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Incoming Exchange Students

Welcome to the College of Liberal Arts at Purdue! As an incoming exchange student, you may be unfamiliar with Purdue University’s academic advising and course registration procedures. This is a quick guide to your academic life at Purdue. If you have any other questions regarding academics at Purdue, please contact us.


Academic Advising at Purdue

Purdue students are assigned an Academic Advisor based on their major area of study. Advisors meet with their student advisees at least once per semester. They provide guidance on courses, academic plans, internship opportunities, professional plans, career advancement, and life at Purdue. Generally, students remain with the same advisor throughout their time at Purdue.

As an exchange student, your academic advisors will be staff members of the College of Liberal Arts’ Study Abroad and International Programs Office. They are located within the CLA Academic Advising Office, and may also refer you to area-specific advisors as necessary.

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Registration

Before you arrive at Purdue, you will receive an email from your academic advisor that will give you specific information regarding registration procedures. You will register online through myPurdue once you have been in contact with your advisor and have been given your PIN.

If you’re staying for longer than one semester, you’ll meet with your advisor towards the end of your first semester to discuss classes, get your new PIN for the upcoming semester, and plan your registration.

The easiest way to register for classes is to go to the “Look Up Classes” link on the “Registration” tab of myPurdue. Select the appropriate term and subject area. Then you’ll see a list of the current class offerings for that subject area. Click “Register” to add a class to your schedule.

Registration Problems

Registration Status & Holds – On myPurdue, go to “Registration Status” if you have difficulty registering because of holds on your account. This page will give you details on what kind of hold you may have. If you have questions about resolving holds on your account, contact your advisor.

Requisites – Because you do not have a full transcript at Purdue indicating courses you have taken at your home university, the system may not allow you to register for some advanced classes. However, your academic advisor has a copy of your home university transcript and can approve or request approval for overrides as appropriate. Contact your advisor if you encounter Prerequisite, Classification, or other registration blocks. Be sure to tell your advisor exactly what error you’re getting when you try to register. 

You can find Registration Add Errors on the Registrar’s website.

Adding/Dropping Classes

You are allowed to add and drop classes after the start of the semester. Depending on how far into the semester you decide to add or drop a class, different signatures may be required or there may be different consequences for dropped classes. For example, you usually have two weeks from the beginning of the semester to drop a class without it appearing on your transcript. The Registrar’s website provides details on when you can Add or Drop Courses and the Academic Calendar includes important add/drop deadlines.

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Important Academic Dates

Check the current Academic Calendar to be sure you are aware of important dates regarding adding/dropping classes, holidays, and other university deadlines.

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Contact Your Advisor

Will Sartore (wsartore@purdue.edu) serves as Academic Advisors for all of the College of Liberal Arts’ incoming exchange students. He will be happy to meet with you at any point during the semester. 

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