Registrar’s Office

Academic Calendars

Effective Fall 2026, Samuel Merritt University implemented a unified calendar model featuring two distinct academic calendars: the Standard Academic Calendar and the Alternate ABSN Academic Calendar.

• Standard Academic Calendar: Applies to all academic programs. Consists of two 8-week sessions and one 15/16-week semester. The 5-week ABSN sessions within this calendar are designated solely for the ABSN program. Students should contact their program to confirm whether it follows the 15-week or 16-week calendar.
• Alternate ABSN Academic Calendar: Used exclusively by the ABSN program and follows a different schedule from the standard calendar.

• ABSN Oakland - October 2025-2026

• ABSN Sacramento - December 2025-2026

• ABSN SF Peninsula - November 2025-2026

• ABSN Sacramento - April 2026-2027

• ABSN SF Peninsula, Oakland, Fresno - July 2026-2027

• ABSN SF Peninsula - December 2026-2027
• ABSN SF Peninsula - April 2026-2027

Archived Academic Calendars

Please submit all forms effective for the Fall 2026 semester via Workday: Student Resources > Create a Request (opens in new tab)

The below form links are for SMURF only. 

Forms with (Online) next to them are electronic forms with a workflow and must be completed electronically online.

Forms with (PDF) next to them may be filled out on your computer and printed for signature and emailing/mailing. 

If you are unable to open an (Online) form, please first try a different web browser. If a new web browser does not solve the issue, please contact us at Registrar@samuelmerritt.edu for additional assistance.

Student Forms

• Add Form (Online)
• Address Changes - Please use SMURF
• Advisor Reassignment (Online)
• Audit Petition (Online)
• BRN - Public Health Nurse Application Instructions
• BSN Equivalency Letter
• Change Program/Location/Cohort Petition (Online)
• Clinical Remediation Petition (Online)
• Course Schedules (opens in new tab)
• Drop Form (Online) - Use SMURF during add/drop period - otherwise, use this for courses that begin after add/drop period
• Drop Form for Non-Degree Seeking Students (Online)
• Degree/Enrollment Verification Request
• FERPA - Disclosure of Information Form (PDF)
• FERPA - Opt-out Form (PDF)
• FNP Status Change Form (Online)
• Graduation Petition (Online)
• Incomplete Petition (Online)
• Independent Study Petition (Online)
• Intent to Return from Leave of Absence (Online)
• Leave of Absence Petition (Online)
• Name Change Request (Online)
• Open Petition (Online)
• Transfer Credit Petition (Online)
• Transfer Credit Petition - for FNP Online students only (Online)
• 'W' Grade Petition (Online)
• Withdrawal From SMU (Online) - this form is NOT for prerequisite course students - Please use "Drop Form for Non-Degree Seeking Students"

SMURF Form

• Grade Adjustment Form (Online - Faculty ONLY)*IMPORTANT - If submitting multiple grade changes for a single course, please first contact the Registrar's Office.

General Form

• Course Substitutions in Workday: Override Academic Requirements  (opens in new tab)

Workday Forms (Fall 2026 forward)

• Create a Request  (opens in new tab)
• Reports: Programs and faculty no longer need to request reports from the Registrar's Office. All data is available in Workday via a report. Please email us at Registrarwds@samuelmerritt.edu if you need to know which report to use. Below is a list of a few options. If you cannot access these reports, please submit an IT ticket requesting access.
  • Academic Standing Dismissal and Suspension Audit - Program Directors
  • Academic Standing Review - All Program Changes
  • SR Attendance Verification - Week 2 Audit
  • Missing Grade Audit
  • SR Attendance Verification - No Attendance

Diplomas & Certificates

Credential Validation

The National Student Clearinghouse is now our authorized agent for providing degree and enrollment verifications. Please contact the National Student Clearinghouse directly at www.degreeverify.org for immediate degree verification.

National Student Clearinghouse, 2300 Dulles Station Boulevard, Suite 300, Herndon, VA 20171

www.degreeverify.org or www.studentclearinghouse.org          

Fax: 703-742-4239

SMU offers printed transcript (mailed) and eTranscript (electronic emailed transcript) options.

We highly encourage you to choose the eTranscript option, if possible.

Order Transcript (opens in new tab)

Printed transcript (mailed) and eTranscript (electronic emailed transcript) options are available. 

All students and alumni can request paper transcripts, but if you're able to, we recommend ordering an electronic transcript (eTranscript). eTranscripts are official and secure, delivered to your recipient within minutes and help you avoid potential mail delays or loss.

Current students may access their unofficial transcript via SMURF at any time. Alumni who graduated within the last 15 years should also be able to access their unofficial transcript via SMURF. If you have issues accessing SMURF, please contact the IT Service Desk at 510-907-2555 (option 1), and they will be happy to assist you with your username and password.

Please Note: Per AB 1313 (opens in new tab), SMU will not withhold your transcript due to an outstanding debt. If your student account (SMURF) shows a hold for this reason, we will still process your transcript order within the above listed timeframe.

We are entering our second registration period using Workday Student. Due to this, the anticipated registration dates are below subject to change.

Standard Calendar Registration

Registration for all students except BSN

• Monday, November 9, 2026

Registration for BSN students

• Seniors = Monday, November 9, 2026
• Juniors = Wednesday, November 11, 2026

Alternate ABSN Calendar Registration

• Monday, January 11, 2027

Resources

Additional details, including the meeting link and registration resources, are provided below.        

