Benny's Tools For Student Success - Transfer Students

CCNY students

"We Advise, You Decide"

Your academic advisor is your greatest resource for navigating your new environment. They will provide you with assistance and teach you where to find the information you need.  But ultimately, you will make decisions based on that assistance and information. 

The Division of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management and the College's mascot, Benny the Beaver, are excited to welcome you to the City College and congratulate you on making your first academic advising appointment! 

Advising is an important step on the path to registration and having a successful first semester.  Since City College is different in many ways from your previous institution, all new students are required to meet with an advisor before they register for classes. Your advisor will help you transition to City and will work with you to choose classes and develop a schedule and an academic plan that will lead to graduation.

To be ready to make these decisions there is information that you need to read and understand before your advising appointment. The information on this page is designed to provide you with that information and to prepare you for your first academic advising meeting.

How to use this page:

  • Bookmark this page so that you can refer back to it whenever you need to.
  • Take your time, but go through the information on this page BEFORE your advising appointment. 
  • Each item is presented in a variety of formats, pick the one that best suits your learning style.
  • Review these modules in the order they are presented.  They will make much more sense that way.
  • It is important that you review the information in the "First Steps!" section BEFORE your first advising appointment.

Being prepared for your advising appointment is your responsibility.  If your advisor feels that you are not prepared, they can require that you reschedule your advising appointment. This will delay your ability to register for classes.

NOTE: If you have not scheduled an advising appointment, click here to access the new transfer student advising instructions.

1. First Steps!

We cannot emphasize enough how important it is to become familiar with the tech tools you will be using as a City College student.  You must take the time to learn about some of the tech tools that you will need as a student at City College BEFORE your advising appointment.  You will need to utilize them to register for the classes you discuss with your advisor.

  • CityMail: This is your CCNY email account. It is your business address for the college. You should start checking this account daily and start doing so now.
    • if you have not activated your CityMail account here are the INSTRUCTIONS.
  • CUNYFirst: CUNY First is CUNY's Student Information System. It is the repository for your personal information, your financial account and your academic records.
  • Schedule Builder: Students use this tool to search for classes, plan their schedule and register for classes.
    • Website
    • Video (Adding, Dropping and Swapping Courses)
    • Video (Using DegreeWorks Audit)
  • DegreeWorks: CUNY's online degree audit tool.
  • CCNY Navigate Student: Navigate Student is City College's Advising platform. You will use this platform to make advising appointments and many other tasks.

CREDENTIALS: All students will have two sets of credentials to access the various systems.  It is important to know which credentials to use:

2. Academic Advising

Who is your academic advisor and where will you be advised.

  • Who: Some students have one or more advisors assigned to them in Navigate Student. You can find your Success Team members by logging into Navigate then clicking ‘Appointments’, then clicking on ‘My Team’. If you have more than one advisor listed, you can meet with any of the listed advisors.
  • Where: Academic advising at City College is done differently than at some other colleges. The advising office you will utilize depends on your intended major. CLICK HERE to discover the location and contact information for your advising office.

3. Transfer Credit Evaluation

The Transfer Evaluation Services Team in the Office of Admissions evaluates all undergraduate coursework taken prior to enrollment at City College for students entering degree programs. 

  • All new students are assigned a transfer credit evaluator.  That person's name and contact information is listed on your MyCity page.
  • Once a student's evaluation is complete the courses are posted to the student's CUNYfirst record. Follow the following steps to view your transfer credit report:
    1. log into CUNYFirst
    2. Select "Academic Records"
    3. Select "View Transfer Credit Report"
  • All postings should be reflected in DegreeWorks, CUNY's degree audit system, by the following business day. 

The Transfer Evaluations Services' website contains a wealth of information about the transfer credit process and helpful FAQ's.

4. Degree Requirements

Understanding the requirements for your degree is an important first step in knowing which classes you need to take and how to build an academic plan. Review this information carefully before you meet with your advisor.

  • CCNY Degree Requirement Basics: A brief review of general degree requirements.  
  • CCNY Course Bulletin: Consult the Course Bulletin for more detailed information about college policies and degree requirements, including requirements for each major.

