Fall 2024 O-Week Registration for Undergraduate Students

Important Note Regarding Registration Holds: Please do not wait until the last minute to resolve holds on your account this week. Some holds are not immediately released, and can take approximately two days to be removed from your account. Holds on your account will prevent you from entering courses as Course Requests to your desired schedule during the Course Request Period. For more information, view the Holds page or email registrar@rice.edu.

How to Register

During O-Week, new Rice undergraduate students will first use ESTHER to add and submit Course Requests as a desired slate of classes for the Fall 2024 semester during the Course Request Period.

Registration is a two-part process: 1) Submitting your desired Course Request selections via ESTHER and then 2) Performing "Adds" and "Drops" via ESTHER.

Basic Steps:

  1. Login to ESTHER
  2. Click on Student Services & Account Information > New Student Registration
  3. For security purposes, you may be asked to log in again. If so, enter your ESTHER credentials again.
  4. Add courses to your list of requested courses

When to Register and the Add/Drop Period

The Course Request Period will be open beginning on Monday (8/19) of O-Week and will remain open and available through 12:00 PM Thursday afternoon (8/22).

After the 12:00 PM Thursday deadline, all Course Requests will be locked. Late Thursday, ESTHER will systematically make course selections and populate student schedules via an automated and randomized process. This process ensures the most equitable access to courses during registration. More details on this Course Request Period registration process can be found here.

Initial posted schedules will be made available on Thursday (8/22) at 5:00 PM. The Add/Drop Period for new first time students will open at 7:30 PM and new first-time students can begin adding or dropping classes, or adding themselves to ESTHER waitlists, at that time. The Add/Drop Period for continuing undergraduate students will open on Friday (8/23) at 8:00 AM in ESTHER.

Registration Timeline for New Students

  • Monday, August 19, 2024
    • 8:00 a.m. - Registration Course Request Period opens for New Undergraduate Students
  • Thursday, August 22, 2024
    • Noon - Registration Course Request Period ends for New Undergraduate Students
    • 5:00 p.m. - Registration opens for New Undergraduate Professional and Graduate Students
    • 7:30 p.m. - Add/Drop Period Opens for New Undergraduate Students
  • Friday, August 23, 2024
    • 8:00 a.m. - Add/Drop Period Re-Opens for Continuing Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional, and Graduate Students

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step-by-step screen shots on the ESTHER Course Registration Request Process can be found here.

FWIS Course Registration (First Year Writing Intensive Seminars)

For information on how to register for FWIS courses, click here.

CTIS Workshop Registration (Critical Thinking in Sexuality)

For information on how to register for CTIS seminar, click here.

CDOD Workshop Registration (Critical Dialogues on Diversity)

For information on how to register for CDOD workshop, click here.