The Registrar's Office, located in room 104 of Woodburn Hall, is responsible for student registration, enrollment verification, academic records maintenance, transfer credit evaluation, academic catalogs, awarding degrees, WebAdvisor assistance, withdrawals, and transcript services.

Address
Registrar's Office
Black Hills State University
1200 University Street, Unit 9666
Spearfish, SD 57799-9666

Office Hours
Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Mountain Time

Privacy of Student Records
Black Hills State University takes the protection of the student and their records very seriously. Parents/legal guardians may have access to the academic or financial record of their child if that student has provided written consent to the university. Grades are not released via telephone, nor are they mailed unless an official transcript has been requested.

Telephone Numbers

• 605-642-6092, transcript information, enrollment verification, routine office inquiries, graduation appointments
  • transcripts cannot be order over the phone.
• 605-642-6044, general registration, withdrawals
• 605-642-6577, transfer credit evaluation
• 605-642-6022, FAX

   

Understand what your GPA means

Students at Black Hills State University will have Attempted hours, Completed hours, GPA hours, and a Grade Point Average.

• Attempted hours is any course that the student was registered for after the census date of the term regardless of the grade assigned.
• Completed hours are for courses that are graded A, B, C, D, S, CR, or EX. Courses with grades of S, CR, or EX will count in the completed hours but are excluded from GPA hours.
• GPA hours are for courses that are graded A, B, C, D, or F.
• Remedial courses numbered below 100 are excluded from completed hours and from GPA hours.

Grade points are calculated by assigning four points for a grade of A, three points for a grade of B, two points for a grade of C, one point for a grade of D, and zero points for a grade of F times the number of credit hours for the course. The GPA (grade point average) is calculated by dividing the sum of grade points by the GPA hours.

WebAdvisor is the medium for students to do business at the university. It will enable you to register for classes (Register for sections), pay your tuition bill (SDePay), view your grades (Grades), evaluate your credit for your chosen major (Program Evaluation), and view any financial aid that you might have.

Your advisor will be able to assist you in finding courses for your major of study. To find your registration date go to “Registration Time Inquiry”. Students with holds (see My Restrictions) will need to resolve those issues prior to registering.

How to Register for Classes in WebAdvisor 

1. Go to WebAdvisor
2. Log in
   • Select the "Log In" tab at the top (or bottom) of the page
   • Enter your WebAdvisor ID and Password
     • Three unsuccessful login attempts will lock your record for 15 minutes. To avoid a lock, use the "What's My User ID" and "What's My Password" links after the 2nd unsuccessful attempt to login.
     • "Reset my password" will return a temporary password to your email account. This might got to the "junk mail" with some email accounts. The email will be from "Datatel."
3. Click on the "Students" button 
4. Click on "Register for sections" under "Registration" 
5. Select "Search and register for sections" or "Express Registration"
   • A minimum of 3 fields must be completed. Courses meeting your criteria will appear on a list. We recommend you specify these criteria:
     • Term
     • Subject
     • Course number (if you know it)
     • University
     • Location
   • "Express Registration" requires that you've already completed the search and have the 5 digit syn number for each course.
6. Check the box next to the sections you are considering.
   • Note whether the class is “open” or “closed”. You will not be allowed to register for a “closed” course.
   • This list is your “Preferred List”. Courses will remain here until you either “Register” or “Remove from List”. Select the appropriate action. (BHSU does not maintain a “Waitlist.” “Audit” courses will result in you paying for the course but not receiving credit for the course.)
   • The next screen will show you the classes which you have been registered for or error messages at the top of the page for reasons of registration failure.
7. Continue this process until you have registered for the desired number of courses. Keep in mind that an average of 16 credits each semester is required to complete a bachelor’s degree in 4 years.

To Drop a Class

1. Go to WebAdvisor
2. Log In
3. Click on the "Students" button 
4. Select "Register and Drop Sections" under "Registration"
5. Use the drop-down to select "Drop"
6. Check the box next to the course you wish to drop
7. Click "Submit"

You may drop and add courses up until the time the semester starts.

To print your schedule

1. Go to WebAdvisor
2. Log In
3. Click the "Students" button
4. Select "My class schedule" under "Academic Profile"
5. Choose the term
6. Submit
7. Click on the printer icon

To View Your Billing Screen

BHSU does not send bills to students; this information will be available approximately 30 days prior to the beginning of the semester via WebAdvisor. An email will also be sent to your BHSU email account when your bill is available.

1.  Go to WebAdvisor
2. Log In
3. Click the "Students" button
4. Select "SDePay/View Account" under "Financial Information"

Course Numbering System

• Course Numbers
  • Below 100 – Remedial
  • 100 – Freshman level courses (0-32 credit hours completed)
  • 200 – Sophomore (33-64 credit hours completed)
  • 300 – Junior (65-96 credit hours completed)
  • 400 – Senior (97 and above credit hours completed)
• Course sections
  • Sections are “smart coded” according to South Dakota Regental Universities. Black Hills State University sections begin with a “B”.
  • ENGL (subject), 101 (course number) B001 (section number)
  • Sections ending with the letter “H” are limited to those student enrolled in the honors program
  • Sections ending with the letter “L” are laboratory courses
  • 200's and 300’s are taught at the Higher Ed Center in Rapid City
  • Remedial courses have a 300 section number but are not necessarily taught in Rapid City
  • 344 are taught at SDSM&T by BHSU
  • 400 are DDN, Distance Learning
  • 500 are VTEL
  • 600 are Internet

Withdraw from a class:

While you can withdraw from all but your LAST class using WebAdvisor, you must contact the Registrar’s Office to process a complete withdrawal from the University. This request must be either 1) in person or 2) in writing. You may use this form, to process your request in writing. Telephone requests cannot be accepted as this process requires your signature.

It is important to follow the withdrawal process and deadlines. Failure to do so will result in a financial obligation to the University.

Petition for Late Withdrawal: 

Undergraduate and graduate students who drop a course, or withdraw from the system, receive a grade of “W” if that action occurs between the day after census day for that course and the day that corresponds with the completion of 70% of the class days for that course. Likewise, a student who withdraws from the system during that time period also shall receive grades of “W” for all the courses in which he/she is registered. Students at BHSU may not drop a course or withdraw after the time specified above without permission of the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs

To petition for a late drop or withdrawal, the student will submit this petition to the office of the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, along with any necessary supporting documentation. The student will be notified of the decision in writing.

How to declare a major

Many students are undecided about their majors when they enter college, and many who declared a major change their minds more than once before they graduate. Students at Black Hills State University are required to have one major, and in some cases a minor. It is a good idea to declare a major no later than your sophomore year to avoid adding extra time and expense to your college education. To help in decision-making, students can explore the Bureau of Labor Statistics web site for employment outlook.

To declare or change your major or minor, please go to the Registrar's Office, located in Woodburn 104. View a complete listing of majors and minors and the course requirements.