FWIS Course Registration

When to Take the FWIS Course

All new undergraduate matriculants are required to register for a First-Year Writing-Intensive Seminar (FWIS) course and complete the course successfully. Incoming first-year students and new transfer students are divided into two groups and advised as to whether they are:

  • Group I-Fall: must take an FWIS course in the Fall semester of the matriculation year
  • Group II-Spring: must take an FWIS course in the Spring semester of the matriculation year

Please Note: Students who receive a Not Satisfactory (NS) on the composition exam, must take the FWIS 100 fundamentals course in the Fall and are also in Group II-Spring for their required FWIS course prior to taking a FWIS course that meets the FWIS requirement.

How to Register for the FWIS Course

During Fall registration, all Group I-Fall students should register for an FWIS course. During Spring registration, all Group II-Spring students should register for an FWIS course.

  • As with all other course selections, students should add their first choice of a FWIS course when entering their registration requests by the closing date of the Course Request Period. Alternate FWIS courses should be entered into the Plan Ahead feature so the CRNs are readily available when Drop/Add opens. The closing date for Fall new matriculant registration can be found on the Fall O-Week Registration page, and the closing date for Spring registration can be found on the appropriate Academic Calendar.
  • When the results of the Course Requests are published, all students will be able to see their registration results.
  • For Fall registration, Group I-Fall students adjustments may be made to FWIS registrations through 11:59 on the Sunday prior to the first day of class. Beginning with the first day of class, Group I-Fall students who have not registered for an FWIS course may be administratively placed into an FWIS course that fits into their schedule. After all Group I-Fall students have been registered for an FWIS course, FWIS drops and adds can still be done (dependent upon space availability) via a Special Registration Form in person at the Office of the Registrar. An “add/drop” combination will not require the instructor’s signature, however, the OTR will not process an “add” when it will introduce a course conflict, double-booking or enrollment above the max FWIS course cap of 15 students. No FWIS "drop" will be processed without an appropriate, and space available, FWIS "add."
  • For Spring registration, Group II-Spring students may Add/Drop Spring FWIS courses (dependent upon space availability) online via ESTHER beginning at the opening of Add/Drop through 11:59pm the day before Late Registration begins. (See the Academic Calendar for this date.) After the 11:59PM deadline prior to Late Registration, online ESTHER adds and drops (for FWIS courses only) will be closed. The following week, Group II-Spring students who have not registered for an FWIS course may be administratively placed into an FWIS course that fits into their schedule. After all Group II-Spring students have been registered for an FWIS course, FWIS drops and adds can still be done (dependent upon space availability) via a Special Registration Form in person at the Office of the Registrar. An “add/drop” combination will not require the instructor’s signature, however, the OTR will not process an “add” when it will introduce a course conflict, double-booking or enrollment above the max FWIS course cap of 15 students. No FWIS "drop" will be processed without an appropriate, and space available, FWIS "add."
  • After the Week 2 ADD deadline for both the Fall and Spring semesters, no drops of FWIS courses will be permitted. In extraordinary circumstances, students may submit a petition to the Committee on Examinations and Standing who may approve a drop on an exception basis. The OTR will process these exceptions manually upon receipt of official notification from the Committee on Examinations and Standing.