Registration: Add/Drop I

Students eligible to register may choose to participate in Add/Drop I, which lasts a week and a half and occurs in December (for spring classes) and May (for fall classes). The Registrar's Calendar details the exact dates and deadlines for each round of registration.

During Add/Drop I, Students need INSTRUCTOR PERMISSION in Polaris to add anything, even if there are seats available and they meet all other eligibility requirements. To obtain permission, students should email the instructor directly. Classfinder lists the names of course instructors and students can find their contact information by searching the Bowdoin directory.

Faculty expect these emails and will provide "Instructor Permission" in Polaris for a student to add their class or lab if the student meets the eligibility requirements, e.g., prerequisites, and there is room in the class or lab. Faculty also have the option to override eligibility requirements and the size of their class, and students should request overrides, if needed, when they request permission, explaining why the override is warranted, but should note that faculty are not obligated to override registration restrictions.

Any instructor with questions about providing permissions and overrides in Polaris and any student with questions about obtaining permissions and overrides in Polaris should email registrar@bowdoin.edu.

As always, students should work closely with their academic advisors before making changes to their course schedule to ensure they will remain on track to complete all degree requirements.

During Add/Drop I, students may take the following actions in Polaris:

Add/register for classes for which they have obtained "Instructor Permission," and any other needed overrides from the instructor, including a fifth, 1.0 credit class;
Drop classes from Round 1 and Round 2, no permission needed, as long it will not drop them below 3.0 credits;
Swap sections, e.g., labs, if they have "Instructor Permission" for the new one, by selecting "drop" on the existing section, adding the new one, and hitting submit so that the requests process simultaneously - SEE GUIDE FOR SWAPPING

Obtaining "instructor permission" does not automatically register the student; they must do that themselves in Polaris. Students can see all permissions and overrides they've received in the "Preparing for Registration" section of Polaris and should add the class or lab once the permission is available.

Unlike Round 1 and Round 2, any changes students make to their schedules are immediate.

Any student initially registering for classes during Add/Drop I must have their ADVISOR HOLD released. This situation occurs most often when students change their enrollment status, but it applies to few students each semester.

Registration restrictions
Time conflict override policy
Credit overloads (taking more than 5.0 credits)
Schedule planning sheet (PDF)
Weekly planning calendar (PDF)

Degree Requirements: details about general requirements, like divisions and distributions, and major/minor requirements are available in Degree Progress and students are strongly encouraged to review their Degree Progress prior to participating in registration. To access Degree Progress, log into Polaris, and click "Degree Progress" in the "My Academic Profile" section.

Error Messages: if a course request does not process successfully after hitting submit, read the error message that appears at the top right of the screen carefully. Common error messages include a time conflict or a missing requirement. Reach out to the Office of the Registrar before the deadline if you are unable to resolve an error. The best way to reach us is by emailing registrar@bowdoin.edu.

Reserved Seating: in fall semesters only, some faculty choose to reserve seats in their courses for students who will be new to Bowdoin in the fall. Returning students may not register for one of those seats during Round 1, Round 2, or Add/Drop I.

Technical Difficulties: reach out to the IT Service Desk if you experience any issues with system speed or connectivity. They have a myriad of methods by which you can reach them.

Textbook Information: the cost of course materials for each class is available in the Classfinder. Click on the 5-digit CRN (course registration number) to expand the details of the class, and click on "Order Books" - located underneath prerequisites. The corresponding ecampus page will launch in a new window and details the full list of course materials and options for obtaining them, e.g., rent or buy.