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Get Prepared

Congrats on taking the first steps towards your education goals. Have you received your approval email from Guild? If not, don’t worry, you should receive an email within 7-10 days of submitting your Guild application.   


If you have received your approval email, double congratulations! Here are your next steps in completing the Louisiana State University of Alexandria (LSUA) application:

1 — Make sure you’re eligible

Check to make sure you're eligible for your company's education benefit, right up to the first day of classes. Go to the Guild home page and check your eligibility status in the upper right-hand corner. For more information about eligibility, contact Guild support.

Check to make sure you’re eligible to apply for the program you are interested in at LSUA and that you meet the minimum admission criteria prior to applying. An enrollment coach can assist you with questions you may have about admissions criteria. 

  • For example, if you are applying to the BS in Nursing (RN to BSN) program, you must have graduated from an accredited nursing program and hold an active, unencumbered RN license. 

2 — Connect with a Louisiana State University (LSU) Online Enrollment Coach

LSUA’s online programs are supported through LSU Online. The LSU Online Enrollment Coaches will be reaching out to you within 1-3 business days from your Guild application approval. Look out for a phone call with an area code “225.”

If you haven’t heard from LSU Online within 3 business days of your Guild application being approved, you can reach out to them via the contact methods below:

  • Schedule a call today, click here.

  • Email them at lsuonline@lsu.edu. For a quicker response, use the subject line “Guild Student Inquiry.”

    • Note: Be sure to use the same email address you used for the Guild application process.

  • Call them directly at 833-280-5634.

3 — Complete the Louisiana State University of Alexandria (LSUA) application process

Complete LSUA’s application https://www.lsua.edu/admissions/apply.

  • Click Start application.  You will need to create a username and password.

  • Choose the application “Online Degree Application”

  • Be sure to use the same email address and name that you used on your Guild application when submitting your LSUA application. For example, use John Smith on both, not John. T. Smith on one and not the other.

  • You must apply to the same LSUA program that you applied to through Guild. Your approval by Guild to move forward in this program could become invalid if you apply to a different LSUA program, which would result in you becoming responsible for paying for your program out of pocket.

  • Guild learners DO NOT have to pay the application fee. Enter the code Guild in the discount code field and hit “apply code” to defer the fee for reimbursement. Entering the code ensures that your fee is deferred and identifies you as a Guild student to the LSUA team so your application will be processed. Note: if you choose not to enroll, the application fee will be billed to you.

If you have any questions about program selection, reach out to your Enrollment Coach using the contact information above.

  • Area of Study must be one of the following – use your Guild approved program

    • Health Care Administration Online (not Health Sciences)

    • Medical Imaging Online

    • Medical Lab Science MLT to MLS Online

    • Nursing RN to BSN Online

A couple days after you complete your application, your application will automatically be moved forward. If your application has not been moved forward or you are close to an application deadline, please contact online@lsua.edu and let them know you are applying as a Guild student.

4 — Start FAFSA

Gather important documents and complete your FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) online. The Federal School Code for LSUA is 002011. Follow the detailed instructions provided by the Federal Student Aid office. When you're finished, you may be offered awards which you can accept or decline. Once you are admitted and your FAFSA is received, you will be able to track and view financial aid progress and documents needed through our online system called Net Partner. The “Understanding Financial Aid” document explains how that system works lease click the PDF link from the LSUA helpdesk site). It is critical to complete the correct FAFSA. LSUA academic years run Fall, Spring, Summer. Ensure your FAFSA covers all three terms.

Click here to learn more about financial aid at LSUA

5 — Request transcripts

The easiest way to do this is to order your transcripts from all previous schools and have them sent to transcript@lsua.edu. LSUA participates in Parchment and other electronic service systems. We cannot accept an emailed transcript from the student. If you do receive transcripts by mail, make sure you don’t open them. Transcripts are not official if they are opened.

Review the How to get your transcripts article for more information.

If you have previous education outside of the U.S. (i.e., foreign credentials), there are extra requirements to complete to enroll at LSUA.

Transcripts can be emailed to transcript@lsua.edu.

Paper transcripts can be mailed to:

LSU Alexandria

Admissions

8100 Hwy 71 South

Alexandria, LA 71302

Note: It may take 1-2 months for transcripts to arrive at LSUA, so order them as soon as possible.

