Waitlist for a Closed Class
What Waitlists Are
When a class is full, departments may offer a waitlist to allow non-enrolled students to get in line for the next available seat. When automatic waitlist enrollment is active, the first eligible student on the waitlist is automatically enrolled as soon as anyone drops the class.
When you're on a waitlist, you aren't enrolled in the class; however, you do appear on the class roster and you have access to the online class materials until the waitlist cancellation date.
Although a waitlisted class's credit hours are included in your credit-load limit, they don't count toward your academic or financial aid enrollment status or appear on your bill until you're enrolled.
When You Can Join One
Class waitlists are available during the following times:
- Your assigned enrollment dates (new undergrads aren't allowed to waitlist for fall classes)
- The schedule adjustment period (fall registration only)
- The open enrollment period
How They Work
There are two types of waitlists:
Automatic waitlists are first-come, first-served. When a seat becomes available in the class, the person who's been on the waitlist the longest is automatically enrolled if they meet the eligibility criteria.
Resequenced waitlists use a priority system to determine who is automatically enrolled when a seat becomes available. Priorities are established by the department and are usually based on the student's class standing and/or major.
What to Do When You're on a Waitlist
Attend Your Waitlisted Class
If you're still on the waitlist when the semester starts, attend the first class meeting and tell the instructor you're on the waitlist. They may be able to advise you on the likelihood of being enrolled from the waitlist and whether to attend future class meetings.
Stay Enrollment Eligible
If you're at the top of the waitlist and a seat becomes available in the class, you have to meet the following criteria for the registration system to enroll you:
- You have no holds that prevent registration.
- You aren't enrolled in a different section of the same class (unless you've set up drop if enrolled for that section).
- You aren't enrolled in a class that has a time conflict with the waitlisted class (unless you've set up drop if enrolled for the conflicting class).
- You meet the requirements of the class, such as having taken prior class sequences or corequisites.
- Your enrollment would not put you over the maximum number of enrolled credits for your program (unless you've set up drop if enrolled for a class of equal or greater credit value).
If a seat becomes available but you don't meet one or more of the criteria above, the registration system will skip you and enroll the first person after you who does.
If you're automatically enrolled from the waitlist, you'll receive an automated email confirmation within 24 hours. You will not receive an automated notification if you're manually enrolled by a CU Boulder staff member.
What Happens if You're Never Enrolled
Automatic waitlist enrollment ends on the second Wednesday of the semester in fall and spring (see the add & drop calendar); summer waitlist deadlines vary (see the Summer Session calendar). If a seat becomes available after that date but before waitlists are canceled, contact the department offering the class to see if their policies allow them to manually enroll you from the waitlist.
After the third Friday of the semester, waitlists are canceled. If you still aren't enrolled in the class at that point, you'll lose access to online materials and be removed from the class roster. However, you may be eligible to use course reservation the next time the course is offered.