Enrollment & Waitlists

Enrollment & Waitlists

This page covers add/drop procedures, Course Match, waitlist management, First Class Attendance, cross-registration, and auditing. For questions, contact [email protected].

1. Vergil — Your Source of Truth

Always use Vergil for official enrollment data. Log in with your faculty UNI and password, then navigate to Faculty Services to access course management tools.

  • View courses, meeting times, and locations under My Courses.
  • Canvas syncs from Vergil with approximately a 36-hour delay — it may not reflect recent changes. If a student says they're enrolled but isn't on your roster, check Vergil, not Canvas.
  • Being added to Canvas does not mean a student is officially enrolled. Students must formally register through Vergil or they won't have building access.

2. Add/Drop Procedures

Most programs follow the same add/drop deadlines. Always refer to the official registration calendar for exact dates.

  • Students can add/drop courses freely until the published deadline.
  • After the deadline, a formal workflow in Vergil is required for late adds or withdrawals.
  • Students may be randomly dropped if they unknowingly overenroll, create schedule conflicts, or exceed credit limits.

3. Course Match

Course Match is a pre-registration period where students rank classes by preference. Seats are then allocated by algorithm. After Course Match ends, registration becomes first-come, first-served.

  • Course Match (Pre-registration): Students rank preferences; seats are allocated by algorithm.
  • Add/Drop Period (After Course Match): First-come, first-served based on real-time availability.

4. Waitlist Management

Capacity is fixed. Faculty may not enroll students above the published course cap — exceeding classroom capacity creates safety and compliance issues.

  • Automatic Waitlist: For courses without a mandatory first-class attendance requirement. Waitlists are processed automatically in order of join date. Faculty should not manually override the order.
  • Self-Managed Waitlist: For courses with mandatory first-class attendance. Faculty may promote students only based on verified attendance at the first class, following waitlist order.

Fairness: Promote students based solely on attendance and waitlist order — not personal preference or subjective criteria. Direct all student enrollment inquiries to OARR; students have been instructed not to contact faculty directly about enrollment.

5. First Class Attendance (FCM)

Most CBS courses do not require first-class attendance. This applies only to courses individually designated by faculty before Course Match begins — it cannot be changed after the fact.

  • The FCM designation is noted on the course page in Vergil.
  • Once set (or not set), it stays that way for the term. Do not go back and forth — it creates confusion for staff and students.

For FCM-designated courses:

  • All enrolled, waitlisted, or add-seeking students must attend the first class.
  • Take attendance at the first session and note which waitlisted students attended.
  • Promote students strictly by attendance and waitlist order — not by major, class year, or subjective criteria.
  • Send the attendance list to OARR and notify them which students should be dropped.
  • Check Vergil (not Canvas) for the updated roster afterward.

Exceptions: Granting exceptions is at your discretion, but if you consistently grant them it undermines the policy. Be consistent.

6. Cross-Registration

All Columbia graduate students and some undergraduates may cross-register for CBS courses, subject to the following conditions:

  • The course must be marked as available for cross-registration (selected in your scheduling survey).
  • There must be more than 10 seats remaining after CBS add/drop is exhausted.
  • CBS students always have priority. Cross-registrants are added only after CBS demand is met.
  • A cross-registrant may still be unable to register if their home school has not granted them registration access, they have registration blocks (e.g., unpaid tuition), or they have not satisfied course prerequisites.
  • As of Spring 2026: Teachers College and Columbia Law School students do not use Vergil to register.

Timeline

  • Fall: Course list available last week of August; cross-registration via Vergil last Friday in August.
  • Spring: Course list available after MLK Day; registration via Vergil the Friday before Spring semester begins.
  • Summer: Most non-CBS schools do not offer students registration access.

Class Limits

Cross-registration is typically capped at 25–33% of total enrollment. To exceed this limit, contact OARR — but be aware it can affect course evaluations and the experience of CBS students.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Do not hand-pick individual cross-registration students or promise seats before CBS demand is known.
  • Do not waive prerequisites for students who haven't passed the exemption exam (where one exists).
  • Do not say no to cross-registration in the survey, then later ask to allow specific students.
  • Do not allow auditors without confirming space and building access.
  • Avoid one-off exceptions — they create confusion and set problematic precedents.

7. Auditing Policy

Auditing is available for CBS students only, at the instructor's discretion. The following conditions apply:

  • Open seats must exist after add/drop ends.
  • The student cannot be enrolled for credit in the same course — they should drop via Vergil by the CBS drop deadline.
  • Students who audit a course cannot take it for credit in a future term.
  • You do not need to notify OARR. For Canvas access, the student should contact you or your department admin.
  • Non-CBS students cannot audit CBS courses. They can be added to Canvas but will not have building access.