Guidance Counselors

We couldn't do this without you!

We know there is so much that goes into organizing dual credit for your students. We have put together a monthly calendar and also provided links to often-needed documents below. 

Semester Calendars

Racer Academy Deadlines and Reminders

Click the months below to know what to expect. Remember, we are just an e-mail or call away if you need us!

  • New and returning students’ Spring registration requests (Guidance Counselor / Principal Approval / Registration forms) must be submitted 2 weeks prior to the start of classes.
    • Note: online course space is limited. If students submit their forms in January, they are not guaranteed a spot. As long as your student meets the listed class requirements and the class is
      available the student will be registered after their form is submitted.
  • No on-campus course requests will be accepted for the Spring semester after January 2nd.
  • The Racer Academy Office will send you a list of your enrollments. Confirm that registered students are in the correct course as soon as received. Notify the Racer Academy Office immediately of any discrepancies or if the student is no longer taking the class. Failure to submit a Withdrawal/Drop Form may result in the student being financially responsible for the class and receiving a failing grade (E), which will post to their academic record and transfer to other institutions. See MSU’s Academic Calendar for registration deadlines.

Helping your students: 

  • Remind your students to look for an e-mail titled “Admission Decision.” This will be sent immediately after they are admitted to the e-mail they used to apply. It contains instructions for setting up their accounts. Alternatively, they can always call the Service Desk at 270.809.2346 for help logging in.
  • Advise students receiving scholarships to ignore their billing statements. Funds will be received from the state at the end of April and applied to their accounts.
  • If a student is not receiving a scholarship and needs to pay a bill, the student will complete payment on their myGate Money tab.
  • If your student changes their mind about taking their MSU dual credit class after the
    submission of their Guidance Counselor / Principal Approval / Registration form, or their high
    school schedule changes and the dual credit class no longer works in their schedule, a
    Withdrawal/Drop form must be submitted.
  • Deadline for students to take their Title IX quiz on Canvas and earn a score of 100%. The quiz must be taken once each academic year. (Spring 2024's due date is February 23, 2024)  This is a Federal
    mandate that all faculty, staff, and students are required to complete Title IX training and failure to comply would jeopardize MSU’s Title IV (financial aid) funding.
  • Ask students interested in dual credit for next semester to complete the online application and submit transcripts. The application is free and they can change their mind later! 
  • We are accepting registration requests for the Fall semester. Submit the Guidance Counselor / Principal Approval / Registration form.
  • Would you like Murray State to visit your school to talk to students and help submit Racer Academy applications? If so, e-mail msu.raceracademy@murraystate.edu.
  • Ask prospective dual credit students to complete the online application and submit transcripts if they have any interest in taking a course next semester. The application is free and they can change their mind later! 
  • We are accepting registration requests for the Fall semester. Submit the Guidance Counselor / Principal  Approval / Registration form.
  • Would you like Murray State to visit your school to talk to students and help submit Racer Academy applications? If so, e-mail msu.raceracademy@murraystate.edu.
  • Murray State will receive scholarship funds from the state of Kentucky towards the end of April. They will be applied to students’ accounts. 
  • Have any students who are struggling with their Fall course? Remind them this month is the deadline to drop a course with no grade. (W = Withdrawal) See MSU’s Academic Calendar for registration deadlines.
  • Murray State will begin registering Fall students in their courses. 
  • E-mail us any students interested in taking a dual credit course on campus next semester. Include the name of the course and the desired time.
  • Ask prospective dual credit students to complete the online application and submit transcripts if they have any interest in taking a course next semester. The application is free and they can change their mind later! 
  • We are accepting registration requests for the Fall semester. Submit the Guidance Counselor / Principal Approval / Registration form. Spots in online courses are limited, so submit forms early!
  • Would you like Murray State to visit your school to talk to students and help submit Racer Academy applications? If so, e-mail msu.raceracademy@murraystate.edu.
  • May 1st: New Fall students' deadline to submit online applications and transcripts. The Guidance Counselor / Principal Approval / Registration form can come later! 
  • Tell students to check their Money tab on myGate to ensure they have no outstanding balance to resolve. Registration holds will be place on accounts with an outsanding balance. Contact Amy Watters in the Bursar's Office for assistance, awatters@murraystate.edu or 270.809.4211.
  • Final grades are due from all faculty/teachers the Monday after MSU's finals week by 10 a.m. Instructors will submit final grades through their myGate Teaching/Advising tab, Faculty Grade Assignment channel. After final grades have been processed, the Racer Academy Office will send guidance counselors listed on students’ forms their final grades (numerical and letter) for those registered in an MSU dual credit course. David Black will send all Agriculture grades. 
  • E-mail us any students interested in taking a dual credit course on campus next semester. Include the name of the course and the desired time.
  • Ask prospective dual credit students to complete the online application and submit transcripts if they have any interest in taking a course next semester. The application is free and they can change their mind later! 
  • We are accepting registration requests for the Fall semester. Submit the Guidance Counselor / Principal Approval / Registration form. Spots in online courses are limited, so submit forms early!
  • Would you like Murray State to visit your school to talk to students and help submit Racer Academy applications? If so, e-mail msu.raceracademy@murraystate.edu.
  • Ensure all new students have submitted their online application and transcripts. 
  • We are accepting registration requests for the Fall semester. Submit the Guidance Counselor / Principal Approval / Registration form. Spots in online courses are limited, so submit forms early! 
  • Take a vacation.
  • Ensure all new students have submitted their online application and transcripts. 
  • We are accepting registration requests for the Fall semester. The deadline to submit these is two weeks prior to the start of classes. Submit the Guidance Counselor / Principal Approval / Registration form. Spots fill up quickly in online courses. Submit this form as early as possible! 
  • Last day of July: Deadline for requests for students to take a dual credit course on-campus for the Fall semester.

