Learn how to register for classes

Academic advisors help you plan to meet your educational goals. New undergraduate students will meet with an academic advisor at Orientation. New graduate/professional students will be notified of their advisors by their programs.

Current students, you can schedule an appointment to meet with your advisor as needed. Follow the advising procedure established by your school or department.

Different types of students register at different times depending on where you are in your academic journey.

New students

If you’re a newly admitted undergraduate student, you’ll typically register during Orientation. If you’re a new graduate or professional student, review the Graduate School’s online orientation and watch for communications from your program regarding when to register.

Currently enrolled students

If you’re a currently enrolled IU Indianapolis student, you should register during priority registration—a period available only to continuing students to ensure you stay on track with your degree goals. You’ll be notified via email when you are assigned an enrollment date for the next semester. This is the date when you’ll be able to register through the Student Center app in One.IU.

Returning students (recently attended)

If you recently attended IU Indianapolis as an undergraduate, but took a semester off, the Office of the Registrar can help you confirm your registration eligibility. Eligible returning students can enroll during open registration.

If you’re a graduate or professional student, talk to your advisor who will submit a term activation request to the Graduate School.

Students visiting from another IU campus

If you’re enrolled on another IU campus and want to take a class at IU Indianapolis, you’ll need to first apply as a temporary intercampus transfer. Eligible undergraduate students who are in good standing with their current IU degree program can apply in One.IU. Graduate and professional students have different eligibility criteria and application steps to follow.

Temporary intercampus transfer students can register during open registration.

Non-degree or visiting students

Undergraduate non-degree students or those visiting from another university can register during open registration. Be sure to review your steps to apply first. Note: Graduate non-degree students can apply at any time.

• Priority registration: The period when currently enrolled IU Indianapolis students can register for an upcoming semester. Registering during this priority period ensures you can get the classes you need, when you need them, to stay on track to graduate.
• Open registration: Begins after priority registration ends and continues through the start of classes for the semester. Newly admitted students, returning students, visiting students, and non-degree students can register during this time.
• Enrollment date: The date and time assigned to an individual student signifying the first time you can register for classes for an upcoming semester. Dates are viewable in the Student Center and are determined by a variety of factors including the type of student or undergraduate class standing of the student.

For a smooth registration process, follow these helpful tips:

• Know your date: Check your enrollment date and time. This is not an in-person appointment—it’s when you may begin registering through the Student Center. You can register at any time after your scheduled enrollment date through the first week of classes. Keep in mind that the earlier you register, the more likely you are to get into the classes you want.
• Decide what classes to take: Check your degree map so you know what courses you need to take to stay on track. If you’re a graduate student, meet with your advisor to determine what classes to take.
• Talk with your academic advisor: Review the academic requirements of your degree program and confirm any recommended courses, along with some alternative options (just in case).
• Review the schedule of classes: See what dates and times are available for the upcoming semester.

If you’re an undergraduate student, schedule an appointment with your advisor. If you’re a graduate student, find your advisor by school.

Certain courses require approvals before you’ll be able to register. You can check class permissions through the the Student Center app in One.IU. For prerequisites, see the Schedule of Classes.

Be sure there are no academic or financial holds that will prevent you from registering.

You can use the enrollment Enrollment Shopping Cart to build and save your schedule before your enrollment date.

1. Go to your Enrollment Shopping Cart
2. On the Shopping Cart page, choose the term you’re registering for.
3. Select the “Add Class” button to add classes to the cart.
4. Enter a specific class number or use “Class Search” to select a course.
5. Add the class to your shopping cart.
6. Review the “Status” field of each class to verify if the class is open or closed.
7. If adding the course to your waitlist, select the three dots on each course next to “View Details” then select “Waitlist if class if full.”

In the fall and spring, you can enroll in up to 18 credit hours each semester. If you want to enroll in more than 18 credits (called a credit hour overload), you need to get permission from your advisor and the dean of your school. It’s your responsibility to provide this written permission to the Office of the Registrar.

During the summer semester (May-August), students can also enroll in up to 18 credit hours total. Most students enroll in shorter session courses during Summer Session 1 (May-June) and Summer Session 2 (late June or July-Aug), with each session having an enrollment limit of 9 credits.

In the following example, Student A would be able to successfully register. Student B would receive a registration error for trying to register for too many credits. While Student B has not exceeded the enrollment limits of each smaller session period, the overall total number of credits attempted is 21 credits, which exceeds the 18-credit-hour limit for the entire summer semester.

• Student A: 1 full-semester summer course (3 credits) + 2 Summer Session 1 courses (6 credits) + 3 Summer Session 2 courses (9 credits) = 18 credits
• Student B: 1 full-semester summer course (3 credits) + 3 Summer Session 1 courses (9 credits) + 3 Summer Session 2 courses (9 credits) > 18 credits

Note for graduate students: Full time is 8 hours.

Be sure to have your university ID handy when you’re ready to register. Then log in and make your selections.

Enroll with the Student Center:

1. In One.IU, access the Student Center.
2. Expand “Class Information” on the side menu and select “Class Search.”
3. Verify the term and academic career are correct.
4. Select the subject of the course you will add from the “Subject” drop down and type the catalog number in “catalog nbr.”
5. Click search.
6. To add a section to shopping cart, click the > next to the desired section to expand notes. Read over these notes to make sure they do not specify that permissions or prerequisites are needed.
7. Then click “add to cart.”
8. A pop-up will either ask you to save the course to your shopping cart or, if the class has attached discussion sections or labs, it will first ask you to select a section and click continue before asking you to save to shopping cart.
9. When you have saved all courses you wish to register into the shopping cart, go to the side menu, expand “Enrollment,” and select “Shopping Cart.”
10. Once in the shopping cart, select the boxes to the right of the classes you wish to enroll in and then click “enroll.”
11. The system will provide error messages for classes it cannot add and success messages for those it can. Read messages then click “OK” to exit the pop up.
12. Select the schedule icon to view the classes on your schedule.

Check out short videos to walk you through the registration process.

Note, you won’t be billed at the time you register for classes.

After you register, you’ll be able to drop or add classes through the first week of classes. After the first week of classes, you’ll need to go through the Late Drop/Add process instead.