Overview & FAQs

The New MyColumbia

The new and improved MyColumbia student portal brings together multiple student actions like class registration, reviewing and accepting financial aid awards, and other self-service tools and quick links to campus resources. 

You will continue to see improvements throughout the Academic Year 2025-26. For now, pay special attention to the Steps to Get Ready for Registration for Spring: 1. Prepare, 2, Plan, and 3. Register!  

See below for FAQs and click on the menu above ⬆ for timeline and videos showing you the streamlined look and features of the new portal. If you have additional questions or comments, please submit them at this link. 

NAVIGATING THE NEW MYCOLUMBIA

• WHEN does the Spring 2026 Schedule go live and when do I register for Spring 2026?
  • You will receive an email on November 3rd with your registration day and time (sometime during the week of Nov. 10)
  • The Schedule of classes goes live on November 3rd, but you can start Preparing and Planning NOW (see below for more details)
  • You can start adding classes to your Schedule (your “shopping cart”) starting Nov. 3rd
  • Registration begins the week of November 10th
  • Once your Registration timeslot is emailed to you, it will also be visible in https://my.colum.edu or the MyColum app > Registration / Student Planning Tile > Plan & Schedule
  • Note that HOLDS and instructions for clearing them are visible in red in the top right corner; click on the Gold Notification Square on any screen to see them again. 

  

  

• PREPARE – How do I get ready to Register?
  • Start by visiting your Planning Overview
    • https://my.colum.edu or the MyColum app > Registration / Student Planning Tile > Planning Overview 

  

  
  
  

  • Check for any Holds that would prevent you from registering  
    • Holds will appear as a red alert in the top right corner and in notifications 
    • You can also search your colum.edu email inbox for emails with “hold” in them 
    • Holds must be cleared to Register for classes! Contact the appropriate office to clear them
  •  Look at My Progress (aka the new Degree Audit) to verify your total credits.  
    • From Planning Overview, click Go to My Progress 
    • OR https://my.colum.edu or the MyColum app > Registration / Student Planning Tile > My Progress for a direct link 
    • For more details on how to read My Progress, look at FAQ below about “How do I read My Progress (the new Degree Audit)?
  • You can also explore your major requirements by looking at the Course Catalog and navigating to Degree Planning Tools in the left hand menu to see and download a PDF of a sample 4 year plan.
    • Be sure to select the correct Catalogue Year (top right), which is usually the year you started at Columbia College Chicago 
• PLAN – How do I add classes to my Plan and Schedule?
  • Visit Plan & Schedule and Add Courses to Your Plan (Class Schedule for Spring goes live Nov. 3rd!) 
  • https://my.colum.edu or the MyColum app > Registration / Student Planning Tile > Plan & Schedule (or from the Planning Overview page) 

  

  • You can add courses to your Plan at any point, and starting Nov. 3, the actual Spring 2025 Course Catalog (Schedule of Classes) will be visible, so you can start adding required courses and electives to your proposed Schedule.  
  • Plan vs. Schedule: Think of the Plan as your “ Save for Later,” while the Schedule is your actual “ Shopping Cart” for Registering. You can Plan then Schedule, or go straight to Scheduling.  
  • To add courses into your Plan, select Add Course to Plan. In this screenshot “Open Sections only” and “Spring 2026” have been selected.

   

  

   

  • Always make sure to select the proper term (semester) and Add to Your Plan 
  • Alternately, you can hit  View Available Sections from the search results and directly add a section directly to your  Schedule if you know the time works for you! 

      OR   

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  • NEW! You can also use My Progress (the new Degree Audit) to add to your Plan or Schedule:  
  • Within your major requirements, click on yellow courses (planned but not registered) or red courses (neither planned nor registered) to link directly to the course catalog and add to your Plan or Schedule.  
• REGISTER – How and when do I register?

  https://my.colum.edu or the MyColum app > Registration / Student Planning Tile > Register for Classes

  

  • Your Registration time slot appears at the top of the screen. When it’s your time, you may hit the blue
  • You can also register for classes one at a time from your Plan, but they are not Registered until they appear as Green in your Schedule! 
  • Remember, adding courses to your Plan and Schedule does not mean you’re registered for them! It’s like your shopping cart - you still need to complete the transaction by Registering for them during your registration slot (week of Nov. 10 in Fall 2025).   
• How do I read My Progress (the new Degree Audit)?

  Access My Progress (the new Degree Audit) 

  • Log in to MyColumbia by going to https://my.colum.edu or the MyColum app.  
  • Click on the Academics tab and select the Registration / Student Planning Tile > My Progress 
  • Or access from your within https://selfservice.colum.edu by going to Academics > My Progress 

  
  

  2. Review & Verify the Details in Your “At a Glance” Section

  • This section displays your Cumulative GPA, Major, Minor, and Catalog Year. 

  
  

  3. Verify Total Credits

  • The Total Credits progress bar will reflect the number of credits already earned (solid green) 
  • This progress bar will also reflect the number of credits In-Progress (light green)  
  • Any “planned” credits but not yet in-progress will be included (light yellow) 

  
  

  4. Review Requirements  

  Each area shows completion status: ✅ Complete | 🟢 In Progress | 🟡 Planned | 🔴 Not Started 

   

  Columbia Core (30 hours) 

  A. Aesthetic and Creative Expression (3 credits)	E. Columbia Experience (CCCX) (3 credits)
  B. Quantitative Reasoning (3 credits)	F. Scientific Discovery (3 credits)
  C. Communication (6 credits)	G. Core Electives / Exploration (9 credits) (Any additional credits from Core categories)
  D. Historical/Cultural Understanding (3 credits)

   

  200-Level Core Requirement 

  Students following the 2024 Catalog (or prior catalogs) are required to complete 9 credits of Advanced 200/300 Level Credits in the Core. Students should plan to complete these requirements with their courses selected to complete the Core (Ex: HIST 200, SCIE 300) 

   

  Inclusive Perspectives & Pedagogy (IPP) 

  All students are required to complete 6 Credits of IPP coursework. Course previously designated as DEI will fulfill this requirement. IPP courses may be from the Core or Major Requirements.  

