New Graduate Student Orientation

Howdy! Congrats on your recent acceptance into Texas A&M University at Galveston.  As you prepare your journey with us, please check out the resources below:

Orientation Events    

Please plan to attend the New Graduate Student Orientation event. Please visit https://www.tamug.edu/grad/Incoming-Students/ for more information.

  • New Graduate Student Orientation will be held in person and virtually for Fall 2021.  You only need to attend the in person session or virtual session but not both.
  • In Person New Graduate Student OrientationTuesday, August 17th from 9:30am-3pm CST. To attend, please email gradstudies@tamug.edu
  • Virtual New Graduate Student OrientationWednesday, August 18th from 10:30am-2pm CST. To attend, please email gradstudies@tamug.edu
  • Teaching Assistantship Training – If you have been assigned to a teaching assistantship, please contact gradstudies@tamug.edu for more instruction.

Registration Information    

Please work with your department if you are a non-thesis student or do not have a faculty advisor. For research students already with an advisor, please contact your faculty advisor for course selection.

A couple of things to remember regarding registration:

  • You use Howdy https://howdy.tamu.edu to register for courses. Howdy is an electric portal system regarding your student record.  You will use your Net ID and Net ID password to log in.  To create your Net ID, visit https://gateway.tamu.edu.
  • To avoid a late fee, the last day to register for courses is Friday, August 27th by 5:00 pm CST.
  • You can add and drop courses now until Friday, September 3rd by 5:00 pm CST
  • Full time status is 9 hours (for fall/spring) and 6 hours (for summer)
  • You will receive tools during your one on one meeting with Graduate Studies on how to build your entire degree plan. For now, please only work on registering for this semester. 

For more information about registration deadlines visit the registrar's website.

TAMU Graduate Student Registration Deadlines

TAMU Academic Calendar

For registration tutorials, please visit https://registrar.tamu.edu/Courses,-Registration,-Scheduling/Registration-Enrollment-Information/Registration-Tutorials.


Make sure to agree to the Terms of Use and complete the Distance Location update prior to registering.  In addition, science students need to complete the Lab Safety Acknowledgement prior to registering. 

Before you register, please check to see if you have any holds by visiting the My Record tab on Howdy.

Common Registration Errors that prevent you from registering:

  • Complete the Terms of Use Agreement and Location Update on your Howdy Checklist
  • Time conflicts – will be listed as “student attribute restriction”
  • Lab Safety – If a student enrolls in a science course, they need to complete the Lab Safety Acknowledgment on the My Record tab in Howdy.
  • Prerequisites – please reach out to our office for this type of hold for additional assistance
  • Class Standing – graduate students only have access on Howdy to register for graduate courses.  If you would like to take an undergraduate course, please complete an override request, please visiting https://www.tamug.edu/academics/course_override_form.html

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Financial Information    

If you are enrolled in a Galveston graduate program, please visit https://sbs.tamu.edu/sbs-galveston/ for general billing information.  If you are enrolled in a College Station graduate program, please visit https://sbs.tamu.edu/ for general information.

Pay Your Bill    

How to Pay Your Bill
How to Pay Your Bill

Typically bills are paid online through Howdy ("My Finances" tab) or in person at the Cashier’s Office in Main Academic Building first floor.

To avoid a late fee, please pay your bill on time.  It is better to challenge a bill after it is paid not paid after a deadline has passed. Payment deadlines are found on the My Finances tab in Howdy or https://sbs.tamu.edu/resources/important-dates/

If you need information about an installment plan, please visit https://sbs.tamu.edu/billing-payments/installment-plan/index.html

Tuition/Fee Waivers
Tuition/Fee Waivers

Some graduate students on fellowships and/or assistantships may be granted a waiver per the conditions of the award/position.  Students in this situation should check their offer letter in regards to what will be waived.  If you did not receive an offer letter and on an assistantship, please contact your department and request the letter. 

Waivers are applied through our office and the academic departments by working with financial representatives at main campus. Students will receive a full bill.  Then, waivers or payments will be applied. Our office typically does not send in the request for the waiver until ALL graduate TAs and award recipients from our office register full time.  Therefore, it is important to register early. 

Common scenario: the TA will have a non-resident tuition waiver applied.  Therefore, they are responsible for the in-state tuition and fees.  They should go ahead and pay the portion they are responsible for rather than waiting for the waiver as sometimes waivers are applied after the bill deadline.  If unsure of what to pay, contact our office or your academic department.

International Students    

Important Resources

Common Registration Holds for Incoming International Students

  • Tuberculosis (TB) Vaccination
    • Not required for every international student
    • Students needing this vaccine are required to meet with Danny
    • If possible, get this vaccine PRIOR to coming into the country.
    • Use the appropriate form https://shs.tamu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Tuberculosis-Screening-March-2021.pdf
    • ISS Check-In - please visit http://iss.tamu.edu/Prospective-Students/Check-in-Orientation for guidance on the check-in process

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Distance Education Students    

Enrolled in the Maritime Business Administration & Logistics Program

We encourage our distance learners to view the following TAMU Orientation, by visiting  https://distance.tamu.edu/getdoc/c3d76313-fd95-4b2c-95ad-c578f93c26fc/Orientation.aspx.  Please use your Net ID and Net ID password to log into the session.  Near the end of the orientation, you will see Services listed for TAMU students for programs housed at College Station.  For our Services, for students like you in programs housed at Galveston, please use the Services List below under “Program Specific Information”.

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Announcements    

Looking for a roommate, etc.

Are you looking for a roommate?  Our office can help.  Email us with your roommate preferences (like seeking a female graduate roommate who does not have pet allergies).  Then we can send it out to our graduate listservs.

Also if you plan to live in an apartment, show the apartment management proof of enrollment that you are a graduate student at Texas A&M at Galveston, and they might give you a discount in some way.  The Howdy system has an area under My Record that has proof of enrollment but you have to be registered.  So register today…

Finally, if you are employed by Texas A&M University at Galveston, make sure you get an offer letter and show the apartment manager for possible additional discounts.  Typically offer letters come from the department for teaching assistants and from the faculty member for research assistants.   

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