Navigating the Central State University Student Portal: A Comprehensive Guide

Central State University (CSU) provides a comprehensive student portal designed to support students, faculty, and staff, while ensuring the integrity and confidentiality of academic records. This guide will help you navigate the portal and understand its various features and resources.

The Office of the Registrar: Your Academic Hub

The Office of the Registrar plays a vital role in supporting the University. It provides services to students, faculty, and staff while ensuring the integrity and confidentiality of academic records. In coordination with various campus offices, the Registrar upholds academic policies related to class and event schedules, the academic catalog, registration services, degree verifications, grade processing, and degree audit configuration.

Getting Ready to Register

Securing your spot in the upcoming semester starts with registration. The student portal provides access to the tools and information needed to successfully register for classes.

Academic Colleges and Programs

Central State University offers a wide array of academic programs across various colleges, including:

Norman E. Ward Sr. College of Business: Offers programs such as Accounting (BS), Business Administration (BS), Agribusiness, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Hospitality Management, International Business, Management, Management Information Systems, Marketing, and a Masters of Business Administration (MBA).
College of Education: Offers programs such as Agricultural Education (BS, B.S. Agricultural Education (Licensure), B.S. Agricultural Education Extension, Online Agricultural Education Extension Certificate), Educational Studies (BSE), Integrated Language Arts (BSE), Integrated Mathematics Education (BSE), Integrated Social Studies Education (BSE), Intervention Specialist Education (BSE), Life Sciences Education (BSE), Middle Childhood Education (BSE), Music Education (BME), Early Childhood Education (BSE), Physical Science Education (BSE), and Recreation (BS).
College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences: Offers programs such as Communications, Journalism and Digital Media (BA), Criminal Justice (BSE), English Literature (BA), Pre-Law (BA), Graphic Design (BA), History (BA), Interdisciplinary Studies (BA), Jazz Studies (BMM), Music Performance (BM), Political Science, Public Administration (BA), Psychology (BA, BS), Social Work (BA, BS), Sociology (BA, BS), and Studio Art (BA).

Attendance Policy

Attendance is a critical element in being a successful student. Central State University expects students to attend all classes. The instructor of record is responsible for monitoring attendance and will include an attendance policy in the course syllabus. Failure to attend class can affect a student’s overall grade in a course and may affect their financial aid status.

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Faculty members, as representatives of their individual programs, may maintain specific attendance requirements for their respective courses. Each faculty member within their program will determine the percent of the final course grade contributed by the attendance grade. Students are responsible for knowing and adhering to these policies.

The University recognizes that school-sponsored activities are part of the education process and that such an activity may conflict with a scheduled class. These situations require discussion among the teacher, student, and supervisor of the activity so that all parties understand the effects of not attending the class. Students who are absent because of University business MUST personally notify faculty of impending absences and discuss class work.

Central State University must collect information on whether a student begins attending/participating in a class to comply with Federal Title IV regulations. Attendance reporting is mandatory and must be entered per the academic calendar; otherwise, the results can be catastrophic to students and the Institution.

Forms and Requests

The student portal provides access to various forms for different academic needs:

Academic Appeals Form: For appealing academic decisions (Note: Do NOT complete this form for grade appeals).
Add/Drop Form: Used to add or drop courses (but not for total withdrawal from the University).
Diploma Replacement Request Form: To request a replacement diploma.
Enrollment Verification: To obtain proof of enrollment.
Grade Appeal Request Form: For appealing grades (submit directly to the relevant department).
Online Students Major Declarations Form: For online students who want to change their major and are taking classes completely online and do not live on or commute to campus.
Overload Request Form: To register for courses beyond the normal study load (18 credit hours for fall and spring or 11 for summer), you must receive permission from your advisor, department chairperson, and dean. An approved overload is up to 21 credit hours for fall and spring or up to 12 for summer.
Withdrawal Form: Students withdrawing from the University must complete a withdrawal form.

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (§ 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99) is a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. FERPA gives parents certain rights concerning their children's education records. These rights transfer to the student when they reach the age of 18 or attend a school beyond the high school level.

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Parents or eligible students have the right to inspect and review the student's education records maintained by the school. Schools are not required to provide copies of records unless, for reasons such as great distance, parents or eligible students can't review the records. Parents or eligible students have the right to request that a school correct records that they believe to be inaccurate or misleading. If the school decides not to amend the record, the parent or eligible student then has the right to a formal hearing.

Generally, schools must have written permission from the parent or eligible student to release any information from a student's education record. Schools may disclose, without consent, directory information such as a student's name, address, telephone number, date and place of birth, honors and awards, and dates of attendance. However, schools must tell parents and eligible students about directory information and allow parents and eligible students a reasonable amount of time to request that the school not disclose directory information about them. Schools must notify parents and eligible students annually of their rights under FERPA.

All students have a right to access their academic transcript for purposes of seeking employment. Central State University does not withhold transcripts due to outstanding institutional debt. Your request will be processed within one to three business days, excluding weekends and holidays. However, additional processing days may be necessary during peak periods, which is usually the beginning and end of each term.

