First-Year Students

Step 1—Get Set Up

Start by paying the enrollment deposit and activating your Purchase email account, if you haven’t done so already. If you need help with this process, then watch the short video on How to Activate and Check Your Purchase Email.

Step 2—Get Registered for Classes

Login through the Admissions Portal to complete the online Advising Form. NOTE: an “Alternate PIN” is not required for first year students to register at this time.  Simply fill out the online form which authorizes the College to enroll you in a full course schedule based on your major and student type.

Note: If you have submitted multiple applications, the registration form will only be available on your deposited program. You can select the deposited program in the top right hand corner of your Admissions Portal.

Step 3—Get more Info

For more information, review the Course Registration Information and the First-Semester Courses by Major  found on this webpage.

Step 4 - Optional for BA/BS students only

Watch the videos that show you How to read your Degree Progress Report and How to Use the Course Search. The knowledge that you acquire from these videos will also be necessary for you should you want to adjust your course schedule in July.

The Alternate PIN is a unique code that enables students to make changes to their course schedule online through MyHeliotrope. The previous steps will prepare students to make informed decisions on how to modify their course schedule.

No schedule changes can be made prior to receiving the PIN.

PINS are scheduled to be sent to students’ Purchase email address in July.

Note: Incoming students in BFA/MusB (conservatory programs) have a first-semester course schedule that is entirely pre-determined. Students in these programs cannot make changes to their course schedule and they will not receive their Alternate PIN.

First-Year Course Registration Information

Students are responsible for understanding their academic degree requirements and for registering for appropriate courses.

College Writing WRI 1110 is a foundational course that provides the necessary critical thinking and writing skills for all other academic coursework at Purchase. College Writing must be completed within the first year. Note: A score of 4 or 5 on the Advanced Placement (AP) Language and Composition or Literature and Composition exam is equivalent to College Writing and will satisfy the Basic Communications core requirement.

All EOP students pursuing degrees in Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science programs will also be registered for College Writing WRI 1110 and an accompanying section of College Writing Lab WRI 1105 in their first term. Contact the Advising Center if you have already satisfied this degree requirement.

Students who receive free tuition funds from the New York State’s Excelsior Scholarship are required to complete a minimum of 30 credits by the end of each academic year in order to remain eligible for the program. Our academic year culminates with the spring term. To help ensure that students comply, first-semester registration will automatically include a course load of 15-17 credits. Students are discouraged from dropping below 15 credits. AP credits and college credits earned during high school may be counted toward the 30-credit requirement needed within the first year.

All first-year students accepted to the Global Scholars program will be registered for Global Scholars Seminar EDG 2010 in their first term, in addition to the first year or learning community seminar that corresponds with their academic area.

Registration for student athletes will include Varsity Sports if your sport is in session during the fall term.

All first-year students accepted to the SUNY Upstate Medical University College of Medicine’s Guaranteed High School MD Acceptance Program will be registered for the required General Biology I BIO 1550, General Biology I Lab BIO 1551, and Biology Freshman Seminar BIO 1880 in their first term.

 

First-Semester Courses by Major

Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA in Acting, Art+Design, Dance, Film, Theatre Design/Technology), Bachelor of Music (MusB), Bachelor of Science in Visual Arts (BSVA)

First-year students in Acting, Art+Design, Dance, Theatre Design/Technology, Music, and Film conservatory programs will be registered by the college for a full course load of predetermined courses that equals approximately 15-17 credits. Students in these programs cannot make changes to their course schedule. In addition to taking conservatory courses required for their major, some conservatory students will also complete a course that satisfies a SUNY core requirement each term. For additional course registration information we encourage students to reach out to the following conservatory chairs and coordinators:

 

Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Bachelor of Science (BS)

See the Course Search for course descriptions, faculty, days/times, credits, and the 5-digit course registration number (CRN). First-year students pursuing a B.A. or B.S. degree can find the full list of appropriate first-semester courses by selecting “Freshman Studies” within the Course Search. Only courses within this list have been approved for first-year students pursuing B.A./B.S. degrees.

  • Introduction to Social and Cultural Anthropology ANT 1500
  • First-Year Seminar EDG 1030
  • College Writing WRI 1110
  • A variety of liberal arts electives

  • History of Art Survey I (Ancient through Medieval) ARH 1010
  • First-Year Seminar EDG 1030
  • College Writing WRI 1110
  • A variety of liberal arts electives

  • Discovering the Arts (Lecture and Discussion) AOA 1000
  • College Writing WRI 1110
  • First-Year Seminar EDG 1030
  • A variety of liberal arts electives

  • General Biology I BIO 1550 Lecture
  • General Biology I BIO 1551 Lab
  • Biology Freshman Seminar BIO 1880*
  • A variety of liberal arts electives

* Biology majors enroll in Biology Freshman Seminar BIO 1880 en lieu of First-Year Seminar EDG 1030

  • General Chemistry I CHE 3310 Lecture
  • General Chemistry I CHE 1551 Lab
  • Pre-Calc or Calculus I MAT 1500
  • First-Year Seminar EDG 1030
  • A variety of liberal arts electives

  • Introduction to Cinema Studies CIN 1500
  • First-Year Seminar EDG 1030
  • A variety of liberal arts electives

  • Intro to Communication COM 1500
  • First-Year Seminar EDG 1030
  • College Writing WRI 1110
  • A variety of liberal arts electives

  • Narrative Techniques CWR 1100
  • First-Year Seminar EDG 1030
  • College Writing WRI 1110
  • A variety of liberal arts electives

  • Precalculus MAT 1150
  • First-Year Seminar EDG 1030
  • Macroeconomic Theory I ECO 1500 or Microeconomics I ECO 1510
  • A variety of liberal arts electives

