Registration FAQs

I'm an undergraduate who wants to take more than 18 credit hours. How do I do that?

Enrolling in up to 18 credit hours does not require special permission. Taking more than 18 credit hours in a semester is known as an "overload". Students who are not first-time freshmen may request permission from their major advisor(s) or the office of Academic Advising (OAA) to take more than 18 credit hours in a given semester. (Note that requests to take more than 21 credit hours will not be approved.) More information on the process, the petition, and related deadlines can be found on the Office of Academic Advising website, here: https://oaa.rice.edu/policies-and-procedures/overloads-and-reduced-course-loads/overloads

I'm an undergraduate who wants to become part-time student next semester. How do I do that?

Undergraduate students typically enroll for 12 to 18 hours in a given semester. If a student would like to take less than 12 credit hours in a given semester, they are considered part-time students, also known as a 'reduced course load'. To take less than 12 credit hours in a semester, student must request and secure permission to do so from the Office of Academic Advising (OAA). More information on the process, the petition, and related deadlines can be found on the Office of Academic Advising website, here: https://oaa.rice.edu/policies-and-procedures/overloads-and-reduced-course-loads

Can I register for a class if I have not taken the prerequisite?

In order to register for class that has prerequisites, you must either take the prerequisite classes before registering, or, obtain permission from the instructor via the Special Registration Form (Undergraduate or Graduate).

Do I have to go to the Office of the Registrar to complete my registration?

No. As long as you don’t have any special circumstances requiring a Special Registration Form, you do not need to go to the Registrar’s Office.

How are registration groups assigned?

All undergraduate students have been placed in one of four registration groups, based on their matriculation term and their status as either new-first-time or transfer. In both the initial registration process, and the Add/Drop period, registration priority will be given to students based on their assigned registration group.

How do I know if I have successfully added a class to my schedule?
  • Click on the Register, Add, or Drop Classes tile in ESTHER and then select Register for Classes, Select the course you want to add and click on the Submit button.
  • Look at the Status column on the right side of the screen.
  • If your course-add was accepted, it will say **Web Registered** next to that course. If the course-add was unsuccessful, an error message will be displayed. For more information on course errors, please visit the Common Registration Errors page.
  • You can also view or print a copy of your schedule by choosing View Student Schedules from the Registration page.
How does ESTHER Wait-Listing work?

For a list of frequently asked ESTHER Wait-listing questions for students, click here.

For a list of frequently asked ESTHER Wait-listing questions for faculty and staff, click here.

How will auditing a course affect my transcript?

Currently enrolled degree-seeking Rice students may audit one or more courses at Rice without charge by securing permission of the instructor and by registering as an auditor with the Office of the Registrar. Upon completion, the audited course will appear on the student's transcript with a grade of either "AUD" or "NC" (No Credit). There are no credit hours associated with audited courses, and auditing a course does not affect a student's GPA. Requests to audit a class should be made by the end of the second week of the semester. However, a course for which a student is registered for credit can be designated for audit through the end of the seventh week of class. Any request to change from audit to credit must be made by the end of the second week of class.

Instructor permission is required to register for one or more of my courses. What should I do?

The student must complete the Special Registration Form (Undergraduate or Graduate) and obtain the signatures of the instructors of those classes.

The Registration Status page says everything is OK, but I still can’t register.

Please contact the Office of the Registrar and someone will assist you.

What is a CRN, and why do I need it?

CRN stands for Course Reference Number. This number helps identify the different course sections offered within a particular term. The CRN is a number you can use to select and identify courses during the Course Request Period and later when adding/dropping and wait-listing courses via the Add/Drop Classes page within ESTHER.

What is a time conflict, and why is it preventing me from being able to register?

ESTHER does not allow simultaneous enrollment in classes with overlapping meeting times (such as a Monday/Wednesday/Friday 1:00-1:50 class and a Monday 1:00-4:00 class) or double-booking (registering for two classes which meet at the same time). The student must drop the conflicting class before being able to register for the other.

If a student has a legitimate reason to enroll in overlapping or double-booked classes, then the student must complete the Special Registration Form (Undergraduate or Graduate) and obtain the signatures of the instructors of both classes.

What is the Late Registration Fee?

Currently enrolled students are required to register during the first week of Registration. After the first week, students can register for further classes or change their schedules. However, currently enrolled students who fail to register by the first-week deadline will have a Late Registration Fee assessed to their account. If there are extenuating circumstances for your situation, you may submit information regarding how that situation affected your registration ability and request a late fee waiver. Students who have not had any prior late fees may be eligible to have their most recent late fee waived as a One-Time Courtesy. If you wish to request for a fee waiver, please send an email to registrar@rice.edu officially requesting a waiver of the late registration fee with detailed information regarding the extenuating circumstances.

Please consult the Academic Calendar for specific registration deadline dates. Please see the Bursar's Office for the fee schedule.

Who is my Academic Advisor?

Please see the Office of Academic Advising's Major Advisors page. If you have not yet chosen your major, please see the Divisional Advisors page. If you have additional questions, please contact the Office of Academic Advising.

Why can’t I access the Registration page?

If you receive an error message telling you that you are not permitted to register at this time, please select the bottom link called Problems Registering? This will take you to the Registration Status page. This page should indicate the reason you cannot register.

If you continue to have problems, please contact registrar@rice.edu.

Why do all TBA courses appear when I’m searching for a course within a specific time frame?

ESTHER is trying to inform you of all the possibilities. Those classes that have times “to be announced,” theoretically could fit into the specified time frame.