All new students will be notified by Academic Advising in September with the name of their Faculty Advisor.

All  returning students are able to view their Advisor in Navigator at any time.   (On the Navigator Student Homepage, click on "Academic Progress".  Then, on the left-hand side of the page, click on "Advisors". )  

The full list of Fall 2026 Theatre and Speech Communication Department Faculty are also posted below on this page under "Helpful Advising Resources".

Your class status for registration depends on how many credits how have taken and are in the process of completing in your current semester:

• You can register as a SENIOR if you have completed 90 or more credits by the end of the current semester.

• You can register as a JUNIOR if you have completed 54-90 credits by the end of the current semester.

• You can register as a SOPHOMORE if you have completed 24-54 credits by the end of the current semester.

• You can register as a FRESHMAN if you have completed less than 24 credits by the end of the current semester.
  
  Your Task List in Navigator should also tell you if you are a freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior.

• Check your Navigator account to learn who is your faculty advisor; Navigator > Academic Progress > My Advisor.     

• Check your SSU email occasionally for an invite to schedule an appointment from your faculty advisor. Make sure you make an appointment during the advising period – many faculty are using Navigate Campaigns. 

• Schedule a meeting and add the meeting date to your calendar (with time and location)  

• Check your Navigator/To Do List to see if there are any holds on your account. Holds will need to be resolved before you can register BUT YOU CAN STILL BE ADVISED.

• Review your Degree Tracker in Navigator to list the courses you must satisfy for your general education, support courses, major and free electives. Create a list for your advising appointment. 

• Think about the track you want to take for the semester and how many credits/courses you want to register for

• Bring a laptop, iPad or notebook, if possible, to your meeting for notetaking or to review your Degree Tracker with your faculty advisor/build a shopping cart.

• Always run your Degree Tracker after you register for courses to make sure you are on TRACK!  

The Academic Planner tool in N360 Navigate is a collaborative online advising space where advisors and students can map out their semester-by-semester plan for graduation. In addition, it provides a centralized repository for advising notes and recommendations.

Thank you to all who have engaged with the Academic Planner trainings, either in your department meetings or in one of our sessions. Resources for and training sessions for faculty advisors can be found in Canvas at the Academic Planner Resources site.  Resources for students can be found at the Student Academic Planner Hub on the same site.

In most instances, students cannot register for the following since they require separate paperwork and/or processes: directed studies, honors theses, internships, and student teaching. All Chair/Dean approved directed study and internship application forms must be received by the Registrar's Office by the end of the Add/Drop period in the applicable semester. We encourage you to get these in well before the add/drop period, however, to prevent delays in processing the registrations. Please note that late directed studies and internships can impact a student’s financial aid eligibility.It is important to remind students that summer internships are not included in day tuition and fees for fall or spring and will cost extra. Summer aid is available.

1. Academic Advising Holds:

   1. ADVIS/Advising Office Hold. Prevents students from registering until they have made an appointment with a staff advisor in the Center for Academic Excellence.

   2. PROB/Academic Probation Hold: Student receives this when they are on academic probation. Prevents student from registering until they complete a self assessment and meet with academic advising to complete an academic improvement plan. Academic advising can remove this hold.

2. Athletic Hold: Athletic holds are placed on student accounts when team equipment is not returned at the conclusion of a season. Please contact Director of Athletics Nicolle Wood for more information.

3. Center for Academic Excellence Hold: This hold is put on students who are part of the Center for Academic Excellence. This hold prevents a student from registering and can be removed by CAE or overridden at the registrar’s office with a note from a CAE staff member. To reach the Center for Academic Excellence please email advising@salemstate.edu or call 978.542.5500.

4. Collection Agency: Prevents student from adding classes, from viewing their grades, grade report cannot be generated, and official transcript cannot be generated. Please contact the agency you have been assigned to. Contact information for the agency will be on the hold note.

5. Delinquent Loan: In reference to the repayment status of  Nursing Loan, this hold prevents transcript generation. Student may contact the Collections Office at collections@salemstate.edu or call 978-542-2150.

6. Exploratory Program Hold:  EXP/DECL:  This hold is applied to Exploratory (undeclared) students who either need to declare a major because they have reached the maximum credit limit or need to meet with Exploratory staff to discuss and make plans to address concerns regarding their GPA. The hold prevents a student from registering and can be removed after meeting with a representative from the Exploratory Office. Contact the Exploratory Office at exploratory@salemstate.edu or 978.542.4719 with questions.

7. Financial Hold: This hold may prevent students from registering for classes, requesting a transcript, or viewing their grades. The reasons for this hold are:

   1. The student bill is not paid by the due date and a balance is still due

   2. Fall tuition bills are due the second Wednesday of August.

   3. Spring tuition bills are due the second Wednesday of January.

   4. Summer bills are due the second Wednesday of May.

   5. After financial aid is applied there may still be a balance

   6. Student stops making payments on their monthly payment plan.

   7. If aid is reduced and needs to be recalled from an account, it may create a balance and a hold may be applied.

8. First Year Seminar Hold:  ADV/FYS Hold:  Prevents students from registering until they have first selected a seminar through the process outlined by First Year Experience.  FYE will have emailed students the details about the process.  Contact firstyearseminar@salemstate.edu or call 978.542.2618 with questions. 

