Course Registration Processing

Or... How the computer places students in classes

This information is provided to help advisors and students understand the computer processing part of course registration.

The most important points for students to remember about registration are these:

  • Select your four top-choice courses. Be sure they all meet at times that do not conflict with one another.
  • Check the Schedule of Course Offerings for course restrictions (these appear in the far-right column of a course listing) or, on  Bearings, navigate to the information about a particular course and click on Rules. If a course is for first-years only and you are a junior, you will not get into the course.
  • Check the Catalogue for course prerequisites or, on  Bearings, navigate to the information about a particular course and click on Rules. If you do not meet the prerequisites, you will not get into the course. You may want to check to see if the instructor is willing to make an exception. If so, the instructor's signature must be in the appropriate course block on your registration card. (If you completed a prerequisite at another college or university, our computer system will not make the connection during this registration process; in this situation, obtain the signature of the instructor in the appropriate block on your registration card.)
  • If you are requesting an independent study or honors course, you must have the signature of your project director in the appropriate course block on your registration card.
  • If you wish to take a course Credit/D/F, be sure to check this off in the course block on your registration card. If you are taking the course under the graded option, you do not need to check anything.
  • The signature of an instructor in a course block on your registration card does only two things: (1) waives a prerequisite, and (2) gives you a chance to get into a course that can only be taken with the permission of the instructor. The signature of an instructor does NOT override course restrictions, nor does it give you a spot in a course that is full.
  • Your chances of getting a full course schedule are greatest if you provide alternates. DO NOT just list four top-choice courses. Always provide more than one lab choice as well.

For purposes of explanation, let us say that we are processing the registration card of a student named Chris Sample. The classes on this student's card are shown here.

sample registration card

The four courses that Chris most wants to take are listed across the top in blocks 1 through 4. These are Economics 255, Dance 111, Geology 100, and Government 223. One of these courses, Geology 100, has a laboratory; Chris' first-choice laboratory meeting is #1 and the second choice is #2. Please note that if no labs are selected for a course with a lab, a student will not be enrolled in that course. Chris also wants to take Music 275 and Greek 102. NOTE: These are NOT alternates; they are additional courses, giving Chris a requested course load of four full-credit courses, and two half-credit courses. (Dance 111 and Music 275 are the two half-credit courses.)

Classes 1A through 4A are first-alternates. If Chris does not get into Economics 255, the computer will try to put the student into English 102. Chris may be taking Government 223 to satisfy the non-eurocentric requirement. Should Chris not get into this class, History 275 is its first alternate and it, too, is a non-eurocentric course.

Classes 1B through 4B are second alternates. It is recommended that students put down these alternate choices to help ensure their registration in classes they want. Classes do fill, and your best chance for getting into popular classes occurs during registration time. If a student does end up with fewer than four full-credit courses, additional classes can be added during the phase II registration period.  NOTE: Dance 111 and Music 275 are half-credit courses, and the rest of Chris' course choices are full-credit.

First Round of Processing--The Top Row
Classes Numbered 1 through 4 on the Card, and additional classes on the right of the card

  1. Student placed in four top-choice classes.
    Processing occurs row by row and is completed in several rounds. Students are initially placed into all four of their top-choice classes--those that are written on the top row of the registration card. (Additional course choices are written on the right of the registration card.) So, Chris Sample is placed in Economics 255, Dance 111, Geology 100 with Lab #1, and Government 223.
    first round sample registration card
  2. Checking for time conflicts.
    If any of these classes meet during overlapping time blocks, the student is removed from the class positioned on the right. For example, assume that, in the situation above, Geology 100 and Government 223 meet at the same time. Chris is removed from Government 223 because it is positioned on the right. (This should NEVER have to occur. Students should be certain that none of the four classes they choose to put on the top row meet at the same time. The computer program runs this procedure, however, in order to correct a time conflict if one exists.)
    sample registration card with schedule conflict
  3. Checking for course prerequisites.
    In the next step, course prerequisites are checked for each class remaining on the top line. If a student does not have a prerequisite in their transcript file or in their current semester course file, the student is removed from the class they have requested. In our example, assume that Chris does not meet the prerequisite for Economics 255 and did not obtain the instructor's signature on the registration card to signify that the prerequisite had been waived. Chris is then removed from Economics 255. (If a student completed a prerequisite at another college or university, our computer system will not make the connection during this registration process; in this situation, the student should obtain the signature of the instructor on the registration card.)
    sample registration card with prerequisite problem
  4. Checking for class enrollment restrictions.
    The next step is to check enrollment restrictions for each class. These restrictions are determined by faculty members when they submit classes for the schedule. For example, if a class is for juniors and seniors only, sophomores and first-year students are removed from the class. First-year seminars are restricted to first-year students. For the two classes that remain in Chris Sample's schedule, no restrictions apply. Chris remains in Dance 111 and Geology 100.
    sample registration card, next step
  5. Identifying oversubscribed classes.
    The next step is to identify those classes that have been filled beyond the class size limit. In this example, let us say that Geology 100 has 71 students in it and the size limit is 50. The computer identifies this class as one that is oversubscribed.

