How do I register for classes?
Typically, all course registration is completed online through goPFW. Alternately, registration may be completed in person with your academic advisor, at your departmental office, or by the registrar’s office.
- When can I register?
Registration for the fall semester begins in late March and for the spring semester in late October. Registration continues through the beginning week of classes. Your initial registration for each semester must occur according to the timetables for registration established each semester and published in the academic calendar. Just prior to the beginning of early registration, all continuing and newly admitted students are assigned a time to register according to their class standing, and this assignment can be viewed on goPFW. During early registration weeks, graduate students, seniors and students expecting to graduate in the upcoming semester are eligible to register beginning the first week; juniors and students active in the Honors Program are eligible to register beginning the second week; sophomores are eligible to register beginning the third week; and freshmen and all other students are eligible to register beginning the fourth week.
- I missed my early registration time. When can I register?
Your assigned early registration time is the first opportunity you have to register. You may register anytime thereafter through the beginning of classes.
- How do I drop or add a class?
Adding or Dropping a Course during the 100 Percent Refund Period: After your initial registration and before appropriate deadlines, you may revise your schedule by processing a class addition or drop from a class through the goPFW portal Enrollment Tab. Under Registration Tools click Registration - Add/Drop Classes (During Full Refund Period). Instructor and advisor approval are not required to add or drop a class during the 100 percent refund period. For information related to the 100 percent refund period, please refer to the Course Fee Refund Schedule.
Adding a Class: If you choose to have the Office of the Registrar handle your class addition during the 100 percent refund period requests must be sent to [email protected]. Requests must be sent from your university email address and include the CRN of the course or courses. Instructor and advisor approval is not required to add a course during the 100 percent refund period.
Late Registration: If you are not registered in any coursework after the first week of classes, your new registration must be processed by the Office of the Registrar. You must obtain the approval of both your advisor and the instructor of each class for which you wish to register and submit class add requests to the Office of the Registrar. You will be assessed normal course fees plus late registration fees. For additional information on how to submit your request to the Office of the Registrar, see Late Registration Changes.
Late Additions of Classes: If you are already registered but wish to add additional courses after the 100 percent refund period has passed, you must obtain your advisor’s approval and the approval of any instructor whose class you wish to add. You will be assessed normal course fees and in some instances late registration fees. For additional information on how to submit your request to the Office of the Registrar, see Late Registration Changes.
Dropping a Class: If you choose to have the Office of the Registrar handle your drop during the 100 percent refund period, requests must be sent to [email protected]. Requests must come from your university email address and include the CRN of the course(s). Instructor and advisor approval is not required to drop a course during the 100 percent refund period. For information related to the 100 percent refund period, please refer to the Course Fee Refund Schedule.
Withdrawing from Classes: Following the 100 percent refund period for a class section, you would be withdrawing from, not dropping, the class. To withdraw from a class, you must submit a Withdrawal Form via the goPFW portal and follow the course withdrawal procedures required by the Student Advising and Advocacy Center.
- What is meant by the 100 percent refund period?
This can vary depending on the number of weeks of the course. Check out the Course Fee Refund Schedule to see which days fall in the 100% refund period.
- How do I withdraw from a class?
Subject to the time limits specified in the Purdue University Fort Wayne Master Detail Calendar and the published Fee Refund Schedule—and in the absence of any allegation of academic dishonesty in the course and any pertinent hold or encumbrance—you may officially withdraw from a course by completing the Course Withdrawal (after Full Refund Period) Form found in goPFW under the Enrollment Tab in "Registration Tools."
For Regular, 16-Week Courses
First week of classes: During this add/drop period, you may drop courses yourself in goPFW. The course will not be recorded on your record.
Weeks 2 through 9: Submit the Course Withdrawal (after the Full Refund Period) Form found on goPFW. The course will be recorded with a grade of W on your student record. Please refer to the Fee Refund Schedule for refund information.
Weeks 10 through 16: Courses may not be withdrawn during this period except for extenuating non-academic circumstances outside your control. Withdrawal requests will not be approved if they are related to poor academic performance in the course. If a late withdrawal is approved, the course is recorded with a grade of W on your academic record and transcript.
After the end of Week 16: A course grade may be changed only by following the grade-appeal procedure or requesting a late withdrawal.
- How do I withdraw from the university?
