Feb. 1 is the deadline for June, August and December 2022 graduation applications
Once the deadline has passed, students may submit a late application by April 1 or apply for the next available graduation term. Please direct students interested in submitting a late application to contact Jessica Pickett. 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.
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 (65% 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). Once again, we contacted all students enrolled in certificate programs. We reiterated that students earning both a certificate and a degree must file separate graduation applications.
All of these students will receive a follow-up email in March regarding the April 1 late application deadline.
General communication
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. 8, the Registrar's Office has provided 12,500+ targeted notifications (nearly 900 more than the Oct. 1 campaign). New this semester, we will be offering virtual and in-person assistance on a walk-in basis from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 31, and Tuesday, Feb. 1. More information was sent to students via email earlier today.
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 contact John Scott with questions.
Spring 2022 census data now available
Institutional Research has loaded spring census data into the reporting database, and census-based reports in Cognos are ready. Standard enrollment reports have been posted to the Institutional Research website. Dashboards will be updated soon.
Semi-annual re-authorization begins Feb. 7
The semi-annual security re-authorization process begins Monday, Feb. 7, and concludes Friday, Feb. 18. Supervisors will have through Friday, Feb. 25, 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.
Updates from EM-Tech
Please help us congratulate Mike Roe, director of enrollment management IT, for his service to the university as he enters retirement. Dr. Cheatham has appointed John Brown as interim director of enrollment IT. Please continue to use the ticket management system for any CRM/TargetX questions or issues.
Summer course offerings now available; registration opens Feb. 7
There are two ways to view course offerings: Course Lookup and GoWMU.
Updates from Student Financial Aid
2022-23 financial aid offers to first-year students
Student Financial Aid sent FTIAC aid offers for the 2022-23 academic year via email last week. To date, 6,365 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. Printed offer letters will be sent to students' permanent address on file.
Students and families with questions should be directed to Bronco Express at (269) 387-6000 or finaid-info@wmich.edu. Transfer and returning students will be packaged later this spring.
Student employment
Looking to hire a student worker this spring? Consider hiring a Federal Work-study student. Federal Work-study is a need-based financial aid program funded by the federal government and Western Michigan University. Unlike grants and scholarships, Federal Work-study offers are earned and paid through the payroll process in the form of a biweekly paycheck.
To confirm if a student has Federal Work-study, you can access Cognos and run the 30.30.30 - Work Study Recruitment and Award Confirmation report. For the term, select Spring 2022 and for the Award Status, select “Accepted”. Please note that students listed with paid earnings have an active job on campus. For more information, visit wmich.edu/finaid/workstudy/employers/campus.
Did you know? A fun fact from the Registrar...
As of this morning, graduation application reminder emails have been opened in The Bahamas, Brazil, Canada, China, Egypt, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Netherlands, Philippines, Romania, Russia, South Africa, Sweden, Ukraine, United Kingdom and the USA.