Registration Hints for Students

Using the Registration Portal

The registration portal allows students to register for courses, browse the course schedule by term, and view academic program information such as earned units, class standing (freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior), degree, major(s), minor(s), IA, catalog term, and admit year- all in a new environment! You can access the new registration portal through MyLU ->My Apps/New Registration Portal or Voyager ->Student Services/Academic Resources & Services/New Registration Portal-Now Live!

The Prepare for Registration page allows students to see academic program information such as earned units, classification (freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior), degree, major(s), minor(s), IA, catalog term, and admit year.  Students can also view term based registration status details.  Once a student selects a term, students can view any registration holds and assigned registration times.  

The Plan Ahead page allows students to create up to 3 registration plans for each term open for registration. Important Note: To register for courses in your plan, you will need to use the Register for Classes option described below.

The View Registration Information page allows students to Look up a Schedule for current and future registered terms.  There is also a list of all registered courses in the Active Registrations tab.  

The Browse Classes page allows students to search for courses by subject, course number, title, instructor, key words, attributes, number of units, meeting days/times, campus (Appleton or London), and building. Here are a few tips/tricks while searching for courses: 

• Select term rather than semester for most course offerings including London Centre.  Semester is used only for student teachers and off campus programs. 
• For crosslisted course tips see Cross Listed Courses tab in the Detail Card section below.
• For waitlist details see Enrollment/Waitlist section below. 
• Clear your filters between each search.   
• Course Title/Keyword searches- To search on part of a title or keyword, you will need to use % as wildcards.  You could use %Anthropology% to capture any course in the selected term that has anthropology in the title.  If you use %Anthropology, it would result in courses with any word before Anthropology (ex. Cultural Anthropology and Biological Anthropology).  If you use Anthropology%, it will result in courses with any word after Anthropology (ex. Anthropology of Food).
• Attribute- Attributes are tags on courses to identify their department, division, level, applicable general education requirements, etc. These tags help students (and Degree Works) know how a course applies to their degree requirements.  In the example below, one can search for any course being offered in the selected term with the attribute that will fulfill the Dimensions of Diversity general education requirement.
• Time- This works best when selecting a start and end time.  If you only enter a start time, your results will include all courses with a start time on or after the selected time.  If you only enter an end time, your results will include all courses with an end time on or before the selected time. 
• Here are a few tips/tricks for understanding the class schedule: 
• Meeting Time- If you hover over the meeting times, you will see the days, times, location, and start and end dates for the course.
• Status- This is the enrollment limit and number of registered students.  If you want to see the crosslist limits you will need to select the course and see crosslisted sections (see section in documentation below).  The waitlist maximum is always set at 98 for all courses. To see the waitlist counts click on the course and select the waitlist tab (documented in next section).
• Class Details- To see specific details on a course, click on the course title.  You will get to the course information card with multiple tabs. This includes the course description, prerequisites, bookstore link, attributes, course meeting details, instructor, enrollment/waitlist number, and crosslisted course details.  
• Prerequisites are included in the course description.
• Attributes (see attribute comments above)
• Enrollment/Waitlist- This includes the course limit (98 indicates no actual limit is on the course).  It also includes the number of students enrolled and waitlist counts if applicable.  [Note: All courses have a default waitlist limit of 98, but no actual waitlist limit applies.]
• Cross Listed Courses tab in the Detail Card- This is the best place to check to see number of seats available for any course that is crosslisted.  If a course is crosslisted, it will have associated courses in the group noted here.  This is where the enrollment limit for the group can be found. 
• Section Enrollment- Number of students registered in the unique course.
• Cross List Actual: Total number of students registered in all courses in a crosslisted group. 
• Cross List Seats Available- This is the best place to know how many seats are available in a crosslisted group.  
• If a crosslisted course is full both parent/child courses show FULL on the course search page once the maximum enrollment for the group is met.
• Catalog- This includes course details specific to banner processes.  One thing worth noting here is that students can see if a course is eligible for S/U masking option.

Register for Classes page allows you to add/drop course during your assigned registration times, create plans for any term open for registration, view your class schedule, and update units in variable unit courses.