  • Introduction to Environmental Science ENV 1500
  • Macroeconomic Theory ECO 1500 or Microeconomics ECO 1510 or Introduction to U.S. Politics POL 1570
  • First-Year Seminar EDG 1030
  • A variety of liberal arts electives

Note: Environmental Studies majors should not enroll in The Search for Life in the Universe ENV 1120

  • Introduction to Gender and Sexuality GND 1200
  • First-Year Seminar EDG 1030
  • A variety of liberal arts electives

  • Any one lower-level history course
  • First-Year Seminar EDG 1030
  • A variety of liberal arts electives

  • Introduction to Media JOU 1500
  • Journalism I JOU2515
  • First-Year Seminar EDG 1030
  • College Writing WRI 1110
  • A variety of liberal arts electives

  • First-Year Seminar EDG 1030
  • Intermediate French I FRE 2010* or Intermediate Spanish I SPA 2010*
  • A variety of liberal arts electives

* Please email the Advising Center at advising@purchase.edu to indicate whether you are concentrating in French or Spanish.

  • Introduction to Latin American Studies HIS 1600
  • First-Year Seminar EDG 1030
  • A variety of liberal arts electives

One of the following literature courses:

  • Any one lower-level literature course

And the following courses:

  • College Writing WRI 1110
  • First-Year Seminar EDG 1030

  • First-Year Seminar EDG 1030
  • Computer Science I MAT 1520
  • Pre-Calc or Calculus I MAT 1500
  • A variety of liberal arts electives

  • Introduction to Media Studies MSA 1050
  • First-Year Seminar EDG 1030
  • College Writing WRI 1110
  • A variety of liberal arts electives

  • Introduction to Media Studies MSA 1050
  • First-Year Seminar EDG 1030
  • College Writing WRI 1110
  • A variety of liberal arts electives

One of the following new media courses:

  • Design Principles NME 1160
  • Programming for Visual Artists NME 1450
  • Introduction to Digital Photography PHO 1100

  • History of Philosophy I: Philosophy and the Polis PHI 1515
  • First-Year Seminar EDG 1030
  • College Writing WRI 1110
  • A variety of liberal arts electives

  • Playwriting I PSW 1000 or Screenwriting I PSW 1010
  • History of Film Art CIN 1030 (seats permitting)
  • First-Year Seminar EDG 1030
  • College Writing WRI 1110
  • A variety of liberal arts electives

  • Introduction to U.S. Politics POL 1570
  • First-Year Seminar EDG 1030
  • College Writing WRI 1110
  • A variety of liberal arts electives

  • Any one lower-level course in psychology, anthropology, philosophy, or sociology
  • First-Year Seminar EDG 1030
  • A variety of liberal arts electives

  • Introduction to Sociology SOC 1500
  • First-Year Seminar EDG 1030
  • College Writing WRI 1110
  • A variety of liberal arts electives

  • Introduction to Theatre and Performance Studies THP 2020
  • Fundamentals of Acting ACT 1055
  • First-Year Seminar EDG 1030
  • College Writing WRI 1110
  • A variety of liberal arts electives

  • Discovering the Arts (Lecture and Discussion) AOA 1000
  • First-Year Seminar EDG 1030
  • College Writing WRI 1110
  • Any lower-level course that satisfies the Humanities core
  • A variety of liberal arts electives

 

Transfers

Advising and Course Registration Appointments for transfer students will begin on June 1st, 2022. 

The Transfer Credit Policy and the Transfer Equivalencies Database indicate how the Registrar’s Office will apply transfer credit earned from courses taken at other colleges to your new academic degree requirements at Purchase College. While all transfer credits from former institutions are evaluated for credit articulation, some major-specific credits may be ineligible to transfer. In some cases, an evaluation for major-specific courses may be completed by your academic department or by an academic advisor who specializes in your conservatory program.

Note: Undergraduate transfer students in Acting, Design Technology, Film, and Dance must complete eight semesters of coursework within their major at Purchase College in order to graduate.

Start by paying the enrollment deposit and activating your Purchase email account, if you haven’t done so already. If you need help with this process, then watch the short video on How to Activate and Check Your Purchase Email.

Send all AP scores from College Board to Purchase College. Our college code is 2878.

Send official college transcripts with final grades from each college you attended. Request that official transcripts be emailed directly to the Registrar’s Office at registrar@purchase.edu. Or request the transcripts to be mailed to the address below. Unfortunately, email attachments from the student are considered unofficial and cannot be used to evaluate credits.

SUNY Purchase College
Registrar’s Office
735 Anderson Hill Rd
Purchase, NY 10577

  • Review the academic requirements for your major. Go to Academics, select your major, then click on “Requirements” from the right side bar.
  • Watch the short video that will teach you How to Use the Course Search.
  • Login to MyHeliotrope to review your Degree Progress Report to see how your transfer credits are being applied to your new degree program, and to understand your remaining degree requirements.
  • Use the Course Search and the Add/Drop form to prepare a list of open and available courses that satisfy your academic interests and degree requirements that you can review during your advising appointment.
  • Prepare a list of questions to ask during your advisement appointment.

Schedule a Zoom appointment to discuss your academic plan with a member of the Advising Center through our online calendar in Starfish. You will receive your Alternate PIN during your advisement appointment, which will enable you to register yourself for courses online through MyHeliotrope.

Music Majors: Schedule your appointment directly with Nick.Dorot@purchase.edu.
Visual Arts Majors: Schedule your appointment directly with Alexandria.Schaefer@purchase.edu.

Schedule Your Appointment

On-Campus Housing

Fall 2022

All new students who receive an on-campus housing assignment must be registered for at least 12 credits by August 1, 2022. For more information, go to the Living on Campus page.