Inside the Student Experience of Navigating Degree Requirements

For many students, the course catalog is the primary source they rely on to understand degree requirements, plan their coursework, and stay on track toward completion. However, when catalog information is difficult to navigate or interpret, the work of understanding degree requirements shifts quietly onto students.

A College Pulse survey of 1,500 undergraduate students found that a quarter of participants consider their school’s online course catalog difficult to navigate. The same study also included interviews with more than 150 students, highlighting the real student experiences behind the data points.

Together, the data and student perspectives reveal an important gap. Addressing this gap offers higher education institutions an opportunity to strengthen the catalog’s role as a reliable, student-facing source of truth.

Outdated and Incomplete Information in the Course Catalog

The course catalog is intended to serve as a credible source, but outdated or incomplete information quickly undermines that role. When students encounter missing details or requirements that no longer align with current practices, the catalog becomes harder to trust as a planning tool.

As one student explained, “I think the biggest challenge you could face when navigating through a school's catalog is if it's not up to date and it doesn't have all the information most of the time… I think it's just better to be transparent instead of giving an answer that won't even matter.” The emphasis on transparency highlights how deeply students value clear and current information when making decisions that affect their academic progress.

For institutions, maintaining an up-to-date and complete catalog is foundational. Competing versions of the course catalog may no longer provide accurate information and cause additional confusion when students navigate degree requirements.  Consequently, accuracy is not just an administrative requirement, but shapes whether students feel empowered to plan independently and confidently.

Reliance on Advisors to Meet Degree Stipulations

Students often rely on advisors to meet degree requirements when the catalog does not provide enough clarity on its own. According to an Ellucian survey of 1,000 students, 57% of students seek help from their advisors first when registration questions occur. Instead of serving as a starting point for planning, the catalog becomes something students must validate through conversation. As a result, advisors often must step in to translate requirements and confirm interpretations.

One student described this reliance:

“Going off of my university's course catalog only would be a very difficult thing to do. I met with a guidance counselor several times to make sure I was taking the right courses and on the right track.”

The repeated need for reassurance reflects how difficult it can be for students to trust catalog information without expert confirmation. This reliance also affects both sides of the advising relationship. Students invest additional time and energy seeking validation, and advisors manage increased volumes of questions tied to interpretation rather than more dedicated time to more impactful student conversations. According to the Ellucian study, when meeting with advisors, 70% of students need to discuss academic plans while 65% require direction on courses necessary for graduation. To decrease advisor workload driven by routine questions and confusion around requirements, evaluate how information is presented and updated in your catalog.

Information Overload and the Challenge of Locating Requirements

Even when catalog information is technically accurate, an overwhelming volume of content can make it difficult for students to find what they need. Degree requirements are often embedded within long lists of courses, policies, and exceptions, requiring students to sift through multiple pages to piece together a clear plan.

As one student shared, “The sheer volume of courses and requirements proved overwhelming as I sifted through pages of course listings and degree regulations.” This comment highlights how difficulty locating relevant information can turn routine planning into a time-consuming process.

From an academic operations perspective, information overload can obscure what matters most. When requirements are buried within dense content, students struggle to distinguish core expectations from supporting details. Rather than forcing students to navigate through hundreds of pages and static PDFs, ensure your catalog offers easy navigation and search functionality so students can easily find what they need.

Clarity and Consistency Gaps in the Course Catalog

When degree requirements are described differently across multiple sources, students are often left guessing about which courses they need to take. Even minor variations in wording can leave students unsure whether they are interpreting expectations correctly, especially when elective options or prerequisites are involved.

One student highlighted this very problem while navigating degree requirements:

“I encountered some ambiguity in the language used to describe certain prerequisites and elective options. The lack of clear explanations for specific course combinations left me confused about whether I was on the right track.”

Consistency across the course catalog helps transform information into trusted guidance. Without it, students are left to reconcile mixed messages on their own. In a worst case scenario, mixed messages can lead students to take the wrong courses and delay progress toward completion.

Difficult Online Interfaces, Difficult Navigation

The digital experience of navigating the course catalog plays a critical role in how students engage with degree requirements. When mobile interfaces, PDF catalogs, and online search tools are difficult to use or hard to find, students face additional obstacles that make it harder to locate, interpret, and trust degree information.

According to the survey conducted by College Pulse, only 11% of students find it very easy to navigate their institution’s online course catalog. This finding reinforces how usability challenges remain widespread and continue to shape how students experience academic planning.

Student feedback reflects these frustrations clearly. As one student noted, “Sometimes the school's catalog is a little difficult, especially when I use my mobile phone because I guess it's not supported through my safari. It can be difficult to go through and figure out what I need when I can't even look at the classes properly.” Another shared, “It appeared very much like they were using antiquated software and it took me a long while to navigate from place to place.” These interface challenges amplify earlier pain points, turning navigation itself into a barrier.

Moving From Complexity to Clarity in Degree Planning

The challenges students face navigating degree requirements are rarely caused by a single issue. To improve the student experience, course catalogs should be seen as a one-stop source of truth that don’t require students to search elsewhere to fully understand degree requirements. When institutions embrace a modern user experience and prioritize accuracy in catalog design and maintenance decisions, they create space for greater clarity and confidence.

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