Withdrawal from the university means dropping or withdrawing from every course in which you are enrolled. If you stop attending the university without officially dropping or withdrawing from their classes, you will receive a failing grade in each course. Please contact Student Advising and Advocacy Center for additional information.
- If I withdraw from the university, can I return?
Yes. When you withdraw from the university, you are doing so for a specific semester. If you do not return within one academic year, you will have to apply for reentry to the university through the Office of Admissions.
- How do I withdraw from a course or all my courses after the deadline to withdraw?
A late withdrawal is defined as a withdrawal (from any or all classes) due to circumstances reasonably beyond the control of the student, after the deadline for the last day to withdraw. A Petition for Late Withdrawal will be considered only for nonacademic, extenuating circumstances. The student will be required to submit documentation that supports their circumstances. Each request will be treated with the greatest degree of confidentiality possible.
Once final grades have been submitted, a student will be ineligible for a late withdrawal except for extreme and well-documented circumstances. To start the late withdrawal process, please submit a request via the following form. The Office of Student Conduct & CARE will work with each student to determine if they need the criteria for a late withdrawal. Please note there may be financial and academic consequences related to withdrawal.
Please be aware that approval for a late full withdrawal does not waive the charges for the approved courses. If a student has an unpaid balance or wish to verify that their account is in good order, please contact the Bursar’s Office at 260-481-6824 or via email at [email protected]. They will work with each student and provide available options for resolving balances and financial holds. Courses must be in withdrawn status before beginning the petition to the refund policy through the Bursar's Office.
- What is the difference between dropping and withdrawal from a course?
Dropping of a class section is allowed only during the 100 percent refund period. The class is deleted from your record. Withdrawals, on the other hand, occur following the 100 percent refund period for the class section. If you withdraw from a course, a W grade will remain on your record. A W grade will not affect your grade-point average.
- I stopped attending classes. Will I be automatically dropped from the classes?
No. Stopping class attendance does not constitute a drop or withdrawal. During the 100 percent refund period you must formally process a drop through goPFW, the PFW mobile app, or the Office of the Registrar, or in person with your academic advisor or department office. After the 100 percent refund period, you must submit a withdrawal form via goPFW and follow the course-withdrawal procedures required by Student Advising and Advocacy Center. If you stop attending a class and do not officially withdraw or drop from it, you will be responsible for any outstanding fees and receive a grade of F for that course.
- How can I get instructions or assistance with registering?
Assistance with registration is available from your academic advisor, or your academic college, school, or department. There is also a video that may assist you.
- How do I get a goPFW username and password?
After being admitted to Purdue Fort Wayne, go to goPFW and click First-time user. Follow the prompts in the Account Management Service site to activate your account. You will need to know your campus ID number or the last 4 numbers of your SSN to activate. Be sure to set up password recovery options at the end of activation so you can recover your password without calling IT Services.
- What if I don’t remember my goPFW username and password?
Click on Forgot Password? or Other account services link on the goPFW log-in page. Follow the instructions to receive your username and/or reset your password. If you need additional assistance, contact the IT Services Help Desk at 260-481-6030 or [email protected].
- Where do I get technical support for goPFW?
Technical support for goPFW is available through IT Services. For more help, reach out to IT Services at 260-481-6030 or [email protected]. For other assistance, contact the Registrar at 260-481-6815 or [email protected].
- I can’t log in or access goPFW. What should I do?
If you are an admitted student who has never used goPFW, click First-time user? and follow the instructions to activate your account.
If you have forgotten your goPFW username or password, click the Forgot password? or Other account services link on the goPFW log-in page. Other log-in problems should be directed to the IT Services Help Desk at 260-481-6030 or [email protected].
- I can’t log in or access registration. What should I do?
If you receive an error message that your account has been disabled for too many log-in attempts, contact the Office of the Registrar. You will need to prove your identity. If you receive a message about a failed log-in, you can attempt to log in manually using your student ID number for the user ID and your birth date (MMDDYY) for the PIN.
- I am trying to register and have received an error message? What should I do?
- I tried to register but I have a hold on my records. What should I do?
To find out more information about the hold on your records, go to the Academic Profile channel on the Enrollment tab on goPFW and click Holds. This will show you detailed information about the hold on your records, including contact information for the department that has placed the hold. You must contact each department and take action to release each hold before registration will be possible. The Registrar’s Office cannot release a hold placed by another department.
