Before You Register for Classes - Plan Your Semester

Before you register

For a smooth registration process, follow these 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.
Be aware of your status as a student: The timing of your registration depends on whether you are a new undergraduate, graduate, or professional student, or you're returning, transferring or visiting. Find out when to register according to your circumstances.
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). If you’re an undergraduate student, schedule an appointment with your advisor. If you’re a graduate student, find your advisor by school.
Review the schedule of classes: See what dates and times are available for the upcoming semester.
Load your shopping cart: Place the courses for which you’d like to register in your Enrollment Shopping Cart so all you’ll have to do is click “Enroll” at the time of your enrollment date. Be sure you've reviewed the “Status” field of each class to verify if the class is open or closed.

Be sure nothing will restrict your registration

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.

Get permissions for certain classes

Some courses require permission from a school or department in order to enroll.

Class permissions: During registration, any class that requires specific approval for a student to enroll will be denoted with “PERM.” Contact the department to find out if you’re eligible to take the class.
School authorization - department consent: Classes are sometimes restricted to students who are enrolled in the school offering the course. If you’re not enrolled in the school but want to take the class, you’ll need to contact the school or department to find out if you’re eligible.
Class standing: In some cases, departments require students to have a certain class standing (e.g., sophomore, junior) in order to enroll in a course. If you don’t meet this requirement, contact the department to find out if you’re eligible. Because class standing is determined by the number of credit hours you’ve passed at IU, visiting students and graduate nondegree students won’t automatically meet class-standing requirements. Learn about class standing.
Career-level restrictions: Undergraduate students can’t register in graduate-level courses without specific permission from the department.

If a department or school grants permission for you to enroll, the registration system will then allow you to register for the class. Note that the granting of permission does not guarantee you a seat in the class—it means you’ll be able to enroll if a seat is available.

Make sure you've met your prerequisites

In some cases, you’ll need to complete a course or get an appropriate score on a placement test before being allowed to enroll in a higher-level course.

If you’ve met the prerequisite requirement: You’ll be able to enroll in the course as normal.
If you’re eligible due to your current enrollment in the prerequisite: You’ll be able to enroll in the course. The department offering the course will verify after the current term that you passed the prerequisite.
If you haven’t met the prerequisite requirement and aren’t currently enrolled in the prerequisite: You’ll get an error message saying you’re not eligible to enroll in the course. Contact your academic advisor for more information.

Prerequisites are usually listed as a class note in the Schedule of Classes. For example, “P: ENG-W 131” would indicate that you must complete ENG-W 131 or its equivalent before you can enroll in the course in question.

Be aware of credit hour limits

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.

What do I need to register for classes?