Students: Waitlist Overview


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Online Course Waitlist-ing

On-line waitlisting is a new registration feature that allows students to wait for seats to open in a full section of a class. It does not guarantee students' seats, but it does let the students hold a spot in line should a seat open up. By joining a waitlist, students will be reserving their place in line. Students will use the myLSU Portal (my.lsu.edu) to join waitlists, and we will automatically move students off the lists and into courses as spaces become available. It is important to note that the waitlist function is only available on sections of courses that are full. In order to be presented with the option to join a list, students must first attempt to add the desired course to their schedule. In addition, students will no longer need to constantly check section availability to determine if they can add a desired course.

On-line waitlist-ing will eliminate the need for faculty and department administrators to maintain manual waitlists, constantly monitor them and notify students when spaces become available. The on-line waitlist-ing registration feature will automatically handle these time-consuming tasks.


Join a Waitlist for a Course

1. Log into the myLSU Portal.  (my.lsu.edu)

2. Click Registration Services | Schedule Request | View Schedule Request.

3. Enter the course information and click Add Course.

4. Select the W to be added to the Waitlist.

(View step-by-step instructions.)
 

FAQs

How does waitlist-ing work?

Each waitlist contains 100 slots which can be filled by students attempting to add the full section. When a student enrolled in the section drops the course, is purged, or otherwise changes their schedule, the student in the number one slot on the waitlist will be added into the section. This is done through an automatic batch job that is run throughout the day. Check the Registration Calendar for each semester/term for deadlines regarding joining lists and being moved off of lists and into classes.

What can students do with waitlists?

Students can join a waitlist for any course they have not scheduled. They may only join one waitlist per course and have a maximum of three waitlists active per semester or term. In addition, students can also request for the system to automatically drop a class if adding a waitlist-ed course would cause a time conflict in the student’s schedule.

Can students view waitlists?

Students are unable to see entire waitlists, but they may check their placement on a list by accessing the Schedule Request link in the myLSU Portal (my.lsu.edu). Also, it is now possible for students to view the number of students on a waitlist before they join the list.

Will Residential College courses be waitlist-ed?

Residential College courses will not be waitlist-ed because staff manually schedule Residential College courses for Residential College students.

Do waitlist-ed courses count towards a student’s credit hour max?

No, waitlist-ed courses are not used to determine if students have reached their credit hour maxes. In addition, waitlist-ed courses are not used to assess fees.

What happens to waitlist-ed students if their courses are purged?

If a student has their courses purged for non-payment or for being scholastically dropped, they will be automatically deleted from any waitlist they were on.

When are waitlists available?

Waitlists are available to students throughout the registration process. When a section is full, a waitlist is automatically created and may be joined by students.

What sections of courses will be waitlist-ed?

Waitlists will be utilized for courses numbered below 6000. In addition, courses numbered 6000 and above can now be waitlist-ed at the department's discretion. Waitlists will not be accessible until a section’s enrollment maximum is met. All lecture/lab courses and courses that meet at different class periods are eligible to be waitlist-ed. In addition to these courses, all held, linked, and permission of department sections cannot be waitlist-ed. Variable credit courses and those that can be repeated for credit are also unable to be waitlist-ed.

How can students join a waitlist?

Students can join a waitlist via the Schedule Request Link in the myLSU Portal (my.lsu.edu). In order to be presented with the option to join a waitlist, students must first attempt to add the desired course to their schedule. When joining a waitlist that conflicts with a previously scheduled class, students will have the option to have the conflicting class automatically dropped to make room for the waitlisted class by selecting the "WD" option.

How will students know if they are added to a class?

Students will automatically receive an e-mail message notifying them that they have been moved off a waitlist and into a class. Therefore, students need to check their e-mail regularly.

What will happen if a student is first on a waitlist, but the student has scheduled the maximum hours permitted?

The waitlist program will skip the student until the student drops a scheduled course. Selecting the "WD" option will not result in the system dropping a non-time-conflicting course to make room for the waitlist-ed course.

If a student joins a waitlist, are they guaranteed a seat?

No, joining a waitlist does not guarantee a seat. If a seat in the class never opens up, they will not be moved off the waitlist and into the section. Students must check their positions on waitlists regularly. If they are not moving up on a waitlist, they need to find alternative courses to schedule. It is up to the student to decide when they can no longer wait for a class and have to schedule an alternative course instead.

How does a student leave a waitlist?

Students can remove themselves from a waitlist by visiting the Schedule Request Link in the myLSU Portal (my.lsu.edu). All courses they have waitlist-ed will appear at the bottom of the page, and they will have the option to remove themselves from any waitlist.

 

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11/3/2023 1:10:33 PM