Frequently Asked Questions

To find who your advisor is, please log in to your student portal. From there, click on "View Profile", and then "Academic Information". The name of your advisor will appear at the very top of the page. 

Your advisor will help guide you with course selection, help you understand your program checklist, and can discuss many other questions you may have related to your degree and program of choice. It is recommended you speak with your advisor at least once a semester. 

Faculty Advisors are experts in their field and often teach courses within their programs. They can answer specific degree or program questions for you. Academic Advisors are professional advisors in the Learning Commons, who can give you advice about the core requirements, your checklist, graduation requirements, major changes, etc. 

The last day you can alter your course schedule (add/drop a course), without fee, is called the Add/Drop Deadline. The add/drop deadline is usually two weeks after the first day of classes in any given Fall or Spring semester. To find the exact dates of the add/drop deadlines for the current and future semesters, please visit this page: Important Dates

Prior to the add/drop deadline, you can make course schedule changes by visiting the ‘Registration’ tab in your Student Portal. From here, you can use the ‘Course Search’ feature to filter and select the courses you would like to register for. On this page, you will see all the courses you are currently registered for and there will be an option to ‘drop’ specific courses as well. Please use the service hub if you are unable to make changes to your course schedule.

If a course is full, you can still add the course to your schedule (prior to the add/drop deadline) to join the waitlist. On the course registration page of your student portal, you can click on individual courses to find out more details about the course and to see how many students are currently waitlisted. While you are waitlisted for a course, you may also want to look for backup options in case you don’t receive a seat in the course. Waitlisted courses do not count as registered courses. It is important to monitor your waitlist status for each course you are waitlisted for through your Student Portal. If the professor of the course has added you manually to the class, you may need to accept this change and move the waitlisted course to ‘current’ through your student portal.

To view the courses you are registered for and the schedule, please follow these steps:

1. Go to your Student Portal.
2. Click on the ‘Registration’ tab at the very top.
3. Your course schedule will be displayed on the left-hand side.
4. There is an option to either download or print the schedule.

Program checklists are an invaluable tool for determining the exact courses you need to take to complete your degree at TWU. Every program has an associated ‘program checklist’ that outlines clearly how many credits are required for each section of the checklist. The various sections include: the core requirements table, required major courses, ancillary requirements if applicable, and how many electives credits are needed. Checklists will also provide specific details and important notes related to their associated program and should be read carefully and thoroughly. You should consult your program checklist regularly to make sure you are taking the correct courses. If you want to complete a minor or concentration, make sure you are using the appropriate minor or concentration checklist. You can find a link to all major, minor, and concentration program checklists, on the advising page.

You should always use the checklist year that matches your year of entry. If you are a current TWU student, you may update your checklist to a newer version (year) if the newer checklist is more useful for completing your degree and/or graduating. All credit total requirements must be completed as listed on the chosen checklist. Please keep in mind that all minors and concentrations must be completed using the same checklist year as your major checklist. You can find a link to all major, minor, and concentration program checklists, on the advising page. 

Please consult your advisor before deciding to change your checklist year. All requests to switch to a different program checklist year (sometimes referred to as ‘Catalog Year’) should be made to the Registrar’s Office via the Service Hub.

If you have taken two or more semesters away from TWU (semesters that don't include summer), then you must use the checklist year which matches the year of your return to TWU. If you have any concerns or questions about the year of your checklist, please contact the Office of the Registrar through the helpdesk system.

Upper–level credits are earned by taking 300– 400 level courses normally taken in your third and fourth year. Your program checklist and your Course Needs Advising Sheet will tell you what upper-level courses you need to take, and how many upper-level credits in total are required to complete your degree. The Course Needs tool will also tell you if your upper-level requirements have been met. To view your Course Needs, please visit your Student Portal. 

The Service Hub is the best place to ask all your questions related to TWU. You will find support categories related to many different questions and departments at the university, including: Financial Aid, course enrollment, official records, housing and dining, facilities and parking, IT, international student support, and more. If you have a question that doesn’t fit one of the provided categories, you can always make a general request and it will be redirected to the correct department for support. Some examples of when to utilize the Service Hub would be if your course registration is not working, you have questions about ordering letters or transcripts, you have transfer credit and you aren’t sure how they work, you have a hold on your account, or you need to learn how to make a payment.

It is common for many students to feel unsure of what major to take or they do not know what program best suits them. Many students change their majors while studying at TWU and explore different options throughout their academic journey. A good way to determine what program you are interested in is to take a variety of courses within different programs. In this way, you can experiment with what different programs have to offer. If you have questions about your calling or future career, please get in touch with the Centre for Calling & Career Development.

Go to the main advising webpage, and in the top menu, you can choose “Change my major.” You will have to log in. If you are not sure what code to choose for your major, of if you have questions about the differences, make an appointment with your advisor. When you click to choose your major, this sets the direction for your future graduation, so it is really important!

You can find the transfer credit record here. On this page,  click on the "My Transfer Credit" link under the section labelled "Current Transfer Credit Record".

The most efficient way for a student to improve their GPA is by repeating courses with low grades. The new grade is used in the GPA calculation, but all grades remain on the transcript. 

You can speak to the Financial Aid office for all questions related to scholarships, loans and awards. Please read this page for more information about Financial Aid. You are also encouraged to send your questions to Financial Aid directly using this email: awards@twu.ca.

The official deadline for submitting graduation applications is April 30 of the year prior to your last year (or semester) at TWU. For example, if you plan to complete a degree in four years, you need to apply for graduation in the spring semester of their third year (before April 30). You can read about the graduation process here as well as apply.