Advising Services at NIC is here to help students find their path through higher education with efficiency, affordability and effectiveness in mind. We are a team of professional student success advisors who work hard to customize and enhance the student experience and to enable students to get the most out of their education at NIC. We can help you clarify your academic goals and find relevant information and resources, all while guiding you through an intentional decision process that aligns with not only your program requirements, but also your interests and goals. We advise – you decide.
Advisors help students navigate their path through higher education with long-term planning focused on course completion and program requirement fulfillment, as well as student interest and goals.
We want to make sure you start out with a clear path forward, so advising is required for new students and for students who have returned to college after some time away. New students are encouraged to participate in our online New Student Orientation prior to advising and registration.
- Dual Credit: NIC’s Dual Credit Office offers advising for students earning dual credit from NIC while in high school. Contact Dual Credit office at (208) 625-2329 or dualcredit@nic.edu.
- Career and Technology Programs: For students in Career & Technical Programs, NIC’s Career and Technical Education Center has advising specifically for CTE students.
- For Trades and Industry programs at the Rathdrum campus, contact CTE Student Success Navigator Natalie Keim at (208)769-3468 or natalie.keim@nic.edu.
- For Business Professional programs on the main campus, contact CTE Student Success Navigator Kelly Nolan at 208-769-3371 or kelly.nolan@nic.edu.
- For Health Professions programs, contact Health Professions Student Success Navigator Betsy Conery at 208-625-2320 or betsy.conery@nic.edu.
- For Practical Nursing program, contact Nursing Student Success Navigator Wendy McIntosh at 208-769-3373 or wendy.mcintosh@nic.edu.
- Sandpoint Students: NIC at Sandpoint has specialized advising for students based out of Bonner and Boundary Counties. Contact NIC Advising at (208) 769-7821 or advising@nic.edu.
Welcome back, Cardinal! NIC Advising Services is available to support our students at all stages in their education. For current students, our student success advisors offer educational guidance and support for success at North Idaho College.
If you are a continuing student, you should contact your assigned faculty advisor directly to plan an advising session or, if your advisor is one of our Student Success Advisors in Advising Services, call (208) 769-7821 to schedule an appointment.
Student Success Advisors in Advising Services offer educational guidance and support for success at North Idaho College. Advisors can assist you with:
- Educational Planning- Advisors can help you develop a personalized and meaningful educational plan and prepare an efficient transfer plan to continue your education after leaving NIC.
- Reading and Interpreting “My Progress” in Student Planning - My Progress in Student Planning is a powerful tool in MyNIC’s Self Service for determining requirements that you have already met and for selecting courses that count toward your intended program. My Progress can also be used to determine your graduation timeline! Advisors will help you review My Progress and counsel you on your educational plans.
- Assistance with Program Selection- Advisors will help you explore the opportunities, fit and requirements of NIC program offerings.
- Registration Problem-Solving- Advisors can help you address common registration issues, understand registration restrictions and troubleshoot finding a seat in a closed class that is necessary for program progression. Advisors can also help you explore course options, make changes to your schedule, review registration holds and assist with planning and preparing for advising and registration.
- Academic Difficulty- Advisors can help you evaluate past academic performance and discover the skills and resources necessary to achieve your educational goals. Advisors can connect you with academic and specialized campus services that can help you succeed.
- Identifying a New Advisor– Staff in Advising Services can help you identify the professional or faculty advisor to best guide you on your particular educational path.
Are you planning to transfer and complete a bachelor's degree? Visit the NIC Transfer Center to plan your next steps and ensure your transfer experience is a pleasant and seamless experience.
Advising Resources
- Guidance clarifying your educational and career interests
- Assistance with course selection and registration
- A review of your math and English assessments to inform course selection
- A review of credits transferred from other institutions
- Referrals to on-campus and off-campus resources
- Introductions to advising tools and resources
- Information about how to prepare for and maximize future meetings with advisors
All currently* enrolled NIC students are assigned an advisor. You may find the name of your assigned advisor through MyNIC. Follow these steps to locate your advisor's name:
- Log into MyNIC*
- Select Self Service button on the left-hand side of the page.
- Select Student Planning.
- Select Go to Plan & Schedule.
- Select the Advising Your advisor will be listed under My Advisors.
*New students will be assigned an advisor approximately four to six weeks into the semester.
If you are assigned to a faculty/program advisor you may find his/her contact information on the NIC Faculty and Staff Directory page. If your advisor is listed as "Advising Services", please call (208) 769-7821 to set up an appointment with an advisor.
New/Returning Students
- Complete the Advising Profile Form which gives advisors more information about students' backgrounds and goals.
- Complete the online New Student Orientation.
- Explore NIC's academic programs.
- Explore Career Services information and resources for new and first-year students.
