The University of Michigan Office of the Registrar, a part of the Office of Enrollment Management, has launched a new website with upgraded features and new content to provide easier navigation and improved functionality for users.
“Our new site allows users, from incoming and current students to parents and faculty, to access much of the information they need with one simple stop,” said Paul Robinson, associate vice provost and university registrar.
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“Students can find information on important dates from registration to graduation. The new site also organizes content by audience (students, faculty and staff) to make it easier to access information related to services such as transcripts, diplomas, degree audits, residency classifications, tuition, teaching evaluations and room scheduling.
“The section on enrollment, retention and degree reporting has been revised to better meet the needs of those seeking such official data.”
The new site features enhancements to the Calendars and Tuition & Fees sections.
“With these updates, students can more readily access information about tuition and fees based on their particular school or college, level of study, term, and year, as fees often differ between schools and colleges,” Robinson said.
“The new site also allows us to present the various types of calendars used by students, faculty and staff, such as academic, early registration and registration deadlines calendars.
“Added to this, we are now able to post announcement splash pages highlighting important deadlines and/or dates, such as last day to drop classes and final exam schedules. This is something that we didn’t have before.”
The office has also made important updates to the Reports section of the site, with improvements to information about enrollment, degrees granted, freshmen retention and other student population data, Robinson said.
“We’ve consolidated a lot of the reports, so that there will be fewer to sift through. This is still a work in progress as we move to presenting reports on the Tableau platform, which is quickly becoming a university and industry standard for displaying data and reports. The platform allows users to drill down to find exactly what they need.”
Students may also obtain enrollment certificates to be used as proof of enrollment for health insurers, potential employers and other organizations.
“This highly anticipated launch helps the Registrar’s Office communicate with its constituents in ways that users have come to expect,” said Betsy Erikson Brown, director of integrated marketing communications in the Office of Enrollment Management. “As information consumers, we are looking for convenience and relevance. We expect this new site to deliver a far better digital experience.”
The new site also provides university guidelines for qualifying for in-state tuition, which cover three distinct pathways for students to demonstrate eligibility.
“Given how decentralized the university is, we are hoping that our new site will provide more of a central repository and launching point for students to find specific information about our 19 schools and colleges,” Robinson said.
“Overall, the site is a brighter, more welcoming landing for our office, with improved look and feel. Today’s students and faculty expect a modern, interactive website. And, we want to meet their expectations. For example, our previous site was not mobile-friendly, but this redesign now accommodates users on mobile and other various devices.”
The registrar’s office partnered with Michigan Creative to develop the new site.
“This was a comprehensive redesign of our office’s website. And, it was not easy,” Robinson said. “We relied on the expertise of Michigan Creative to make this a success, and could not have done it without this talented team.”
The office is committed to ensuring the integrity of the university’s academic records.
“We strive to enhance the educational experience by serving students, faculty, staff, alumni and the greater community in responsible use of data and related information systems,” Robinson said.