Helping your students: 

  • Tell your students to look for an e-mail titled “Admission Decision.” This will be sent immediately after they are admitted to the e-mail account they used to apply. It contains all instructions needed for setting up their accounts. Alternatively, they can always call the Service Desk at 270.809.2346 for help logging in for the first time.
  • Advise students receiving scholarships to ignore their billing statements. Funds will be received from the state of Kentucky the end of April and applied to their accounts at that time.
  • If a student is not receiving a scholarship and needs to pay a bill, tell them to log-in to myGate and go to their Money tab.
  • Good luck to us all! Remember, we are here if you need anything. 
  • Deadline for students to take Title IX quiz on Canvas and earn a score of 100%. The quiz must be taken once each academic year. 
  • Know important dates: drop deadlines (Semester calendars and deadlines > click on the current semester) and the tuition refunds
  • Ask prospective dual credit students to complete the online application and submit transcripts if they have any interest in taking a course next semester. The application is free and they can change their mind later! 
  • We are accepting registration requests for the Spring semester. Submit the Guidance Counselor / Principal Approval / Registration form.
  • Would you like Murray State to visit your school and help students submit Racer Academy applications? If so, e-mail msu.raceracademy@murraystate.edu.
  • Murray State will receive scholarship funds from the state of Kentucky at the end of October. They will be applied to students’ accounts towards the end of the month.
  • The Spring schedule will be published! 
  • Mid-term grades will collected and we will contact you if any students are at risk of failing. 
  • E-mail Lisa a list of Spring Racer Academy courses being offered at your high school and any on-campus course requests.
  • Would you like Murray State to visit your school and help students submit Racer Academy applications? If so, e-mail msu.raceracademy@murraystate.edu.
  • Ask prospective dual credit students to complete the online application and submit transcripts if they have any interest in taking a course next semester. The application is free and they can change their mind later! 
  • E-mail us any students interested in taking a dual credit course on campus next semester. Include the name of the course and the desired time.
  • Have any students who are struggling with their Fall course? Remind them this month is the deadline to drop a course with no grade. (W = Withdrawal) 
  • We will begin registering students in their Spring semester courses.  
  • Tell students to check their Money tab on myGate to ensure they have no outstanding balance. Registration holds will be place on accounts with an outsanding balance. 
  • Would you like Murray State to visit your school and help students submit their Racer Academy applications? If so, e-mail msu.raceracademy@murraystate.edu.
  • Ask prospective dual credit students to complete the online application and submit transcripts if they have any interest in taking a course next semester. The application is free and they can change their mind later!  December 1st is the deadline for new students deadline.
  • E-mail us any students interested in taking a dual credit course on campus next semester. Include the name of the course and desired time.
  • December 1st: New Spring students' deadline to submit online applications and transcripts. The Guidance Counselor / Principal Approval / Registration form can come later! 
  • 2nd Week of December: Deadline for requests for students to take a dual credit course on-campus for the Spring semester.
  • Final grades are due from instructors the Monday after finals week. The Racer Academy Office will send the guidance counselor listed on students’ forms their final grades (numerical and letter) for those registered in an MSU dual credit course. David Black will send all Agriculture grades.

