Validation is a process by which you resolve any outstanding holds that prevent your ability to make registration changes for a specific semester. The most common validation holds are: (FI)–outstanding Student Accounts balance and (AD)–off-campus address.
Validation generally starts when the related holds have been added to your record. You will receive and email from Macalester Registrar announcing the start of validation. Review your holds on 1600grand and take the required action to resolve the hold. It is important to check back during this time as new holds may be added. Validation ends with the last day to Add/Drop a course for the semester (see the Academic Calendar for important dates). If you fail to validate your registration by the deadline, your registration will be dropped and you will lose your status as a student.
Where can I take action to Validate my registration?
The most common offices involved with Validation includes: Financial Aid, Student Accounts, and the Registrar’s Office. See Fall 2020 Validation for additional details.
What are the Validation Holds?
A Validation Hold will prevent you from making any registration changes and keep you from validating your registration. See Registration Holds for additional details and contact information on resolving a validation hold.
How do I resolve a Validation Hold?
See Registration Holds for contact information on a specific validation hold. If you have a FI (See Student Accounts Office) hold, this means that you have an outstanding balance on your student account. Contact Student Accounts as soon as possible to resolve this hold. If you have an AD (Contact Update: Off Campus Addr) hold, you can update your off campus (OC) address in 1600grand. Other holds—view the Action Needed column for more details.
You can Add/Drop classes in 1600grand beginning with the start of the Add/Drop period (first day of class). All course Adds require a registration override from the instructor. Contact the instructor of the course for a possible registration override. If you are granted a registration override, you must take action in 1600grand to process and complete the registration. Until you do so, you are not registered in the course.
Where do I Add/Drop classes on 1600grand?
During the Add/Drop period, select Enter Registration under the Registration section. Select Register for Classes. You can Add/Drop courses using the actions and submit button in the bottom-right. All course Adds require instructor authorization (registration override). Click here for a 30 second video.
When is the last day to Add/Drop?
Refer to the Academic Calendar for important dates and deadlines.
When is the last day to withdraw from a class?
Refer to the Academic Calendar for important dates and deadlines.
When do I register for the next semester?
For the fall, for returning students, registration generally starts in April–for spring, it generally starts in November. Watch your e-mail for detailed instructions on how to register for the upcoming semester. That e-mail will help you find the exact date and time you can begin to register. For general dates of the registration process, refer to the Academic Calendar.
Well, like most things, that depends. As a full-time student, you can take between 12 and 18 credit hours for the regular, full-time tuition charge. You can register for more than 18 credits if you pay a per credit fee (the Expenses section of the College Catalog has a schedule of fees).
Can I audit a class?
You may audit one class each semester by completing an Add/Drop form and writing “audit” in the field where you would normally indicate Add or Drop. Instructor’s signature is required and the registration must be completed by the Add/Drop deadline. Audited courses will appear on your transcript with a grade of “AU.” It is the student’s responsibility to establish expectations for the class with the instructor.
Students may register for either a one– or two–credit sponsored program, independent study, or internship in January. The deadline is in early December—don’t miss it. There is no Add/Drop in January.
Head over to our page all about how to obtain a transcript. The information there will get you on your way.
Yes! Current students (requires access to 1600grand) may retrieve their own enrollment verifications for current and past terms from the National Student Clearinghouse. On the Student tab of 1600grand, navigate to the “Order Enrollment Verification” box.
If you don’t have access to 1600grand, please download and print an enrollment verification form by clicking this link (will open as a .pdf). You can submit that in person, through the mail, by fax or email to registrar@macalester.edu. This form must include your written signature! Our contact information is at the top of the form.
Unlike transcripts or verifications of enrollment, we can verify that you graduated from Macalester without a signature–degree information is public information. Give us a call, write us a note or send us an e-mail requesting verification that you did indeed graduate from Macalester College and we’ll take care of that for you.
Are you able to certify my diploma or help me get an apostille?
Sure we can help with that. You should e-mail Julie McEathron (mceathron@macalester.edu) for assistance with this process.
Can I get a replacement diploma?
We would be glad to order a replacement diploma for you. Diploma Replacement page
How do I change my name on my academic record?
Check our Names policy page.
May I participate in commencement?
If you graduated in the December prior to commencement, you are definitely welcome to walk with your classmates the following May. If you need more credits than what you are registered for in spring, you may still participate in commencement provided you will have no more than eight credits left to complete. You should schedule an appointment to discuss your eligibility and degree completion plans with the Registrar–call our office and we’ll be glad to set that up.
