more information, see our Overload Fee page.

• For Oxford courses, contact the department to inquire about force add policies.
• For Regional courses, check whether the course uses Banner Waitlisting or ROR at the bottom of the Register for Classes webpage, and then use the appropriate request method.
• Check your schedule on BannerWeb via myMiami to ensure the course has been added.

Students can view and print their grades from BannerWeb.

• Log on to myMiami and click the link to BannerWeb
• Select "student Services and Financial Aid"
• Select "Student Records"
• Select “Final Grades”
• Select “Term”

Current students can also access and print an unofficial transcript through BannerWeb.Log on to myMiami and click the link to BannerWeb

• Select “Student Services & Financial Aid”
• Select “Student Records”
• Select “Academic Transcript”
• Select "Level"

If you would like to officially withdraw from Miami University, please submit the Withdrawal/Not Returning Application at the One Stop. The deadline to withdraw from the University is posted on the Academic Calendar for each semester/term. Please note that effective Fall 2020, the policy regarding University withdrawal changed and the deadline is no longer the last day of the semester/term. The date used for the official withdrawal is the date that you initiated the process by completing the Withdrawal/Not Returning Form. Please see an academic advisor for details. When you are ready to return to Miami University, please complete the re-enrollment application prior to meeting with an academic advisor to select classes.

A student may request a medical leave of absence from the university if, during the course of a semester, she/he/they suffers from a diagnosable physical, emotional or psychological condition that significantly interferes with her/his/their ability to complete the academic responsibilities. Withdrawal from one or more classes, but not all classes, must be done through consultation with each specific faculty member.

The Request for Excess Hours form is used to seek permission to take a course load in excess of 20 hours in Fall or Spring semester (lower limits are in effect for Summer (16) and Winter terms (6)).

There are specific criteria under which a student would qualify for excess hour permission. Please be aware that excess hour permission is not always granted. If approved, the One Stop will be notified for processing. You will receive an email informing you of the decision.

Beginning with the 2024 undergraduate cohort, students are assessed an overload fee if they exceed 18 billable credit hours (which includes all courses added, even if they are later dropped). For more information, visit our Overload Fee page. 

Visit the One Stop site for instructions on applying for graduation.

Please go to the One Stop for instructions on sending your transcripts to other institutions.

Students with verifiable extenuating circumstances who want to appeal an academic suspension should contact the Hamilton or Middletown academic advising office to make an appointment with an advisor about preparing a petition. During this appointment, the advisor will outline the petition process and timeline; discuss the necessary information and documentation required to complete a thorough petition; and help construct an appropriate academic plan for future semesters. In some instances, the advisor may recommend foregoing the petition process until the extenuating circumstances have been addressed.The Interdivisional Committee of Advisors has final authority to grant exceptions to academic regulations and may approve a petition to waive the period of academic suspension. Notification of the final decision will be sent to your Miami email account.

Academic dismissal occurs when there has been a previous academic suspension, and is considered a permanent action. However, a petition for readmission following dismissal can be considered after a minimum period of two calendar years. 

The Interdivisional Committee of advisors (I.D. Committee) has final authority to grant exceptions to academic regulations and may approve a petition to hold academic dismissal in abeyance only if there are exceptional circumstances. The student is required to submit a written statement outlining the exceptional circumstances, the effect on his or her academic performance, and how these issues have been addressed, as well as documentation substantiating the exceptional circumstances. If the petition is not approved, please contact your divisional office in the future regarding all academic and readmission matters.

Professional academic advisors help transfer students understand the evaluation of their transfer credit by the University Registrar, and help students submit petitions to modify the requirements of the Global Miami Plan to the Liberal Education website.  Academic advisors also help students make contact with faculty and departmental advisors to petition transfer credit to meet the requirements of their major. 

Evaluating Transfer Credit

Transfer students starting Summer or Fall 2023 should wait to submit Office of Liberal Education or Miami Plan petitions until late summer after the new petition forms are available. Please contact us at RegAdvising@MiamiOH.edu for more information. 

