Current Students Questions

Making an appointment with your advisor is done electronically. You should go to the BoilerConnect Calendar to make an appointment. If you need to speak to your advisor about a quick matter you can go to their virtual drop-in hours which are found on the College of Science website.

Generally students take between 14-16 credit hours per semester. However, depending on a student's situation more or less may be appropriate for a given semester. To be a full time student, 12 credit hours must be taken during the spring and fall semesters. A student cannot take above 18 credit hours without special permission from the College of Science. Please see your advisor for more information.

Ways to Pay Tuition and Fees is listed on the Purdue Bursar's website.

The Bursar's Office can defer your tuition and or/fees. However, before you can ask for a fee deferment, your fees must be assessed. For questions, please contact the Bursar's Office, Hovde Hall room 14, or by calling (765) 494-7579.

Please note: You must also have a current mailing address on file in the Office of the Registrar's system. Visit myPurdue and go to "Personal Information" under "Quick Links." Or, use the kiosk located outside the Registrar's office on the ground floor of Hovde Hall.

Please click here for scholarship information for continuing students.

Holds are placed on your account to restrict your access/use of an academic function (ex. registration). Holds are placed on a student's account for a variety of reasons including, but not limited to: non-payment of fines, bills, or parking tickets, disciplinary action taken by the Office of the Dean of Students, or failure to meet immunization requirements.

You can view Holds on your account by going to the academic tab within myPurdue and clicking "View Holds". Please visit the student Hold website for more information pertaining to your particular Hold.

The Office of the Dean of Students is able to assist students in instances of Grief, Military, Parenting Leave and Jury Duty Absences. To request that a notice of leave be sent, a student should submit the corresponding absence request form 

Other Absences: We know sometimes it may be necessary for a student to be absent for personal reasons beyond their control. Absences outside of those covered by the grief, military, and jury duty absence policies are at the discretion of the instructor. Purdue expects each student to be responsible for class-related work missed as a result of an unavoidable absence. Students should contact their instructors directly to discuss the absence and completion of missed coursework. This work may be made up at the discretion of the instructor. Students who feel that they have been wrongly denied an excused absence or the opportunity to make up missed work should contact the head of the department offering the course to attempt to resolve the matter. The absence policy established by the University can be found on the Student Regulations website. 

Also be aware of the dates in which the University is in session and when breaks take place. The academic calendar can be found on the Registrar's website.

As an international student you have fulfilled the objective of the College of Science foreign language requirement by living in a different culture and possibly speaking a second language. Therefore, the language requirement for the College of Science has been waived. However, you do not receive the credit hours for fulfilling this requirement. You can make up these credit hours through free electives, a minor, or double major.

A change of major, or Change of Degree Objective (CODO), occurs when a current Purdue student considers a transfer from one program to another inside or outside the College of Science. To successfully make such a transition, students must be aware of the policies and requirements of the program they are interested in as CODO requirements vary greatly, even between programs in the same college/school. Students are encouraged to discuss their academic plans with their current academic advisor so requirements for a new program may be explored and a plan created to help make a smooth transition to a new program. Students are strongly encouraged to meet with an advisor, when possible, in the new program or to attend a CODO meeting to ensure a successful and timely process.

Students have the opportunity to show proficiency in a subject that they do not already have credit in by taking Advanced Credit or CLEP exams. Many departments will award credit for successfully passing these exams, however you will want to check with each department to confirm this. For more information about Advanced Credit exams visit the Purdue Testing Center website. Information on CLEP exams can be found here.

University Regulations states that a student may attempt a course up to three times. When the course is repeated the new grade will be calculated into the GPA and the other attempt(s) will not be included unless the course is a repeatable course. The most recent attempt of the course is the one that is factored into the GPA even if it is a lower grade than what was originally received. All attempts of a class will be shown on the transcript.

Students in the College of Science can choose to take free electives in the Pass/No Pass mode. This option is not available for classifications 1 and 2, nor to students on probation. Only 20% of your total credits may be taken Pass/No Pass and only two courses per academic year.

Please see your advisor for more information.

Students can add or drop 16-week courses through the 9th week of the semester. Please see your advisor for more information. For exact dates you can view the Add/Drop calendar on the Registrar's Office website.

Information and resources regarding Academic Probation.

Of course! Studying abroad during college is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that is not to be missed! The University and College of Science both highly recommend this co-curricular opportunity, which often occurs during the junior year. There are several opportunities for students, including exchange programs where students pay the same tuition as if they were at Purdue. The College of Science also has pre-articulated agreements so students can study science abroad and not lose time in their degree program. Check out the opportunities through the College of Science as well as the University.

Internships are a great way to develop experience outside of the classroom and are highly desirable by professional programs, graduate schools, and companies. Click here to learn about internship opportunities in the College of Science.

Throughout the academic year, there are many different career fairs and opportunities to network with employers; these events can be held by a specific program or University wide (ex. Industrial Roundtable). You can visit the Center for Career Opportunities to find out more information about these opportunities.

Getting involved in a research project as an undergraduate gives you hands-on experience and provides a change of pace from formal classroom courses. Click here to find out more about undergraduate research in the College of Science. Check out the University website for undergraduate research opportunities across campus.

If you are currently enrolled at the Purdue West Lafayette campus or a Polytechnic Statewide location, you may submit your request directly on myPurdue under the Academic tab.  For more information on requesting transcripts.  

Current students can use Student Self-Service in myPurdue for enrollment certification services.

MPP is a tool that allows students to track their progress towards degree completion. MPP lists your degree requirements and what classes meet them. Once a student has completed a requirement, MPP will indicate that it has been completed.

The SEP is an application within MPP that students can use to create a semester-by-semester plan of how they will complete the requirements. This can be accessed by clicking on the "Plans" tab within MPP.

Please visit for more information and videos regarding MyPurduePlan (MPP)