• Academic Calendars (find registration deadlines here)  

• Workday Student Resource Site (opens in new tab) 

• Academics Hub Quick Reference Guide (opens in new tab) 

• Registering for Courses Extended Reference Guide  (opens in new tab)

• How to Access Workday Student (opens in new tab) 

• View Holds & Restrictions (opens in new tab) 

If you have questions on your registration date, please email Registrar@samuelmerritt.edu from your SMU email and we will look into the issue. If you can, provide a screenshot of what you are seeing. This will make it much faster for us to figure out what is going on. We will answer your emails as quickly as we can.

Plan your Courses

You can find degree requirements and program-specific requirements in the Student Catalog and Handbook University Catalog Samuel Merritt University. Ensure you choose the catalog for your matriculation year (Catalog Year). 

Each program is responsible for informing students which courses they should register for. If you are unsure which courses to take, please contact your Program Director or the individual designated by your program as your primary contact.

Build Your Saved Schedule

In Workday, saved schedules are draft class timetables that you can create before registration to help plan your courses.

After logging into Workday, you can create multiple saved schedules to prepare for different registration scenarios, such as a course being full. You can add course sections to any saved schedule and update them as needed before registering.

View the guides on the Workday Resources page for more information.

Get Ready to Register

Learn how to register for courses with the guides available on the Workday Resources page under Student Academics & Registration.

View the Registration Issue Contact & Information tab of this web page for more information on common registration issues.

Course numbers are changing to 4-digits effective Fall 2026. 

• Courses that were previously 100-level have a 3 added to the front so they are now 31XX.
• Courses that were previously 400-700 had a 0 added after the first digit. They are now 40XX-70XX.

To see the new numbers, you can browse the Course Number Crosswalk.

Enrollment data is reported to the National Student Clearinghouse after each full term's registration period ends. To find that date, locate the Academic Calendars | Samuel Merritt University for your program. Then, find the Registration deadline/Last day to drop without W date for the full term. Enrollment will be reported the week after that date.

1. Update your name on Workday Student

• Log into your Workday Student account

• Follow the directions here: Student Resources à Personal Information (opens in new tab)

• Once updated on your student record, the name change is transmitted to Okta and Active Directory within the next hour. All other systems should also capture the preferred name change.

2. Email Address: Submit a ticket to IT.

• On the ticket, ask IT to update the name on your email address.

3. Badge: Email badging@samuelmerritt.edu.

• Once your badge is updated, please ensure you also carry an ID (e.g. driver’s license) with your legal name on it since it may be needed for labs, intensives, and exams.

4. Canvas

• Click for directions on how to Update your Display Name.

To request an enrollment or degree verification, please email Registrar@samuelmerritt.edu. Per SMU policy, please always email us from your SMU student email address. If you have a form for us to complete, please ensure your section is completed, and then email the form to us. Typical processing is 3-5 business days, but please know we are working on getting your documents back to you as quickly as we can. Processing times depend on the quantity of requests we receive, and the time of year. There are certain times of year when our office has a lot going on (registration, graduation, etc), so response times may be longer. 

While almost all items we process can be complete via email, we understand that students sometimes have more questions. Please email Registrar@samuelmerritt.edu if you would like to meet with us. We can set up time for a virtual or on-campus meeting, as needed.

*BEGIN degree posting means that this is the week we will BEGIN posting degrees for students. We have to evaluate each transcript one-by-one and graduate each class all at once. 

Updated 10.16.2026

SUMMER 2026 UPDATE: All students whose degrees have been conferred have been sent to the Nursing department for certification and confirmation emails were sent.

General process information:

• Registrar sends College of Nursing list of completed students
• College of Nursing certifies students’ course completion in BRN portal.

Students will receive a confirmation email once the Registrar's Office provides graduates' names to the College of Nursing.

You are NOT required to send your transcripts to the Board despite what their portal says. Only the certification by the Nursing department is needed.

Your diploma will be mailed to the address listed on your SMURF (pre-Fall 2026) or Workday (Fall 2026 forward) account as of the day we confer your graduation. Please ensure your mailing address is correct prior to the "Begin Degree Posting" date listed on the General Graduation Processing Timeline. 

Diplomas are mailed out approximately 2-3 months after graduation is processed. If you have not received your diploma 4 months after your graduation date, first check your student record to ensure there are no holds. If there are no holds, email Registrar@samuelmerritt.edu for assistance.

When your diploma order is processed, you will receive an email from CeCredential Trust sent to your SMU student email account. This email will include a link to download your digital diploma. The cost for the digital diploma is $19.95.

Summer 2026 Graduates

All diplomas for October graduates were ordered on 10/28/2026, and all diplomas for August graduates were ordered on 9/30/2026 for students who are conferred, have no holds on their accounts, and have complete addresses in SMURF. You will receive an email from Paradigm once your diploma order ships. 

It takes Paradigm about two weeks to create your diploma, and then 2-3 weeks for delivery as they are shipped from the East coast.

If you had a hold on your account or an incomplete address when the diploma order was placed, and you have since cleared the hold or updated your address, please email Regsitrar@samuelmerritt.edu to let us know. There is no other way we will know that your hold is cleared so we can release your diploma.

Spring 2026 Graduates 

All diplomas have been ordered for students who are conferred, have no holds on their accounts, and have complete addresses in SMURF. You will receive an email from Paradigm once your diploma order ships.

If you had a hold on your account or an incomplete address when the diploma order was placed, and you have since cleared the hold or updated your address, please email Regsitrar@samuelmerritt.edu to let us know. There is no other way we will know that your hold is cleared so we can release your diploma.

Fall 2025 Graduates 

If you had a hold on your account in January/February 2026 when the Fall 2025 diploma order was placed, and you have since cleared the hold, please email Regsitrar@samuelmerritt.edu to let us know. There is no other way we will know that your hold is cleared so we can release your diploma.