Once admitted you will get your username and set your password at https://my.lsua.edu Your LSUA email will be your username@lsua.edu LSUA uses Office 365 for email and you will have the same password for all systems (Moodle, MyLSUA, Office.com)

6 — Once admitted, connect with your LSU Online Enrollment Coach to schedule your welcome call

  • LSU Online Contact Information:
    Email: lsuonline@lsu.edu
    Phone: 833-280-5634 

7 — Complete the LSUA Online Onboarding

After you are admitted, you will be enrolled into the Online Onboarding course site in Moodle. You will have to log in with your LSUA email address (username@lsua.edu) and the password you set up.

  • Log into Moodle at https://moodle.lsua.edu

  • Click on the title “Online Orientation” and work through the modules

  • Once you complete the course with a score of at least 85% you will have a badge that displays on your Moodle profile page.

  • Orientation takes 2 – 2.5 hours to complete; you can leave at any point and return later.

8 — Make a plan with your LSUA Academic Advisor and register for courses

  1. Meet with your LSUA academic advisor

    After you are accepted and have completed onboarding, you will be able to use Degree Navigator. The header on the page will show if transcripts are in EVAL status (being evaluated) or COMP status (completed). Please use the “Advisor” box in MyLSUA to email or schedule an appointment with your advisor. Your advisor will provide course recommendations and authorize you for registration.

  2. Register for classes

    You’ll need to register for classes through Self Service which is linked on your MyLSUA page. Instructions can be found here.

  3. Buy your textbooks

    After registering, you may need to buy textbooks for your classes. You can find your required textbooks under the Student Menu on your myLSUA.

    As a Guild member, you can buy discounted textbooks through VitalSource. You’ll first need to create a VitalSource account. You can also buy your textbooks through the LSUA bookstore or other online retailers. You can see what textbooks/materials are required after you register by going to your MyLSUA page, click the student menu, then click “Purchase Textbooks” to view requirements.

  4. Orient yourself to LSUA’s stop out and re-enrollment policies

    Although LSUA has six sessions (terms) a year, there are only three semesters (Fall, Spring, and Summer). Summer enrollment is optional and will not affect student records. Questions about the policies below can be directed to your LSUA academic advisor.

    One Semester

    Students who are not enrolled for one entire semester (both Fall terms or both Spring terms) will need to complete the "I am Coming Back Form" at least two weeks before the term starts to let us know they are returning so we can reactivate their record. https://www.lsua.edu/iamcomingback

    More Than One Semester

    Students who are not enrolled for more than one full semester (Fall ELearn1 and ELearn2 AND ELearn1 of Spring – or all of Spring ELearn1 and ELearn2 and ELearn1 of Fall) will have to reapply. Students do not have to resubmit documents that we already have but would need to submit new transcripts from any school attended while absent from LSUA. Re-entry students are eligible to be re-admitted. https://www.lsua.edu/admissions/apply

9 — Start classes

Work with your Guild Growth Coach, LSU Online Student Success Coach and LSUA academic advisor to get ready for your first day of classes. Be sure to sign in to each course on the first day of class and follow instructor’s directions or you may be automatically dropped. Students must complete the Academic Engagement Activity (AEA) by the 3rd class day to verify enrollment/engagement.

Timeline for Funding

You can learn more about the timeline of Tuition Assistance Funding by clicking here https://guild.force.com/helpcenter/s/article/How-Tuition-Assistance-works. You'll also want to ensure you are tagged as a Guild student with the school and ensure you continue to meet your employer's eligibility requirements.

LSUA BS Nursing (RN-BSN Program) - Capped Funding Guidance

As you plan your program, please review your required credit hours and consult your Guild portal to understand your employer’s funding limits. This will help you anticipate whether you’ll have any out-of-pocket costs. You can find the current per-credit tuition and fee rates on the LSU Online and LSUA websites, which will allow you to estimate your expenses based on your anticipated credit load and available funding.

Please remember if you are in a capped funding program, your funds reset in January of each year.

The RN-BSN program is made up of a total of 120 credit hours. LSUA accepts transfer credits from regionally accredited institutions. General education credits: up to 39 credit hours, Associate level NURS courses: up to 36 credit hours, A Nutrition course: 3 credit hours, Free electives: up to 12 credit hours.

Most courses in the RN-BSN program are 3 credit hours each, with two exceptions: NURS 4020 – Community Nursing: 4 credit hours, NURS 4052 – Leadership and Management Scholarly Project: 5 credit hours, NURS 4052 serves as the capstone course and is typically the final NURS course students complete in the program.

This breakdown of credit hours and courses can help you more accurately estimate your enrollment costs in relation to your available funding limits.

Questions? Submit a request