Chairs/Directors and AA's
Chairs/Directors and AA's
Embedded Files
Overview
Overview
Course Match is the preregistration system students will use to preregister for courses. Instead of enrolling them in classes one at a time, students select the courses they want to take and rank them based on their priorities.
After preregistration closes, the system builds the best possible schedule for each student based on their rankings and course availability.
How Course Match works
How Course Match works
Releasing Holds
Advisors release their students' advising hold (both advisors release holds for double majors) to view courses and begin preregistration.
Students rank their courses
Students select the courses they want to take and rank them based on their academic interests and priorities. Course Match reads rank as strength of preference, so this should reflect how much they want/need to take the course, in relation to the other courses.
Departments set enrollment rules
Departments establish rules and preferences set in the Course Planning Interface (CPI) or through the Major and Correlate Preference Form. Prerequisites, special permissions, class-year limits, and seat limits are respected when schedules are created. Major and correlate preferences give students with those majors and/or correlates a boost to improve their chances of enrollment.
Students have a scheduling budget
Each student is given a budget that gets them into courses. Freshmen receive a base-budget; sophomores receive approximately 10% greater budget; juniors receive approximately 25% greater budget; Seniors receive the highest budget, approximately 50% greater (these budget percentages are subject to change). Students with more seniority are not guaranteed placement, but they have a better chance of getting a schedule with one or more of their top ranked courses .
Courses have different levels of demand
Once all rankings are submitted and preregistration closes, the computation ends. Course Match looks at how many students want each course compared to how many seats are available. Courses with higher demand effectively "cost" more, while courses with available seats cost little or nothing.
Course Match assigns schedules
It evaluates all possible conflict-free schedules for each student, beyond the 8 sample schedules students see in Course Match. assigns the best schedule that fits their priorities and stays within their budget. Instead of filling courses one at a time, Course Match looks at every possible conflict-free schedule for each student. The system orders these schedules based on how well they match the student’s rankings and then assigns the best schedule that fit within their budget.
Why Course Match?
Why Course Match?
Course Match is designed to build conflict-free schedules for students that rely less on timing and access advantages. Instead of traditional first-come first-serve that can give students with earlier or faster access, all students submit their preferences together before receiving their schedules. Course Match then looks at student preferences, their budgets, and course demand to figure out the best possible schedule each student could get with these constraints.
Latest Updates in Course Match
Latest Updates in Course Match
Special Permission in the Jotform
Special Permission in the Jotform
The Special Permission/Prerequisite Override Jotform is has returned to offering 2 options for Special Permission: Instructors may approve or deny the student's request. Enrollment is not guaranteed, and students should rank the course how they want it in relation to their other course selections. Students can still delete approved Special Permission and Prerequisite Override courses from their selections in Course Match, which may affect their final schedule. If Special Permission is granted to more students than there are seats available, Course Match will honor the seat limit and not all students will get enrolled.
Please note: We will continue offering the Special Permission Departmental Lists.
Please note: The prerequisite approval process has not changed. You may approve or deny the request.
Default credit load
Default credit load
The credit load that Course Match tries to place students has a default set to 4.0 units, instead of 3.5 units. Students can still adjust this setting, lowering it to 3.5 units or increasing it up to 4.9 units. If a student does not change their preference, Course Match will not enroll them in more than 4.0 units.
Viewing ineligible courses
Viewing ineligible courses
Courses that students are not eligible to take are now visible in Course Match, but grayed-out (e.g., Special Permission courses, courses with prerequisites, or courses not available to a specific class year)
Course tags
Course tags
In Course Match, abbreviated course tags at the end of some course titles help students quickly see whether a course requires special permission, has a prerequisite, or is reserved for a specific class year. Here are what the tags mean, and what they’ll look like:
PQ = Prerequisite Required (AFRS-255-51PQ)
SP = Special Permission Required (ART-399-51SP)
FR = Course Reserved for First-Year Students (DRAM-103-51FR)
SO = Course Reserved for Sophomore Students (DRAM-103-51SO)
JR = Course Reserved for Junior Students (DRAM-103-51JR)
SR = Course Reserved for Senior Students (DRAM-103-51SR)
Courses may include multiple tags if it has a class-year limit and Special Permission and/or a Prerequisite Override:
EDUC-361-51JRPQ: Prerequisite Required, and reserved for Junior Students
ASIA-194-51FRSP: Special Permission Required, and reserved for First-Year Students
Year-Long courses
Year-Long courses
The second half of all year-long courses will require special permission to ensure proper registration.