If you meet all of the requirements for graduation, sure you can. We know that isn’t as helpful as you might want, but we’d be glad to schedule an appointment for you and the Registrar to meet and discuss the possibility of graduating early. Making sure that all of the requirements of graduation are met is sometimes tricky and it’s best if you take the time to sit down with the Registrar if you’d like to graduate early.
How can I finish my degree or be readmitted after a while away?
Send the Registrar’s Office an e-mail or give us a call and let us know what your plans are. Once you hear from us what remaining requirements you have, you might need to apply for readmission to the college, or finish up by transferring course work in from elsewhere. We’ll know more once we chat about about the details, and can then get you started in the right direction. We work closely with the Dean of Students Office when circumstances warrant a possible readmission, so you may want to touch base with that office too. The application deadline for Fall readmission is July 1 and the deadline for Spring readmission is November 1.
How can I find out my network password in order to log onto 1600grand?
You will need to contact the ITS Help Desk at 651.696.6525.
When can I change a grading option for a course to pass/fail?
Important dates including the window for selecting a grading option for a course can be found on our academic calendar page. Please note that students are able to select one course per semester to be taken pass/fail. Courses needed for majors, minors or concentrations can not be taken pass/fail and a minimum grade of an S is required for a course to satisfy a general requirement. SD grades are not accepted for general requirements, but will count toward the 128 credits required for the degree.
If you pass the course with a C- or better you will see an S on your record. If you pass the course with a D, you will see the grade SD on your record.
Print a a grading option form from our Forms page.
How do you figure my GPA?
The GPA is calculated by dividing total grade points by the number of semester hours attempted on the regular grading system. Transfer work does not factor in.
You and your professor must fill in the Course Completion Agreement form. Keep in mind that it must be submitted to the Registrar’s Office by the last day of classes.
When is the last day that I can finish my incomplete?
For Incompletes taken for the fall semester, the work is due no later than the first day of classes of the spring semester. For spring semester incompletes, your work must be done on or before July 1. The professor may require you to finish by an earlier date.
How do I get my grades each semester?
Get your grades online through 1600grand.
A J grade is assigned only during midterm grading. It means that the professor for the course did not have enough information to assign you a midterm grade. Say you’re taking a course where the grade is derived from the grades on a final paper and a final exam–come midterm, the professor still does not have any grading information to use in assigning a midterm grade.
How do I get credit for Music lessons/ensembles?
To receive credit for ensemble or private instruction participation, you must take the same class in two consecutive semesters. Take African Music Ensemble in two consecutive semesters and you get the credit for both at the end of the second semester. You can earn a maximum of eight credits through ensemble and private instruction–additional participation is noted on your record, but not for credit. Completed credit counts in the GPA. Study away does not disrupt sequence.
My parents moved. How do I let you know my new home address and phone number?
You can come by the Registrar’s Office and ask for a change of address form that you can fill out and return to us or send us an email at registrar@macalester.edu, including the new information.
And how do I tell you about my summer contact information?
Sometime near the end of the Spring semester, there will be an email request from the Mail Services in the Campus
Center. Fill out that form and return it to the Post Office.
What is “Directory Restriction?” How do I get my information restricted? Or get the restriction removed?
Certain information is publicly available unless you request that it be otherwise. For instance, if someone (an insurer, an old friend, a current or potential employer, or anyone who might be curious) calls up and asks if Johan Smith is a student at Macalester, we can confirm or deny that and provide whatever information is available on the college directory, which might include your e-mail address and telephone number. If you are on Directory Restriction, then we will not release any information regarding your status at Macalester. We cannot answer questions about you if you are on Directory Restriction, unless it is for internal Macalester use.
Do you want your directory restriction removed? Come into the Registrar’s Office and let us know.
How do I declare a major, minor, or concentration? When should I do it and is there a deadline?
See your chair or program director to declare a major, minor, or concentration. They will make a note on your DegreeWorks record and the Registrar’s Office will process your declaration.
You should declare your major as soon as you know what it will be, but you will be required to declare one as a second semester sophomore. You won’t be allowed to register for classes for the first semester of your Junior year until you have declared a major.
How do I get an exceptions on my major, minor or concentration in DegreeWorks?
Your audit in DegreeWorks is one of the documents that will determine your graduation eligibility–you will want to keep it up-to-date. If you are making changes in the courses that you want to use in fulfilling your major, you can speak to your chair or program director about an exception, such as using a topical, transfer or study away course for a requirement. They will make a note on your DegreeWorks record and the Registrar’s Office will process the exception.
