Academic FAQs

Your academic advisor will be a great resource, advocate, and mentor for you. Anytime you want to discuss your program of study, your future career, or goals — reach out to your advisor!

Depending on your program of study and possible membership in any other programs or student support initiatives, you may end up with more than one advisor assigned to you. You can always find your complete list of assigned advisors online in my.bianlifan.com under My Academics.

You should meet with your advisor if you have any questions or concerns about your academics. First semester freshman students are required to meet with their advisor. All other students are not required to see an advisor, but it is recommended that you meet with them before registering for any courses to make sure you are on track with your degree requirements.

Yes, you may request a change of advisor. You will need to see an advisor in the Student Success Center or a faculty advisor to request the change, at which time they will fill out a form in my.bianlifan.com. Once the form has been submitted, it will be routed to the program chair or dean of the appropriate school, and they will then assign you a new advisor.

Students can fill out a form to declare their major at any time, but during sophomore year can officially apply to their program. If you can't decide on a major take the Focus 2 Career Assessment program and visit with Career Services. Also be sure and research all of the university's program options.

The best thing you can do is to send your advisor a message via email or voicemail. If the issue is urgent, set up a meeting with an advisor in the Student Success Center or utilize the drop-in hours of the center that run 8 am – 4:30 pm Monday – Friday.

If you're feeling stressed and uncertain about managing it, scheduling a meeting with a student success advisor is recommended to get helpful tips for stress reduction. However, if your stress feels overwhelming and unmanageable, please arrange an appointment with our Counseling Services at 701-530-7195 or 800-327-7195.

TRIO/Student Support Services is a program funded through the U.S. Department of Education and is designed to help eligible students remain in college and graduate. Students must meet at least one or more of the following criteria to be eligible to apply:

• Lower Income
• First Generation College Student (neither parent has obtained a Bachelor’s degree)
• Documented Physical or Learning Disability

Students must also be a citizen or national of the United States and have a need for academic support.

Please visit the TRIO Student Support Services webpage to learn more about the services provided through the Student Support Services/TRIO program and to see if you qualify for this limited enrollment program.

If you are an incoming freshman, you will register with an academic advisor or faculty member at a SOAR registration event via email or a phone call.

Advising and registration weeks are held each semester, providing students an opportunity to meet with their assigned advisor to plan their schedule for the next semester(s). Students register for their classes online at my.bianlifan.com. If you are a freshman student or transfer student, you will learn how to register for future semesters in your FYE 122 or FYE 322 course. Instructions are also provided in my.bianlifan.com under My Academics > Registration & Courses.

If you are having trouble or are unable to register online you can fill out a registration form with your faculty advisor, or a member of the Student Success Center.

To be considered a full-time student you must be enrolled in a minimum of 12 credits, while to be considered a half-time student you must be enrolled in a minimum of 6 credits.

If you are a student-athlete, you must be enrolled in at least 12 credits at all times to be considered eligible. Student-athletes must also pass 24 total credits between the Fall and Spring semesters and can only use 6 credit hours from summer classes to achieve 24 credits. To remain eligible, you must pass at least 9 credits each semester and maintain a 2.0 GPA. There are also other requirements student-athletes must meet to continue to be eligible. See NCAA and ACHA Eligibility Requirements for further information.

The typical University of Mary student enrolls in 14-16 credits in the fall and spring semesters. If you are a new college student, we recommend you stay within this range. The first semester can be a learning experience, with a lot to learn inside and out of the classroom. Enrolling in 14-16 credits will allow you to figure out how things work and get you on the path to graduate in a timely manner. Some students opt to take more credits (17-18) or less (12-14), depending on their circumstances.

Short answer: yes!

Long answer, now that’s a little more complicated. Full-time students can register for 12-18 credits, and anything more than that is considered “overload.” You will be additionally charged for every credit over the 18 credit limit. However, first-year experience courses, transition seminar courses, Emerging Leaders Academy courses, music ensemble courses, and athletic credits do not count as overload. If in doubt, see your advisor!

