Registration

Students receive communications in advance of each registration period, notifying them of the upcoming registration dates, and are encouraged to meet with their dedicated Student Success Advisor to review their intended academic plan. 

Registration for program courses takes place via ESTHER and opens 5 weeks prior to the next quadmester start date. Continuing students must register for at least one course by 5pm CT on Friday of the week registration opens. If a student fails to register for at least one (1) course in time, they are subject to a late registration fee of $75. Additionally, students will be subject to a second late registration fee of an additional $125 if they register for courses after the quadmester begins.

Refer to the academic calendar for specific dates and deadlines.

This guide contains step-by-step instructions on how to register for courses in ESTHER. 

Students must clear a series of holds before they are able to register. Holds may placed on student accounts one-week before registration opens each quadmester and must be cleared on ESTHER before a student can register.

Recurring registration holds include:

• Address Verification Hold

• Student Handbook Affirmation Hold

• Rice Alert Hold

• Financial Responsibility Hold

Reference the Remove Holds Guide for step-by-step instructions for holds removal. 

Students entering their final two quadmesters of the program are given advanced registration access for electives and should register for their preferred electives in the first 48-hours that registration is open. All other elective-eligible students may register for open elective courses 48-hours after registration opens.

The following courses are not available for self-registration and will also show a “closed course” error if a student attempts direct registration:

• Core with pre-determined registration

  • MGMT 598: Capstone Consulting Project

  • MGMT 515: Global Field Experience

• Lab electives, which require a student to submit an application when registration opens:

  • MGMT 763: Entrepreneurship Lab

Course sections are capped each quadmester in order to balance demand across all available sections and to optimize the experience for both the students and the instructors.

If a student encounters a full section (which presents with a “closed course” error during registration*), they should complete the Waitlist Request Form if they wish to be registered for that section if a seat becomes available. If the student is able to participate in an alternate open section of the course, they should register for that section (but may still request to be on the waitlist for their preferred section).  If the closed section(s) of the course are the only ones that will work for the student (due to valid work or life conflicts), they should communicate this to their SSA so that a note can be added to their waitlist request.

Students on the waitlist are registered for their requested section only if a seat becomes available in that section.  Completing a waitlist request does not guarantee a spot in the requested section.

Students may continue to make changes to their schedule through the registration period for the quadmester.  They may add additional courses or swap any existing courses/sections through the first week of the quadmester and may drop through the second week.  Specific deadlines for each quadmester can be found on the Academic Calendar for that quadmester.

All parts of the quadmester, including Term 2 courses and ILEs, are subject to the quadmester-level add and drop deadlines.  Late drops may be considered on a case-by-case basis and will remain on the transcript with a grade of "W". 

The JGSB does not grant waivers for any course, regardless of work and education history. Students are required to take all courses prescribed in the MBA curriculum.

The business school's Registrar department works in conjunction with the various Student Services and Program Offices to support all Rice Business students across all programs. 

Phone: 713-348-4999 | Email: jgsbregistrar@rice.edu