Required First Year Advising
WHAT IS REQUIRED FIRST YEAR ADVISING?
All students in their first year at Grand Valley State University are required to meet with an academic advisor before registering for classes for the upcoming academic year. A registration hold will be placed on the student's records, which will be lifted by their advisor during an academic advising meeting.
Students can begin scheduling their required meeting in late October. The advising hold will also be added at this time, but will not go into effect until after the first week of classes in the Winter semester.
Registration opens in late March, so students are encouraged to meet with their professional advisor before their registration date to have their advising hold lifted.
HOW TO HAVE YOUR FIRST YEAR ADVISING HOLD LIFTED
Meet with your professional advisor for your major.
- These sessions are 30 minutes long, one-on-one appointments
- Plan to have this meeting sometime between October and the start of registration in March
- Sign up for a one-on-one Advising appointment through Navigate360. Step-by-step directions are available here.
- Appointment demand will be high during February and March, so please schedule sooner rather than later!
During your advising appointment you will discuss:
- Major requirements
- General Education
- A personalized academic plan for classes taken in your second year at Grand Valley, and a more general plan that can see you through to graduation.
- Specific requirements for Education and Preprofessional students
- Resources to support you in your academic journey
FIRST-YEAR HOLDS FAQS
When can I register for classes?
Students will begin to register for classes in March.
The
registrar's office will publish
the dates of registration on their website.
I have a hold on my account other than my First Year Advising Hold. What should I do?
It is possible that you might have more than one academic hold on your account. The GVSU's registrar's office has a website dedicated to explain different academic holds and registration errors.
To view any holds on your account take the following steps: Login
to myBanner; Select
"Student;" Select "Student Records;" Select
"View Holds."
If you have more than one hold on your account, please review the
types on the Registrar's
site, and take the appropriate steps to have your remaining holds removed.
What if I'm planning on changing my major?
If you are thinking about changing your major, we would strongly
recommend you meet with an advisor in the major you are planning on
continuing your studies in. Every academic area has advisors that
specializes in those majors, so you will want to have your academic
hold lifted by an advisor who work and advises your new major.
Please check out the Advising Centers Website, which lists every
major at GVSU and which College they are located in.
Can my faculty advisor lift my hold?
Faculty are not able to lift advising holds. If you prefer to meet with your faculty advisor to discuss registration and degree planning, please ask your faculty advisor to work with you to create a 4-year degree plan and upload it to Navigate with a note about your conversation. The faculty member can then email your assigned professional advisor to recommend that your hold be lifted.