 

5. More Technology at City College

SYSTEMS: The documents in this section will give you basic information about the software platforms that you will use as a student at City College to track your progress toward your degree, register for classes, view your Financial Aid awards, and much more.  The documents include links to detailed information and how-to guides for each platform.  Take the time to learn how to use these systems BEFORE your meet with your advisor.

TECHNOLOGY SUPPORT: The CCNY IT Office supports all of the above platforms

  • IT Service Desk: The Service Desk webpage has a wealth of information including guides for several software platforms. The Service Desk can be reached by:
  • Services for Students
  • City Tech Center: Located on the first floor of the Cohen Library in the North Academic Center (NAC). The Tech Center has over 300 workstations and printers available for all students

6. Registration Procedures

Registration Exercise: all students register for classes through Schedule Builder. This exercise is designed to help you learn to use Schedule Builder prior to your first advising appointment. Doing so will allow you to enroll in classes right after that appointment.

  1. View the Schedule Builder video and review the Schedule Builder Guide
  2. Visit The General Education Website and review the Pathways Requirements.
    • Download the checklist that matches your degree.
  3. Download the Fall 2024 list of Pathways courses and review the courses listed
    • Pick two courses that interest you
    • Note which Pathways requirements they satisfy on the checklist
  4. Use Schedule Builder to build sample schedules using these two classes

NOTE: You will not be able to register for these or any classes right now.  All new students have a registration hold (Advising Needed).  This hold will be released by your advisor at your advising appointment.

7. Next Steps

  1. Bookmark Benny's Resources: This website contains important information that you will need quick access to throughout your time at City College.
  2. Visit the CCNY Navigate website to learn how to use Navigate Student to do more than schedule an appointment. Download the mobile app if you haven't already done so. It is a versatile and useful tool.
  3. Orientation: Spring 2025 Orientation will be held the week of January 13th. The details are currently being finalized. More information will be emailed to you and posted here as it becomes available.
  4. View and accept your Financial Aid Award: (If you haven't applied yet, CLICK HERE.)
    1. Log in to CUNYfirst
    2. Click on "Student Center"
    3. Click on "Financial Aid"
    4. Select the aid year to review your award
  5. Paying Your Tuition and Fees Bill:
    1. Know What You Owe: Check your balance on CUNYFirst
    2. Bill Due Dates: your due date is based on when you started enrolling for classes
    3. Payment Options:
      • In-person
      • By Mail
      • One-time Online Payment 
  6. CCNY ID Card: New students may email a photo to the ID Office so that they can create your ID card. ID cards will be distributed before the start of classes. Click here for instructions to submit your photo.
  7. Review the CCNY Academic Calendar: The Academic Calendar contains important information for all students:
    • Deadlines
    • Changes to the class schedule
    • Dates when classes are canceled
    • Dates that the College is closed

8. FAQs

  • When do classes begin?
    • Spring 2025 classes begin on Saturday, January 25th.
  • How can I pay my tuition bill and when is it due?
  • Do I have to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to attend in-person classes?
    • No. The CUNY vaccine mandate ended on May 23, 2023. Students will be able to enroll in and attend classes, regardless of their COVID-19 vaccination status.
  • I have an "Advisement Needed" hold on my account.  Will this prevent me from being advised?
    • No, this hold does not prevent you from being advised.  This hold does, however, prevent you from registering for classes.  Your advisor will release this hold during your first advising appointment.
  • I know what classes I need to take, do I really need to meet with an advisor?
    • Yes, all new students need to meet with an academic advisor before they will be allowed to register for classes.
  • My Financial Aid award is more than my tuition and fees for the semester. What happens with that extra money?
    • You are eligible for a refund of any amount above the amount of tuition and fees.  If you expect a refund we recommend you sign up for Direct Deposit.

9. LIVE Q&A with CCNY Students

Still have questions?  Come have them answered by current CCNY students in a live Q&A session on ZOOM!  These sessions will be held on most Mondays and Thursdays.  Please see below for the times for each day. No need to sign up, just click on the link below.

  • Mondays: 12:00 - 1:00 PM 
  • Thursdays: 6:00 - 7:00 PM

Link for ALL sessions: https://ccny.zoom.us/j/89462442671?pwd=WGFLUVdQcytydHNSYUFmajdTZStVdz09

Password: 286360


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Last Updated: 10/24/2024 13:52