Academic Advising & Registration

WHAT WILL MY COLLEGE SCHEDULE LOOK LIKE THIS FALL AT TRANSY AND HOW MANY HOURS WILL I TAKE?

At Transy, you will experience three terms each year: fall term, winter term and May term. Fall and winter term are each 14 weeks long and May term is one month long.

Transy also operates on units rather than semester hours . For purposes of comparison, one course unit is considered equivalent to four semester hours at other universities. A full course load for a full-time student at Transy is four courses during Fall and Winter terms, and one course during May Term. (This is called the 4-4-1 system.)

Orientation and two courses are required in your first year as part of Transy’s academic curriculum: Orientation, First-Year Seminar and First-Year Research Seminar .

• First-Year Seminar (FYS) is a fall term, one unit course designed to help introduce students to the rigorous intellectual work necessary at the college level. These courses include a broad range of shorter readings and a longer, book-length text. All First-Year Seminars stress the skills of close and careful reading, critical thinking, thoughtful and respectful discussion, and effective academic writing.
• First-Year Research Seminar (FYRS) is a winter term, one unit course designed to continue the development of college-level critical reading, thinking, writing, and discussion skills. This course offers a focused and in-depth investigation of a topic of importance. The course will include extensive instruction in research methods appropriate at the college level and culminates in a research-based essay.
• UNIV-1001 Academic Foundations (UNIV) is a quarter credit fall term course designed to help ease your transition to college life, and in particular, to Transylvania University. We will delve into topics that students have chosen as the areas they wished they had more experience with during their first semester at Transy. These topics could range from how to use Canvas, how to print, how to interact with the faculty, information on study abroad, and more. You will have the opportunity to hear about Transy through the eyes of a student, staff, and faculty member.

DO I HAVE TO TAKE FYS, FYRS, and UNIV IF I'M A TRANSFER STUDENT?

Almost all students take both FYS, FYRS and UNIV although students with two semesters of college-level composition courses may be able to enroll directly into FYRS. 

WHO IS MY ACADEMIC ADVISOR?

As a first year student, your advisor will be a Transylvania faculty member. Your advisor is also your Academic Foundations professor. You will have the chance to meet your advisor during orientation.

WHEN AND HOW DO I SCHEDULE CLASSES?

Transy will contact you about upcoming advising events in Summer 2026 as it gets closer to time. Students are always able to register for fall term courses with their academic advisor after arriving on campus in the fall. Do not stress about getting classes you want! The benefit of a small school like Transy is that most entry-level courses for first year students have plenty of room across disciplines.

CAN YOU SHOW AN EXAMPLE OF A FIRST-YEAR SCHEDULE?

Fall Term

• FYS-1004 - First-Year Seminar - 1.00 Unit
• PHIL-1024 - Introduction to Philosophy - 1.00 Unit
• EDU-1004 - Foundations of Education - 1.00 Unit
• ART-1044 - Introduction to Sculpture - 1.00 Unit
• UNIV-1001 - Academic Foundations - 0.25 Unit

Winter Term

• FYS-1104 - First-Year Research Seminar - 1.00 Unit
• SPAN-1014 - Spanish 1: The Personal World - 1.00 Unit
• BIO-1206 - Biology I: Organisms Ecosystems - 1.00 Unit
• BIO-1206L - Biology I: Lab - 0.00 Units
• MATH-1144 - Elementary Statistics - 1.00 Units

May Term

• HES-1114 - Health and Wellness - 1.00 Unit

CAN I TAKE MORE THAN 4 FULL CREDIT COURSES EACH TERM?

First-year students cannot take more than four full credit courses in their first term (but partial credit like lessons, ensembles, choir, band for .25 credits are acceptable.) Why? We want you to focus on adapting to college life! However, after your first term, students with a 2.75 GPA or higher may register for an academic overload with the consent of their academic advisor.

WHAT CLASS OPTIONS DO I HAVE TO CHOOSE FROM?

After you have received your login to the MyTransy portal, you can explore the fall course catalog offerings through Self-Service at https://selfserv.transy.edu/Student/courses. You can assume that most 1000-series entry courses are appropriate for first-year students!

CAN I CHANGE A CLASS AND ENROLL IN A DIFFERENT ONE IF I DON'T LIKE IT?

If you get into a course and feel you would like to change it, you may do so up to the add/drop deadline, which is the last day to drop a full-term course. Usually, this is about one week into the start of classes each term. You can find these deadlines on the academic calendar on the Academic Calendar.

HOW DO MY DUAL CREDIT/AP/IB CLASSES AFFECT MY CLASS SELECTION?

Your academic advisor will discuss any dual credit/AP/IB courses with you in your advising and registration session. Please be sure to submit your final high school transcript and dual credit transcripts by the date listed in your deposited student portal to ensure these credits are considered as you register.

Students receiving a 4 or 5 on many AP exams count as a course credit and may apply to major or general education requirements. Dual credit information, and IB credit award data can be found on our website.

CAN I START IN MY MAJOR CLASSES RIGHT AWAY?

Yes! Many students begin taking courses toward their major in their first term although some majors encourage you to focus on foundational skills first. Your academic advisor will discuss your interest, strengths, and subjects you are more nervous about to decide what is the best fall schedule for you. Read more about academic programs, including course patterns for each, on our transy.edu.