FAQ – Registration

Add/Drop refers to the first week of classes each semester. Students may continue to add and drop courses during this week and often change classes based upon their experiences during the first-class session. Add/Drop week is an excellent time to seek classes that may have been previously full or closed, as students frequently change one or more classes during this time. Students may add courses all the way through the end of the day of the Friday of Add/Drop week. However, students may only drop or swap courses through the Thursday of Add/Drop week, meaning whatever is on a student’s schedule as of Friday morning at 12:00 am the student is tuition and fee liable. See the Academic Calendar for specific dates and deadlines concerning Add/Drop. Should a student not have enrolled in at least one course by 11:59 pm on the Sunday before Add/Drop week, students may still register for courses during add drop but may be assessed a $100.00 late registration fee.

The majority of courses at UCF have one or more prerequisites that are required to be completed before being able to enroll (for example, ENC 1101 is typically required to enroll in ENC 1102). The best way to find out what prerequisites are required for a course you are interested in is to check the UCF Undergraduate Catalog (the last third of which is a course-by-course listing of all prerequisites). You can also check the prerequisites for a course under the class summary when enrolling in MyUCF.

Registration overrides are various ways in which a student attempts to enroll in a course that is otherwise closed. This could be enrolling in a course the student does not meet prerequisites for, or attempting to enroll in a class that is full or closed. Registration overrides are typically only granted in specific circumstances and are not something students should plan their studies around obtaining. For more information on registration overrides click here.

Closed classes occur when a class has met the seat cap with enrolled students. Each classroom can only accommodate so many students safely. Once that limit has been reached, a class is closed for enrollment until enrolled students drop from the course. Students who wish to enroll in a closed class may contact the department that offers the course for any accommodations. (NOTE: Students are rarely allowed to override into a closed class.)

A wait-listed course in myUCF is a class that has a specific queue in place to accommodate students wishing to enroll in an otherwise full class. The waitlist allows students to be automatically enrolled in the class in the order they joined the waitlist and ensures a fair and timely means of accommodating waiting students. Because of the nature of wait-listed courses, no overrides are typically given for these courses as doing so would essentially skip the student to the front of the line. For more information on the specific process of adding and enrolling in a wait-listed class, click here.

With a few exceptions, nearly every course at UCF has some form of prerequisites that must be satisfied to enroll in the course. Sometimes these are a lower-level course (for example, MAT1033 is required to enroll in MAC1105C), a specific academic standing (such as being a junior or in the Burnett Honors College), and sometimes these courses require specific permission from the faculty or department offering the course (such as with an Independent Study). If you are not satisfying the prerequisites for a course, your first step should be to check the UCF Undergraduate Catalog (the last third of which is a course-by-course listing of all prerequisites) to determine what prerequisites, if any, you are missing.

Students who desire an override around a missing prerequisite fall into two categories: Students who have not completed the prerequisite course – Students who have not completed the prerequisite but still wish to enroll in the course must contact the department offering the course for an override. Keep in mind that such overrides are rarely approved as prerequisites typically are required in order to successfully complete the higher-level course. Students who have completed the prerequisite course and believe they are getting an error – With some basic information provided by the student, we can override the student into the course (if taught by the College of Science), though the student will need to provide proof of completion of the missing prerequisite.

Students may enroll in courses that they are presently satisfying prerequisites for with current enrollment (for example, a student taking MAT1033 in Fall may enroll in the following Spring’s MAC1105C). However, when a student does not successfully complete the prerequisite course, the student will need to change future registration to ensure all prerequisites are satisfied. In the College of Sciences, many of our courses will flag students to be dropped should they not be satisfying prerequisites. Students are contacted at their UCF email account before the first day of classes informing them that they are not meeting prerequisites and, should they not drop themselves from the course, may be administratively removed from the course. Some students, particularly new students transferring to UCF with AP, IB, Dual Enrollment, or other institutional course credit may also be contacted by this process should their official records or transcripts not be provided. Should this occur, students will need to provide proof to COSAS to remain in the course flagged to be dropped (specifics on what proof is required is included in the email notifying students of the drop status). Should the student not provide this proof by the given deadline they may be dropped from the class even if they do have the records to satisfy the prerequisites. All drop notifications for the College of Sciences are sent to a student’s UCF email account from the COSDROPNOTIFY@ucf.edu address. This address is only active during the drop process, and general questions should be directed to COSAS@ucf.edu.

Students who have been dropped from their course due to not satisfying prerequisites have two options. If the prerequisite was not satisfied due to unsatisfactory or incomplete previous coursework, they will need to contact the department that offers the course for an override. If the student has completed the prerequisite but not have provided the required proof to COSDROPNOTIFY by the stated deadline, they may contact COSAS to get an override into an open section of the course in question. Should all sections of the course be full, the student will need to either wait for a section to open or contact the department offering the course to request an override into a closed class. Not checking your UCF email or failing to provide proof by the deadline is not sufficient cause for an administrative override. Students should check their UCF email accounts regularly to ensure compliance with all UCF policies and procedures.

Late Add and Late Drop are administrative appeals to be added or removed from a class after the end of the Add/Drop period. A late add may be pursued only if you were unable to add a course by the add deadline due to extraordinary circumstances. A late drop will result in a full refund of tuition fees and the complete removal of the course from the student’s academic record. Therefore, a late drop requires the student to be involved in a truly extraordinary situation. For more information on the Late Add/Dop process, students should contact Academic Services.

The Withdrawal option is a tool for students to remove themselves from a class they no longer feel they can successfully complete after the Add/Drop deadline. The Withdrawal period for each term begins after the Drop/Swap deadline. Students remain fee liable for any classes they withdraw from. Students may withdraw from a class and receive the notation of “W” until the deadline noted in the Academic Calendar. A student may withdraw from courses through their myUCF. Withdrawing from classes may have financial aid, NCAA eligibility, or international visa consequences. Students should seek appropriate advisement prior to withdrawing from a class. A student is not automatically dropped or withdrawn from a class for not attending, nor can an instructor drop or withdraw a student from a class.

While each college operates their override policies independently, typically the best place to start in seeking an override is by speaking with the department that houses the course.

Course prerequisites can occasionally change as departments re-align their majors and content to modern needs. While the major requirements for students are bound to their catalog year, prerequisite requirements are always reflective of the current catalog. If a course you previously qualified for no longer will allow you to enroll, you should check the UCF Undergraduate Catalog for the present year to verify the current prerequisites and determine what, if anything, you may be missing. If you do not satisfy the prerequisites, you will need to contact the department that offers the course for an override or enroll in the missing prerequisites.

Students interested in obtaining transient status to take coursework at another institution will need to follow the instructions listed on the Registrar’s Transient Students Page. Transient applications are required to get several levels approval from multiple offices and separate institutions, so this process can take some time. Students should begin planning for taking transient coursework early in the semester prior to the course they’re interested in taking transiently.

Students taking transient courses within the Florida public school system will use Florida Shines. If you have questions about the COSAS portions of your Florida shines application, email COSAS@ucf.edu.

Students taking transient courses at any other institution (out-of-state or private Florida institutions) will have a different process, involving the “Non-SUS Transient Student Form”. Please send form to COSaudit@ucf.edu.