How to Connect with an Academic Advisor
Academic advisors at Lethbridge Polytechnic are available to support students through both drop-in advising and scheduled appointments.
Drop-in advising
Meet with an academic advisor on a first-come, first-served basis, either in person or by phone.
- Availability: Monday to Thursday, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. *Pending availability. Please call ahead to confirm availability if you are planning to come to campus specifically for drop-in advising.
- How to Access:
- Visit our office in person, or
- Call 403-320-3366 to be added to the drop-in list for the day.
- During the busiest times of the year, advising is available on a drop-in basis only so we can serve as many students as possible. During these peak times, drop-in advising is available Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. While exact dates may vary each year, the approximate drop-in only periods are:
| Drop-in Starts (Approximately) | Drop-in Ends (Approximately) |
| Mid-August | Mid-September |
| Early December | Mid-January |
| Mid-April | Mid-May |
| Early July | Mid-July |
- Important: On high-demand days, the drop-in queue may close early to ensure we can assist all students already in line.
Scheduled appointments
Appointments are available in three formats: in person, by phone, or by video call.
- Availability: Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (except during the peak drop-in times listed in the table above)
- How to Book:
- Use our online booking page (Lethbridge Polytechnic student login required), or
- Call 403-320-3366.
- Note: If you do not have an active student login, please contact us by phone to book your appointment.
Other Support Option
- By email: advisor@lethpolytech.ca
- Standard response time is 3-5 business days.
- For time-sensitive issues, we recommend using drop-in services or booking an appointment.
- Complex inquiries may require a meeting; if so, we will let you know.
Current Students
Our friendly advisors are here to assist you! Every academic advisor is knowledgeable about every program, but each one specializes in certain programs. When you schedule an appointment, we'll ask for details about your needs and program to match you with the perfect advisor.
We practice "developmental advising," which means we teach you how to:
- Find and understand important information
- Complete key tasks throughout your educational journey
- Locate and access help when you need it
Our advisors can also anticipate follow-up questions you might have and guide you through the next steps. You will learn skills during our meetings that you can use on your own later on.
When should I connect with an advisor?
Some situations when you should connect with an advisor are when you are:
- Feeling overwhelmed by your coursework and want to talk about your options.
- Failing a class and want to know how it will impact your future studies, as well as what your options are.
- Interested in creating an academic plan to lighten your course load and extend your program over a longer period of time.
- Concerned about something related to your studies and need help understanding polytechnic policies.
- Thinking about taking a break from your studies and wondering how that will impact your return at a later date.
- Interested in a different Lethbridge Polytechnic program and need to see if your previous coursework will fit.
- Unsure where to go for help. We may not always be the people to help, but we almost always know who to send you to!
Future Students
- If you’re just getting started on becoming a Lethbridge Polytechnic student, make sure to speak with a Recruitment Representative on the Future Students page.
Common Advising Questions
- Students in most programs are registered into their core (required) courses by the Registration staff.
- Students in the following situations typically need to register themselves into at least some of their classes:
- Students with electives in their program
- Open Studies learners
- Students in General Arts and Science programs
- Students in distance learning programs
- Students taking Academic Upgrading courses
- Students with electives in their program
For more information about types of registration, and how to complete your registration, check out the Registration page.
- Check the Registration page and view the Types of Registration to see if your program has fixed or flexible registration. This will tell you if you can adjust your registration or if program area approval is required.
- If your program has flexible registration, the easiest way to make your changes is through Self Service. Instructions for self-registering for courses online through Self Service can be found here.
- For video tutorials on self-registration, dropping courses, and changing sections, visit this link.
- If you know what changes you need to make but can’t make them yourself in Self Service, our Registration team can support you in person, over the phone or via email.
- If you need help making registration changes, feel free to visit Academic Advising. We will walk you through the process, and show you how to make the changes on your own next time.
- Please see Academic Standing at this link for more information: Academic Standing Information
- Please review the important dates and deadlines found here: Important dates and deadlines
- Our Student Awards and Financial Aid department can help with these questions. Please see more information here: Student Awards and Financial Aid.
- To explore the various fields of interest offered by Lethbridge Polytechnic, please visit the Areas of Interest page.
- For a list of programs, please view our Program List.
- Please see our Program Availability webpage for more information on which programs are accepting applications.
Academic advisors can help you identify common career paths related to your program and direct you to helpful online resources for further research. Here are some resources our team frequently recommends:
Alberta Learning Information Service (ALIS)
If you are considering switching programs, advisors can help you determine if any of the courses you've completed in your current program can be transferred to your new program.
Career development is a lifelong process of thinking about your values, needs and preferences and then using that information to explore work, life and learning options. Additional career services for current students are available through our Career Development office.