CATS

The Comprehensive Academic Tracking System (CATS) is designed to help you reach academic success at LSU and make sure that you are progressing toward graduation each semester. Each undergraduate major has a Recommended Path that is the optimal path for graduation in four years. CATS checks your progress each semester by tracking you on the Critical Requirements needed and gives you feedback when you are not meeting those requirements.

CATS provides feedback on a student’s progress in a major, helping them to find the best academic path to complete their degree. By assessing students’ progress toward degree completion, CATS will identify those students who may be struggling. This affords the University the opportunity to provide additional resources to assist students.

Recommended Paths

• The Recommended Path is an outline of courses crafted by the department offering the degree program. Courses are laid out in a semester breakdown that is the optimal path to graduate in four years.
• Each Recommended Path contains Critical Requirements. These are requirements that students must reach in order to meet minimum academic progress and remain on-track in their chosen program. Critical Requirements appear in bold within each Recommended Path.
• Recommended Paths are available in the LSU General Catalog on the respective degree program pages. 
  • Recommended Paths prior to the 2013-2014 academic year.

Assessments

Just before scheduling for the upcoming semester, and again after final grades are posted, CATS checks students’ progress on the Critical Requirements for their current semester.

If they meet the Critical Requirements as detailed in their Recommended Path, students will not receive an email notification.

If they are not meeting the Critical Requirements, students will receive an email containing a link to their CATS Status Screen. This will give them detailed information regarding their unmet Critical Requirements, as well as contact information for their advising location.

NOTE: A flag will be put on a student’s registration that requires that they see a counselor before scheduling.

Students are tracked during the fall and spring semesters ONLY. Summer terms and intersessions are periods students can use to complete missing Critical Requirements.

Resources

• Understanding CATS Status Application
• Frequently Asked Questions

Contact Information

For specific information regarding degree programs, please contact a counselor in the college where the degree program is offered.

For questions relating to CATS or the Recommended Paths, email CATS@lsu.edu.