The University of Mary offers seated and online course options over the summer, and you have the option of attending part-time or full-time.

Students who are interested in attending full-time in the summer are encouraged to sign-up for Year-Round Campus. Year-Round Campus is a one-of-a-kind college career option that allows you to achieve your bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in less time and with less cost. This can allow you to begin working, earning and saving sooner!

A “hold” is a notice that you have an issue that needs to be resolved, and can impact transcript requests, course registration, or other University services. To remove a hold, please contact the department that placed the hold on your account to make arrangements.

When a student is “dropping” from a class, they are exiting the course during the add/drop period. During this period, students may add/drop classes as they feel fit without affecting their GPA or transcripts. The add/drop period usually runs the first week and a half to two weeks of classes.

After the add/drop date has passed, a student must “withdraw” from a class to officially exit the class. The student must see an advisor in the Student Success Center or their faculty advisor, who will then submit a form.

A withdrawal from a class will show on your transcript as a “W” or “WP/WF” and will also affect your completion rate. Your completion rate must be 67% or higher to maintain good academic standing at the university.

If you are struggling in a class we would suggest that you set up a meeting with your instructor to see if they can assist you. If you need additional assistance, there are tutoring services available through the Student Success Center.

If students are considering withdrawing from a course, it is suggested that they meet with their instructor or an academic advisor to talk about the options available. They can withdraw from a course within the first three quarters of the semester. This will however impact their completion rate and will be reflected on their transcript.

Getting to know your professors is an essential piece to succeeding as a college student. Building a positive working relationship with your professors will make your life much easier. Professors are here to teach and assist students in achieving their goals. If you do not get to know them and build a relationship, you are leaving a valuable source of information untapped.

Office hours are in place for students to stop by their professor’s hours and ask questions or receive extra assistance on issues related to class, assignments, or other questions related to academics. Office hours are also a great time to ask a professor about writing a letter of recommendation or possible job leads they may know about. It is also a good time to get to know each other outside of the classroom.

First-Year Experience and Transition Seminar courses at the University of Mary have been framed as skill-based courses in which students develop and apply academic and personal skills necessary for a successful college experience. As part of the seminar, students are introduced to concepts of the Benedictine tradition, liberal arts education, and servant leadership through engagement in activities involving academic, public, and professional communities.

Academic WARNING is the status assigned to a student who fails to make satisfactory academic progress (below GPA and completion rate requirements). The student may continue to receive financial aid for one payment period (one semester). No appeal is required for this status. Students who fail to make satisfactory academic progress and are suspended BUT successfully appealed are also placed on academic warning. Students will be notified by letter and will be required to meet with an academic advisor in the Student Success Center throughout the semester.

Courses may be retaken, but it is important to check how many retakes your major/program allows. Some programs on campus only allow a certain amount of retakes, so understanding what that amount is in your own major/program is crucial if you are considering retaking a class. When you retake a class, the better of the grades will be taken into account for your overall GPA; however, both grades will still show on your transcript.

It is also important to know what the requirements are for you to pass, as well as your major/program requirements for that class. Some majors require a minimum of C (sometimes higher, sometimes lower) in a class to pass. Some majors/programs also have cumulative GPA requirements; an example would be that Education majors are required to have a 2.75 cumulative GPA. Remediation classes may also have grade requirements you must meet before moving out of the remediation level class/classes.

If you are not sure what the requirements are or how this process works, it is important to contact an advisor who can help you better understand the process.

Students are responsible for contacting their respective instructors for all absences. If a student is absent for an extended period of time (over one week) due to illness, family emergency, etc., please contact the Student Success Center (SSC) and they will help inform your instructors of your continued absence or help you to determine your best course of action. It is the student’s responsibility to make arrangements with each of your instructors for make-up assignments and exams.

The University of Mary offers programs in various professions leading to a degree.