   

  Major Requirements 

  All students are required to complete a declared major. Check Degree Progress to determine which requirements are completed, in-progress, fulfilled, or not-started. Clicking on Planned/Not Started courses will allow you to add them to your Plan!  

   

  Honors & Minor Requirements 

  Optional. If declared, they appear in your audit with details. 

   

  Non-Major / General Electives 

  • This section details the number of credits required outside of the major to successfully complete the minimum of 120 credits required to graduate.  
  • Don’t be surprised by apparent duplicates! This section includes credits already listed in the Columbia Core, Honors, and Minor sections of your Progress as well as any College-Wide Electives you take. 
  • For example, if your major is 45 credits, this section will list 75 credits of non-major classes (45+75=120) 
• How do I read the Seat Capacities for courses?
  • The Seat Capacities for each section are listed as Available/Taken/Capacity/Waitlisted
  • Available = seats left / Taken = currently in class / Capacity = room capacity / Waitlisted = number on waitlist. Adding to the waitlist puts you at the bottom.
• How do Waitlists work in the new system?
  • Waitlist spots are given on a first-come, first-served basis.
  • If a seat opens up and you're next, you'll get an email and have 48 hours to accept.
  • If the waitlisted course conflicts with another on your schedule, drop the conflicting course first, then accept the waitlist offer (within 48 hours).
• If I have a hold, what should I do?
  • If you have a hold, contact the correct office to get it resolved.
  • While waiting, explore the course catalog and plan your schedule in the new registration system so you’re ready to register once your hold is lifted.
  • When your payment is made, there may be a delay in the hold being removed. You should contact Columbia Central for assistance.

   

• Where do I go to get help with registration?
  • For questions about which courses to take, contact Advising. Their information can be found at https://students.colum.edu/academic-services/advising/
• Where can I find program guides and four-year degree plans for my major?
  • PDFs of Four Year Guides can be found at https://catalog.colum.edu 
  • From that page, navigate to Degree Planning Tools in the left hand menu to see and download a PDF of a sample 4 year plan.  
  • Be sure to select the correct Catalogue Year (top right), which is usually the year you started at Columbia College Chicago 
• What is my official ID #?
  • NEW STUDENTS starting with the college in Fall 2025 will only have one ID # that was given to them upon admission and will receive their Campus Card IDs this summer, at Orientation.  

  • CONTINUING STUDENTS will continue to use their existing Campus Card IDs, which currently have their old ID# on them and they have also been issued a new ID# within the Self Service and New MyColumbia system.  

  At this time you do not need a new ID card. Your old ID card and old ID number will be tagged to the new Columbia ID for now. 

• Now that the new my.colum.edu and MyColum app are launched (August 25th, 2025), how do I access them?

  Log in at my.colum.edu to see the updated portal, and download the MyColum App (Apple iOS/GooglePlay) to access everything on the go. 

• With the new my.colum.edu and the MyColum app, what can I expect that is different?

  What’s New 

  • Simple, tile-based layout – easier to find what you need. 

  • Notifications – see key dates, deadlines, and events. 

  • Your schedule upfront on a tile – plus easy access to the campus calendar at the push of a button.   

  • Customizable home screen – A few key tiles are locked at the top; additional tiles can be added by “bookmarking” them (top right corner of each tile) and can be rearranged to customize your home screen. 

  • Advising + appointment tile – book meetings easily. 

  • Circle of Support tabs with quick access to support and direct links to Self-Service functions: 

  • Academics: registration, tutoring, advising 

  • Finances: tuition, aid, scholarships 

  • Support Services: wellness & health resources 

  • Community: events & activities 

  • Career: jobs, internships, Career Center 

  • Registration tile – shows up on your homepage when it’s time to register. 

  • All your apps in one place – quick links to Canvas, Engage, Outlook, TimelyCare, etc. (So, yes, those apps will still exist and should still be on your smartphone homepage!) 

  • Report an Error tile – tell us what’s not working or suggest features. 

  Coming Soon 

  • A new, improved Degree Audit. 

  • Unofficial transcripts online. 

  • Ability to complete additional college forms. 

  Access to Legacy Site 

  • For those features that are not yet ready, including Degree Audit, unofficial transcripts, and select forms, you can still log into legacymy.colum.edu  with your SSO credentials to access a few key features (such as the old Degree Audit, uAchieve) until they are supported in the new interface. 
• HELP! After reading the FAQs, I’m still having LogIn Issues, Errors with PreReqs, etc…
  Please submit a ticket at this link and provide as much detail as possible to escalate your question.
• Who are the members of the SIS Implementation Steering Committee?
  • Nate Bakkum, Senior Associate Provost
  • Derek Brinkley, Associate VP of Enrollment Management
  • Ginny Johnson, Assistant VP of Student Financial Services
  • Kathie Koch, Associate VP and Chief Information Officer
  • Brian Marth, Associate Provost of Academic Services
  • Dirk Matthews, Interim VP of Development and Alumni Relations
  • Ruben Picazo, Registrar
  • Luke Schalewski, Executive Director of Institutional Research and Effectiveness
  • Kevin Wyderka, Director of Reporting and Analytics

  If you have additional questions or comments, please submit them at this link .