Tri-C Grad Plan

What Is Tri-C Grad Plan?

Tri-C Grad Plan helps you stay on track and complete on time. The Smart Plan will help you plan, register and collaborate with your academic counselor at Tri-C. Tri-C Grad Plan works best when paired with consistent academic counseling.

Visit these Student How-To Videos to learn how to register using Smart Plan.

Key Features:

• Visualize your path to completion term by term.
• See your estimated completion date and understand how any changes to your plan may affect your completion timeline and total cost in real time.
• Develop a schedule that accommodates your personal preferences and circumstances.
• Plan, schedule, register and pay for courses all in one place.

Most students can register for classes using Tri-C Grad Plan. Contact Academic Counseling with questions.

The following students must register outside of Tri-C Grad Plan:

• College Credit Plus
• Workforce and professional development majors or programming
• Encore or Program 60
• Summer camps

FAQ

How do I access Tri-C Grad Plan?

Log in to my Tri-C space and search for the "Registration Dashboard."

What is the first thing I should do when logging in to my plan?

From your dashboard, select "Open My Plan." If you have recently updated your major or program, you may see an option to "Build a Declared Plan." Select this option to make sure your plan reflects your current major or program.

Optimize Your Plan: Your plan will likely show a "Please Optimize" status. Select the "Optimize" button to refresh your plan and make sure it is up to date with any placement test scores, prerequisite overrides, newly completed coursework or other updates on your record. 

• Set Target Credits: Set the number of credit hours you plan to take each term (12 or more credit hours is considered full-time status). 
• Update Campus Preference: Select "Campuses" below the calendar if you want to only take classes at certain campuses. To include online classes and see the widest availability, leave the campus option unselected. 
• Block Time: Block days and times on the calendar view so the planner will only recommend classes that fit your schedule.

After making the updates, select "Optimize" again, and your recommended classes will update per your preferences. 

What does the blue "Optimize" button mean?

When changes or updates are made to your plan, Tri-C Grad Plan will need to review them against your current academic records and major or program requirements. To verify your changes are acceptable for completion, click the blue "Optimize" button. Tri-C Grad Plan will give you a message saying if your plan has been approved, if any changes are required for completion, or recommendations to shorten your time to a degree or reduce costs.

Please note: If you attempt to register with a plan that is not optimized, you will be prompted to optimize it before registering for classes. You can choose "Ignore and Continue Registration" if you do not want to make the recommended changes.

Can I register for classes through Tri-C Grad Plan?

Yes! You can create a plan, customize your schedule and register for classes within Tri-C Grad Plan. When registration is open, look for the blue "Register" button beneath your class list.

To register, select the "Change" button next to each class you want to register for and select "Mark to Register." Then, click the blue "Register" button. 

Please note: You must confirm your physical address each term prior to registration. To confirm your address, go to my Tri-C space and select "Update My Account Information." If you do not do this before registration, you will get an error message directing you to my Tri-C space to confirm your address. You can then return to Tri-C Grad Plan to complete your registration. 

Please note: College Credit Plus, workforce and professional development, Encore, Program 60 and summer camp students cannot register for classes in Tri-C Grad Plan.

How do I search and register for courses in Tri-C Grad Plan?

When you have selected your major or program, Tri-C Grad Plan will recommend class sections to register for based on your preferences. If you are not pursuing a degree or would just like to browse the complete schedule, you can search by class, instructor, campus or type of class.

Select "Add a Course." From here, you can update the filters for things like "Flexible Start," "Campus" or "Class Type" (i.e., online or on-campus), or type a course name, title or instructor into the search bar.

You will see a list of courses. Click on a course to see the available class sections. The sections you can register for will show as "Available." Click to view details about the section's descriptions, dates and times. To add a course to your plan, choose the "Select" button, then "Save Changes."

What do I do if I receive an error message?

If you receive an error while you're trying to register, the system should give you a message with steps to resolve your issue. In most cases, it will refer you to the Student Services office. Generally, your best resource is always an academic counselor!

If you receive an error and are not sure how to proceed, chat with technical support within Tri-C Grad Plan. You can also click the "Help" button to send a feedback response.

How do I change my major or program?

To perform a "What-If" analysis for a different major or program, click "Change" under the "Goal" tab to see a list of other majors or programs to explore. Tri-C Grad Plan will recalculate a plan based on that major or program's requirements. Before building a "What-If" plan, you will be asked if you want to save your current plan. Select "Yes" to make sure you can go back to your declared plan later. You can access saved plans from your dashboard or the "Timeline" button.

