How to Register in Courses
Course Registration is completed on Student Center.
See below for instructions on how to add, drop, swap or waitlist courses.
How To...
If you need help adding a class, watch the video below or follow the written steps.
To add a class, you will need an active enrollment appointment.
Log in to Student Center. Go to Academics > Course Registration > Search and Add- Select a Term.
- Enter keyword(s) or use “Additional ways to search” to find the course offering you want to add.
Keyword Tip: Use a class number for quick searching during course registration. A class number identifies a specific course offering or component, such as lecture/laboratory/tutorial.
Search Results – No results: When a new course offering is added during the registration period, it may take up to an hour for the class number to generate results when searching in Student Center. This delay is due to data synchronization processes. Try using a different keyword such as course title or subject area if the class number does not provide the results you are looking for. Still no results? If no results are returned, please try again later.
- Select your preferred offering from the results and follow the registration prompts.
To join a waitlist, answer “Yes” to the question “Add to waitlist if class is full?” and then click on the accept button. If the waitlist question is not visible, a waitlist is not enabled for the offering you have selected.
- Review the confirmation message.
Warning: Adding a class to your enrollment cart does not automatically enroll you in the class. Go to your enrollment cart to finalize your registration by submitting your selections.
If you need help dropping a class, watch the video below or follow the written steps.
Log in to Student Center. Go to Academics > Course Registration > Drop
- Select a Term.
- Follow the prompts to:
- Select the class(es) you wish to drop. Click Next.
- Review the class(es) that will be dropped. Click Drop Classes.
- Confirm your decision to drop the class(es).
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Review the confirmation message.
Drop Deadlines: Refer to Register in Fall/Winter Courses (Add/Drop Dates) section or the Register in Summer Courses section for details.
If you need help swapping a class or lab/tutorial, watch the video below or follow the written steps.
Log in to Student Center. Go to Academics > Course Registration > Swap
- Select a Term.
- Swap This Class: Select the class you wish to drop from your schedule using the drop-down box.
- With This Class: Select the class you would like to add.
To Swap a Tutorial/Lab: Enter the same class number as the course that will be dropped. In the next step, select another tutorial/lab and lecture option.
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Follow the prompts to:
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Review your selection. Click Next.
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If you would like to join the waitlist, answer “Yes” to the question “Add to waitlist if class is full?” and then click on the accept button. If the waitlist question is not visible, a waitlist is not enabled for the offering you have selected.
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- Confirm your swap details. Click Submit.
- Review the confirmation message.
Drop Deadlines: When using the swap option the drop/withdrawal deadlines will apply to the class you select to drop. Refer to Register in Fall/Winter Courses (Add/Drop Dates) section or the Register in Summer Courses section for details.
Using Swap to Waitlist a Different Course: To avoid a time conflict or maximum course load error - you can choose swap to join a waitlist for a different course. By using swap you will be indicating which course you would like to drop if you are eligible to be enrolled from the waitlist and you will be automatically dropped from this course when you are enrolled from the waitlist.
Using Swap to Waitlist a Different Tutorial or Lab for a Course That You Are Already Enrolled In: Caution! If you use swap to waitlist a closed tutorial or laboratory section, you will be immediately dropped from the lecture section and added to the to the waitlist for both the lecture and tutorial/laboratory section.
Important:
- Keep track of which class you have swapped for a waitlisted course. While you can review which course you are waitlisted for on your class schedule, it will not display which class you have authorized a drop from if enrollment from waitlist was to occur.
- You cannot modify your swap selection after you have joined the waitlist. If you want to change the class you have indicated to drop then you must drop the waitlisted course and resubmit a swap request. You may lose your original position on the waitlist.
If you need help swapping into a waitlist, check out this video.
The waitlist option allows students to join a queue for automatic enrollment into a class component. A waitlist option may be available on all types of class components: lecture, tutorial or laboratory.
Eligibility to enroll in a class may change during the course registration period. A waitlist position does not guarantee that you will be enrolled when space is available.
How to Join a Waitlist
- Log in to Student Center.
- Determine if the class will fit into your schedule. You will not be eligible to enroll from a waitlist if that enrollment will result in a time conflict or will exceed the maximum course load allowed for the term.
- Follow the Add a Class or Swap a Class instructions above.
Use swap if you need to indicate which class to drop to make room in your schedule for the waitlisted course. Refer to the Swap a Class section for information on swapping to a waitlist for a different course or using swap to waitlist a different lab/tutorial.
- Your waitlist position will be provided in the confirmation message. Review your waitlist status and position regularly throughout the course registration period. Refer to "Where Can I see My Waitlist Position" below for details.
What Happens Next?