So, how can I drop a major, minor or concentration?
This is maybe the easiest thing you can do at Macalester College! Come by the Registrar’s Office or email us and tell us you’d like to drop a major. We will not cancel your only major–you have to have one.
Concentrations are interdepartmental programs–among them are African Studies, Critical Theory, and Urban Studies, as examples.
I think I’ve met the second language requirement with coursework taken outside of Macalester. Can I taken an exam and get evaluated or can I meet the requirement by transferring credits?
If you’d like to take an exam, you could take the SAT II (with listening) for the language in question. Otherwise, you can have a transcript sent from the institution you attended. As long as the transcript clearly relays that you completed what would be equivalent to a fourth semester (Intermediate II) in the language, your record will be marked as having met the second language requirement.
Can I get credit for AP/IB/GCE?
You can, in many instances, get credit. Head over to our page that is exclusively on the topic and if you have any questions after reviewing that, please be in touch!
Can I get credit for college-level work done while I was still in high school?
Yes. You’ll need for that coursework to meet a few conditions though. The coursework cannot have been used to satisfy any graduation requirements at your high school (there’s a form we use to confirm that) and it must have been offered as regular, undergraduate coursework at the institution you took the course from. The course(s) must have been taught on the college campus–we don’t grant credit for “College in the Schools” programs. If the course meets those requirements, contact that institution and have them send a transcript directly to the Registrar’s Office here at Macalester. You can transfer a maximum of 20 credits to Macalester. If you have other questions, feel free to contact us.
Does Macalester have summer school?
We do not offer regular summer classes. Current and former students who didn’t earn a degree may register for independent projects and internships. Macalester is home to the Summer Physics Institute, which is run by Professor Sung Kyu Kim in the Physics Department. More information on the Institute is available on their website.
Is there a program at Macalester for Senior Citizens?
There is no program exclusively for senior citizens at Macalester College, but there are opportunities that are open to anyone, such as auditing regular courses or taking them for credit. Contact the Registrar’s Office to find out how to go about registering for a course and to check on current fees.
How do I change a grade?
You may not change the grade through 1600grand. Instead, submit the grade change request by e-mail, in person or in writing to the Registrar’s Office. The request should include which course, which student, what grade you would like for her to receive and why you would like to change the grade. As mentioned in Macalester’s grade change policy, it is only acceptable to change a grade when correcting a grade calculation error and when a professor locates a student’s work, paper, project, etc. that was previously considered missing.
How do I let students into my class?
During registration for the next semester, you may give any of four overrides on the Faculty tab of 1600grand by clicking Registration Overrides. They have different purposes.
| CONFLICT | This will OK a time conflict with your course. |
| PREREQCO | Students with this will be allowed in even without the pre-requisites. |
| WLOKAY | If your course has previously closed, but a seat has opened and you have a wait list, you can use this to permit a student to register. They must still add the course themselves. |
| APPROVAL | If your course requires permission of the instructor, use this. Not a substitute for the overrides above. |
When are final and midterm grades due?
Check our page of Academic Calendars. Be sure you’ve selected the academic year that you’re interested in.
When is catalog copy due?
Requests for catalog copy are sent out in early November. The Registrar’s Office expects to set a deadline of late February for copy to be entered by departments into Acalog, the college’s catalog publishing system.
How do I add or delete a course from the catalog?
A request to add or delete a course from the catalog should be made in advance to EPAG. Use the course change proposal form and submit that to the Registrar.
What is EPAG?
EPAG is the Educational Policy and Governance Committee. You can find the minutes of their meetings on their webpage.
Who is on EPAG and who is the chair?
See the EPAG webpage.
When is the schedule for next year due?
We’ll send out a request for the next academic year’s schedule in early December and it will include a more specific deadline, usually at the end of the first week of classes of the spring term.
How do I make changes to the schedule?
The chair should summarize and submit schedule changes to the Registrar’s Office. If you are making changes on the spreadsheet of courses for your department, please highlight those changes for us.
How do I reserve a classroom?
If you need the room between 8 and 4:30, Monday through Friday during the academic year, then call the Registrar’s Office. We only handle reservations for classrooms in academic buildings–for other buildings or rooms during those time frames, contact Campus Programs. For reservations at any other time, one should contact Campus Programs to reserve a room.
What kind of technology is in a classroom?
Check out the Media Services website to see which rooms have what you’re looking for–all classrooms are now “smart” classrooms.