Description
This resource describes information, processes and policies related to registration. It includes sections on eligibility, registration resources, the controlled registration period, registration approvals, general guidelines, payment of fees, and registration for international students.

Eligibility
Only active students are eligible to register. On the student administration system (PeopleSoft) Program/Plan panel, the Status line should read “Active in Program.” Some program actions associated with active status are:

• Matriculate
• Activate
• Plan change
• Data change
• Readmit
• Return from leave of absence

Program actions associated with inactive status are discontinuation and admission revocation. Before the start of the registration period, active students are term activated and assigned a registration appointment (see controlled registration period below). Although students on leave of absence are considered active for some purposes, they are not term activated automatically. See Leave of Absence for more information on inactive status.

Registration resources
The Registration page on One Stop allows students to register online, access planning materials such as the Class Schedule, Undergraduate Catalog, Course Guide, and view their own academic records. Students can print an unofficial transcript or degree audit, view recent grades, and access their student account and financial aid status. The registration menu allows students to view required approvals, holds, and queue time; update demographic information; and register. Students may search for courses using the Class Search page and identify and order textbooks from the bookstore using Textbook Search.

Students may register on the web at http://onestop.umn.edu/onestop/registration.html (although students returning after an absence many not register on the web), in person at One Stop Student Services Centers, and by mail or fax. Once students have registered, they may make changes in their programs. See the section on Canceling and Adding for policies and deadlines.

Whenever a student registers or makes any registration changes, he or she should get a print out as proof of enrollment. In the event of a registration error, a print out is a useful source of verification of enrollment.

The Controlled Registration Period
After their first term of enrollment, all students must register according to the registration queue established for the Twin Cities campus. Registration appointments (queue times) are assigned to students shortly before the start of the registration period. The office of the Registrar emails current students their queue time and information about any holds on their records. Students may also look up their queue time on the web. The alphabetical rotation is published on the web. Students may register for classes on or after their assigned date and time. Controlled registration is followed by an open registration period.

Queue overrides
Requests for early registration may be granted for a variety of reasons but the number of students affected is quite small.

Student senators: Student senators are eligible to register on the second day of registration so that they can plan a class schedule that allows them to attend official meetings. Refer students to the CLA Student Information Office in 49 Johnston.

Academic need: Students who have urgent academic or personal circumstances may submit a request to register early to their student community. Need must be demonstrated for approval; concerns about not obtaining desired courses or preferred hours are not adequate reasons for such a petition. Students can obtain the Request for Earlier Registration form in their student community. Students present the approved Request for Earlier Registration form in 49 Johnston for an override.

Stage Verification: Students who have earned credits that will not be posted before the queue begins may be referred to the Student Information Office in 49 Johnston Hall for a queue override using the Verification of Registration Status form. Appropriate credits may be automatic second language credits, non-CLA credits approved via reevaluation, or recently evaluated study abroad credits. Seniors who have fewer than 26 credits to complete may also be identified with this form.

Students with disabilities: Refer students to the Disability Services office in 180 McNamara Center.

Registration approvals
Students may need approval to register from advisers, instructors or other university offices for a variety of reasons. Registration holds are the most common. For information on college holds, see the section on holds.

Registration deadlines: Students are expected to register before classes start and attend the first class session. Students who miss the first class session may be asked to cancel by the instructor. Students may register through the first week of class without approval but they will be charged late registration fees (no fees are charged for adding a class). Students may register during the second week of classes with instructor approval. Registration after the second week requires college approval. Students who register after the second week of the semester should check with their instructors to verify that they are included on the official class list.

Minimum credit load and the 13 credit policy: Students are required to register for at least 13 credits each semester. This policy applies to all degree-seeking undergraduate students. Students who register for fewer than 13 credits and have not received approval will be placed later in the registration queue and may be assessed tuition at a higher rate. Students may request permission to take a reduced credit load on the web.

Some students, such as athletes (section 8.11) and international students (section 8.7), may have additional registration requirements. Some courses that do not count toward CLA graduation may be applied toward the credit minimums required for financial aid, VA benefits, and athletic eligibility.

Maximum credit load: Special approval is required to register for more than 20 credits per term. Although approval is sometimes granted to students with a strong academic record, students are discouraged from registering for such a heavy load. This is especially true in cases where a student does not plan to keep all the credits or is registering for courses in high demand; unless the student cancels early, the place in the class will be unavailable to another student.

