Incoming Student Resources

First-year Students

A student’s first point of contact for academic advising needs is their primary advisor, which is listed on their One Bellarmine account. Academic advisors are an important resource for navigating a student’s major and working with the student to design and track progress on a four-year plan.

SSC Advising oversees advising for first-year, undeclared and transfer/readmitted/non-traditional students. If you are not assigned an advisor in the SSC, you will either have an athlete advisor or, a faculty advisor if you are an upper-class student. Please note the SSC does advise particular second-year majors.

Academic Advisor's Roles and Responsibilities

• Help you develop suitable educational plans and select appropriate courses by reviewing the four-year layout in your major with goal of you graduating in four years.
• Help you reflect on your career interests (i.e. What can I do with this major?).
• Talk with you about your interest in possible learning abroad opportunities.
• Provide you with opportunities to critically reflect on academic choices and to develop decision-making and problem-solving skills.
• Clarify and interpret institutional policies and procedures.
• Provide you with opportunities to develop problem-solving skills.
• Help you connect with campus (i.e. tutoring, writing center, academic & student organizations) and community resources.

Student Advisee's Roles and Responsibilities

• Be proactive and initiate contact with academic advisor.
• Give thoughtful consideration to your academic, career, and learning abroad interests.
• Prepare a list of questions and concerns to discuss before each meeting with the advisor.
• Be an active participant in the advising process.
• Know the academic calendar deadlines (i.e. registration, drop/add, withdrawal dates).
• Understand the four-year layout of your major and schedule courses that are consistent with your educational goals and meet degree requirements.
• Accept responsibility for making final decisions on academic choices.

Additional Resources

• Make an Appointment With Your Advisor
• What to Expect in Your First Advising Meeting
• Advising Checklist
• Making an Impact

Transfers, non-traditional and readmit students, upon being admitted to Bellarmine, work directly with the Student Success Center Academic Advisors to define their initial areas of interest for the coming semester they will be enrolling in. The Academic Advisors also discuss with students their graduation timeline connected with their area of interest as outlined in the Course Catalog based on the student’s current college credits earned.

Students are provided an opportunity for orientation before their initial semester begins. This is a great way to enable students to understand resources available to them and engage in the university to aid in their success.

Once their initial semester begins, the student is assigned an academic advisor within their major.

Make an appointment with your SSC or Athletics advisor

If you are entering Bellarmine without declaring a major, you are an “undeclared major.” Research shows that 80 percent of freshmen – even those who have declared a major – say that they are uncertain about their major, and approximately 50 percent of students change their majors over the course of their academic career. Entering Bellarmine as undeclared has many advantages. Time spent as an undeclared student should be used to explore opportunities and career options available. We believe the liberal arts education provided at Bellarmine creates the perfect canvas for students to explore and experiment with the various degree options.

For students who are undeclared, we recommend using the beginning semesters to explore two types of courses: 1) general education requirements and 2) courses in an area of interest. General education courses consist of a minimum of 43 hours of coursework in areas such as philosophy, theology, mathematics, social science, natural science, history, and fine arts. Besides exposing students to a variety of unique disciplines, our general education courses help students build lifelong thinking and learning skills and a common body of knowledge that is critical for understanding one’s self and the community at large. The liberal arts education is viewed quite favorably by employers who say they favor Bellarmine graduates because of their writing abilities, critical thinking skills, and well-rounded nature. In addition to these liberal arts core requirements, undeclared students should also choose courses of interest in order to explore major options. Courses of interest can be selected from the majors and minors found in the Bellarmine catalog. SSC Advisors are the primary advisors for all undeclared students. Please contact your SSC advisor with further questions.

Make an appointment with your advisor

The Academic Support for Student-Athletes department has advisors on staff to work specifically with student athletes. These advisors work to ensure that student-athletes are enrolled full-time and on track to graduate; they also assist with time management, study skills, selection of major/change of major, course selection, withdraw from courses, use of tutoring and writing center, and review of degree completion. The advisors communicate with coaches regarding registration/scheduling, travel schedules, midterm and semester grades, individual player concerns. The advisors communicate with faculty to track at-risk students’ academic progress and monitor required study hours for these students. The advisors also meet with transfer athletes to register for classes and assist with transition and meet with incoming recruits and their parents to answer any academic questions they may have.

Make an appointment with your advisor

View courses

The catalog contains important information about, and is the official source of, the university’s academic programs, courses, policies, and procedures. The catalog should be used as a guide in planning a course of study and in meeting requirements for graduation.

All statements in this catalog reflect policies in effect at the time of publication and are subject to change without notice or obligation. This includes statements of fees, course offerings, and program, admission, and graduation requirements applicable to both currently enrolled and new students. Generally, students are held to the requirements of the catalog year in which they began their Bellarmine degree program. Exceptions must be approved by the department chair and dean of the student's major (using the waiver and exceptions process) and documented with the Registrar's Office.

Bellarmine University students are responsible for knowing the policies and procedures of the university found in the catalog. Failure to read it does not excuse students from the requirements and provisions described herein. Therefore, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with its contents early in their collegiate careers.

View current catalog

Financial Aid Department

Undergraduate Academic Policies