Advising

At K-State, we believe academic advising is critical to student success. So, we assign students an academic advisor in their declared program of study or major.

While students must meet with an academic advisor once a semester in preparation to enroll for the next semester, students may choose to meet with an advisor more often to discuss topics such as:

Adding or removing majors, minors, secondary majors, or certificates.
Withdrawing from a course.
Getting involved on campus.
Managing academic or personal challenges.
Preparing for education abroad, internship, research, or other applied learning opportunities.
Setting academic or career goals.

Review the advising syllabus to learn more about advisor and student responsibilities and objectives of academic advising.

K-State Division of Academic Success and Student Affairs

Scheduling an appointment

Current students may schedule advising appointments using Navigate or by emailing their advisor. To schedule a meeting through Navigate:

Log into Navigate.
On the left menu select "appointments".
Click "Schedule an Appointment".
In the first drop down select "Academic Advising".
Select which type of service you are seeking.
Pick a date and find an available time.
Confirm final details and click "Schedule" at the bottom of your screen.

Student expectations

Once a semester, students are required to meet with their advisor to select classes for the next semester.

Before your appointment with your advisor, you should:

Prepare in advance by checking your current DARS report in KSIS to determine unfulfilled curriculum requirements and writing a list of questions you have for your advisor.
Find your unique enrollment date located in your KSIS Student Center in the right column and mark your calendar accordingly.
Draft a list of classes you are interested in taking before your advising appointment. Look for what classes are being offered through the Course Schedules website. We recommend you have a few alternates in mind in case your first choice is not available.
Check out the Undergraduate Catalog to familiarize yourself with requirements for your major, find course descriptions, and find course prerequisites. The Undergraduate Catalog also describes K-State policies, procedures, and regulations.
Know your advisor. If you are pursuing multiple majors or have a pre-professional designation, you may have more than one academic advisor. Make sure you know who your advisor is, where their office is located, and what program(s) they advise.

Planning for your future semesters

Get a head start planning out each semester to ensure you're on track for graduation! Use a long range plan pdf or long range plan excel sheet to help you track each semester's courses.

1. Run a degree audit (DARS) to determine what requirements you have already completed, are in progress to complete, and need to plan for a future semester.

2. Use the University Catalog to find degree requirements, course descriptions, course prerequisites, credit hours, and when courses are typically offered.

3. Keep in mind that every degree is a minimum of 120 credit hours, and typically consists of:

General Education requirements for students who began their program in summer 2024 or before or K-State Core requirements for student who began their program in fall 2024 or later
Program/Major course required by your department and college
Free Electives - these electives can be any course as long as you have the prerequisite. Check out this list of popular electives to get you started!

4. Schedule an appointment with your academic advisor to check your long range plan.

5. It is OKAY if your plans need to change!

Working with your academic advisor

All undergraduate students have an assigned advisor. To identify this person or persons, log into Navigate and locate the Resources button. Your advisor will be listed under the "People" link.

Having concerns with your current academic advisor assignment?

See these steps to take before requesting to change academic advisors.

Colleges put in a lot of effort to ensure advising loads are balanced for academic advisors within their unit. They tend to be careful when making changes to advising assignments, as those adjustments can affect both students and advisors. Some majors may have only one advisor available.

The university advising office has set expectations for students and advisors. Please review the student expectations listed on this page and follow the tips below to ensure every effort has been made to resolve the concern before requesting an advisor change.

If possible, try scheduling your advising appointments to be in person so you’re talking face-to-face with your advisor. If you need to meet virtually, make sure you have a working webcam.
Before your appointment, take some time to write out how you want to approach the conversation. Clarify the problem you are having or the questions you want to ask and consider what outcome you want from the appointment.
Approach the conversation with an open and positive mindset. Assume your advisor wants to see you succeed and has no ill-intentions.
Be mindful of your language and avoid sounding accusatory. For instance, instead of saying, “You never checked in on me,” you could say “Looking back at the semester, I could have benefited from regular check-ins. Is that something we can set up for next semester?”
Reflect on and acknowledge the part you played in the conflict. Are there any student expectations you did not fulfill?
Don’t hesitate to ask for further clarification or further explanation if there is something you don’t understand. Collaborate with your advisor to take notes during the appointment recapping what you discussed and listing out your next steps.

If you have followed the above recommendations and still want to request an advisor change, contact the Arts & Sciences Center for Student Success and Engagement, artsci@k-state.edu, from your K-State email and include your major and Wildcat ID#. Explain that you have reviewed the student expectations for academic advising and any attempts made to resolve your concerns. You will be directed to the appropriate staff within the dean’s office for assistance.