Students wishing to register for more than 20 credits must obtain permission from their adviser. In deciding whether or not to give approval, the following factors are considered:

1. GPA—it is recommended that the student have at least a 3.0 average (there should be few I’s, F’s, or N’s on the record);
2. outside demand on the student’s time;
3. nature of the courses; and
4. student’s reasons for wanting to register for more than 20 credits.

Time conflicts: Students must have permission from both instructors to register for courses that overlap or have less than 1 minute separation. The Course Conflict Approval form is available at Forms Online or at any One Stop Student Services Center (200 Fraser, 130 West Bank Skyway, or 130 Coffey Hall).

Registration in Non-CLA Courses: Effective Fall 2001, General College courses are available to CLA students by referral only except for remedial math and 2283W, Psychology of Human Development (for those intending to apply to the School of Nursing). Referrals are rarely given. Consult your community coordinator.
Some other schools and colleges within the University require that CLA students get special approval in order to register for their courses:

1. The Medical School requires the approval of the instructor and the school for all courses.
2. The College of Education and Human Development requires the approval of the college for most professional courses. The student should check with the College of Education and Human Development to ascertain whether permission is required.
3. Access to Carlson School of Management (CSOM) 3xxx-, 4xxx-, and 5xxx-level courses is restricted. See the CSOM registration instructions on the One Stop web class schedule.
4. The Graduate School requires approval of the department offering the course. Students should be reminded that an 8xxx-level course used toward an undergraduate degree cannot later be used toward a graduate degree.

General Registration Guidelines

S-N grading: Students must complete a minimum of 75% of their UMTC residency credits with grades of A-D, and up to 25% may have a grade of S. S grades are generally not accepted for major requirements. In addition, the following considerations should be kept in mind:

1. In order to prevent students from manipulating their grades (“I’ll register for the course S-N and change to A-F if I do well”), changes of the grading system after the second week deadline are approved only under very unusual circumstances. One of the few scenarios in which this petition may be approved is if a student were able to verify, with a printout, that they registered for the course one way and there was a computer error.
2. Some professional and graduate schools will automatically assign a C value to S grades when evaluating transcripts or will require that some classes be taken with A-F grades.

It is important that students clarify with the instructor the course expectations for an S grade at the outset of the course. The performance required for an S shall be the same as that required for a C-. More information about the S-N grade base is available in the Classroom, Grading, & Examination Procedures booklet.

Course level: Freshmen generally take courses no higher than the 1xxx-level; sophomores take courses no higher than the 3xxx-level; undergraduate students with 60 or more semester credits take courses no higher than the 5xxx level.

All undergraduate registration in a course above 5xxx-level requires that students obtain permission from the department offering the course. Students should be reminded that an 8xxx-level course used toward an undergraduate degree cannot later be used toward a graduate degree.

Repeating Courses: Although students do not need approval to repeat courses, credit for repeated courses will be awarded only under certain conditions. For information about University policy governing repeated courses, see Bracketing.

Auditing: Registration as a visitor or auditor permits attendance and with the instructor’s permission, participation in course activities. No credit or grade is earned. Courses taken in this manner do not count toward the credits required for graduation nor do they count toward financial aid eligibility. Beginning fall 1999, a course in which a V has been posted may subsequently be retaken for credit. Regular attendance without registration is not authorized.

1. Students interested in auditing a class should obtain the instructor’s permission. No permission is required by the student community.
2. Students signing up to audit a course choose AUD (for “audit”) in the grade option column of the registration screen. Attendance in the course will be indicated by a V on the transcript.
3. Instead of withdrawing from a course, students may request to change their registration from credit to audit; as in the case of A-F/S-N changes, a change must be processed. After the end of the second week of classes, scholastic committee approval is required. The committee will generally not approve changes to audit status after the deadline for canceling a course.

Admission to Closed Classes: Up-to-the-minute information on the number of students registered and spaces available in limited enrollment courses is available online by Class Schedule.

A few classes in great demand close soon after registration begins; as registration progresses, controlled classes reach enrollment capacity and close. When the subject of access to a closed course arises, advisers should help the student investigate the following:

1. Check section status frequently. The status of a closed course or section can change frequently during the registration period as students make changes in their schedules.
2. Contact the department. Departments may maintain waiting lists or use the new waitlist capability of the registration system, assign students to unfilled sections, or refer students to instructors for special permission. To admit a student to a closed class, the department must give the student a permission number.
3. Attend the first day of class. Students often gain entry into a closed class by attending the first class meeting. Instructors are obligated to hold reserved spaces only for the first class session, and students who do not attend the first meeting might forfeit their places in the class. (The computer science department automatically cancels the registrations of absent students). (Note: This procedure is not applicable to math courses and Carlson School of Management courses. See the orientation hand out “How to Get Into Closed Chemistry, Physics, Math, Biology, Composition, and Rhetoric Classes”; for CSOM - this is also a pdf file and go to p.12 once opened - see also the CSOM registration instructions in the Printable Policy Section of the web class schedule).

