What is myPath? myPath is a tool designed to assist students in preparing for and tracking their progress toward graduation. It encompasses both a degree analysis audit and an educational planner.

Is there a difference between myPath and myBanner? MyBanner is the umbrella name for all functions which students have access to online. MyPath is the specific degree audit/educational planning tool.

Can students access myPath on any computer? Yes. Access to myPath is available through the Web by logging into myBanner, selecting the Student tab, Student Records, and then myPath.

Is the student information confidential?
Yes. Like other processes used in myBanner, myPath is accessed through a secure login. Advisors, faculty, and selected staff will be able to view the student information contained in myPath.

How current will information be in myPath? The information in myPath is refreshed each night. Any changes made during the day (e.g., grade changes, change of major, or classes added/dropped) will be visible in myPath the following day.

Can students register for classes in myPath? No. myPath is a snapshot of courses in-progress, planned, and in academic history. Registration will continue through myBanner.

Can students see how many classes are left to fulfill their requirements? Yes, myPath is laid out in block format displaying degree, major, minor, and emphasis requirements. Unchecked, red circles identify requirements that still need to be completed.

Will students be able to plan for future courses? Yes. See the Using the Planner section for information.

Are grades visible in myPath? Yes. Grades are available for all past semesters. Courses in-progress are listed with an ‘IP’ grade. Final grades for a current semester are viewable in myPath on the official date specified on the academic calendar for that semester. Grade changes made during a semester for past semesters are available the day after they are processed following the nightly refresh.

Is myPath a transcript? Is this the same as my transcript? No, myPath is an unofficial audit of the student’s coursework, as well as an outline of requirements still needed to complete their program of study. Through myBanner, students may view an unofficial transcript or request official transcripts.

Can students see a list of all of their classes taken? Yes, on the myPath views tab, click on the vertical 3 dot icon in the top right corner in myPath and click on Class History for a printable list of courses taken at GVSU as well as courses transferred into GVSU.

What do students do if their academic information is incorrect? Students should consult with their academic advisor for a review of their audit. Any exception to major, minor, or emphasis requirements should also be discussed with their academic advisor.

What if a student's information is not up-to-date? There may be three reasons.

1. myPath may not have refreshed since a change was made (the information is refreshed nightly).
2. There may be some paperwork that needs to be completed. For example, if students have completed transfer courses, then it is possible that the university has not received an official transcript or the coursework is pending departmental review. Students should check with the Registrar's Office if their transcript or audit does not reflect transfer work completed.
3. An exception may need to be applied. Please verify with your academic advisor that the appropriate exception has been forwarded to the Registrar's Office.

How can students update information within myPath? Updating course information cannot be done in myPath. To change a major/minor/emphasis, students must use myBanner and follow the major declaration process. Go to Student Records and select Change Major.

If there are additional questions about myPath who do students contact? Contact the Registrar's Office, or send an e-mail to [email protected].

How do students interpret the degree audit in myPath?
The audit has two different views:

1. Student View showing the complete audit, and
2. Registration Checklist showing the courses left to complete their degree.

MyPath uses a “best fit algorithm” to place student’s courses in the proper area. This data can change from day to day as changes/updates are made to student’s registration/record. When there are choices of where to apply a course, the "best fit algorithm" uses many pieces of information to determine the best place to apply each course in order to complete your degree in the most timely manner.

MyPath has different sections to assist students with reading their audit:

1. Student Header displays their degree choice, degree level, major(s), minor(s), concentration area(s), advisor information, and program attribute(s).
2. Degree Progress displays the percent of degree requirements that are complete.
3. Degree Block shows students their degree requirements and how they have been fulfilled through the current semester.
4. University Requirements shows the Basic Skills Requirements (Two Supplemental Writing Skills Courses, and for catalogs prior to Fall 2011: WRT 150 and MTH 110).
5. General Education block indicates courses that fulfill the general education requirements towards the degree.
6. Major/Minor block indicates the major requirements and shows the progress of the courses taken and which courses remain incomplete. This includes degree cognates requirements.
7. Professional Program – Teacher Certification block shows progress towards completion of teacher certification requirements.
8. Free Electives block shows courses that count toward the minimum credits required to graduate but are not used for any specific requirements.
9. Courses not used block shows courses taken that are not used and/or not applicable towards graduation.
10. In-Progress block shows the courses for which students are currently registered.
11. Legend assists students in reading the audit and interpreting some of the unique symbols.

What do the different GPAs mean in each section? The GPA in each section reflects the calculated GPA of the courses within that block (ex. major, minor).

What is the Planner? The educational planner assists students in planning their courses for future semesters to complete the desired program.

