Course Registration

How Does Real-Time Registration for Continuing Students Work?

Real-time registration means that students will know instantly whether they are officially registered in a course section. Instructor rosters will update immediately, as will registration numbers on the schedule of classes. 

Beginning in Fall 2025, once each class year's registration period opens, it will remain open until the end of the first week of the semester (save for a brief pause shortly after the initial registration opener) for students to continue to adjust their schedules or take advantage of any granted waitlist permissions. This means for Fall registration students should anticipate that they may receive waitlist permissions during the summer. 

The Registrar's Calendar details all the dates and deadlines for registration!

Registration Overview

For class registration each semester, students should take the following steps to set themselves up for success. Detailed help guides for how to complete each of these processes can be found on Bowdoin's Workday for Students page.

1. Complete your Onboarding tasks.
   1. Each semester, students are asked to review their personal information and privacy choices to either confirm that this information is still correct or make updates. When Onboarding is made available to students, a hold is placed on each student's record that prevents them from registering until the Onboarding tasks are complete.
2. Review the course section schedule and build saved schedules.
   1. Students should build saved schedules in advance of meeting with their advisors. Saved schedules allow students to put together potential schedules in advance of registration to ensure that class times don't overlap and ensure that students can troubleshoot any potential issues in advance, such as class prerequisites that they may not have. 
   2. Holds that prevent registration will not prevent students from building saved schedules.
3. Take proactive steps for a smooth registration.
   
   1. If you need a prerequisite override for a class, request it in advance of registration using Workday.
   2. Review your holds and take the steps needed to resolve them so you can register on time.
4. Meet with your Academic Advisor.
   1. You must meet with your Academic Advisor before registration each semester, both to confirm your semester schedule and to check in on your progress and how things are going for you at Bowdoin generally. This is a great time to ask questions you may have about policies or plans you have for your future, both at Bowdoin and after graduation.
   2. Your Academic Advisor will need to lift your advising hold after your meeting to allow you to register at your scheduled time. 
5. In the 24-48 hours before your scheduled registration date and time:
   1. Re-check your holds to ensure that you've resolved any holds that could keep you from registering.
   2. Re-check your saved schedules. 
      1. Have any of your preferred sections filled? Plan and adjust now for changes that may have impacted your saved schedules.
      2. Have you requested any needed prerequisite overrides? Have any requested prerequisite overrides been denied or sent back to you for more information? Update your requests or adjust your schedules as needed.
6. On the day you register:
   1. Set an alarm and be logged in to Workday, via Okta, by five minutes before your registration time. 
   2. Watch the system clock on your computer or phone, and when the clock strikes 7:00am you can register from your saved schedule(s) or for individual courses. 
7. After you register:
   1. Registration will stay open for you through the first week of the semester to accept waitlist permissions, drop sections, and add sections with open seats or add yourself to section waitlists.
      1. Registration activity will pause briefly after continuing students register to allow for administrative operations, such as waitlist reviews. 
      2. During the second week of the semester, students will be able to add sections with the permission of the instructor.