January 29, 2021

Feb. 1 is the deadline for June, August and December 2021 graduation applications

 Once the deadline has passed, students may submit a late application by April 1 or wait until the next available graduation term. Late applicants will be charged $200 in addition to the $55 graduation fee. All earnings from the late fee will be used to bolster future communication efforts from the Registrar's Office. Earnings from the Oct. 1 late fee, for example, were used to send targeted postcards (featured in the Jan. 15 EM News) to nearly 2,500 eligible students. As with previous application campaigns, the Registrar's Office utilized a multi-pronged approach comprised of targeted communication, general communication and support/partner communication.

Targeted communication

Eligible undergraduate and graduate students received personalized emails, phone calls and a postcard. Eligibility is determined by Degree Works percentage (70% and above), advisor approval (those who have been approved to graduate but have not applied) and credits earned (15+ for students in master's programs and 40+ for students in doctoral programs). The same students will receive a follow-up email in March regarding the April 1 late application deadline.

General communication

Targeted reminders have been invaluable, but we also recognize the importance of repetition when trying to inspire action. For this reason, the application deadlines have been incorporated into our general messaging as well, including: 
  • Our "welcome" email, sent to all enrolled students on the first day of the semester/session, contains an entire section regarding the application deadlines (in addition to listing the deadlines in a calendar format).
  • Our registration email, sent approximately two weeks before registration periods begin, contains application deadline information for juniors, seniors and graduate students.
  • Our home page has showcased the Feb. 1 deadline since early December.

Support/partner communication

Thanks to collaborations with the Office of Marketing and Strategic Communications, the Office of Information Technology and Online Education, we have been able to share the Feb. 1 deadline via announcements in GoWMU and Elearning, dates on the WMU Events calendar, a write-up in WMU Today and posts on WMU social media. We also worked with numerous departments and colleges to run a new flyer on nearly all of WMU's digital display screens. 

Since Dec. 2, the Registrar's Office has provided 11,360+ targeted notifications (around 1,700 more than the Oct. 1 campaign). We know that many of you have been calling, emailing and meeting with students to help them make the application deadline. Thank you. Your work is appreciated and your efforts are making a difference. Please direct questions to John Scott at (269) 387-4308. 

Semi-annual re-authorization begins Feb. 1

The semi-annual security re-authorization process begins Monday, Feb. 1, and concludes Friday, Feb. 12. Supervisors will have through Friday, Feb. 19, to approve or deny requests.  Security re-authorization allows the Registrar's Office to audit access to critical computer systems used at WMU and to ensure that users are familiar with the latest policies. Users and supervisors will receive an email notification when re-authorization has begun. The email includes instructions on how to complete the process. Questions should be directed to the Registrar's Office at (269) 387-4300.

Summer course offerings now available; registration opens Feb. 8

There are two ways to view course offerings: Course Lookup and GoWMU.

See the summer registration calendar
Fall course offerings available Feb. 22; registration opens March 8

See the fall registration calendar
New Cost of Attendance Calculator

The calculator was completely rewritten using Form Assembly/Salesforce, which makes it easier to maintain. The old calculator has been deleted and redirected. Please direct questions to Mike Roe.

View the calculator
Test-optional admission

The Office of Admissions has adopted the current test-optional policy as the standard admission policy. First-year and transfer applicants applying for any future entry term will not be required to submit a standardized test score but may self-report ACT/SAT if they want the score to be considered in the admission decision.

Financial Aid offer letters

Student Financial Aid sent FTIAC aid offers for the 2021-22 academic year via email last week. To date, 6,310 offers have been sent to our incoming first-year population. All future students are encouraged to turn in any requirements requested so documents can be reviewed and offers can be finalized. Aid offers are sent daily when all requirements are submitted and documents can be reviewed/completed. Students and families with questions should be directed to Bronco Express at (269) 387-6000. Transfer and returning students will be packaged later this spring.

Did you know? A fun fact from the Registrar...

As of this afternoon, graduation application reminder emails have been opened in Albania, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Germany, Greece, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Kenya, Nepal, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom and USA.