Once the maximum enrollment has been met, students can choose to be placed on the waitlist if a waitlist option exists. As enrolled students drop the course, the registration system automatically sends an offer to the first student on the waitlist.
Waitlisting in the registration system allows students to express interest in courses that are already full. Not all courses offer the waitlist option.
Setup
Waitlisting is set up by the department with direction from the instructor. Not all courses have automated waitlists and some faculty maintain their own waitlist, external to the registration system. In this case, when they accept a student, the student still has to register for the class through the registration system. The Registrar’s Office cannot register students.
About Waitlisting
- Position on waitlist is based on when you signed up. This means that earlier sign-ups have priority over later ones.
- The waitlist is created on a first come, first served basis; instructors cannot select specific students from the waitlist nor can they change the order of students on the waitlist.
- Courses set up with Instruction Permission do not have waitlists.
- Lectures with discussion sections may not have a waitlist. The affiliated discussion sections may have waitlists.
- Waitlists are eliminated before the opening of the add/drop period.
- If a seat opens, students receive notifications via email or through the student portal about the opportunity to enroll. They then have 24 hours to accept the seat.
- Students accept a seat by logging back into the registration worksheet/schedule.
Keep in Mind
No Guarantee of Enrollment
Being on a waitlist does not guarantee enrollment in any particular course; it simply provides an opportunity if space becomes available.
If students have not been notified about a seat twenty-four hours before registration closes, they should register for a different course.