A process will run daily during the course registration period to enroll students from the waitlist. There may be a delay between when space becomes available and when a student will be enrolled from the waitlist. The next eligible student (ex: student in position #1) will be assessed and if all enrollment conditions are met, the student will be automatically enrolled into the class.
A notification will be sent to your Western email account when you have been automatically enrolled from a waitlist. Automatic enrollment from a waitlist is subject to the usual academic and financial deadlines, as well as policies associated with adding/dropping courses and progression through modules. Refer to Register in Fall/Winter Courses (Add/Drop Dates) section or the Register in Summer Courses section for details about add/drop deadlines.
If none of the waitlisted students are eligible to enroll into the available spaces due to enrollment errors, such as time conflict or exceeding the maximum allowed course load, the remaining spaces will be made available to other students. The students who remain on the waitlist will be re-assessed the next time the waitlist process runs.
Waitlists will continue to be processed up until the end of the course registration period (last day to add a course). Remove yourself from a waitlist if you no longer wish to be automatically enrolled into the class or if you no longer wish to be automatically dropped from a class that was indicated in your swap to waitlist request. If you used swap to join a waitlist for a Winter class and indicated a Fall/Winter or Fall class to drop then you will be automatically dropped from the Fall/Winter or Fall class if you are eligible to enroll from the waitlist for the Winter class. This drop may result in a course withdrawal (WDN) for the Fall/Winter or Fall class. By dropping yourself from the waitlist for the Winter class, you will be cancelling the swap to waitlist details. Once the swap to waitlist has been cancelled, you can join the waitlist for the Winter class again.
Frequently Asked Questions
| Term | Status | Maximum WaitList Units |
| Fall/Winter | Full-Time | 2.0 |
| Fall/Winter | Part-Time | 1.0 |
| Summer | Part-Time | 1.0 |
Waitlist units will not count towards your enrolled course load.
You can join a waitlist during the course registration period.
When a waitlist option exists, you can join the waitlist when the section is in “closed” or “full” status, or when the section is “open” or “not full” status.
When there are multiple lecture/tutorial/lab options to choose from space needs to be available in all the selected components to be eligible for enrollment. Example: If space is available in a lecture component but your preferred tutorial component is full then you will join a waitlist for both the lecture and tutorial component.
If you do not currently meet the priority constraint then you can join the waitlist so that you can be automatically considered for enrollment once the priority constraint expires.
Your wait list position will be provided in your confirmation message. You can review your waitlist status and position in your Student Center. Go to Academics > Course Registration > Enrollment Summary. Select the "By Class" view.
Students who were initially registered in a course with multiple components (i.e. tutorial, lab) may be prioritized on the waitlist if they swap to another component option that is closed. For example, a student registered in a lecture and lab combination who uses swap to join the waitlist for a closed lab section may be prioritized on the waitlist. This may result in a position change for the waitlisted students.
Students should try to register in a full course-load during the priority enrollment period. If there is a different class you would like to take that has a waitlist available, make sure to join the waitlist using a swap request which will indicate what to drop to make room in your schedule for the waitlisted course. See the Swap a Class section above for information on swapping to a waitlist for a different course or using swap to waitlist a different tutorial/lab.
See the Swap a Class section above for information on swapping to a waitlist for a different course or using swap to waitlist a different tutorial/lab.
When you swap to a waitlist for a different offering you may not be immediately dropped from your enrolled class. You will remain enrolled in that class until you can be successfully enrolled from the waitlist for the other class.
When you do not meet the priority constraint and a waitlist option exists, you can join the waitlist so that you can be automatically considered for enrollment into the class once the priority constraint expires.
You cannot modify your swap selection after you have joined the waitlist. If you want to change the class you have indicated to drop then you must drop yourself from the waitlist and resubmit a swap request. Warning: You may lose your original position on the waitlist.
No. A special permission that requires a time conflict override is not compatible with waitlists. Students should not be referred to call the Helpline to be added to a waitlist. Enrollment from the waitlist is done via a process so there would not be an opportunity to re-apply the time conflict override to enroll from the waitlist.
Simply drop the class as you would drop any other class during the course registration period. You are responsible for dropping the class if you no longer wish to be enrolled.
Enrollment conditions must be met to be enrolled from a waitlist. If all enrollment conditions are not met, you will remain on the waitlist and will be re-assessed the next time the waitlist process runs.
For example, you will not be enrolled from a waitlist if:
- Adding that class will create a time conflict
- Adding that class will exceed the maximum course load allowed for the term
- Enrollment priority/restriction has not been met. You may join a waitlist even if you do not meet the current priority/restriction condition. However, enrollment from a waitlist can only occur if the priority/restriction condition is met or is no longer required.