» Registration Waitlists FAQs
Shortcut to this page: www.chapman.edu/waitlists
How do I know if a class has a waitlist?
The waitlist option is only available once all seats in a class have been filled and the section closes. When a Class Search is performed that includes the closed classes, users will see a yellow triangle beside classes that have available waitlists. When the waitlist capacity of a class has been reached, the waitlist feature is unavailable, and a blue closed class icon will display beside those sections.
How does the waitlist process work?
- A process is run each weeknight. If there are available seats in a class, the process will enroll eligible students from the waitlist into the class using the priority of the waitlist position. Students are notified by email only if the waitlisted class was enrolled. The notice is sent to the Chapman University email account.
- If students do not meet the criteria to be enrolled, or have a hold on their record, the waitlist process will skip ineligible students and enroll the next eligible student on the waitlist.
What is the first day and last day to get on a waitlist for a class?
Students cannot get on a waitlist until their enrollment appointment or open enrollment has begun.
At the start of each term, the waitlist option will no longer be available in registration and the process will STOP processing requests for enrollment. Students on waitlists will need to obtain a Permission Number to be enrolled in any closed or waitlisted classes.
Is there a maximum number of credits for which a student can waitlist?
Yes, students can waitlist for up to 21 credits at a time within a term. This limit cannot be overridden.
Can students waitlist for more than one section of the same class?
Yes, students can waitlist for multiple sections of the same class, with the following stipulations:
- Students cannot select a preference for which section they will be auto enrolled into. The waitlist process will enroll the student in the section that has the first available seat.
- Once enrolled in one of those class sections, students will be automatically dropped from the other waitlisted sections of that course.
- If students are already enrolled in another section of a class they want to waitlist the SWAP feature should be used to enroll and waitlist for the closed section.
- If already enrolled in a lecture and lab combination students cannot be waitlisted for alternate lab sections, unless they are also attempting to get onto a waitlist for a different lecture section.
- NOTE: each section a student waitlists counts towards the 21-credit waitlist maximum.
Can students get on a waitlist for a class that has a reserve capacity?
If classes have a reserve capacity and the only open seats are restricted to the reserve capacity, students who do not meet the reserve capacity can get on the waitlist for the class. Students will be auto enrolled into the class if an unrestricted seat becomes available.
What will prevent students from getting on a waitlist?
- Requisites for the class are not met, request a Permission Number.
- Instructor or Department approval is required, request a Permission Number.
- A registration HOLD is assigned to the student.
- The student’s enrollment appointment has not arrived.
- The student is already enrolled in another section of the class.
- The waitlist capacity of the class has been reached.
- The student has reached the maximum number of waitlisted credits (21).
What will prevent students from being enrolled in a class from the waitlist?
- Seats were not available in both the lecture and lab combination that the student selected.
- The waitlisted class presents a schedule conflict with another class in which the student is already enrolled.
- The student is still enrolled in another section of that class.
- If students ADD themselves to the waitlist for a different section of the same class (instead of using the SWAP feature) they must DROP the section in which they are enrolled before they will be enrolled into the section in which they are waitlisted.
- Students should initially SWAP the section they are currently enrolled in with the section they would like to waitlist if their preference is to be enrolled in the waitlisted section.
- Note: if students are not enrolled from the waitlist due to any of these issues, they will be passed over and the next eligible student on the waitlist will be enrolled.
When should the SWAP enrollment feature be used?
- If students are already enrolled in another section of the class for which they want to waitlist, SWAP should be used.
- Students may also want to use SWAP if there is a known time conflict between an already enrolled class section and the section for which they want to waitlist.
- Students may also want to use SWAP if they are already enrolled in the maximum number of credits for a term and want to still get on a waitlist.
- Students should NOT use SWAP to get on a waitlist for a closed lab if they are already enrolled in the lecture associated with that closed lab. Students will be dropped immediately from their enrolled class and placed on the waitlist for the lecture until a seat opens in the closed lab since students cannot be enrolled in a lecture section and waitlisted for that same lecture simultaneously.
Can students remove themselves from a waitlist?
How can you tell whether there are students on a waitlist for a class?
- Students are not able to see who is on a waitlist for a class. Students are only able to view those classes they have waitlisted for on their class schedule.
- Faculty can view the students on the waitlist for their class in the Class Roster of the Faculty Center.
- Faculty and Advisors can also see whether an individual student is on a waitlist in the following pages in Faculty or Advisor Center: Enrollment Summary, Study List, Student Services Center, and Advisee Class Schedule.