Waitlist FAQ for Faculty 

Overview

Once a course is enrolled to capacity (full), additional interested students may add themselves to a waitlist kept in (and kept by) PeopleSoft Self-Service. By adding themselves to a waitlist, the student announces their interest in taking the course if a space becomes available, and authorize their automatic enrollment in the course (if permitted by the faculty). Students are able to remove themselves from any waitlist at any time should they change their mind about their interest in the course. 

Waitlist Highlights

• Waitlists are limited to fifteen students

•  Like enrollment, wait list spots are first-come, first-serve

• Students can sign up for a maximum of two waitlists

• Classes using portfolio admission criteria cannot have waitlists

• Faculty should only use the waitlist kept in PeopleSoft, and direct all interested students to sign up for this list (space permitting)

PART I: WAITLIST BASICS

Does my course have a PeopleSoft waitlist?

Beginning with Fall 2018 registration, nearly all courses will utilize a PeopleSoft waitlist.  As faculty, you should no longer keep an “unofficial” list on your own, and instead let the automated system do this and keep track for you.

What courses are exceptions/do not have a PeopleSoft waitlist?

• Courses with co-requisites with multiple section options (Example: VISCOM 1001/VISCOM 1002)

• Courses which require a successful portfolio application or interview, either with a department or individual faculty, in order to be enrolled

How do I know what position a student is on the waitlist?

You can consult your class roster in PeopleSoft and change the filter to “All” to see both students enrolled and those on the wait list. You can also change the filter to “Waiting” to view only those on the waitlist. 

How long do waitlists last?

All wait lists will be dissolved one day before the end of the Add/Drop period each semester. This gives all students who are automatically enrolled into a course via the waitlist at least one day to see the change in enrollment and drop themselves from the course if they’ve changed their mind.

PART II: FACULTY RESPONSIBILITIES

A student is asking me for a “Permission Number.” What does this mean?

Permission numbers can work in one of two ways. For courses which require a portfolio or other qualitative review and have an “Instructor/Departmental Consent” hold in place, permission numbers are issued to allow students who have been granted access to enroll into an open seat in the course.

Permission numbers can also act as a substitute for a missing prerequisite. For example: Graduate students who wish to enroll in upper-level undergraduate courses* that have prerequisite requirements are required contact the relevant faculty member to describe their qualifications to take the course. If you agree/approve, you can issue these students a permission number which will give them access to the undergraduate course and/or waitlist.  

Students are advised to request permission numbers to substitute for prerequisites in advance of when they enroll. This is because once a student has signed up for the waitlist they cannot add a permission number later. Their only recourse at that point is to drop themselves from the waitlist and then add themselves again, this time with the proper permission number.

Click here to access a guide for retrieving the permission numbers for your course.

*In order to properly accommodate the undergraduate students for whom these courses are primarily intended, most 3000- and 4000-level Studio courses are limited to the enrollment of 4 graduate students during the week of Advance Registration. At the end of that week, the grad restriction is lifted and any student can sign up for any seats that remain available. 

What do I need to do to manage the course wait list over the interim/before the class starts?

Nothing! Students add themselves to the waitlist and are automatically enrolled in seats that may become available. The only recommendation for faculty during this time period is, if any student emails you with interest about getting a seat in the course, direct them to sign up for the waitlist in PeopleSoft Self-Service. 

Can I let with waitlist continue to fully manage any adding to my course after the semester begins?

Yes! Unless you choose to take over (see next question), the process will continue to run until the end date. Allowing the automated process to work is the recommended practice and saves effort for both the faculty and waiting student.

I want to use student attendance during Add/Drop to help decide who will be enrolled from the waitlist into my course.  What do I do?

At the start of the semester, notify the office of Registration and Records via email or phone to place an “Instructor Consent” hold on your course. This will effectively “pause” the automatic enrollment feature of the waitlist and keep students in order unless they drop themselves entirely. You can then use paper Add/Drop forms to authorize attending students from your wait list be enrolled into any seats that may open. Utilizing the paper form incentivizes student attendance and ensures there is a record of the faculty’s signature when they are “manually” placing a student from their waitlist into an open seat in the course.  

How do I manage enrollment During Add/Drop?

During the first class meeting, take attendance, and determine which of the students on the waitlist are present. Also use your roster to monitor any drop activity/vacant seats in the class. Should a vacant seat open, you can use a paper Add/Drop form to let a student take that seat. The student who receives the seat should be the student present for class with the highest wait list position among those students in attendance.

I want to go over the capacity of my class, can I choose the students that are able to enroll in this additional seat(s)?

It depends. Prior to the start of Add/Drop, if you are interested in enrolling a course over capacity, students at the top of the waitlist must be given first priority. You may add any number of students from the top of your waitlist to your course at any time by sending an email to the Registrar's Office. 

However, if you are managing enrollment into your course (see above) you may consider attendance in conjunction with the order of students on the waitlist to determine who (from the waitlist) should be added either to any open seat or any “new” seat you wish to authorize.

In this Add/Drop period scenario, faculty wanting to exceed cap by adding one or more students NOT at the top of their waitlist should direct the student to obtain a paper Add/Drop form and bring it to class to obtain their signature. During Add/Drop, usage of the paper form encourages student attendance and is additionally necessary for technical reasons. The student should bring their signed form to the Office of Registration and Records (Sullivan Center, Suite 1450). Students with a signed Add/Drop form will be removed from the waitlist and enrolled in the class, regardless of course capacity. Faculty are encouraged to consult with their Department Chair regarding any scenarios where they are exploring enrolling over cap.

PART III: ASSISTING STUDENTS/TROUBLESHOOTING

Where can students find step-by-step instructions with screenshots for registering for classes and signing up for waitlists?

• Registering for classes in general

• Signing up for waitlists specifically

What would prevent a student from being added to the waitlist?

• It's before the enrollment appointment time

• The prerequisites for the class have not been met

• A wait list for the class is not available/not being offered

• The student is already on two wait lists

• There are already fifteen students on the wait list

How can students find out what number a student is on the waitlist?

Students can view their position on the waitlist in Self-Service. In the “Academics” section, they click “My Class Schedule.” After selecting a term, they will be able to see both those courses for which they are enrolled, and their position on any waitlisted courses. Here is a screenshot that visualizes these instructions.

What would prevent a student from being auto-enrolled from a waitlist?

• A spot doesn’t become available (no openings)

• The faculty has placed an Instructor Consent hold after Add/Drop and is managing their waitlist manually (monitoring attendance)

• There is a time conflict with another course and the student has not utilized the “swap” option

• They have already signed up for the maximum number of credits an undergraduate student can enroll in in a given semester 

• The prerequisites for that particular course have not been met

• They already enrolled in another section of the same course. This type of switch (from Section A to Section B) is only possible if the student has set up a “future swap.”  See next question.

What is the difference between “Swap” and Waitlist?

Automatic enrollment cannot take place if the student is registered for a different class at the same time of the course they are on the waitlist for. For students enrolled in 15 credits or more, this will be a frequent occurrence. The student can select an automatic “swap” option if they want the system to make such a change for them when a spot opens up in a class for which they are wait-listed. To allow simultaneous and automatic changes to both the course they are enrolled in (drop it) and the course they are on the waitlist for (add it), students must authorize an automated “future swap”. 

Students without such a schedule conflict can simply enroll to the waitlist of their choosing without authorizing a swap. 

Where should I direct students who have questions about the wait lists that I can’t answer?

Students with specific questions or concerns should contact Academic Advising (312.629.6800, Sullivan Center, Suite 1204) and/or Registration and Records (312.629.6700, Sullivan Center Suite 1450).