Documents

 Guidance Counselor / Principal Approval / Registration Form

Send to Lisa Schmidt, lschmidt@murraystate.edu.

Ensure students have initialed and signed the document.

We can only schedule one semester at a time. Do not include more than one semester on the form.

If the student meets the requirements for the course and it is available, we will register them for the course. 

Forms will be returned if they are missing signatures or have more than one semester listed. 

Drop / Withdrawal Form. 

Send to Nathan McPhail and Lisa Schmidt, nmcphail@murraystate.edu, lschmidt@murraystate.edu

Alternatively, students my also drop courses on myGate by going to the Academics tab > Registration Tools > myRegistration.

E-mail us at the addresses above to confirm that the course has been dropped successfully. 

Spring 2024 Student Checklist

Tracks (previously Pathways) 

Additional flyers an can be found in our Google Drive

 

Support

Provide students with the following steps for submitting their online application.

Go to www.murraystate.edu/raceracademy and click on Apply to Racer Academy Now and then Create Account. The application is always free so if you are asked to pay, you are in the wrong application.

After the Account is created, enter the correct semester for Anticipated Start Term. The rest of the fields should show the following:

Location: Murray State Main Campus

Admit Type: Racer Academy / Dual Credit

Academic Level: Undergraduate

Academic Program: Undeclared-non-degree Seeking

After clicking on Submit, the first question you should see is about Title IX Required Certification. Enter your Social Security Number and click on Submit Application (not Save!) when you are finished. 

Did a student submit the wrong application? 

Tell them to log-in to their application account. In their WEB browser, open a new tab and go to www.murraystate.edu/raceracademy then click on Apply to Racer Academy Now. This should bring up the right application!

Remember, you can always contact Lisa for help, lschmidt@murraystate.edu or 270.809.2159

These are the systems your students will need to access. If they cannot log-in, direct them to call our Service Desk at 270.809.2346.

  • myGate - view course schedule, bill, and password information (Home tab). 
  • RacerMail - Their username is always the first part of their Murray State e-mail address. All communication from the university will be sent here.
  • Canvas - Their course may be housed on Canvas. 

Want us to come to your high school and help your students get registered? Let us know! 

Lisa Schmidt - for general dual credit courses, lschmidt@murraystate.edu or 270.809.2159

David Black - for schools only participating in Agriculture courses, dblack3@murraystate.edu or 270.809.7057

If you have a student who would like to take a course on campus, please contact Lisa to get a special section set up. Racer Academy sections must be approved by the Provost's Office, department chair, and instructor before a student can participate. Submit requests two months before the semester begins for the best chance for enrollment. 

Students will receive a billing statement through their myGate account.

If they will not be receiving a Dual Credit or Work Ready Scholarship through the state, they may pay online through myGate using a check, debit, or credit card. (There is a 2.95% fee for using a credit card.) Payment, $93 a credit hour, is due immediately. (Remember that the state scholarship does not cover textbooks!)

If they will be receiving a scholarship, advise them to ignore the bill. Murray State receives funds from the state in April and the end of October. Bills will be removed at that time. 

Students who are not receiving a scholarship and have an outstanding balance will not be allowed to register for future semesters. A hold will be placed on their account until the balance is received. 

Contact Amy Watters in the Bursar's Office for assistance, awatters@murraystate.edu or 270.809.4211.

Some students do not enter their SSN when they are applying for admission. If this number is missing, we will contact the counselor listed on their Guidance Counselor / Principal Approval form and request the number. A hold will be placed on the student's account if the number is not received.

Students are required to take a Title IX quiz on Canvas once each academic year. They must receive a score of 100%. If the test is not complete, they will not be able to register for the upcoming semester. 

Visit Racer Academy's Homepage

Contact Us

Lisa Schmidt

ADMISSION, SCHEDULING, SCHOOL VISITS
Coordinator, Dual Credit

David Black

AGRICULTURE COURSEWORK
HUTSON SCHOOL OF AGRICULTURE

Amy Watters

Billing and Scholarships
Busar's Office

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