Workday Student Frequently Asked Questions
The most commonly asked questions about Workday Student are answered here. This FAQ list will be updated regularly. Don't see your question answered below? Find more information and support on the Workday Support page.
Workday Student is a modern Student Information System (SIS) that will meet the current and future needs of students and aligns with GVSU’s commitment to innovation. Students will use Workday to review academic records, financial aid, and student account information. They’ll also use it for academic planning, registering for classes, and viewing grades.
The primary reasons we are moving to Workday Student are due to improved experience for students, faculty and staff. Students will enjoy mobile capabilities, alerts, and reminders, while faculty and staff will have improved access to dashboards and reporting. Our current Student Information System (SIS) was not expected to meet our future needs, including our commitment to innovation.
The Workday Student functionality will become part of our existing Workday system used by faculty and staff for finance and HR activities. Having both student and administrative activities within one system allows for integrated functionality and reporting.
Students, faculty, and staff will begin to use Workday as early as the end of 2026 for financial aid activities. Students will still register for Summer 2027 classes in Banner, but then switch over to use Workday Student to register for Fall 2027 and Winter 2028 classes when the registration period opens in March 2027. By the 2027 Fall semester, all activities to be completed in Workday. Learn more.
- Blackboard (faculty/student LMS)
- Coursedog (course sections)
- EAB Navigate (advising)
- OnBase (document imaging)
- Slate (recruiting/admissions)
- Banner
- DegreeWorks/MyPath
The Workday Student Project Team page lists the various groups that are involved in the project. Representatives from Academic Affairs are involved in each of these groups.
- Read the monthly Workday newsletter
- Bookmark the Workday Student website
- Connect with your area's unit readiness team
Workday Student is an information system for students to use throughout their academic career, enabling them to:
- View and manage information (emergency contacts, address)
- Plan and register for classes (add/drop classes)
- View grades and advising information (track academic progress, view assigned advisor)
- View financial aid and student account information (manage payments, request refunds)
- Request transcripts
- Authorize other users (parents, guardians) to view/act in Workday
- View student contact information
- View teaching schedule
- View course roster
- Input grades
- View student support network
- Support registration activities, find course sections
- Manage academic substitutions/waivers
- Assist with student registration
- Review student financials
- View student academic progress
* Access/security to tasks and student information is defined by the role and responsibilities you have at the institution.
With permission from the student, Parents can use Workday Student to:
- View student information (account, courses, and grades)
- Access student financial information and pay tuition
No, there is no separate Workday Student system; simply ONE centralized Workday system that will expand as features become available. You will continue to log into Workday as you currently do; Student functions will be added to your Workday applications
- Training will be provided through a variety of methods and times
- Workday Help will be the source for help articles that provide step-by-step instructions
- Workday Learning will be the place to register for tutorial courses
Email the project team at [email protected].
You may not currently have the security to access the task, help article, or report. Check the information on the Security page for more information.
Registration & Courses
Use Find Course Sections in Workday to search for available sections. You can review course details and narrow the results to identify sections that meet your needs.
After locating a course section, complete the registration process in Workday. If you cannot register, review the message displayed in Workday. It may identify a prerequisite, hold, restriction, or approval requirement that must be addressed.
Workday may prevent registration when a requirement has not been met. Examples include prerequisites or co-requisites, program-of-study restrictions, holds, section capacity, or required approval. Review the Workday message and request an override only when appropriate.
Submit a course pre-requisite override request in Workday and provide a clear reason for the request and any required supporting information. Requests may address prerequisites, co-requisites, instructor approval, program-of-study restrictions, or other enrollment requirements.
Workday will notify you when the request is approved, denied, or returned for more information. Check the notification bell and your Workday inbox. Submitting a request does not guarantee approval. Review the approval notification and follow the instructions provided in Workday.
You can register from either. With the saved schedule, you will have selected the specific class section, but there is a chance that section will be full. If that happens, you will need to choose a different course section and register for it.
Academic Progress & Planning
View your registered courses and schedule in Workday. The schedule displays the course sections in which you are enrolled and the available meeting information.
The APR is a Workday tool that displays how completed and planned coursework applies to your academic requirements. Use it to support planning conversations with your advisor.
Some program requirements, substitutions, transfer credit, variable-credit coursework, and other complex academic situations may require additional review. Contact your advisor if information appears incomplete or does not match your understanding.
The APR may not update automatically after every registration activity. If a registered course is not reflected as expected, review the APR with your advisor rather than assuming the requirement has been satisfied.
The APR is a planning and advising tool. If a result appears inconsistent, contact your advisor so the requirement can be reviewed. Do not use the displayed result alone to make an academic decision.
Student Profile & Advising
Open your student profile and View Important Contacts to see the advisors and other support roles assigned to you. If an assignment appears incorrect, contact your academic advising office.
For student employees, you can switch between the student profile and the student employee profile. For more information, follow the steps in this help article.
General Workday Information
Open the holds area of your student profile to review the hold and available details. A hold may affect your ability to complete certain actions. Follow the information provided for that hold.
Workday notifications provide updates about requests, approvals, and actions that may need your attention. Check the notification bell and your Workday inbox regularly, especially during registration periods.
Workday Student is an information system for you to use throughout their academic career, enabling you to:
- View and manage information (emergency contacts, address)
- Plan and register for classes (add/drop classes)
- View grades and advising information (track academic progress, view assigned advisor)
- View financial aid and student account information (manage payments, request refunds)
- Request transcripts
- Authorize other users (parents, guardians) to view/act in Workday
Use the Advising Dashboard as your primary starting point for student information, advising tools, and reports. View Students Missing Advisor is a search-bar exception covered in advisor training.
Workday access is based on security roles. Not every advisor will perform every action shown in training. If an expected action is unavailable, verify your assigned role and follow the established support process.
Access is based on assigned security roles and business responsibilities. Differences in access do not necessarily indicate a system issue.
Review the student record and use professional judgment. The APR supports advising, but it is not the sole source of truth. Escalate unresolved concerns to the Records Office through the established process.
Requirements may not yet be generated for every new student. Use the Evaluate Academic Requirements, or What If, process when appropriate and follow current GVSU guidance.
Advisors cannot proxy as students for the student processes covered in training. Those processes are demonstrated, while hands-on practice focuses on actions available to the advisor role.
Only advisors with the appropriate security and business responsibility can remove eligible holds. Viewing a hold does not provide authority to remove it.
Only complete updates included in your assigned responsibilities and approved training. Being able to view information does not mean you are authorized to change it.
Ask the student to review the registration message in Workday. It may identify a prerequisite, hold, restriction, section capacity issue, or approval requirement. Direct the student to the appropriate job aid, advisor, or responsible office.
Some information may depend on configuration, security, assignments, or data still being validated. Follow the support process rather than assuming the process is complete or attempting a workaround.
Workday access is role based. Differences may reflect assigned responsibilities or security rather than a system problem.
Do not assume the information is correct or incorrect. Follow the established support process so the appropriate office can review the record.
Review the available hold details and direct the student to the office responsible for resolving it. Viewing the hold does not mean you can remove it.
You will start using Workday to enter grades in December 2027 for the Fall 2027 semester. Spring and Summer grades will be entered into Banner.