What is the ‘What If’ option ? The “What If” function allows students to hypothetically change their degree, catalog year, major, minor, or emphasis. The “What If” audit will show what coursework is required for the new major, minor or emphasis, how courses previously taken are applicable to those requirements, and what courses are still left to take. The “What If” does not change the major/minor. Please note: In order to declare a major, students must go through the major declaration process in myBanner.

I noticed on the legend a yellow circle with an ! inside, and the definition is “Nearly Complete – see advisor.” What does that mean? This means although specific course requirements may be complete, there are additional rules to complete that particular program section.  One example is when all of the classes are met, but because of a class waiver or because a transfer class was not worth as many credits as a GVSU class, the minimum credit hour requirement has not been met, and it causes the Nearly Complete symbol.

Why doesn’t the emphasis show once a student has picked a major? While all GVSU majors and emphases show as options, only valid majors and emphasis combinations will display on myPath. Please consult the catalog you are following for valid combinations of majors and emphases or contact your advisor for assistance selecting the correct emphasis area for your major.

How are repeated courses handled? MyPath reflects the repeats that have been processed in Banner. If the repeat has not yet been processed –e.g. the repeat is in progress or grades are not yet final, then both instances may count on the audit if the student did not fail the first attempt. For example, a major may require the specific course in one requirement and have another requirement that allows students to choose from a range of classes. If the repeated course falls in that range it will count twice until the end of the semester. At the end of the semester, only one degree requirement will remain fulfilled. In addition, if a passing grade was received in the first instance of the course, credit hours for both courses will be counted in a student's total credit hours on the Degree Evaluation until a grade is received for the repeat course.

What is counted in the "Credits Applied" field at the top of the audit? The credits applied field at the top of the audit includes all graded and in progress courses that are counting toward the degree. Free electives are included in this total. Any course that falls into the Courses not used category will not count toward the total credits applied. If a repeat is in progress, both instances of the repeat will be included in this total. Once the repeated course has been graded and the previous course has been excluded, only the most recent course will count toward the total credits applied.

Can course(s) be used to satisfy more than one requirement? Yes, depending on the particular restrictions. For example, courses taken to fulfill General Education requirements will also count in the major and minor, but typically, courses may only count for one requirement within a major or minor.

How are prerequisites handled? If a course is listed with an small clipboard icon, the course has a prerequisite. Students can click on the course with the clipboard icon to see the current catalog description of the course. Students will want to review their plan with their academic advisor to ensure that they have courses in the proper sequence. They can also review the course descriptions in the catalog and on myBanner for prerequisite information for each of the courses. Prerequisites shown as part of the course catalog listing are not enforced within the myPath planner although they will be enforced during registration.

What does the section of the audit called ‘Courses not used – Insufficient Grade’ mean? These are courses that may or may not fulfill degree requirements, but do not fulfill specific course requirements. These could include passed placement exams, low grades, withdrawals, repeated courses, etc. An example may be a course applied toward a degree requirement, such as passing the MTH 110 placement exam.

Will students be able to view their entire course history? MyPath uses current information from myBanner. Students will be able to view any courses that have been completed, registered, or transferred by the date the audit was last refreshed. Data is refreshed nightly. Keep in mind that any transfer work or grade changes that have not been formally submitted and accepted will not appear on the audit.

If a student thinks the audit is incorrect, who does the student contact? The academic advisor is the primary point of contact. If the academic advisor determines that an audit is incorrect, then the academic advisor will contact the Registrar's Office for assistance.

What if there isn’t a check mark next to a requirement a student feels has already been completed? This indicates that a degree requirement has not been met. The academic advisor is  the primary point of contact. If the academic advisor determines that the audit is incorrect, they will contact the Registrar's Office for follow-up. Refer to the legend located at the top of the audit for a full explanation of the symbols.

How do students know what classes need to be taken? The audit will outline the courses needed to meet degree, major, minor, and/or emphasis requirements within each specific block. Unmet requirements will have a red circle icon. This information can be used to discuss the plan with an academic advisor.

If a student changed their advisor and/or major, why is the previous advisor/major showing instead of the new one? Please check with the Registrar's Office for further review.

Where can a student see their second major or minor? MyPath is designed to show a listing of the majors and minors in the Student View audit. Additionally, each major and minor is broken out into individual requirement blocks within the audit. Students pursuing simultaneous degrees will need to click on the Degree drop-down box at the top of the Student View audit in order to view the additional requirements.

Why isn’t transfer work meeting a requirement? All requirements may have been met and this course is simply not needed. Check with your academic advisor if questions remain about the application of your transfer work.

If a student withdraws from a class, will that be reflected in the audit? Courses withdrawn will appear in the “Courses not used – Insufficient Grade” block on the audit.