Changing your goal in Tri-C Grad Plan does not officially change your major or program with the College. If you register for classes from a "What-If" plan, you might end up taking classes that are not required for your degree or that financial aid will not cover.

To officially change your major or program, you should first meet with an academic counselor. You can submit a "Change Major Request" by selecting "Change Major" on the "Academic Records" card in my Tri-C space. Once Tri-C changes your major or program, you will need to build a declared plan from your dashboard or use the "Reset to Declared Plan" option in the "Goals" tab. This will make sure you are following your most up-to-date plan in Tri-C Grad Plan.

Why does my plan show as "What-If" or "Not Declared?"

If you officially change your major or program, Tri-C Grad Plan will show your old plan by default, grayed out and with an ND or "Not Declared" status. To build a new plan for your updated major or program, select either "Build a Declared Plan" from the dashboard or "Reset to Declared Plan" in the "Goals" tab of your plan. 

How do I drop or withdraw from a course within Tri-C Grad Plan?

From the schedule view, click "Change," then "Mark to Drop" and "Update Registration." If you are dropping a class and adding another, you can use "Swap With..." to drop and add in a single step.

The system may try to replace the section you are dropping with another that is still open for registration. It does this to meet your preferences for the number of credits you want to take per term and help you complete on time. However, this may not be what you want — especially if you are withdrawing late in the term.

To override the suggestion to add a new section, select "Ignore and Continue Registration."

How do I view or edit previously saved plans?

All changes made by a student or academic counselor are automatically saved to the current plan. A list of previously saved plans will be available on your dashboard or via the "Timeline" button on the plan. Be sure to click "Save" to make sure you can go back to a plan later.

Plans created with an academic counselor will be marked "Official" to indicate the plan was counselor-approved.

Please note: If you go back to a previously saved plan, you will be defaulted to "View Only" mode. Click the "Edit" button to make changes or register with this plan. Now, it will become your current plan.

Can I move courses around in my plan?

Yes, you can move courses around in your plan by dragging and dropping. To verify that your plan is valid, click the blue "Optimize" button. If your changes are not valid, Tri-C Grad Plan will suggest updates to ensure you meet the prerequisite and degree requirements and can complete on time.

Can I change my instructor or select a different time for a class on my plan?

Tri-C Grad Plan will recommend sections based on your major or program and the preferences you select. To choose a section with a different instructor or time, select "Change" and then "Change Section For." You will see a new list of instructors and times. Search for instructors or add filters for campus, class type, etc. You can also allow Tri-C Grad Plan to recommend new days and times based on your availability on the schedule grid or by adjusting the slider for the number of classes you want to take on campus versus online.

Can I change how many credits I want to take per term?

Yes. Click on the number hyperlink at the top of each term column to adjust the number of credits you want for that term. After making changes, select the "Optimize" button to have Smart Plan update your plan based on your preference.

How can I change the campus I want to take classes at?

In the schedule view, go to the campus list and only select the campuses you want to take classes at. Use the "Deselect All" button to make this easier. Your schedule will adjust accordingly after you "Optimize." To save this preference for every term, select "Make Default."

If you want to take online classes, you may want to leave all campuses selected to expand your online options, since you can take online classes offered by any Tri-C campus.

How can I adjust how many online classes I want to take?

In the schedule view, use the slider to adjust how many on-campus or online classes you want to plan for the term. Your schedule will adjust accordingly after you "Optimize." Select all campuses for more online class options.

Please note: Two online class formats are available — those with live online class meetings via video conference (Virtual Meetings — DWS) or those without scheduled meetings (Online/Asynchronous — DWB). Classes with live online meetings will show dates and times in the schedule grid.

Does Tri-C Grad Plan prepare me to transfer to a university?

Tri-C Grad Plan will help you complete your degree or certificate at Tri-C. If you are planning to transfer to a university, you should verify the prerequisites for the major you want to pursue with the transfer school. Most STEM field degrees — like biology, chemistry, physics, engineering, math, statistics and business — require prerequisites before you can be accepted to that major, and these can vary by school.

After verifying the prerequisites for your intended school and major, connect with an academic counselor at Tri-C to update your plan so you can complete and transfer successfully.