- Is goPFW down?
If goPFW is unavailable, a message should be posted on the log-in page providing additional information, including how long the outage is expected to last.
- How many hours are required for full-time status?
For most purposes, undergraduate students are considered to be full-time students when enrolled in 12 or more credits during a semester. Part-time status is when a student is enrolled in 11 or fewer credits during a semester. Graduate students are considered to be full-time students when enrolled in 8 or more credits during a semester, and part-time when enrolled in 7 or fewer credits during a semester.
- How can I audit a class?
When you audit a course you will enroll in the course, attend class, and pay full fees, but you will not receive a grade or credit toward graduation for the course. The deadline for requesting to audit a course is Friday of the first week of the semester (or equivalent for a summer session). The grade mode of audit cannot be selected during online registration. To register with the audit option for a class during the first week of the semester, you must submit a request to the Office of the Registrar. Information on how to submit your audit request to the Office of the Registrar is outlined here: Late Registration Changes.
- What does it mean to take a class pass/not pass?
In order to provide students with the opportunity to broaden their educational foundations with minimal concern for grades earned, this alternative grading system, the pass/not-pass option is established. A student who is enrolled in a letter-graded course under this option has the same obligations as those who are enrolled in the course for credit with letter grade. In such cases, the instructor will not be informed which students have elected this option. The instructor's final grades of A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, or C- for these students are changed to the grade of P by the Registrar, as indication of passing the course. The instructor's final grades of D+, D, D-, or F are changed by the Registrar to grades of NP, as indication of not passing the course. The registrar's class roster will indicate which students in a letter-graded course have elected this option. Grades of P and NP are not used in computing the GPA. Students who receive a grade of NP will have a grade of N recorded on official transcripts.
Exercise of this option is subject to three limitations:
- The option is open to all students in the University subject to the regulations of the college/school in which the student is enrolled. In particular, the college/school will specify under what conditions a course that is passed under this option may be used to satisfy its graduation requirements. Additionally, a department or college/school may specify that certain courses intended only for students in that department or college/school are available only on the pass/not-pass grading basis.
- Subject to the regulations of the student's college/school, a student may elect this option in any course that does not already appear on the student's academic record as completed with letter grade of A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-, or F and in which the student is otherwise eligible to enroll for credit with letter grade.
- The student may not elect this option for more than 20 percent of the total credit hours required for graduation.
Changing between a "regular" grade and Pass/No Pass (P/NP) grade option requires your advisor's approval and requests must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar at [email protected] by the posted deadline, found on the academic calendar.
Requests must come from your university email address and include the CRN of the course(s). Please send emailed advisor approval as a thread to [email protected] or attach the approval email as a pdf to the email request.Before emailing your request to the Office of the Registrar make sure you have included:
- The CRN of the course(s) you are changing to P/NP
- The approval of your advisor
- Where can I find all the important dates and deadlines regarding registration?
Important dates and deadlines appear in a number of university publications, including the University Catalog, the Student Handbook Planner, the Purdue Fort Wayne Academic Calendar, and goPFW.
- How can I get a printed copy of my class schedule?
You may print your class schedule through goPFW . Links to a Summary Schedule of Classes, a Detailed Schedule of Classes, or a Week at a Glance: Graphic Schedule are available in the Student Services channel on the Enrollment tab on goPFW. You may also access your schedule through the PFW mobile app.
- I have registered for classes but I can’t pay the fees by the payment deadline. What will happen?
All questions about billing and payment should be directed to the Bursar’s Office.
If you are not able to pay all your fees by the deadline, Purdue Fort Wayne offers a deferred payment plan. If you wish to take advantage of a payment plan, you may enroll through goPFW. Here is a detailed calendar that outlines the Bursar’s billing and collection procedures. The university reserves the right to administratively remove you from your classes for failure to pay your fees, but you will still owe the fees for these classes.
- The class I registered for doesn’t show up when I log in to eLearning. What should I do?
Be sure that you have properly registered for the class by checking your class schedule on goPFW. After registering for class, allow 24 hours for the eLearning to be updated. If after 24 hours the class still does not show up in eLearning, contact the IT Services Help Desk at 260-481-6030 or [email protected], and your instructor.