How to Check Your Degree Progress

Students at Ridgewater College can use the Degree Audit Reporting System (DARS) to check their progress toward their degree or diploma. A computer-based system, DARS lists the requirements for your program of study and helps you plan and monitor progress by:

• Identifying the requirements needed to complete your specific program
• Indicating courses you have already completed, both at Ridgewater College and in transfer, and how they apply to your requirements
• Specifying what you still need to complete your program and the courses from which you may select to satisfy each requirement

How Do I Get a DARS Report?

Sign into eServices with your StarID and password. Click on Academic Record and choose Degree Audit Report.

Will DARS Replace My Advisor?

No. DARS is a tool designed to assist advisors and students and enhance the advising process. The report will help you select courses and participate in building your academic schedule. It displays your progress at any point in your academic career. The report will help your advisor anticipate and resolve any problem areas and provide further academic and career counseling.

What DARS Is Not

The DARS report is not a transcript. It is not intended to report student achievement to outside parties. Federal law prohibits transmission to a third party. It is your responsibility to complete all requirements for the selected program, whether or not they have been identified on the Ridgewater DARS report. You are encouraged to review the requirements as listed in the catalog and report any inaccuracies found on your Ridgewater DARS report to your academic advisor or the registrar.

What Is Included in My DARS Report?

• Header Information

  This section at the top of the report contains your name, student ID number, the date the report was prepared, your advisor’s name, the program of study you have chosen, and the catalog year that has been used for setting the requirements in the report.

• Column 1

  The first column of the report begins with the legend of symbols used in the report, followed by your assessment test scores. A summary of transfer credits listed by the institution will be included for official transcripts that have been received and evaluated.

• Requirement Blocks

  Requirements identify components of your program that must be completed. The report usually begins with the overall credit and GPA requirement that lists all courses you have taken, both local and transfer, from oldest to most recent. Audit reports of the AA degree will progress through each of the 10 goal areas of the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum and the Phy Ed/Public Health requirement. Audit reports of AS, AAS, diploma, and certificate programs will progress through the technical requirements, general education or general studies requirements, and any elective requirements. Requirements may be broken up into smaller, numbered segments called sub-requirements. The completion status of a requirement is indicated by an OK or NO; the completion status of a sub-requirement is indicated by a + or -. The indicator IP will be used if successful completion of the student’s current enrollment will satisfy the requirement.

• Coursework

  Your Ridgewater College coursework listed within a requirement shows the term taken, department and number, credits earned, grade, and course title (e.g., F 02 PSYC1310 4.0 A Intro to Psyc).

Transfer courses listed within a requirement show the term taken, the equivalent Ridgewater department and number (a generic number starting with T is assigned if the course has no Ridgewater equivalent), credits earned, grade preceded by TR (or NT, if not transferable), and the original title of the course. Listed under the original title are the abbreviation of the institution and the course department and number used there. A third line may appear if the course matched as a required course or in a specific goal area (e.g., F 01 BIOLT002 3.0 TRA PLANTS IN OUR SOCIETY SCSU : BIOL105 >>MATCHED AS: GOAL 10).

The end of the report includes a section titled Courses not Required on Education Plan. If you see courses in this list that you think apply to requirements of your program, consult with your advisor about submitting a waiver or petition to approve use of the courses to satisfy specific requirements.

DARS Help

If you need additional help understanding your DARS audit, please review this DARS tutorial [PDF].