University and departmental requirements to graduate default to the catalog under which a student initially enrolls with the University of Mary. If the student returns to the university after a break in enrollment, the student will follow the requirements of the catalog in which the student re-enrolls. Please refer to catalog.bianlifan.com for further information.

Yes! Students can take advantage of Year-Round Campus (YRC), which enables them to graduate in less time, with less cost and less debt. Year-Round Campus is a one-of-a-kind college career option that lets students achieve their Bachelor’s Degree in less time. YRC provides students a new and radical degree path that allows them to earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree in less time and with less cost, so they can begin working, earning and saving sooner.

A bachelor of arts degree provides students with a broader education, requiring fewer credits that are directly linked to a particular major. Rather, students earn credits in a variety of liberal arts subjects. Bachelor of arts degrees are commonly offered in fields like English, art, music, communications and theology. Programs resulting in a bachelor of science degree are generally more strictly focused on their subject matter, requiring more credits that are directly linked to the major. Bachelor of science degrees are usually offered in scientific areas such as science, nursing, mathematics, and engineering.

The University of Mary offers graduate level programs in areas such as business, health care, and education.

The office of the registrar evaluates transcripts and records transfer credits. The names of the transfer institutions accompany the courses and corresponding grades on the University of Mary transcript. Any preliminary reviews by other personnel are unofficial and not binding, and subject to change. Acceptance of transfer courses and the award of university transfer credit shall not express or imply that all transfer credit will be fully applicable toward degree requirements in particular programs of study at the University of Mary.

The University of Mary welcomes transfer students from colleges and universities all over the world. If you are planning to transfer to the University of Mary from another school, you can find information to help get you started by clicking here: Transfer Students.

If you have declared a major, please contact your academic department to request an advisor from that department. They will also assist you in filling out the appropriate paperwork. If you are undeclared, the advisors in the Student Success Center are willing to assist you!

To locate your advisor, take the following steps (BONUS: View your unofficial transcript or official course schedule at the same time!):

Log-in to my.bianlifan.com > click on My Academics tab > In the left toolbar, click Academic Records & Advising

The registrar’s office evaluates all transcripts, free of charge, to determine transferability of prior credits. If a course has not transferred as you expected, please stop by their office, located in the lower level of the Benedictine Center, or contact them by calling 701-355-8080 or by emailing registrar@bianlifan.com.

Students who are thinking of transferring from the University of Mary to a different institution should contact the Student Success Center prior to the end of their last semester to complete the exit process. To set up an exit process appointment, contact the Student Success Center at 701-355-8124 or email success@bianlifan.com.

The University of Mary curriculum and core requirements have undergone a few revisions over the years. Therefore, a friend or relative’s experience will probably not apply to you. In addition, policies and requirements can also change from year to year. Please consult your academic or faculty advisor for course registration and for any questions related to policies or requirements.

We understand that in today’s world there are a lot of things that can impact a student’s time-to-degree: money, transferring, deployment, changing majors, work, and more. While eight semesters is the traditional route, the University of Mary is here to support you whatever your path may be.

For those students who would like to shorten their time-to-degree, the University of Mary Year-Round Campus program is an exciting option! Through this program, the university has taken the traditional 8-semester bachelor’s degree and applied it to a yearly calendar. The program is not an accelerated program, as students take the same course load they would in a traditional format. By doing so, students can achieve a bachelor’s degree in under three years and go on to achieve a master’s degree in four.

Transitioning from high school to the college environment can be challenging for many students. College is a learning environment in which you take responsibility for thinking through and applying what you have learned. Oftentimes, in high school, students are given time at the end of their classes to complete a great deal of their homework. In college, students are required to do many hours of work outside the class each week. Course load recommendations are that for every 1 credit hour in which you enroll, you will spend approximately two to three hours outside of class studying. The University of Mary offers many resources that students can take advantage of such as Tutoring, Learning Skills Workshops and the Writing Center.

Most majors at the University of Mary suggest that students take liberal arts core requirements during the first semester, or even the first year. In fact, your first year is a great time to begin exploring different majors!