Maximum course selection
Maximum course selection
We are asking students to select no more than 25 courses in Course Match. Staying within this limit helps the computation run smoothly and ensures preregistration results can be processed and released on time.
If a student selects more than 25 courses, we may find we need to drop them from their lowest ranked course to help computation speed.
Managing Enrollment
Managing Enrollment
Additional mechanisms help your department or program to manage enrollment beyond rankings and class-year priority both prior to and during preregistration.
Additional mechanisms help your department or program to manage enrollment beyond rankings and class-year priority both prior to and during preregistration.
Prior to preregistration:
Prior to preregistration:
The Course Planning Interface (CPI) is used to set class-year restrictions (e.g., Seniors only) to help manage enrollment and ensure students can take the courses they need, such as senior seminars.
For assistance, contact: Ashley Deichler | adeichler@vassar.edu.
The Major and Correlate Sequence Preference Form can offer certain declared majors and correlates a boost in getting enrolled in courses. While placement heavily depends on how a student has ranked that course, this preference will increase the likelihood of getting enrolled over non-majors with similar rankings.
Submit the course information (department code, course code, and section(s). Then click on the majors and correlate sequences that will receive a higher chance of getting in.
You can choose to give preference to:
Majors only
Majors and correlates only
Correlates only
Layering restrictions between the CPI and the Major and Correlate Preference Form helps manage enrollment prior to preregistration to also help reduce the need for Special Permissions.
Example: To reduce Special Permissions Jotform requests, you could restrict a Senior Seminar as “seniors-only” through the CPI, then add a major preference so that seniors in your department or program have a very high likelihood of getting enrolled. This would not prevent other senior majors from getting enrolled, but it would prioritize the major selected in the form.
During preregistration:
During preregistration:
Special Permission/Prerequisite Override Jotform
Special Permission/Prerequisite Override Jotform
Through this form, students initiate requests for instructor approval to be considered for enrollment in a course with Special Permission or with prerequisites that they do not satisfy. For Special Permissions requests, we have returned to using 2 Special Permission options. Faculty are now able to:
Approve Special Permission Request
When a student receives approval for a Special Permission course, the Registrar’s Office will add the course to their selections in Course Match. The student still must rank the course, and they should rank it how they want it in relation to the other courses they ranked. Approval does not guarantee enrollment.
If Special Permission is granted to more students than there are seats available, Course Match will honor the seat limit and not all students will get enrolled.
2. Deny Special Permission Request
The instructor does not want to give the student any special permission to enroll in that course.
For Prerequisite Override requests, instructors may choose to Approve or Deny a student’s request. Students must then select and rank the course.
A few more things to know about Prerequisites during the Course Match implementation:
Prerequisites are a great way to avoid requiring all students to get special permission. If you can define Vassar courses as prerequisites, then the only approvals you’ll need to evaluate are for students that did not already meet the prerequisites.
Approving an override makes the student eligible for placement. It does not guarantee enrollment.
Special Permission - Departmental Lists Google Sheet
This Google sheet is an alternative to the Special Permission Jotform. Although it’s preferable for students to use the Jotform, you may submit student names for enrollment in courses that require special permission. Use the sheet on your department's tab to submit the following information:
Students’ first and last names
Students’ 999###
Course information
You may add any notes you want to convey to the Registrar's Office regarding the course (e.g., "Please raise cap of course to accommodate list").
