Registering for Classes
Hours
Monday—Friday
8:30 a.m.—5 p.m.
Mailing Address
P.O. Box 7207
Winston-Salem, NC 27109
It’s (almost) time to register for courses.
Registration for fall classes will take place over the summer. In early July, the Office of the University Registrar will notify you via your WFU Google Mail to let you know when you can check Workday to find your assigned registration day and time. This section will introduce you to the process of registration. This jobaid will help you see curriculum requirements in Workday.
What you need to know
Where to start
Registration will occur over the week of July 8-12. At your designated registration time, you will be permitted to access registration by logging into Workday. You will be allowed to register for up to and including seventeen hours. Registration will remain open until 5 p.m. EDT on July 12.
You will receive a Guided Pre-registration Survey on May 1 that will help you organize your thoughts regarding choices of courses for which you hope to register. You may submit this survey any time between May 1 and May 31, but it must be received no later than 11:59 p.m. EDT on May 31. Once submitted, this survey will help your lower-division advisor learn more about your academic plans. This survey is due May 31.
The following information and step-by-step guide will prepare you for the process of registering for classes.
Troubleshooting (Who do I call?)
No one likes to play phone tag. Here’s who to call in certain situations:
Call the Office of the Registrar if…
- You have not been assigned a registration appointment in Workday
- You have concerns about sending/receipt of AP/IB credits
- You are having technical or access issues with Workday
- You cannot register for a class even though it has open seats and you meet any relevant prerequisite and/or corequisite requirements
Call the Office of Academic Advising if…
- You have questions about your Foreign Language Placement results or you believe you qualify for a Foreign Language Exemption
- You have questions about keeping or forfeiting AP or IB credits awarded
- You are confused by placement test results
- You need guidance because all of your planned courses have filled
Workday
Workday is a source for accessing many Wake Forest online services and resources. You can use Workday to view your midterm and final grades, access your Academic Progress Report (APR), where you see how each of your credits is applied to your degree, view the schedule of classes each term, make a plan of classes to take, register for classes, and view your class schedule.
Common registration add errors
Class Restriction
Definition: Course or section is restricted to students in a particular classification (e.g., first-year, sophomore, junior).
What do I do?: Your classification level must be the same as the course at the time you take it. Restrictions are listed following the course description in the Undergraduate Bulletin.
Corequisite
Definition: Course has a corequisite; you must be registered for both courses simultaneously.
What do I do?: Corequisites are listed in the course description in the Undergraduate Bulletin (as indicated with a “C”). Select both corequisites simultaneously, and register for them at the same time.
Missing Prerequisite and/or Test Score
Definition: Prerequisite or placement test score is missing or insufficient to register for the course.
What do I do?: Prerequisites are listed in the course description in the Undergraduate Bulletin (as indicated with a “P”). Make sure all AP/IB and prior college credits have been received by WFU and are visible on your academic transcript.
Time Conflict
Definition: Course conflicts with another registered class.
What do I do?: Find another class that meets at a different time.
Duplicate Course
Definition: Course is the same as another registered course.
What do I do?: Register for a different course.
Maximum Hours Exceeded
Definition: Maximum hours for that registration round will be exceeded with addition of the class.
What do I do?: Make adjustments to schedule. Cannot exceed the limit established for the registration round.
Instructor Signature
Definition: Permission of instructor (POI) is required to register for class.
What do I do?: Submit a Course Section Prerequisite Override Request. Instructions can be found here.
Closed Section
Definition: Section is at maximum capacity.
What do I do?: Register for another course.
Reserved/Closed
Definition: Reserved seating for entry term is at maximum capacity.
What do I do?: Register for another course.
Registration FAQs
Your registration can be accomplished using any device with internet access. Your access to registration begins at the assigned time and ends July 12 at 5 p.m. EDT, so you can register for classes at any time that is most convenient for you once your registration time opens. If you will be unavailable the entire week of registration, please contact the Office of Academic Advising prior to June 28.
There are many resources available to help you think about course selection. What you decide to prioritize for registration will depend largely on your academic interests. The Guided Preregistration Survey will help you reflect upon those interests and will also guide you through making decisions about courses to fulfill basic, divisional or pre-professional requirements.
A typical first-semester schedule will include one of two required seminars, Writing Seminar (WRI 111) or First-year Seminar (FYS 100), as guided by your Writing Course Decision Tool.
Many students choose to begin working on their foreign language requirement along with other divisional requirements, while others choose to delve right into areas of academic interest or electives.
Your credit hours each semester will be somewhere between 12 and 17 hours; 12 hours is the minimum required to be considered a full-time student. Exceeding 17 hours requires special permission, and is rarely approved for your first semester; 15 credit hours is the average course load per semester to graduate in four years. We typically recommend having 12 to 15 hours for your first semester at Wake Forest. A strong first semester is always better than an overly ambitious plan.
Consult the pre-health professions website.
If there is availability, you may register for ECN 150 or MTH 111 (MTH 112 for Mathematical Business), but these do not need to be completed until the fall of your sophomore year. In order to maximize potential for academic success in pre-requisite courses, we strongly encourage students to take ECN 150 and MTH 111 in separate semesters.
There are no specific requirements. You are encouraged to take courses that challenge you to think critically and creatively, and prepare you to read, write and communicate well.
For more information, refer to college.wfu.edu/prelaw.
No, not for your first fall semester. It is important that you are registered in classes instead of being wait-listed for classes where seats may never become available. In future registration periods, wait-listing will be available to you.
The Writing Course Decision Tool will help you make an informed choice about your first writing course by asking you to reflect on previous reading and writing experiences, as well as your expectations and hopes for your first year at Wake Forest.
The results of your Foreign Language Placement test will determine your placement for your first foreign language course. You must register for the course level indicated on your placement test or determined by your AP/IB score. If you are receiving AP/IB credit for a foreign language and still see this error, the Office of the University Registrar has not received your official AP/IB score.
Please contact the Office of the University Registrar at registrar@wfu.edu or 336.758.5207.
Refer to the engineering department website.
We understand that it can be frustrating not to get your first-choice classes, but please do not get discouraged. It is not uncommon for first-year students to find that some classes are already full. Some closed classes might open up during the add/drop period, and if not, most classes will be offered again in the future. As a new student, you will have many classes to take, and many options, therefore, we encourage you to explore them.
While you will be able to make adjustments to your fall schedule after you meet with your lower division academic advisor once you arrive, generally The Office of Academic Advising will not make changes to your fall schedule. It is your responsibility to ensure that you are registering for courses that align with your academic and/or pre-professional interests and goals. The Guided Preregistration Survey and June Advising are designed to help you understand what is required for your unique path at Wake Forest. You are required to complete the former and are strongly encouraged to actively participate in the latter; failure to do so may result in a fall schedule that does not meet your needs.
The Office of Academic Advising is happy to answer any questions you may have at 336.758.3320 or undergraduateadvising@wfu.edu.
Don’t Forget!
You can register beginning at your assigned time, and you will be permitted to make changes until the end of registration — July 12 at 5 p.m. EDT.
Important Dates
May 31
- Guided Pre-registration Survey due
July
- Notification email from the Office of the University Registrar
July 8-12
- Registration
August 28
- Drop/add begins
Registration FAQs
You probably have some questions. We have answers. Check out our FAQ section for more information.