What do MRU’s new registration fees and process mean for students?
By Ryleigh Kampman, Contributor
Mount Royal students are bracing for changes to registration this coming year with an added deposit of $125 per semester, while also having to adjust for planning their courses for both fall and winter of 2019- 2020. The deposit is non-refundable but will be applied as a credit towards tuition.
To register for both the Fall 2019 and Winter 2020 semesters, students will need to pay a total deposit of $250. An email, which was sent out on Feb. 4th — a mere month before registration dates — have students reeling to accommodate the added expense.
The email states: “Beginning Mar. 4, 2019, you will now pay a $125 per semester Registration Deposit before you register for your courses. This deposit is non-refundable and will be applied as a credit towards your tuition. The deposit is intended to increase course availability by limiting registration in courses that students may not be certain about attending. As a result, to register for both the Fall 2019 and the Winter 2020 semesters, you will need to pay a total deposit of $250.”
It also states that students will not be able to see the registration access date until they pay this deposit, which can be paid online through the students’ MyMRU accounts.
Students can pay the registration deposit as early as Mar. 4, however, class registration for continuing students will begin Mar. 11. Registration will not be accessible until this deposit has been made.
The new full-year registration process is hoping to address some of the flaws in the current system.
MRU hopes the transition will deter students from over registering for classes they may later drop. Currently, if classes fill up during registration, students who hope to take the class are put on a waitlist. Unfortunately, class seats often don’t open up until well into the semester or the drop date has passed and waiting students cannot add classes any longer. MRU hopes the new deposit fee will free up waitlists and courses.
This change may require students to have a fairly clear idea of what classes they will be taking for both semesters, meaning they will have to anticipate prerequisites and whether they will be able to pass them. Some students have raised concern about how failing a prerequisite will affect their registration.
Once you register, you are still able to drop classes before the specified add/drop date. Although this change will supposedly free up registration, students are concerned that if they want to pivot, classes may be full semesters in advance and thus they will have less flexibility.
Student loan recipients are worried about the implications of paying this deposit upfront. They will have to front the $250 in advance without receiving next year’s loan allocations. SAMRU urges students to contact the Financial Aid and Awards Office if they are concerned about the financial impacts of this new deposit.
For those who are unsure about how to plan their courses for both semesters, students can book an appointment with their advisor at mru.ca/myadvisor. For those needing assistance with registration or registration access dates visit creditregistration@mtroyal.ca. Most other information on changes to the registration process is addressed in the FAQ for full year registration found by going to mtroyal.ca under the tab for academic support.