Administrative, Chair, and Director Roles and Responsibilities
Administrative, Chair, and Director Roles and Responsibilities
The role of Administrative Assistants, Chairs, and Directors vary across departments and programs, so the following list of tasks may be allocated differently across your team:
Submit course information for Spring 2026 (seat caps, class-year restrictions, etc.) into the Course Planning Interface by March 24.
Submit the Major & Correlate Preference Google Form for Spring 2026 by March 24.
If a course is cross-listed, coordinate across departments/programs to make sure the same preferences are submitted across all listings of a cross-listed course.
If an advisor is on leave but needs to release a student from an advising hold to preregister, either the Chair, Director, or a designee may do so in Ask Banner.
Enter information to Special Permission List Google Sheet by April 22 at 5:00 p.m.
How Students Use Course Match
How Students Use Course Match
Setting the Maximum Course Load
Students start by setting the maximum number of units they want to take this semester, and Course Match will not enroll them in more than that number. If they don’t change this number, it defaults to 4.0 units. Students will then select and rank at least double that amount in course units/credits, up to 25 courses.
Viewing Courses
All courses are now visible in Course Match, but any courses students are not eligible to take will be grayed out. This includes courses that require special permission, courses that have prerequisites students have not met, and courses not available to their class year.
Ranking Courses
Students rank their courses by dragging and dropping them into four categories: Favorite, Great, Good, Acceptable. Moving a course from one category to another signals a large preference shift. Shifting course order within a category signals small preference differences.
Reviewing Schedules
The system shows each student 8 best possible conflict-free schedules based on the student’s rankings. Students are not guaranteed to get one of the 8 schedules. Instead, the schedules are meant to help students understand how their top rankings might combine into a full schedule.
Because Course Match has not yet run the full computation of all student rankings together, the schedules shown at this stage reflect only how the individual student has ranked their courses. If students do not like the potential schedules they see, they can return to adjust their rankings to improve their options.
When students are happy with their rankings and 8 non-guaranteed schedules, they click CONFIRM. They can continue to make adjustments as often as desired until preregistration ends. They are not required to recontact you to add and remove courses, or to adjust their rankings.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Course Match functionality
How does Course Match process cross-listed courses?
How does Course Match process cross-listed courses?
For cross-listed courses, seats are divided between departments, and will hold true to those limits. Students are advised to add all cross-listed sections and rank them closely in their selections to increase the likelihood of registration. Course Match has conflicts embedded to not allow students to be registered for more than 1 of the cross-listed courses.
How does class-year priority work in Course Match?
How does class-year priority work in Course Match?
Ranking is more powerful than class year priority, but class year priority is still in place. Students with more seniority are not guaranteed placement, but they have a better chance of getting a schedule with one or more of their top ranked courses.
This is because each student receives a "budget" that helps get them into courses depending on their class year. Freshmen receive a base-budget; sophomores receive approximately 10% greater budget; juniors receive approximately 25% greater budget; Seniors receive the highest budget, approximately 50% greater (these budget percentages are subject to change).
However, rankings still matter most. If a senior ranks a course low, that signals to Course Match that the course is not a high priority for them. If a first-year student ranks a course very highly, Course Match will prioritize trying to place them in that course — even though they have a smaller budget.
Managing Enrollment
How do we ensure that only seniors, or seniors in a major, can enroll in a course (e.g., senior seminar)?
How do we ensure that only seniors, or seniors in a major, can enroll in a course (e.g., senior seminar)?
Senior requirements are still managed through the Course Planning Interface (CPI) and direct communication with the Registrar’s Office:
Use CPI: Departments and programs should enter “seniors only” restrictions in the Class Limits Text box of the CPI. This ensures the Registrar’s Office knows which courses are senior-specific.
Submit Lists: Departments and programs may also provide lists of seniors who require the course to graduate directly to the Registrar’s Office. The Registrar can then mark the course as “required.” Submit lists through the Special Permissions List Google Form
You may consider submitting a Major Correlate Preference Form along with the CPI to greatly increase the likelihood that seniors in a major are enrolled in a course. Please note that submitting this Major Correlate Preference Form does not guarantee enrollment, and students rankings still play an important role in the courses they are placed in. Additionally, other majors still have a chance of getting placed in that course.
