Registration FAQ for Students
Until your permission request is approved, you cannot officially enroll in the course. Until that time, you may add the course to your Canvas worksheet to gain temporary access to the Canvas course site.
Yes. It is not unusual for a student admitted to a course through Preference Selection to drop it, thereby creating space for other students. If the course requires instructor permission to enroll, you may request permission through YCS while the registration system is open. If the course does not require permission and the course has open seats, you may add it to your registration worksheet while the registration system is open.
Reach out to the sponsoring departments to see if you are able to switch to another section for one of the courses. If not, drop one of the courses so another student will be able to fill the spot.
- Black check mark means successfully enrolled.
- Green check mark means you have already taken the course.
- Worksheet means you have added to your worksheet but have not successfully enrolled.
- Alert means there is an issue preventing successful registration.
Refer to the main page of the registration website for a full list of icons and their meanings.
Registration Worksheet: Yale College students officially enroll in courses by using a registration worksheet within Yale Course Search. While the registration system is open, students may add and remove courses one-by-one in real time. When a student has enrolled in a course using the registration worksheet, they will appear on the Canvas roster with a “Student” status.
Canvas Worksheet: All current students at the university who are eligible to enroll in courses may use the Canvas worksheet within Yale Course Search to gain access to a canvas course site. When a student has added a course to their Canvas worksheet, they will appear on the Canvas roster with a “Visitor” status.
The registration period takes place prior to the term of enrollment and is intended to be a gauge of student interest in course enrollment and to provide advance notification of permission to enroll in courses that have limited enrollments. It allows departments to manage demand for enrollment, the number of discussion/lab sections and teaching fellows needed, and the size of the room needed.
The add/drop period takes place shortly before the start of classes and runs for about eight days. The add/drop period is for refinement of the student course schedule and culminates with a final schedule.
The Preference Selection process and other course application processes takes place prior to the opening of the registration period.
The registration worksheet does not open until the registration period begins. If you participated in Preference Selection, a registration worksheet does become viewable with results of the Preference Selection process.
Yes, courses you have successfully added to your registration worksheet are considered official enrollment and will appear on your Yale College transcript and other university systems (e.g., Yale Degree Audit).