• In the Find Classes tab, students can search for a specific class; see tips above.  Once you find the desired courses, you can select Add.   This will enable schedule and summary screens to appear.  You can view how the course looks on your schedule and if you desire to add the course, select Submit.
• SUBMIT- You must click Submit to officially add the course to your schedule.  
• If there is an issue with the course, you will receive an error message describing the issue.  This might be due to time conflict, overloading, course is full, etc.  You can add yourself to a waitlist here as well if the course is full.  If you want to see if a course works in your schedule before dropping another course officially, you can use the conditional Add and Drop functionality.  
• Always be sure to review your schedule before ending your session.  (See Schedule and Options tab at the top of the Registration screen.)  
• There are 4 tabs at the top of the browse window: Find Classes, Enter CRNs, Plans, and Schedule and Options.  
• The Enter CRNs tab- If you know the CRNs and want to enter them here.
• The Plans tab- You can work with your advisor to create a plan for each future term open for enrollment.  You can create up to 3 plans per term using the Plan Ahead option as noted above.  In this area of the portal, you can register directly from your plan. You will need to click on the View Section link to select the desired section.  You must select Submit to officially add the course to your schedule.   [Note: This plan feature is not currently linked to Degree Works Plans, but might be an option in future updates.]
• The Schedule and Options tab- You can view your schedule of courses here.  The Course Registration Status column indicates if you are registered or waitlisted and notes number of units.
• If this is a variable unit course, you will go here to update the units if desired.  

Students are Responsible for Maintaining an Accurate Course Registration

If you adjust your classes or number of units, (a section change is a class change; switching music lessons from 6 units to 3 units is a change) while registration is open, you need to ensure your official class schedule reflects the adjustment.  You also need to be registered in the correct section to be graded for the course. If you desire to change classes after the class change period (first five days of classes) of the term, you will need to submit a petition to do so (see registration instructions). If you encounter an issue with the registration portal, you should notify the helpdesk or the Registrar's Office before the end of the add/drop period. Instructors, advisors, and others cannot register you for a class. Only you can add/drop courses or make changes to your schedule. If you need assistance, email or visit the registrar's office.  

Review your Degree Audit in Degree Works Regularly

Review your degree progress in Degree Works regularly and particularly at the end of each term.  If courses do not apply to the expected requirement in your major/minor, contact your advisor and request they submit a request for exception within the Degree Works system.  The exception will then be reviewed and applied by the registrar's office.  If one of your general education requirements is not showing correctly, contact degreeaudit@lawrence.edu. Students and advisors can use the Degree Works Plans feature to create a path to completion.  Advising meeting notes can also be stored in your Degree Works audit as reminders for students, faculty, and staff across campus.

Allow Additional Time for courses that require approval and to clear any holds

Plan to add courses that may need approval with plenty of time for instructors to approve.  Also, if you have an advisor hold, meet with your advisor early to ensure your hold is lifted prior to your registration time.  

Take advantage of available resources

Use the resources on the Lawrence website to learn about requirements, policies, procedures and find class options.  Be familiar with the catalog.  The catalog can clarify degree requirements, academic polices/procedures, registration opportunities, graduation requirements, honors, etc. 

Know your deadlines

Read the Important Term Dates and Deadlines prior to the term start date.  Check Registration Times & Status in Voyager to be aware of registration start/end times.

'Submit' your changes

When you make changes on the registration portal "Add/Drop Classes" page, including selecting the waitlist option, always click on the "Submit" button to send your changes to the data system. Review the results on the screen carefully and take action on any errors.

Review your schedule carefully

Check your schedule each time you make a class change, at the beginning of classes each term, and on the last day of the add/drop period (fifth day of the term). Be sure to look at meeting times and instructors to ensure you are in the intended section. If you are on the waitlist for a course it will appear on your schedule with a rank number. Since many courses are crosslisted, the rank number might not reflect registrations in other sections.  Being on a waitlist is NOT the same as being registered for a class.

Courtesy counts

While we use technology in many ways, Lawrence is a place that values face-to-face exchanges and conversations. Not all of your registration and other business can be conducted by email or the registration portal. You may need to meet with faculty advisors and instructors. Be sure to introduce yourself. Be sure to give your name and ID to an instructor if you are asking for approval to register for a class, even if you've had a class with the instructor before.