Transfer students should have their official (unopened) transcripts sent to Records and Registration Office. Coursework can take several weeks to be evaluated, during which time advisors often view unofficial transcripts from the previous schools and/or may utilize web sites such as www.transferology.com to make educated guesses on what courses MIGHT transfer to Miami, in order to schedule appropriate courses. The responsibility rests with the student to double check their DAR once their course work has been formally evaluated. Remember that courses may be evaluated as "T" credit, and then be petitioned to meet Miami Plan Foundation requirements. Transfer courses may also be petitioned to meet the requirements of majors, minors and Thematic Sequences. Students should make an appointment with an academic advisor to initiate this process.

Petitioning the Miami Plan

In some cases, students may take a course or courses that incorporate Miami Plan principles but have not been approved as Miami Plan Foundation courses, courses for a Thematic Sequence, or a Senior Capstone course. These may be courses transferred from another institution, study abroad experiences, or courses taken at Miami that have not yet received Miami Plan Foundation, Thematic Sequence, or Senior Capstone designation.

Students may submit a petition to the Office of Liberal Education to receive credit for these courses. Petitions are reviewed by the Director of Liberal Education. An academic advisor can help students formulate petitions to modify the Miami Plan requirements, including giving feedback on the required Statement of Explanation. If the course was completed at another institution, a course syllabus must be attached to your petition. A catalog course description is not sufficient.

Initiating a Miami Plan Petition

If you want to petition your credit for use in the Miami Plan, please follow these instructions to submit your Miami Plan petition. If you have questions about petitioning, please schedule an appointment with an academic advisor.

Students may petition academic actions taken on their record, for example, a student may petition to hold suspension or dismissal in abeyance, or petition to withdraw from a course after the deadline. If you intend to submit a petition with the help of Regional academic advisors, you should begin by self-enrolling in this Regional Undergraduate Petitions Canvas site.

Visit the One Stop to update your personal information, including your name and address.

1. Login to Navigate
2. Choose "Appointments" located beneath the Navigate 360 Symbol logo
3. Choose the blue "Get Assistance" on the right hand side
4. Under Choose the type of appointment you would like, select "Regionals Academic Advising"
5. Under Service, select "Regionals Advising"
6. Under Pick a Date, select the date that works best for your schedule
7. Click "Find Available Time" and select your appointment
   1. Select a specific advisor to see their available times, or
   2. Choose a specific time slot and the system will select an advisor available at that time
8. On the Review Detail page in the Would you like to share anything else? box, please write:
   1. Your telephone number
   2. The reason for your appointment (it helps the advisor prepare)
9. Choose "Schedule" to finalize your appointment

After scheduling, you'll receive an email confirmation that includes additional information and instructions.

If you are not familiar or comfortable with Navigate, you can call 513-727-3440 to schedule an appointment. You may need to leave a voicemail with your name, uniqueID, intended major and what you need help with.  Our office will call you back to schedule an appointment.  

Typically, remote advising appointments are conducted through Zoom, though we can accommodate other video conferencing platforms or schedule a phone call. Your advising appointment must be conducted through your Miami Gmail account (we cannot conduct remote appointments with your non-Miami account). When you schedule an appointment, your confirmation email will include instructions on how to join the advisor's Zoom personal room; if you prefer another platform, contact the advisor before the appointment by email. You'll receive the same link in a reminder email sent 24 hours before your appointment. Prior to your appointment, if you have not already, follow these instructions to make sure that Zoom is installed and working.

Five minutes before your scheduled appointment: 

1. Log into MiamiOH.zoom.us with your Miami credentials
2. Click the link in the email
3. When you click the link, it will automatically open the meeting window.
4. You may need to wait for your advisor to start the meeting
5. If you have trouble connecting, email the advisor or call 513-727-3440. 

Here is a video tutorial on how to log in to Miami Zoom:

Remember to: 

• Consider your surroundings; this is a virtual, professional appointment
• Let your advisor know if you have someone else in the appointment, and confirm it is okay for them to do so 
• Be on time, ready to discuss your academic needs, concerns, and interests

1. Login to Navigate
2. On the right-hand side of the home screen click on the meeting in Upcoming Appointments.
3. When the dialogue box pops up, click Cancel My Attendance in the bottom left-hand corner.
4. Select a reason from the drop-down menu and add a comment. Then, click Mark as Canceled.
5. You will see Appointment Canceled along with your comment. Click Close to exit the dialogue box OR click your name on the left side menu to reverse your cancellation.
6. You and your advisor will receive an email notification with the cancellation.
7. To reschedule, follow the link in your "Schedule an Advising Appt" email to schedule another appointment.