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Wait Listing

If a class is full when a student registers, wait listing allows a student to add their name to an electronic wait list and potentially be added to the class if space opens up, and they meet all the requirements. Wait listing is not a guarantee to enrollment into a class.

Wait listing is only available to classes that the department sees as benefiting from a wait list. For classes that are full that do not offer wait listing, students should contact the department with questions. 

Once a student wait lists into a class, it is up to them to monitor whether they are added to the class or not. If a student is added and decides they no longer want the class, they are responsible for dropping the class prior to the last day to drop deadline. It is recommended that the student drop themselves from any classes they are wait listed in once they have set their final schedule.

Help Materials 

How To Wait List Into A Class (PDF)

FAQ

No. Wait listing is not a guarantee to enrollment. The chances of enrolling from the wait list into a class are different for each class. It depends on if students drop the class and space opens up, as well as if the student on the wait list meets all the requirements to enroll in the class. A student could be number 1 on a wait list, and never actually get enrolled into a class.

When a class is full, wait listing allows a student the opportunity to add their name to a wait list electronically, without needing intervention from the department. As long as the student meets all the requirements, they will be auto-enrolled if space opens up for them in the class. Students are given a number when they add their name to a wait list, so they can see where they fall on the wait list, and can gauge the odds of being added into the class from that.

Students are allowed to wait list in up to 12 credits each semester. Please note that if a student is enrolled in the maximum number of credits they are allowed to enroll in in a semester, they will not be enrolled in any wait listed class.

When a class is full, a student can wait list, as long as wait listing is set up for that class. To see the last day a student can wait list, check the Academic Calendar.

Each wait list has an unlimited number of spaces available. This does not reflect the chances of getting into a class; rather, this helps the departments determine the demand for the class.

If a student wants to enroll in a section of a class, and wait list into another section of the class that only has a wait list, the student will need to use the swap function. Or, if a student enrolls in a class, but wants to be in a class that meets at the same time that only has wait listing on it, the student would use the swap functionality. This allows the student to be enrolled in one class, but drop the class and enroll in the other if space opens up.

To swap a class, a student needs to enroll in their second choice class first. Once they are enrolled, click on “swap”.

swap function menu button

Choose the class you want to swap, and enter the class you want to swap into.

swap function screenshot

Make sure to check the wait list option, to get on the waitlist. The system will not drop you unless a space opens up in the wait listed class and you enroll.

No. The system will never enroll them if there is a time conflict; however, the student can use the swap functionality to swap a time conflicting class with a wait listed class, if space opens up.

A student must meet the following qualifications in order to add their name to a wait list:

  • It is their appointment period
  • They do not have any negative service indicators
  • The class does not require department/instructor consent
  • They have the correct career
  • They are not over the allotted unit load
  • They meet the requisites

A student must meet the following qualifications in order for their name to be added from the wait list to enrolled:

  • If seats are available
  • No time conflicts exist on their schedule
  • They are not already registered in the same class
  • They meet the requisites
  • They have not exceeded the unit load allowed

The system will not allow students to enroll into a class unless all the students on the wait list that are eligible to be enrolled into the class have been enrolled if space opens up in a class. A student can add their name to the wait list, but they cannot bypass all the students already on the wait list.

Students will receive an email in their Umail account when they are enrolled into a class. It is the responsibility of the student to drop the class prior to the last day to drop if they no longer want to be enrolled in it.

Of course; they will need to drop the class, similar to how they drop a class they are enrolled in. All wait lists will be purged at the end of each term.

The student can see their wait list position on their “My Class Schedule” page, CIS> Student Homepage>Registration> Class Schedule> Class Schedule Filter Options – include “Show Wait listed Classes”

No.  A permission code will override the wait list process and enroll the student into a class.

A student may never be enrolled in the class. If space does not open up, and if the student does not meet the requirements, they will never be enrolled in the class through the wait list process. The process is run daily, and an email will be sent to the students Umail account if they are successfully enrolled.

The first Friday of Fall and Spring term is the last day students can add their names to the wait list, and the last day the process is run. After that, students will need to obtain a permission code to enroll into a class. The Summer term last day to wait list dates will be prorated appropriately to accommodate Summer term deadlines.

No. The system will go off of the wait list first. If those students enroll and there is space still, students can just enroll in the class. If students on the wait list do not meet the requirements and are not enrolled, the class will become open again and allow any students to enroll.

FAQ

How do I add a wait list to a class using CLSS?

Add 999 in the Wait Cap box. Review the Quick Reference guide found in the CLSS User Group Canvas Site for more details.

As staff/faculty, is there anywhere I can see statistics for wait listing?

Yes! On the Class Demand Report there is a column for wait listing, as well as a total included in the Demand and Actual Demand columns.

What are some types of classes that might not benefit from wait listing?

  • Classes set to instructor/department consent
  • Classes with multi components attached (ex: Lab/Lec, Dis/Lec, etc). These classes can use wait list, but it must be explained to the students enrolling that they have to use the swap option in order to wait list into a class. Students who do not swap will be left with an “orphaned” class on their record that will never let them enroll.
  • Classes with a heavy use of permission codes
  • Classes with a lot of transfer students enrolling in them
  • Classes that are mostly freshman

Can the department change the position of the students on the wait list?

No. Students are assigned a wait list position when they wait list into the class, and it only changes if they are added to the class, or move up on the wait list.

As faculty, is there anywhere that I can see a student's wait list position?

Yes. You can view this through the faculty center. Wait List Faculty Center Instructions (PDF)

What are the checks the system looks for when a student is added to the wait list?

  • Appointment Period
  • Service Indicator(s)
  • Department/Instructor Consent
  • Career
  • Unit Load
  • Requisites

What are the checks the systems looks for when enrolling a student from the wait list to enrolled?

  • Available Seats
  • Time Conflicts
  • If the student is already enrolled for the same course, different section
  • Requisites
  • Unit Load

Subject codes listed below have added the wait list functionality to at least one of their classes, effective Fall 2017. This does not mean that all classes associated with a subject listed below are using wait list; just that one or more have the wait list added. For subjects not listed below, please contact the department directly with questions regarding their wait list system.

Subjects Using Wait Listing Functionality:

 

ACCTG
ANTH
ARAB
ART
ARTH
ASL
ASTP
ASTR
BIOL
BUS
CAMB
CHIN
CH EN
CL CV
CLCS
COMM
CS
CVEEN
DRAW
EAE
EAS
ECON
ED PS
EDU
ENTP
ENVST
ESSF
ETHNC
FA
FCS
FINAN
FRNCH
GEOG
GERM
GNDR
GREEK
HINDI
HIST
HONOR
HSP
IS
ITAL
JAPAN
KINES
KOREA
LATIN
LAW
LEAP
LING
ME EN
MDCRC
MGT
MKTG
MUSC
NUTR
NUIP
OIS
PATH
PBHLT
PERS
PHARM
PHIL
PHYS
POLS
PRT
PTGSE
RUSS
SCI
SOC
SPAN
STRAT
SW
UGS
VIET
WLC
WRTG

 

Last Updated: 8/31/21