If students succeed in obtaining permission from the instructor, they must register using a permission number obtained from the instructor or department.

It is important that students be ready to assume initiative and be persistent when trying to get into a closed class. Students can (if appropriate) attend a number of different sections of the same course on the first day of classes to see if an instructor will give permission to register. Similarly, if they have put their names on a waiting list whether it is maintained by the department or the web registration system, students should check back at the designated time to find out whether they have been admitted to the course.

Alternatives: When a student is determined to take a particular closed class, the adviser may wish to discuss independent study, although this route is probably inappropriate for freshmen. For CLA courses, the student will need to obtain permission from the instructor, the department, and the college, using the Student/Faculty Contract form. Submit the form to the CLA Student Information Office in 49 Johnston for college approval, and then register.

Changing registrations: See the section on Canceling and Adding.

Payment of fees

Tuition and fees: Information is available in the Tuition and Billing section on the One Stop website. Billing statements are emailed to students at the end of the second week of the term. Students may pay by an electronic payment, mail, by drop box, or in person. Fees can be paid in installments. Information about the billing and fee payment process, including due dates and the installment plan, is also provided on One Stop.

Late fees: Late fees are assessed for late registration and late payment of fees. Late payment fees are assessed depending on time of semester and installment plan deadlines.

The late registration fee may be waived by the Office of the Registrar, 200 Fraser Hall, in limited circumstances. If the college is partly responsible for the student’s late registration—for example, a probation contract hold is cleared only after grades for the previous quarter are available or after a late grade has been submitted from an  instructor—a scholastic committee representative gives the student a note, recommending (not giving or guaranteeing) a waiver of the late fee.

Nonpayment of fees: Students must pay outstanding tuition and fees before the start of the next term to avoid having their registration cancelled. If students register for and attend classes, are assigned grades (including N’s and I’s) but fail to pay fees, subsequent registrations will not be permitted until fees are paid or the situation is resolved through retroactive cancellation. Students are required to pay for that portion of the term they completed before they officially cancelled at the OTR Service Center in 200 Fraser or through online registration. A complete or partial refund of tuition or release from obligation to pay fees by retroactive cancellation is only possible in a limited number of circumstances (e.g., active military duty, scholastic drop) and only through August 31 of the current academic year. Students should officially cancel as soon as they decide to withdraw. More information is on the Web Tuition Refund Appeal [One Stop/Tuition and Billing].

Reciprocity: The University has reciprocity agreements with Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Manitoba. The University also participates in the Midwest Student Exchange Program (MSEP) — a reciprocity program with Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, and Nebraska for students in selected colleges, including CLA. Students must apply for reciprocity prior to the term in which they begin. Students take the reciprocity approval letter from their home state to a One Stop Student Services Center. Reciprocity will automatically be renewed. Delays in reciprocity eligibility processing do not exempt students from additional billing charges. For information on applying for reciprocity or Minnesota residency, contact the Office of Admissions (240 Williamson, 612- 625-6330).

Refund of fees: When students cancel courses or when a class is canceled by the department, refunds are made based on the date students officially cancel, not on the date they stopped attending class. In a very limited number of circumstances (e.g., medical, scholastic drop, military duty, attendance at another institution) retroactive cancellation may be possible. If retroactive cancellation is authorized within the academic year in question, no later than August 31, a student may be entitled to a tuition refund. Petitions for retroactive tuition refunds based on failure to cancel or nonattendance will not be approved.

Registration Procedures for International Students
The first registration at the University — a complex and sometimes confusing procedure for anyone— is complicated further for international students by several steps not required for U.S. citizens. Upon arrival, students should immediately contact International Students and Scholars Services (ISSS) for a document check. ISSS will provide students information about holds (AI, AZ, and ME — see below) and the required International Student Orientation Program.

Two holds are placed on the registration record of all international students admitted to the University: the ISSS hold (AI) and Boynton Health Services hold (ME). There is often a third hold placed called an English Classification hold (AZ). For more information see the sections on Holds and Advising International Students.