Start by listing the classes you need and want to take. Then use the Schedule Builder to see how those choices fit together. You might find that your semester will be more successful if you register for the classes that interest you, rather than classes you select because they meet at times you prefer.

Schedule it for a date falling before your registration date (posted in MyUI on the Advising Page) and do your best to attend the appointment.  You should cancel only in circumstances where it is impossible to attend for illness, serious injury, or other emergency.

Have a list of courses with titles and numbers ready before your appointment. Where possible, make sure that you have lots of backup classes in case your first choices don’t work out. It’s a good idea to have 3-4 back up classes for each elective and gen ed category.

Use MyUI features like your degree audit, sample plans, and the search by general education category function to help you identify courses. Schedule Builder giving you a hard time? See below for in-person and online help options.

If classes you need are full, don’t panic. The first day of Fall classes is four months away, which is plenty of time to problem solve! See the FAQs below for information on next steps when classes you need are full.

On the Advising page in MyUI.

No, don’t wait—go ahead and meet with your advisor! While you can register/join waitlists only after your registration date/time has passed AND you have no registration holds, you will need to be authorized to register anyway. It is one step you can resolve as you wait for your registration time and work on resolving your registration holds.

Check the list of your registration holds on the Advising page in MyUI.  Contact information is provided for each registration hold that you have. Email the contact listed for info on how you can resolve your registration holds.

Yes. Students whose primary advisor is in the Academic Advising Center must meet with their academic advisor for registration authorization.

First, schedule the first available appointment, even if it is after your assigned date and time.

Second, check the scheduler on the Advising page in MyUI to see if your advisor has drop-in times. Arrive as close to the beginning and be prepared to wait. Please arrive as prepared as possible and be ready to wait patiently.

Third, do your best to prepare. If you're not sure what you should take, consult your degree audit, MyPlan, Sample Plans, or the General Catalog.

Here is a helpful video about using the degree audit: https://advisingcenter.uiowa.edu/orientation-regsitration-advising/how-do-i-choose-my-courses

Stay calm. This is common for lots of students, so try not to panic. We have four months before Fall, which leaves time to problem solve.

1. Enroll in everything else that is available
2. Look up the filled class on MyUI.  Are there other sections open that will fit with your schedule?
3. Enroll in a section that would work and join the waitlist for your favorite section.
4. No sections open? Join the waitlist for ALL sections that will work for you. 

Don’t wait. You may have to be flexible in the end, taking a class at a time you don’t prefer. We don’t want you missing out on a class you need to stay on track just because the time isn’t the best. What you can do is: register for a seat in any of the open sections, and then add yourself to the waitlist. 

Peak registration time is super busy for academic advisors. They prioritize appointments over emails, but do their best to get back to you as soon as possible. However, keep in mind that advisors have back-to-back appointments all day, as well as a higher-than-normal volume of email.  Be patient; it may be a day or two before they can respond. Meanwhile, stay calm and remember that your schedule does not need to be finalized until Fall classes start, which is months away.