Parents and Families

The role of advising

From new student orientation to graduation, UNH Manchester professional advisors are here to support and guide students. Our goal is to empower students to reach their educational, professional, and personal goals. Professional advisors support students with course and major exploration, designing academic, personal, and professional goals, navigating on and off-campus resources, and developing academic plans. 

The UNH Manchester advisors are certified in Appreciated Advising and incorporate this framework into their work with students. “Appreciative Advising is the intentional collaborative practice of asking generative, open-ended questions that help students optimize their educational experiences and achieve their dreams, goals, and potentials" (Bloom et al., 2008).

Undergraduate students at UNH Manchester are assigned a professional advisor based on declared major and they work with that advisor throughout their time at UNH. We have a required advising process which means that students must meet with their advisor at least once a semester. However, we encourage students to meet with their assigned advisors throughout the semester.

Through the advising process, UNH Manchester students will:

• develop realistic educational, professional, and personal goals and select courses each semester to progress toward these goals
• learn how to be a self-advocate
• be empowered to make decisions and take responsibility for their choices and actions
• be able to identify and communicate transferrable skills gained through classes, internships, and co-curricular experiences
• utilize the resources and services on-campus to support their goals
• be able to accurately read and effectively use the program-specific curriculum guides, academic catalog, and academic transcript to determine progress toward the degree

Communication & Student Privacy

FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act)

One of the most significant changes a parent experiences in sending a child to college is the difference in privacy standards for education records at the University. The University of New Hampshire is subject to a federal law called the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) that sets privacy standards for student educational records and information. 

We know that parents and family members frequently have questions related to academic information like grades and class registration, or questions about student accounts and billing. Information related to academics or billing is protected under FERPA and is not something the university can discuss with anyone besides the student. At UNH, a student may grant a parent, or other individual of the student's choosing, access to semester grades, financial aid, billing and payment information via the Parent Portal.

We encourage you to have a conversation with your student to determine if they will grant you access to the Parent Portal.

UNH Manchester Advising & FERPA

Our role is to empower students to advocate for themselves, be effective problem-solvers, and take responsibility for their UNH education. Therefore, it is the practice of the UNH Manchester Advising Office to communicate directly with students through UNH email accounts. If a parent or family members contacts us, we answer general questions about curriculum or policy. However, we can’t discuss anything related to your student. We will reach out directly to your student to address your questions or concerns.

We have outlined important milestones each semester with suggested questions or discussion topics and campus resources, curriculum and policy information, and outlined many frequently asked questions. We hope this information helps you in supporting your student and answers many of your questions.

In the rare event that your student is unable to contact advising directly and you need to reach us, please contact Stephanie Kirylych, Director of Advising.