With one month left in the spring semester, students are looking ahead at registering for summer and fall classes.

Students can begin registering for summer and fall 2012 classes beginning April 16.

Kristina Jackson, associate registrar, said students should see their academic adviser before the assigned time to register to discuss classes and get their registration user number (RUN code).

“All registration activities, including adding or dropping a class, takes place via each student’s myGate account under the academics tab,” Jackson said.

She said students should review their registration status for any holds that may prevent registration and take care of any outstanding holds before signing up for classes.

Lori Mitchum, director of student financial aid and scholarships, said students should plan their schedules, checking for possible time conflicts of day or time and have alternate classes or sections ready in case the class/section they want is not available at registration time.

Mitchum said students can still apply for free application for federal student aid (FAFSA) money, but the earlier they submit the form, the better.

There is no deadline for the FAFSA application, but University scholarship applications were due Jan. 15 and are currently being awarded.

Applications for summer scholarships are accepted up to three weeks before the last day of classes.

“If students plan on going to summer school and are looking for scholarships, they must fill out the summer scholarship form and provide a copy of their schedule when submitting the application,” Mitchum said.

Her advice to students who are searching for scholarships and grant money would be to start looking online. She said students should apply for financial aid money every year.

“Start going to websites,” Mitchum said. “There are a lot of websites with scholarships search engines. The Murray State website has links to help students find money.”

She said students need to be aware of the requirements for scholarships and the changes that are made to the FAFSA every year.

The FAFSA application can also be submitted before taxes are filed, but the form must be updated.

“For the 2010-11 school year Murray State gave out $80 million in scholarships, grants, federal work study and student loans,” Mitchum said.

She said most of the scholarships have been awarded for current students and incoming freshmen for the 2012-13 academic year.

“Apply early,” Mitchum said. “You can’t be awarded the scholarship unless you apply for it.”

Jon Haley, sophomore from Lewisburg, Ky., said registering for classes gets him excited about the start of a new semester.

“You get to think about having new classes and different professors,” Haley said. “Plus, the start of a new semester means you are one step closer to graduation.”