How to Read a Syllabus to Promote Success in a College Course

A syllabus is an overview of a course created by your professor. This is a review of assignments, course expectations, due dates, grading structure, and more. Most importantly, a syllabus is the first resource you will have about your class.

So, your professor has provided you with a syllabus. What now?

First, READ IT! Thoroughly!

The syllabus is a resource where professors are going to share their expectations that they may not discuss directly in class. For instance, the policy on course participation and attendance will likely only be described in the syllabus.

There are other things you will want to look for in a syllabus.

• Course description

• Professor contact information 

  • Communication preference

  • Office hour information

• Learning outcomes or course objectives 

• Required course materials and texts

  • Location of course materials (website, book, etc.)

• Course policies

  • Attendance 

  • Late coursework

  • Religious exemptions

  • Student emergency 

  • Academic integrity expectations (plagiarism and cheating)

  • Accommodations for students with documented disabilities 

• Assignments 

  • Overview of each

  • Due dates

  • Weight of each to calculate the final grade.

• Grading breakdown

  • Percentage of your total grade allocated towards: Homework, quizzes, essays, tests, final exam, lab, and/or discussion

• Grading Scale

  • Note whether an 83 is a B or B-?

• Reading assignments

• Class schedule 

  • May include daily topics 

  • May include course presentation material names

  • May include reading assignments 

• Potential other sections

  • Extra credit (opportunities or policies)

  • Re-Grading information 

  • Important Academic Dates (i.e. withdrawal deadline, pass/fail deadline, etc.)

  • Available academic resources on campus

  • University academic integrity policies 

  • Sexual misconduct university policies

  • Counseling/Mental health resources

Second, record the important information.

Create your weekly schedule and add the location, time, and date of each class, which are listed in the syllabus. To help you do this, you can use a template I created here. Any predetermined class cancellations should be listed in the syllabus so you can proactively remove them from your schedule.

Add the due dates for large assignments such as exams and projects into your calendar/planner (digital or handwritten). This can help you to see if any upcoming weeks in the semester will be particularly assignment heavy across all your courses.

Pro Tip: If you are using a digital calendar, add a reminder for your big assignments ten days before the due date so you can start early.

Use the grading breakdown percentages to create a grade calculator in Excel. So, as you get assignments back you know your current grade in each class. I recommend the following tools: 1) NMU GPA Calculator and 2) Rapid Table Class Grade Calculator

You can also use *this worksheet* to record the important information for your courses.

Third, save the syllabus so you can refer to it later.

The syllabus is your first reference document for your course. You may want to reach out later to your professor for additional help before you do that first review the syllabus to confirm the answer is not already listed in it. 

Pro Tip: Try to act like a detective and come up with questions that were not answered in the syllabus.  Make a strong first impression with your faculty members and go to office hours in week 1 or week 2 to meet with your professor to ask them.