Course Overrides (Registration Restrictions)

If you are the Primary Instructor (Instructor 1) for a course, you can eliminate the use of a Special Registration Forms (Undergraduate or Graduate) and enter your approval for a course registration restriction override directly onto a student's record within ESTHER. To do so, you must have the Rice Student ID Number of the student for whom you will be applying the course registration restriction override.

By using this Registration Overrides feature in ESTHER, you will not need to sign or complete a paper Special Registration Form. And with your approval, and override to registration restriction, the student will be able to register for your course in ESTHER, as they would normally.

Just as with any paper Special Registration Form, you are not required to grant a student's request for a registration restriction override simply because a student is asking for one.

Accessing Registration Overrides

As part of this feature, you will be able to review the current schedule for the student seeking permission to register for the course. That information may be helpful in determining if the registration restriction override should be granted.

  1. Login to ESTHER.
  2. Go to Faculty Services > Registration Overrides.
  3. Select the term for which the student will be registering. (Be careful to select the correct semester, unless your course is in a quadmester, MBA@Rice program-only.)
  4. Enter the Student ID. Please keep in mind that the Student ID is case sensitive in ESTHER. The Student ID starts with an upper-case letter "S" followed by eight numeric characters (S12345678). (You will not be able to select the student by name unless the student is already registered for another course you are teaching.)
  5. Verify that the correct student name displays and click Submit.
  6. Select the appropriate override (see below) from the drop-down list in the first column.
  7. Select the appropriate CRN/Section from the drop-down list in the second column.
  8. After you submit your selections you will be prompted to verify and submit for final processing.
  9. If you need to submit overrides for another student, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the ID Selection link, this will return you to the page to enter the information for the next student.

After the registration restriction override is submitted, the student will receive an automated email letting the student know that the override has been added to the student's account for that specific course. The student can then log into ESTHER and add the course (during the open registration period).

List of Overrides (of Registration Restriction)

You can enter the following course registration restriction overrides to allow students the ability to add your course to their schedule:

  • Override Classification Restriction – use when a course is restricted to a specific classification of student such as freshman, sophomore, junior or senior.
  • Override Cohort Restriction – used in summer only to allow early matric students to register for courses outside of the approved list for incoming students.
  • Override Co-Requisite – use when a student is being allowed into a course without being registered for the required co-requisite course.
  • Override Degree Restriction – use when a course is restricted to students in a specific degree program.
  • Override Department Restriction – use when a student is being allowed into a course restricted to majors within a specific department.
  • Override Duplicate Course – use when a student is being allowed to register for the same course more than once in a semester.
  • Override Level Restriction – use when an undergraduate student is being allowed to register for a course restricted to graduate students, and vice versa.
  • Override Major Restriction – use when a course is restricted to students in specific majors – the error message received by the student is Field of Study restriction.
  • Override Mutually Exclusive – use when a student is being allowed to register for a course which the department has blocked because the student has a similar course in academic history and the department does not want a student to receive credit for both. NOTE: When granting this Override, the student will ultimately receive credit for both courses.
  • Override Prerequisite – use when a student does not have the required prerequisite course in academic history.
  • Override Program Restriction – use when a student is being allowed into a course restricted by a specific program. (Used by the Jones School Only)
  • Override Residential College – use when a student is being allowed to register for a course that is restricted to a residential college to which they are not a member. (Used only for CTIS and CDOD courses.)
  • Override School Restriction Restriction – use when a student is being allowed into a course restricted to majors within a specific school – the error message received by the student is College restriction.
  • Override Seat Limit – use when a course has reached maximum enrollment and/or instructor/department permission is required. WARNING: Do not enter an override for a Seat Limit (Closed Course) if the section currently has an active ESTHER waitlist.
  • Override Student Attribute - use when a course is restricted to a specific student attribute.

Time Conflict Overrides

Students who would like to enroll in two (or more) classes that have conflicting times must receive permission from the instructors of both courses. The approval must be made via a Special Registration Forms (Undergraduate or Graduate) and include the signatures of both instructors. Time conflict overrides are not permitted to be entered online.