Transfer Credits

Central State University will evaluate and award transfer credit from post-secondary institutions holding accreditation from any of the regional accrediting associations recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). Any student applying for admission to Central State University must have transcripts sent to the Office of Admission. The registrar will review transcripts, determine the applicability of transfer credits, and notify the student when the process is complete.

For all undergraduate courses taken before autumn 2005, students must have earned a grade equivalent to a ‘C-’ or higher for courses to be eligible for transfer credit. For all undergraduate courses taken in autumn 2005 or later, students must have earned a grade equivalent to a ‘D’ or higher for courses to be eligible for transfer credit. Courses transferred in with a ‘D’ grade may not satisfy program requirements.

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Central State University will accept Advanced Place Credit Program credits (AP) and College Level Examination Program credits (CLEP) under the auspices of the College Board. To receive transfer credit for AP courses, a high school student must have completed an official AP course and taken the test in that subject. Credit is granted for test scores of 3, 4, or 5. Students earning satisfactory scores in the CLEP examination will be granted the same amount of credit granted to students who successfully complete the course.

Students enrolled in a four-year undergraduate degree program may be awarded a maximum of 90 transfer credit hours. Students enrolled in a one-year certificate or a one-year technical certificate may be awarded transfer credit for up to 20 percent of the credits required for the certificate. Courses older than twenty years from the current academic year will not be eligible for transfer credit.

If a student wishes to challenge a decision of the registrar, an appeal must be submitted in writing to the associate registrar or designee. The associate registrar, or designee, will review the appeal to determine if the Transfer Credit Policy was appropriately applied. If the policy was misapplied, a correction would be issued. If the policy was applied correctly, the appeal would be provided to the appropriate Department Chair, Dean, or designee for review.

Veterans' Benefits

All students receiving federal benefits for veterans and dependents are obligated to follow regulations of the Federal Benefits Program and those of the University. The Registrar is the certifying officer. All veterans must be certified each semester. Veterans’ benefits will be discontinued for any veteran student who has been required to withdraw. Recipients of Title IV and/or Veterans’ Educational Benefits will be required to complete successfully a minimum of 12 credit hours per semester.

Marauder Family Portal

At Central State University, the Marauder Family Portal is a one-stop resource designed just for families. Whether your student is just starting at CSU or continuing their college experience, the Marauder Family Portal helps you stay informed, involved, and empowered - every step of the way.

Why sign up? When families are connected, students thrive. The Marauder Family Portal gives you access to the updates and tools you need to support your student’s academic journey and personal growth - even from miles away. You’ll receive personalized news, deadline reminders, and campus insights that help you feel confident and informed about your student’s college experience.

What’s inside:

Custom updates based on your interests
Important deadlines for financial aid, housing, registration, and more
Multilingual access to keep communication inclusive and clear
Resources for academic support, career prep, and student life
Event calendar to help you stay involved in your student’s world

The Marauder Family Portal is built to support you, whether this is your first experience with college or you’re part of a proud CSU legacy. It’s simple, easy to use, and tailored to your family’s needs.

Library Resources

The Hallie Q. Brown Memorial Library is committed to the academic success of our students and faculty, and will do everything to support your research needs remotely.

Primo Library Search: This will be the primary interface through which users will discover and access the library's physical, electronic, and digital resources.

Most electronic resources, especially the research databases, eBooks, and streaming video content to which the library subscribes are governed by license agreements that restricts access to current Central State University students, faculty and staff when accessed from off-campus. Remote access to these resources requires authentication using your name and CSU 14 digit barcode number assigned by the library.

Additional Campus Resources

Lory Student Center (LSC): Home to the original Colorado State University Bookstore and more than 15 top-of-the-line food venues, as well as dining service options.
Transfort Buses: Provide transportation throughout Fort Collins, including an on-campus bus.
LSC Governing Board: Works to improve the student center operations and offerings.
RamEvents: An inclusive programming board which values and serves every student at CSU.
Cultural Centers: Including the Asian Pacific American Cultural Center (APACC), the Pride Resource Center (formerly GLBTQQA), the Native American Cultural Center (NACC), El Centro, and the Survivor Advocacy and Foundational Education (SAFE) Center.

Key Contact Information

Office of Admissions: 937-376-6348
Office of Financial Aid: 937-376-6579
Residence Life/Housing: 937-376-6386
Office of Cash Management: 937-376-6343
Office of the Registrar: 937-376-6231

Supporting Your Student

Central State University is committed to providing the best collegiate academic experience possible. The Parents & Family Guide is designed to give you much of the information we share with students. We believe it is important for parents and guardians to have access to this important information, as well. Key information regarding how you can support your child’s experience is listed below.

Financial documents submitted for applications are time-sensitive; that means that the earlier you comply with the requested dates, the more opportunities you will have available. Thousands of students apply for financial aid support annually, and the earlier you apply, the faster we can respond to your application. Early attention to this matter will enhance your student’s ability to obtain preferential housing, work-study (if applicable), state financial assistance, and in some cases, non-competitive financial support.

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