What is the Major & Correlate Preference Form?
What is the Major & Correlate Preference Form?
It is a supplemental form used in addition to the CPI that lets departments and programs indicate enrollment preference for declared majors and correlates in a specific course. You may give preference to majors only, majors and correlates only, or correlates only.
Submitting major/correlate preferences increases the likelihood that students with a declared major or correlate are placed into courses most critical to their program of study. It can also reduce or even eliminate the need for Special Permission, meaning fewer Jotform requests for instructors.
This form does not guarantee majors/correlates a seat. Rather, major and correlate preferences give students a boost, but placement still heavily depends on how a student has ranked that course. Non-major and non-correlate students may still be placed in the course, but they will have a lower likelihood of getting enrolled compared to a majoring or correlate student with similar rankings.
Example: Your department or program offers a Senior Seminar, so you might set a class-year limit (in CPI) for seniors only and also submit the preference form to indicate that certain majors receive preference. Non-seniors would not be able to enroll, and majors would have the strongest likelihood of placement. This will not prevent a senior, non-major from enrolling; it just gives an advantage to senior majors.
How are prerequisites enforced?
How are prerequisites enforced?
A few weeks before preregistration begins, watch for an email about the Prerequisite Review process. After prerequisites are verified, it will be entered into Banner and pulled into Course Match.
A student who has met the prerequisite for a course can immediately select and rank it without needing any further approvals.
A student who has not met a prerequisite can see the course in Course Match, but it will be grayed out. If they want to take the course, they must submit a Special Permission Prerequisite Override Jotform.
The instructor will either approve or deny this request.
An approved form allows the student to view and rank the course in Course Match
Note: Approval does not guarantee enrollment.
Can the system be set up to prevent students from being enrolled in more than two Biology lab courses?
Can the system be set up to prevent students from being enrolled in more than two Biology lab courses?
Yes, the Registrar would just need to know which courses and we can set a limit for no more than 2 of those classes.
How is the online Schedule of Classes put together each term?
How is the online Schedule of Classes put together each term?
Courses are loaded from the Faculty Staffing Plan into Banner.
Courses are moved from Banner into the Course Planning Interface (CPI).
The CPI is open for edits
Before it closes, 3 different proofs are sent to verify the information
The CPI closes and information is moved into Banner
One final Schedule of Classes proof is sent as the last check before the Schedule of Classes is live.
What forms should I know about and how do they work?
What forms should I know about and how do they work?
Major and Correlate Preference Form - Due March 24
This Google Form will allow departments and programs to indicate enrollment preference for declared majors and correlates.
In addition to the regular course detail collection process (CPI), you may complete this supplemental form to identify courses where preferences should apply. Course Match will then give those students a stronger chance of placement compared to others.
Special Permission/Prerequisite Override Jotform - Faculty approves/denies by April 24
A student interested in taking a course that is Special Permission or a course with prerequisites that they do not fulfill may submit this form to be considered for enrollment in the course.
This Jotform will indicate if a course requires Special Permission, and whether it is Special Permission for a Required Course or Special Permission for a Non-Required Course.
Special Permission - Departmental Lists Google Sheet - Due April 22nd at 5:00 p.m.
This Google sheet is an alternative to the Special Permission Jotform. Although it’s preferable for students to use the Jotform, you may submit student names for enrollment in courses that require special permission. Use the sheet on your department's tab to submit the following information:
Students’ first and last names
Students’ 999###
Course information
You may add any notes you want to convey to the Registrar's Office regarding the course (e.g., "Please raise cap of course to accommodate list").
What if the course I’m filling out in the Major & Correlate Preference Form is cross-listed?
What if the course I’m filling out in the Major & Correlate Preference Form is cross-listed?
