Waitlisting for Courses without Discussion/Lab Sections

Waitlisting is a registration feature that allows students to join a queue for enrollment—a waitlist— for a course that has reached its maximum enrollment. Not all courses are set up with the waitlist option. 

Waitlisting is only an option during the registration period. Waitlists are removed after registration closes and are not an option during add/drop period.

  1. Log into Yale Course Search.
  2. Search for and select the desired course and then click ADD TO REGISTRATION WORKSHEET.
  3. If the class is full and there is a waitlist option, there will be an ADD TO WAITLIST IF CLASS IS FULL option in the dropdown menu in the Registration Options section. Select Yes and then click SAVE CHANGES.
  4. The course will show in the Worksheet Contents section. The hourglass icon indicates that you are on the waitlist for the course.

Checking your Place in the Waitlist

  1. Refresh the Yale Course Search page.
  2. Open your registration worksheet.
  3. Select the waitlisted course. The course details screen will display your position on the waitlist.

Claiming Your Seat in the Course

You will receive an email when a seat becomes available in a waitlisted course. When you receive the email, you have 24 hours to claim your seat.

  • You will not be added to a course off of the waitlist if adding the course puts you over 5.5 credits. You will need to remedy this by dropping enough credits to be added to the course.
  1. Log into Yale Course Search.
  2. Open your registration worksheet. The act of logging into Yale Course Search and opening your registration worksheet is the only way to claim your seat in the course. 
  • You will see the waitlisted course’s hourglass icon has changed to a checkmark, indicating you are registered in the course. There is nothing else you need to do to claim your seat.
  • For waitlisting on multi-section courses, you can only be enrolled, or on a waitlist, not both. The system does not allow you to be enrolled in one section and on the waitlist for a different section of the same course.
  • Notifications to students to add themselves to a course off of the waitlist end 24 hours before the registration periods close. This allows notified students a 24-hour window before registration closes to claim their seat off of the waitlist.

Removing Yourself from the Waitlist

  1. Log into Yale Course Search.
  2. Open your registration worksheet.
  3. Select the target waitlisted course.
  4. Click the REMOVE FROM WAITLIST button in the course details screen.
  5. Then click the SUBMIT REGISTRATION button.