Why doesn’t a permitted course substitution appear on the audit? A student should contact their academic advisor to resolve any substitution issue. Any waivers, substitutions, or exceptions for a major, minor, or emphasis must be communicated by the academic department to Records.

What is the process to apply for graduation? Students should apply for graduation when they register for their final semester of coursework, and may do so by accessing their myBanner and selecting Student, Student Records, and Apply to Graduate. The Registrar's Office will begin the auditing process as soon as the application is received for any graduation terms in which registration is open. Students will receive a letter confirming that we have received their application and another letter when we have begun to review their degree requirements.  If this review indicates that there are outstanding requirements for graduation or if there are any general university requirements remaining, students will be notified and will be ineligible to graduate unless they are resolved. Contact the advisor for assistance.  Students will also be notified once they are on track for graduation, meaning no deficiencies exist as long as students complete their in-progress coursework successfully.

Once grades are final, the Registrar's Office will perform a final review of the audit to make certain that all requirements have been completed and award the degree. If there are still outstanding requirements, a letter will be sent detailing what remains to be completed. Students will have 30 business days from the last date of the semester to complete requirements for their degree. If unable to complete all requirements, students will receive a final notification and will need to reapply for graduation for a subsequent semester.

If all of the boxes are checked, does that mean the student is graduating? The audit is intended as a guide. If the student completes all outstanding requirements in their final semester and all repeats have been properly processed, the audit should show all degree requirements as complete.  However, the student will still need to inform the Registrar's Office of their intent to graduate by completing a graduation application as described in the previous question. It is important that the student work with an academic advisor on an ongoing basis to make certain all information is up-to-date. 

What is the Planner? The educational planner assists students in planning their courses for future semesters to complete the desired program. It allows students to arrange course requirements into future semester blocks. Students may find this helpful as they forecast their academic career. It is recommended that students create an active plan and keep it up-to-date. 

How do students create a plan? Students will see both an audit and planning blocks on the computer screen. Students can type courses directly into the planner boxes. The courses should be entered as they appear in the catalog (e.g., CHM 115, not Chemistry 115).

Can a student create multiple plans? Yes, however, only one plan at a time may be kept as an active plan. Mark the plan that will be followed as the active plan. 

Will plans be saved? Yes. myPath will allow students to save all plans they create; however, only one plan may be marked as active.

Will the academic advisor be able to see a student’s plan(s)? Yes. The academic advisor can see the plan(s) and participate with students in the planning process. The notes feature will help the student and their advisor to keep additional information. The academic advisor may choose to lock the plan after discussing it with you. Once the plan is locked, students will need to return to their advisor to make any additional changes.

What does it mean when a Plan is locked? If a student wishes to make changes to a locked plan they will need to see their academic advisor.

How often should the planner be updated? At a minimum, students should review and update their planner every semester before meeting with their academic advisor. The Planner should be updated after students change their major, drop a course, receive an unsatisfactory grade in a course, or make any other changes that affect the degree progress. Once a semester ends and grades are placed on the academic records, students will no longer be able to update information for that term. The information for that term will appear at the bottom of the plan as completed coursework.

If a student places a course(s) in their planner, are they automatically registered for that course in that future semester? No. The planner is for planning purposes only. There is no guarantee students will be able to register for a desired course. The course still needs proper registration and prerequisite checking completed. Students will continue to register through myBanner during their assigned registration time.

Is the course placed in the planner guaranteed to be offered for that future semester? No. The planner is for planning purposes only. Final course schedules are available to students online shortly before registration. If it is discovered that a planned course is not being offered, an alternative course should be chosen. The original course, if still needed, should be moved to a future term.

Can the plan be printed? Yes. There is a print button at the top of the planner.

How should a student indicate that they intend to take a class at another institution this summer? So the academic advisor/department is able to track what a student intends to take at another institution, the student should enter the subject they intend to take beginning with a hyphen in the course field.
For example: “- Math” (make sure to include a space between the hyphen and the subject). In the Notes field, enter the institution and course number at the other institution, such as, “University of Michigan – Ann Arbor, MTH 125”.

What is the Term Calculator? The Term Calculator will show an estimated cumulative GPA after filling in the hypothetical grade information. By putting in current earned credits and GPA and placing in-progress courses in the table along with the anticipated grade indicated for each course, a revised cumulative GPA will be calculated based on the estimates provided.

What is the Advice Calculator? The Advice calculator indicates the number of credits and grades needed to obtain (if possible) a student’s desired GPA.

What is the GPA Calculator? This will indicate what is needed to obtain a desired GPA in the credits that remain in a student's program.

Why can’t a student select a grade of “P” or “CR”? These grades do not count in the GPA. These courses should not be included in the expected course list when calculating GPA.

Are any of the calculated GPAs guaranteed? No, they are estimates only.