Frequently Asked Questions
Please find below answers to some frequently asked questions collected from advisors and academic department administrators.
Enrollment Status
My graduate advisee is being charged tuition for their summer research credits and should not be; how do I fix this?
Check that your advisee is coded as MRR (master’s-level) or GRR (doctoral level) for that semester, as MRR and GRR program codes are not connected with tuition charges.
Almost all PhD students have their summer semesters made GRR automatically, however, Master’s students do not have MRR created automatically for their summer semesters at this time because their programs vary much more. If a student has been charged tuition for reading and research when they should not have for summer, please submit a SACC form to make them MRR or GRR as appropriate.
My advisee is graduating but their status is G2 – pending graduation – rather than G1. Can I have this updated?
No updates or forms are necessary to update this status. The G2 process runs automatically based on the expected graduation semester entered within the student’s degree information in S3.
G2 will not affect their certification or graduation abilities.
Forms
I would like to withdraw a student for administrative reasons. Do I use a SACC form to request W1, or do I use a Withdrawal form for W2 status?
Withdrawals of any kind from the university are requested using the official Withdrawal form for W2 status. W1 status is only used by the University Registrar's Office.
My undergraduate advisee is moving into a graduate program. Which form do I use to update their information?
Please use a Returning Student Record Update form, as it includes thorough academic information: semester, program code, department, college, major, degree, etc.
SACC forms should not be used for this purpose, as they lack degree information, which can slow down processing, since additional inquiries will be needed by URO staff.
A student has not been enrolled in several semesters and/or years, but they never took a formal leave of absence. What should I do in order to reactivate them?
Submit a Returning Student Record Update form. Formal leaves of absence or suspensions will require Petition to Return from Leave of Absence forms.
A student has not been enrolled and/or has not been in contact with the department for several semesters. Does anything need to be done in S3?
If you do not believe the student will be returning, or if it has been so long that they would have to re-apply for admission, please submit a Withdrawal form and remove the student’s degree(s) from Degree Declaration.
If you think the student may come back at some point to finish their degree, move forward the expected graduation semester for the student’s degree(s) to several semesters in the future. If it becomes clear that the student will not be returning, submit a Withdrawal form and remove their degree(s) from Degree Declaration.
My advisee has graduated, but their status is not G1. Can I use an SACC form to update their status to G1?
No forms are necessary to update the student to G1. G1 runs as part of an automatic process and does not affect their certification or graduation abilities.
My advisee is currently BB/S3/S4 status, but they need to register for courses. Can I have this updated using a SACC form?
Any enrollment status managed by the Student Accounts Office cannot be updated using a SACC form; these statuses indicate a financial hold on the student’s record. If your advisee has a financial hold on their account, they will need to work with the Student Accounts Office to resolve the issue. Afterwards, the University Registrar’s Office will be able to make changes to their enrollment status.
S3 Documents
How do I view the status of documents I submitted?
Log into S3 and navigate to the advisee's profile. Click on the document's tab to view the status of submitted documents.
How long does it take for submitted documents to be visible in S3?
Submitted documents typically are linked to the student record within one to two business days after receipt.
Why can’t I see all of my student’s documents?
This view will be accurate for all students currently enrolled and those enrolled after 2020. Certain forms may be routed to other offices and may not immediately show a status, such as a leave of absence, tuition appeals and withdrawal, non-degree petitions and PCHE forms. However, these forms will appear in a completed status.
Additional documents that are part of a student's record may be included in the future.
Can I share these documents with others?
These documents are all part of the student education record, covered under the , and should only be shared with those who have a professional responsibility to view them for the student. Documents may not be distributed to any party external to the university or anyone without professional responsibilities for advising the student.
Can these documents be downloaded?
Yes, if needed. However, we hope that you will not need to download documents or print them. Remember, these documents are all part of a student's education record and are covered under the . To ensure FERPA compliance, storing documents outside of S3 is discouraged.
What does the status of a document mean? (i.e., received, processing, etc.)
The status of a document can be any of the following:
- Received - the document has been submitted and linked to the student record. Please allow one to two business days from the time of submission to receive a notification email.
- Processing - the document is queued for action in S3. Please allow three to seven business days for our office to process the document.
- Under Review - the document may be past the deadline and require manager approval.
- Hold-Future - this document will be processed at a later date for a future semester.
- Hold-Other - this document cannot be processed until a financial or community hold is resolved.
- SAO Process - this document is queued for action by the student account office.
- Complete - the document was processed, and an email notification was sent to the sender.
Will denied documents be viewable?
Some documents may be denied due to unreadable or missing information that prevents processing. A notification email is sent to the submitter with a reason and an action to resubmit the form. Denied documents do not display on S3 Documents since the form must be re-submitted.
Instructional Technology
When are students populated in Canvas?
Students will begin to be automatically added to Canvas courses three weeks before the beginning of the semester.
Student Privacy
Am I permitted to share studio grades with the next semester's studio coordinator? Along with final grades for the course, can I share overall QPA and academic actions?
Normally, we do not share individually identifiable prior grades in any courses with current faculty. This is to prevent instructional bias, whether intentional or unintentional. You may share aggregate grade data, i.e. in your fall course, X students received an A, Y received a B, Z received a C, etc. Academic actions are irrelevant to the teaching environment and should only be shared with the students’ academic advisor.
Transfer Credit
Where can I find copies of my advisees’ transcripts for transfer credit?
Currently, the URO is keeping scans of these transcripts within, with access limited to certain staff members. To request access, please email cmuregistrar@andrew.cmu.edu and specify whether you will need access to the undergraduate folder, graduate folder, or both.
My advisee says they submitted a transcript for transfer credit, but it has not been recorded in S3 or uploaded to Box. What can we do to locate it?
Due to the numerous ways institutions manage transcripts, they are received using various methods. Sometimes, that means they do not match up to their intended location.
If possible, have the student (or yourself on their behalf) email us with detailed information about the transcript:
- Which institution is it from?
- When was it sent?
- Attach a copy or screenshot of the receipt from the order.
If we have not received it, the student will need to resubmit a copy. Please refer them to The HUB's Transcripts webpage.
If a student earns AP credit for a course (example: AP Stats with a 5 score), but elects to enroll in that course to strengthen their stats knowledge, what happens to that AP credit? Is there a standard operating procedure for this across the university?
If a student has received credit and elects to take that course, the AP credit should be removed. Students cannot earn both AP credit and also complete the course for the credit. We normally share a query of students in this situation after the add period.