- Complete math and English placement assessments, which determine the starting point for math and English courses that are required in most NIC programs.
- Submit official college transcripts for college credits earned at other institutions. Most colleges use the National Student Clearinghouse to request transcripts.
- Submit official Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) scores.
Current Students
- Schedule your advising meeting in advance in accordance with the instructions and preferences of your advisor.
- Check your progress toward program completion in Student Planning. Write down any questions you have and consider the courses you still need to take to complete your program.
- Review the course offerings for the coming semester(s). If the courses that interest you aren't already planned in Student Planning, add them to your plan and discuss with your advisor.
- Consider your other commitments for the semester (work schedule, childcare schedule, practice schedule, etc.) and write them down. Be prepared to discuss when you can and cannot take classes with your advisor.
- How much time can you devote to school this semester? How many classes do you want to take?
- Consider and reconsider your academic and career goals. Are these goals still right for you? Be ready to talk with your advisor about this.
- Do you have a transfer institution in mind? Be ready to discuss this with your advisor, as the requirements of the transfer institution may affect which courses you should take at NIC.
- Write down any other questions that you have (how long until completing the degree? current struggles in one or more courses?). Bring your list to your advisor during the meeting.
NIC Advising Services offers two types of appointments to serve students.
Individual advising appointments are best for:
- New students seeking personalized attention
- Students who are transferring college credits from other institutions
- Students who have a clear idea of their desired program or interest area
Individual advising appointments typically last approximately an hour and can be held in person, via Zoom or by phone depending on the advisor and the student's needs.
To book an individual advising appointment, contact Advising Services at (208) 769-7821 or advising@nic.edu. Our team of student success advisors and faculty advisors will partner with you to begin developing a personalized educational plan and guide you in registration for your first semester.
Group advising sessions are best for:
- New students who are exploring potential programs
- Students who have no or few college credits to transfer to NIC
Group advising sessions are scheduled in 90-minute blocks, though the session depends on the students' needs. Once a student is registered, their advising appointment is finished.
Students have direct access to student planning and registration resources through Self Service in MyNIC. Log in to your MyNIC account, select the Self Service button on the left-hand side of the page, and from the Self Service main menu, select Student Planning.
View Student Progress
From Student Planning in MyNIC’s Self Service, select “My Progress” to view:
- Current degree program
- GPA
- Total credits
- Classes taken
- Classes planned
- Classes not started
Register for classes
View your “Student Progress” in Self Service to add courses to your plan, then request a course plan review from your advisor prior to registration.
From Student Planning in MyNIC’s Self Service, select “Plan and Schedule” where you can:
- View approved or denied courses from your advisor
- Yellow: course is protected and cannot be moved to another term
- Green: course is approved for registration
- Red: course has been denied for registration
- Choose course day and time for approved and protected courses by clicking on “View other sections.”
- View course options by hovering over available options.
- Click on the course that best fits your schedule.
- “Add to Schedule” once your course has been selected.
- There can be several pages of sections, so be sure to review all options!
- You can select and plan more than one section for the same course; however, you can only register for a single course section.
- You must meet pre-requisites to continue to registration.
- If a class is full, you will be added to the wait list for that course if it is eligible for waitlisting.
- To finish registering, click “Register” on each course, or click “Register Now” in the top right to register all classes.
- Once you are registered, the course will turn green and provide you with the option to “Drop.”
Change Sections of a Registered Course
To find a different section of a course in which you are already registered, from Student Planning in MyNIC’s Self Service, select “Plan and Schedule.”
- Use the filter to select your preferred location and click “View other sections” on the course you want to change.
- When you find the section you want to change to, click on the section and click “Add Section.” Then choose “Drop” on the section you don’t want, and “Register” on the section you do want.
Add a Class
- From Student Planning in MyNIC’s Self Service, select “My Progress.”
- Find “Search for Courses” on the upper right-hand side of the page to search your course name. If you don’t know which class you’d like to add, call your advisor
- In the Course Details, scroll down to “Select a Term” to choose your preferred term.
- Click “Add Course to Plan” to save the course to your specified term.
- Return to the “My Progress” page, then choose “Student Planning” and “Plan and Schedule” to see your planned classes listed on the left.
- Filter “Open Sections” and “View Other Sections” to choose the specific section that best fits your schedule.
- Register for the class by clicking “Register” in the upper right-hand side of the page.
Drop or Withdraw from a Class
All students should check with the Financial Aid Office, advisors (including veterans’ advisors and coaches) prior to dropping or withdrawing from a course. A change in total credits could affect program eligibility and/or program completion.
- From Student Planning in MyNIC’s Self Service, click “Plan and Schedule” to see your classes listed on the left.
- Find the class you would like to drop and click “Withdraw.”
- Answer the prompt to verify that you would like to withdraw.