9. Health Services Hold:  Prevents students from registering until they provide necessary documents to Health Services, usually standard required immunization documents. Contact Health Services through the student health portal in Navigator. If you are not in compliance with the original COVID vaccine mandate at the university, you will also have a COVID hold.

10. Health Insurance:  Health insurance holds are placed on students' accounts when students need to enroll in or waive out of the university's health insurance plan.  To do so, please log into the Navigator account.  This hold will be removed within 48 hours after you complete the process. If you have any questions about the enrollment or waiver process, please get in touch with the Student Navigation Center at navcenter@salemstate.edu or 978-542-8000.

11. International Student Must Be Full-time: This indicator requires that International Students seek permission from the Center for International Education before dropping below Full-time status (12 credits for undergraduates, and 9 credits for graduates). For questions, contact the Center for International Education at cie@salemstate.edu or call 978.542.6351.

12. International Student Must Contact CIE: Students with this service indicator must check with CIE for immigration clearance. No adding or dropping of classes can be performed. For questions, contact the Center for International Education at cie@salemstate.edu or call 978.542.6351.

13. Move-In Holds:

    1. Bill Hold: This hold prevents students from moving into the residence halls until they have settled their semester bill.

    2. Credits Hold: This hold prevents students from moving into the residence halls until they have registered as a full-time student. Undergraduate students must be registered in at least 12 credits and Graduate students in at least 6 or 9 credits depending upon the program.

    3. Financial Aid Hold: This hold prevents students from moving into the residence halls until they have completed all financial aid-related items on the To Do list in Navigator under the Tasks tile.

    4. Health Hold: This hold prevents students from moving into the residence halls until they have completed the health and immunization requirements.

14. No Personal Checks: This hold will be placed on accounts where a previous paper check or ACH transaction was unable to be processed successfully.  As a result, this hold will prevent additional payments by paper check or ACH transactions.

15. 7 Day Check Hold:  This hold is placed on a student's account once a payment has been made with a paper and/or electronic check. The payment must wait 7 days to clear the banks. This hold will be removed after the 7 days, as long as the check successfully clears.  This hold does not prevent course registration.

16. Student Transcript Hold: This hold prevents students from requesting a transcript, viewing their grades, or receiving their diploma. Contact Collections to discuss options. Collections can be reached at collections@salemstate.edu or at 978-542-2150.

17. Undergraduate Withdrawal Hold: This hold prevents class withdrawals before students have been advised on the implications of withdrawal.  If you do not plan to withdraw from a class, you may disregard this hold, as it will be released at the end of the term.  If you do wish to withdraw from a class, please contact the Academic Advising Office at advising@salemstate.edu or 978.542.5500 to discuss the implications and impacts a withdrawal may have before the hold is released.

Hello seniors! 

Just a friendly reminder that all students who intend to graduate this spring have to apply for graduation by Friday, March 15 (the week of Spring Break.)  

Please note: It is VERY helpful to apply for graduation as soon as possible in the fall, so the Navigation Center has time to review your Degree Tracker and let you know if you’re missing anything. The earlier you apply for graduation, the more time you have to adjust your spring schedule, request Directed Studies, and do whatever you need to be all set to graduate. If you wait until March, you may not get approval or notice of any issues until late April/early May—yikes!

Here is all the information you need to know:

Information about Graduation: 

https://www.salemstate.edu/campus-life/student-navigation-center/registrar/graduation 

How to Apply for Graduation: 

1. Log into Navigator. 

2. On the Student Homepage, click on "Academic Progress".

3. On the menu on the left-hand side of the screen, click on "Apply for Graduation".

4. To the right of "Academic Program", click on your program.

  NOTE: If you have a double major, you may only choose one program as your primary graduation program. Choosing your second major as your primary graduation program may impact your graduation requirements, so choose your program carefully.

5. In the drop down menu provided next to "Expected Completion Term", select the term that you expect to graduate.

 NOTE: If you are anticipating graduating in the summer, but wish to walk in the spring, input your "Expected Completion Term" as the summer term. Later in the application you will be able to indicate that you would like to attend commencement in the spring.

6. Read the Graduation Instructions, then select the "Continue" button.

7. Input your first, middle (optional), and last name in the corresponding boxes. Please note that how you write your name here is how it will be displayed on your diploma.

8. Under the heading "Event Attendance Information", indicate which commencement you will be attending by clicking the radio button next to the commencement and commencement year listed. Next, indicate whether you will be attending commencement or not by clicking the radio button next to "Will Attend" or "Will Not Attend", then click "Continue".

9. Verify that all of the information regarding your Program, Career, Degree, Major, and Expected Completion term are accurate. Then select "Submit Application".

10. When you have successfully completed your application, you will see an on screen confirmation. After 24-hours, you will also receive a confirmation email that your application was successfully completed.

https://ask.salemstate.edu/kb/how-apply-graduation