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Office of the Registrar

The Office of the Registrar is a resource to assist all current and former Winston-Salem State University students. The office is the repository of student records from the point of enrollment to the conferring of degrees and beyond. A wide range of services is offered to faculty, students, and members of the administration in the areas of academic records, student status, registration, course enrollment and publications.

Our mission is to provide academic support services to the Winston-Salem State University community with accuracy and integrity. Services provided by the Registrar's Office include: official transcripts, degree clearance, enrollment certifications, graduation services, transfer credit processing, academic program changes, veterans services, GPA calculator to name a few.

Administrative Structure

Registrar Organization Chart
Office of Registrar Directory

Important Policies

  • FERPA and “Confidential” (Registrar’s Office)
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99) is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education.
FERPA gives parents certain rights with respect to their children's education records. These rights transfer to the student when he or she reaches the age of 18 or attends a school beyond the high school level. Students to whom the rights have transferred are "eligible students."
Generally, schools must have written permission from the parent or eligible student in order to release any information from a student's education record. 
  • Curriculum Adjustments

General education curriculum adjustment forms are used to document satisfactory completion of General education requirements through course substitutions. They can be completed by faculty advisors or department chairs and are submitted to the appropriate class Dean in University College and Lifelong Learning. 

Department chairs can recommend major-level course substitutions or waive degree requirements on a case-by-case basis by drafting a Curriculum Adjustment memo to the Registrar detailing the request.

  • CLEP and Credit by Exam

Winston-Salem State University participates in CLEP, a national program of credit-by-examination that offers students an opportunity to earn college credit by examination. CLEP offers two types of tests: General Examinations and Subject Examinations.

    • Students may earn a maximum of (36) semester hours of CLEP credit for subject examinations.
    • WSSU recognizes the right of each academic department to determine the maximum number of additional credits to be earned via challenging examinations. 
  • Graduation Clearance

Students who have submitted a graduation application through Banner Rams will have a degree audit performed by the Office of the Registrar.  The status of each audit is communicated through a code that appears in the Grad Stats documents and in RamPath/Degree Works:

    • GA: Applications received – initial degree audit not yet done
    • ID: Initial degree audit completed (GE Matrix, Transfer Credit Worksheet, or C/A is needed or student is missing hours)
    • FG: Student is enrolled in final coursework
    • NC: Need to Incomplete Coursework or Taking Coursework Elsewhere
    • WG: Student will graduate
    • GR: Student graduated
    • RR: Registrar removed graduation application

Submit curriculum adjustments in a timely manner to improve the efficiency of the process.  

  • Transcript Audits/Transfer Students

The Transfer Articulation Specialist, Lila Yates, performs official audits of transcripts from other institutions.

  • Degree Requirements

A candidate for any baccalaureate degree must have met the following requirements:

Credit Requirements

    1. Minimum of one hundred twenty (120) semester hours (SH) earned with an overall grade point average of 2.0.
    2. Satisfy all academic requirements specified by major and minor programs including grade point average.
    3. Complete the general education curriculum requirements.
    4. Successfully complete at least 25% of SH required for the degree in courses taught at WSSU (minimally 30 hours).
    5. Have no more than thirty (30) SH of correspondence and/or credit by means of assessment applied to the degree, and only a maximum of fifteen (15) percent of total hours required for graduation earned through correspondence.

Enrollment Requirements

    1. Attend Winston-Salem State University for at least two semesters including the semester immediately preceding graduation. This requirement does not apply to students who participate in WSSU-sponsored programs abroad or who earn course credit at a cooperating university through WSSU domestic and international university exchanges.
    2. Complete at least twenty-five (25%) of the one hundred twenty to one hundred twenty-eight (120-128) SH required for the degree through enrollment at Winston-Salem State University.
    3. Complete the senior year through enrollment at Winston-Salem State University if the period of residency is only two semesters. Residency Resource
  • Military

Active duty and military veterans are eligible for certain benefits and accommodations. Policies and procedures are in place to assist students who are called to active duty during a term. College elective credit can be earned through military service.                

  • Commencement

Information for students participating in the graduation ceremony can be found on the Graduation Services page. Students who have not completed degree requirements in the Spring term may participate in the Commencement Ceremony in consultation with the Department Chair and permission from the Academic Dean. 

  • Forms

A list of forms relevant to the functions of the Office of the Registrar are available on the WSSU Registrar forms page.

Recommended Links

Office of the Registrar