Frequently Asked Questions
Course Selection and Planning
What classes do I choose?
First-year students should refer to the first semester course advice and discuss their course selections with their Academic & Career Advisor (ACA) in the Center of Academic and Career Success (CACS). Sophomores, juniors and seniors can reach out to their major advisors and/or undergraduate program advisors.
When can I enroll? When is my enrollment period?
Each class at Catholic University (freshman, sophomore, junior and senior) has a distinct enrollment period. Once your enrollment period starts, you can officially register for the classes you have placed in your shopping cart. For new first-year students, your enrollment period starts on June 15th.
Enrollment Services posts the registration dates on their website, BUT students should check their Cardinal Students account to view and verify their enrollment period start date.
Do I need to register for language or math courses?
This depends on your major and school. Review the first semester course advice or check in with your ACA. You can also look at our foreign languages placement page and our math placement page to help you determine whether your major/program requires a foreign language or a specific math course.
NOTE: If your major requires pre-calculus or calculus, consider Catholic University's Online Precalculus Review Courses during the summer. Our Math Department strongly recommends them for getting a solid review of precalculus skills to boost your success in future courses requiring math proficiency.
Cardinal Station
What is the shopping cart?
Similar to websites where you can put items in a “shopping cart” before purchasing them, in Cardinal Station you can place the courses you want in your shopping cart before enrolling in them. Adding courses in your shopping cart does NOT mean you are enrolled in them. You will be able to officially enroll in them when your enrollment period opens. NOTE: certain holds on your account can block you from enrolling until you have them removed.
Find Cardinal Student tutorials on the Enrollment Services website.
What are holds?
Different offices and departments place holds on your account for various reasons. For instance, Health Services may place a hold on your account if your immunization record is not up-to-date, or your major/program advisor may place a hold on your account to require a meeting to talk about classes before you enroll. You can check what holds, if any, are on your account in Cardinal Station. You can click on it to find out who to reach out to so the hold is removed.
What is a discussion section?
Instead of meeting in a regular lecture section, some classes will break into smaller group discussions once a week. When you select a class that includes a discussion section, Cardinal Station will often ask you to select the discussion selection after you enroll in the lecture portion of the class. Otherwise, you will receive an error message that will stop you from enrolling in the lecture course.
What is a lab section?
Some classes include a lab section. Some lab sections are linked to the lecture course, in which case Cardinal Station will ask you to select the lab of your choice after picking the lecture section. Other lab sections have a different course number than the lecture section, even though they are required components of the lecture. In such cases, you will need to register for the lab separately as if it were another course. Otherwise, you will receive an error message that will stop you from enrolling in the lecture course.
What is a prerequisite or enrollment requirement?
Some courses require students to meet certain requirements before being able to enroll (e.g. a specific placement test score, completion of a certain course, meeting a GPA requirement , etc.). When you are searching for courses with the "Class Search" feature in Cardinal Station, you can find all enrollment requirements noted in the "Class Details" under "Enrollment Information". Contact your Center for Academic and Career Success (CACS) advisor if you have questions about any enrollment requirements.
Why do some courses require permission to enroll? How do I get permission?
Some departments require students to get either department or instructor permission to be able to enroll in the course. There are a number of reasons why permissions are required, such as, ensuring all the students in their major can get into the course or ensure students with the proper prerequisites enroll. When you are searching for courses with the "Class Search" feature in Cardinal Station, permissions will be noted in the "Class Details" under "Enrollment Information". Contact your CACS advisor if you are unsure if your selected course needs permission to enroll and/or you need help identifying who to contact.
When requesting permission, email the appropriate person/department with your first and last name, student ID number, and the course and exact section number you are requesting permission to enroll in. For example, "My name is Red Cardinal (1234567). I would like to request permission to enroll in SPAN 101-04. Thank you."
Should I use the wait list?
If a class is full, you can click the “wait list if full” option when you are placing classes in your shopping cart for enrollment. You will be automatically enrolled in the course if seats open up; HOWEVER, this will only happen if you have not exceeded your credit limits. For example, a normal course load for Arts and Sciences students is 5 courses. In order for the wait list function to automatically enroll you in a course, you can be registered for no more than 4 courses. In general, it is a good idea to discuss the wait list option with your CACS advisor.