  6. Reducing oversubscribed classes to their limit based on randomization and/or enrollment priorities.
    If an oversubscribed class has no enrollment priorities (for example, seniors first, juniors second, etc.), a process of randomization selects the students who will remain in the class. The others are removed. When there are enrollment priorities in an oversubscribed class, the randomization is done by priority group. For example, let us say that Geology 100 has an established enrollment priority--seniors first, juniors second, etc. Of the 82 students in the class, 5 are seniors; all 5 remain in the class. An additional 20 are juniors and 17 are sophomores; all 20 juniors and 17 sophomores remain in the class. Eight slots still remain in the class, and there are 29 first-year students in the class at this time. A process of randomization selects the 8 that will stay in the class. Chris is a first-year; let's assume that Chris is randomly selected and, therefore, remains in the class.
    sample registration card, enrollment priorities
    Once these steps are finished, the first round of registration processing is complete. Students who do not yet have four full-credit classes go through the second round; that is, these students' alternate classes are considered. In our example, Chris Sample must go through the second round of processing.

Second Round--The Second Row
Classes Numbered 1A through 4A on the Card

  1. Those without four classes are placed in alternates.
    Students who have three classes are put in the course that is listed as the first alternate for the class they did not get in (as long as it is not already full); students who have two classes are put into both of the classes listed as first alternates for the classes they did not get in; and so forth. In our example, Chris Sample is put into 1A and 4A.
    sample registration card, alternates
  2. Checking for time conflicts.
    The schedule is checked once again for time conflicts. The student is removed from any alternate that conflicts with a top-choice class they are already in. If alternates conflict with one another, the student is removed from the class positioned on the right. Laboratory meetings are handled a bit differently. In this case, let us say that the Geology lab #1 and Dance 111 conflict. Since Chris Sample put down lab #2 as the second choice lab, the computer checks to see if it would create any conflicts. Let us say it does not; the student is removed from lab #1 and put in lab #2.
    sample registration card, time conflicts
  3. Checking for course prerequisites.
    Course prerequisites are also checked for the alternates that have been added. In this case, let us say that Chris Sample does not meet the prerequisite for English 102, but Chris had the instructor sign the registration card to indicate that the prerequisite has been waived. Chris remains in English 102.
    sample registration card, alternates and prerequisites
  4. Checking for class enrollment restrictions.
    Class enrollment restrictions are checked. Let us say that History 275 is for history majors and minors only. Chris Sample is not a history major (majors are not declared until the spring of sophomore year), so Chris is removed from History 275.
    sample registration card, removed from class
  5. Reducing oversubscribed classes to their limit based on randomization and/or enrollment priorities.
    If a course becomes oversubscribed at this point, a process of randomization determines who remains in the course. Let us say that English 102 has a class size limit of 50 and there are no enrollment priorities. There were 46 students in the class at the end of the first round of processing. At this point in the second round, 58 students are now in the class. A random selection is done that will select 4--out of the 12 additional students added to the class--to remain in the class. Chris Sample is not one of the 4 and is removed from the class. Again, when there are enrollment priorities in an oversubscribed class, the randomization is done by priority group. Never would a student who was in the class at the end of the first round be removed from a class in the second round.
    sample registration card, alternates and enrollment priorities
    Chris still does not have four classes; this course registration has to go through a third round of processing.

Third Round--The Third Row
Classes Numbered 1B through 4B on the Card

  1. Those without four classes are placed in alternates.
    Students who have three classes are put into the course that is listed as the second alternate for the class they did not get in (as long it is not already full); students who have two classes are put into both of the courses listed as second alternates for the classes they did not get in; and so forth. In our example, Chris Sample is put into 1B and 4B.
    sample registration card, third round
  2. Checking for time conflicts.
    The schedule is checked once again for time conflicts. In our example, no time conflicts now exist.
    sample, time conflicts eliminated
  3. Checking for course prerequisites.
    In this case, let's assume that Chris Sample meets all of the prerequisites for these courses.
    sample, all prerequisites met
  4. Checking for class enrollment restrictions.
    Class restrictions are checked. Let's assume that none of the courses in Chris' schedule have restrictions.
    sample, no restrictions
  5. Reducing oversubscribed classes to their limit based on randomization and/or enrollment priorities.
    If a course becomes oversubscribed at this point, a process of randomization or randomization within priorities groups determines who remains in the course. All other students are removed. In our example, all of Chris' classes are within their limit.

  6. Additional Course Choices:
    After the third round of processing, Chris is not enrolled in four full-credit courses. (He has three full-credit courses and one half-credit course.) This is when Additional Course Choices start to be added (as long as they are not already full). After the first additional choice--Music 275--is added, Chris still does not have four full-credit courses. (He has three full-credit courses and two half-credit courses.) The second additional course, Greek 102, will then be added (providing it is not already full, and does not have un-met prerequisites). Chris is now enrolled in four full-credit courses and two half-credit courses.
    sample, half-credit course
  7. The course schedule will be available on  Bearings under "Class Sched."
    Chris' schedule is now finalized. He has four full-credit courses, and two half-credit courses. NOTE: Chris may add one or two more full-credit courses during the Add/Drop period only.

Chris Sample's Schedule
With Additional Course Choices
Chris' Sample Schedule


If you wish to adjust your course schedule, you can participate in Phase II. Dates are posted on the Web at www.bowdoin.edu/studentrecords/.

If you have questions about the course registration process, please call Jan Brackett, Associate Registrar at x3142 or reach her by e-mail at records@bowdoin.edu.