Spread over the first several days of the semester, online Add/Drop is a bit more free form than Pre-Registration. In general, you'll need to list courses you wish to add on your Saved Schedule in Workday, obtain your advisor(s) approval for courses you wish to add and drop, and then add and drop courses online.
Note that all advisor approvals for Pre-Registration are cleared before Add/Drop. You will have to again obtain advisor approval if you wish to add and drop courses. (First year students will retain the orientation advisor approval for add/drop and do not need to obtain further approval, you do need to notify your advisor of any changes that were not approved during orientation).
Detailed instructions on how to 'Add or Drop a Course' can be found in our Workday registration guides for students.
1. Add Courses to your SAVED SCHEDULE; obtain instructor permissions
To shop a course, simply add it to your Saved Schedule list in Workday. Within a few hours, you will have access to the course website. Note that access to the websites of courses in your Saved Schedule list will begin the Friday before classes begin.
If you want to take a course that requires instructor permission, contact the instructor to obtain it, then formalize your request on your Saved Schedule in Workday.
2. Obtain Advisor Approval
Once you've determined the courses you wish to add and/or drop, you need to obtain the approval of your advisor(s) before you can make registration changes. Some advisors will require a meeting, while others may only require an e-mail request from you. Advisors have the flexibility to approve more courses than you can register for, leaving you with final choice of which courses to take. Advisors are also able to indicate which course or courses they agree to let you drop.
Note that while your advisor can approve more than 4.5 courses, or a schedule that has conflicting courses or more than a single half, special topic, or senior honors course, you can't actually register for such courses without the permission of your advisor(s) and class dean. You'll find the appropriate form for such permissions on the Registrar's Frequently Requested Forms page. This needs to be completed and returned to the Registrar's Office in 101 Converse Hall by the end of the Add/Drop period.
3. OBTAIN INSTRUCTOR PERMISSIONS; Check Registration Status; clear registration holds
You can request instructor permissions on courses when adding a course to your Saved Schedule, see the status of any pending Instructor Permission requests, and check on any registration holds.
Unlike Pre-Registration, registration holds are enforced during Add/Drop. If you have an outstanding balance or issue with the Controller, Library, Health Services, Financial Aid, or the Registrar, you will not be able to add or drop courses until the issue is resolved.
4. Add and Drop Courses
Once any and all holds are cleared, advisor approvals obtained, and instructor permissions received, you use the Planning and Registration page to add and drop courses. As with Pre-Registration, we strongly advise that you drop and add courses one at a time to prevent any confusion should you receive an error message. Also, it's called Add/Drop, but it is really Drop/Add: If you already have a full course load, the system won't let you add another course until you've dropped one.
Changing a Lab Section: In order to change a lab section, you first need to drop all components of the course (i.e., lecture, lab, and, if applicable, the discussion section). Next, add all the course components--including the new lab section--to your Saved Schedule list. Finally, register all the components at the same time. Of course, you can't drop or add anything without advisor approval.
First Year Students: You cannot drop your First Year Seminar.
As with Pre-Registration, the system lets you change your Saved Schedule list after obtaining advisor approval, and thus lets you Add and Drop courses other than those indicated by your advisor(s). Doing so, however, may be construed as a violation of the College's Honor Code. Again, advisors have been given audit tools so they can be made aware of any deviation from what they approved and what you register for.
If you plan to take a Five-College course, you need to submit an online request via the Registrar's Five College web page as well as complete a permission form to be signed by your advisor. This form should be turned into the Registrar's Office at 101 Converse Hall. Note that during Add/Drop, all Five College courses require permission of the instructor.