A separate form must be submitted for each course code. Please coordinate across departments/programs to ensure the same preferences are submitted across listings.
Example: INTL-238-01 cross-listed with ASIA/ENST/GEOG requires forms for INTL-238-01, ASIA-238-01, ENST-238-01, and GEOG-238-01.
Scenario: Imagine you work in the Music department, and give preference to Music majors for a course that cross-lists with MUSI and DRAM. If Drama is not added as a major preference in the form, or the form is only submitted for the MUSI section for music majors only, a student majoring in Drama is less likely to get enrolled in the course than another student majoring in music. By submitting both the MUSI section and the DRAM section of the cross-listed course, and by giving preference to Music and Drama majors consistently in each form, you are giving both students equal preference based on their major to get enrolled in either section.
What is the Special Permission & Prerequisite Override Jotform?
What is the Special Permission & Prerequisite Override Jotform?
Students submit this form when a course requires instructor approval (Special Permission) or when they need a prerequisite override to attempt registration.
If students express interest in these course types, they should fill out the Special Permission and Prerequisite Override Jotform as soon as possible, as the deadline to submit the form falls on April 22nd, 5:00 p.m.
Changes in the Jotform:
We have returned to using 1 Special Permission approval option. Instructors may either approve or deny the request.
The Prerequisite Override process has not changed. Instructors may either approve or deny the request.
Special Note:
Students can still delete approved Special Permission and Prerequisite Override courses from their selections in Course Match, which may affect their final schedule.
If Special Permission is granted to more students than there are seats available, Course Match will honor the seat limit and not all students will get enrolled.
Prerequisite overrides only make a student eligible for placement; they do not guarantee enrollment.
How does a student know if a course requires Special Permission or a Prerequisite Override?
In Course Match, Special Permission courses and courses with Prerequisites are now visible, but grayed-out until they receive approval, either through their name being on a department/program list or through the Special Permission JotForm.
To help students quickly determine if they need to submit a Special Permission Prerequisite Override Jotform, the course will have a tag at the end of the course code in Course Match. If the course requires Special Permission, it will have the tag “SP” at the end of the course code. If the course requires a Prerequisite Override, it will have the tag “PQ” at the end of the course code.
Students may also refer to the Schedule of Classes that also indicates whether a course needs Special Permission or a Prerequisite Override.
Triaging Student Questions
A student has expressed concern about being registered for ZZZ-999-99? What is this course?
A student has expressed concern about being registered for ZZZ-999-99? What is this course?
ZZZ-999-99 is a placeholder course that will be added to a student’s course selections if they have received permission for a course, but they have not yet listed the course in their course selections. To ensure the permission-only course appears in Course Match, we have to add that placeholder course for them. Once they have entered their actual course selections, it is important that they delete the placeholder course from their list.
What do I say if a course doesn’t appear in Course Match?
What do I say if a course doesn’t appear in Course Match?
If a student cannot see any courses, their advisor likely did not release their advising hold. The student should contact their advisor first. If the student is a double major, they must have their advising hold released by both advisors.
If the student can view other courses, the course they are looking for most likely requires Special Permission or a Prerequisite Override. This is because students cannot see courses they are listed as not eligible to take. If this is the case, the student will need to submit a Special Permission Prerequisite Override Jotform. Students are encouraged to have the Schedule of Classes open alongside Course Match, so they can view the courses for which they may want to submit a Special Permission or Prerequisite Override form.
I was asked to release a student from an advisor hold. What is this and how do I do it?
I was asked to release a student from an advisor hold. What is this and how do I do it?
Advisor holds have replaced PINs that unlock a student’s access to preregistration. If advisors are on leave, the Chair, Director, or a designee may release a student's advisor hold so they can begin preregistration.
This two-step process takes place in Ask Banner, where the advisor clicks "Release_Holds", locates the student by their first and last name + 999###, and clicks Release Hold next to the student they wish to give access to Course Match preregistration.
Once released, the student can immediately enter Course Match and begin the preregistration process.
Page updated
Report abuse