How to register for courses | UBC Student Services

Find out when you register

The general registration dates for each academic session are posted online and organized by year level, or Class Standing. You can view your Class Standing under the Summary tab in your Workday student profile.

Registration appointments are usually set in early June for the Winter session. You’ll receive an email around early June to let you know that your registration appointment is available in Workday.

Changes to your academic record can impact your registration date and time. If you are expecting changes to your academic record, check Workday for any updates to your registration appointment.

If you do not receive a registration email

If you accept your admission offer after early June, you may not receive an email as the registration appointment notification period may have already passed. If this happens, you can still register by following the steps on this page. If you have questions, please contact your Enrolment Services Advisor.

Pay your deposit, if applicable

If you’re new to UBC, you must pay a non-refundable acceptance deposit, which will count as your first registration deposit. Instructions are included in your offer of admission.

If you are enrolled in a certificate or diploma program, you must pay a registration deposit. Once you have registered for that session, your deposit cannot be refunded or transferred to a future session.

Graduate students should check with their specific program for information regarding acceptance and registration deposits.

Plan your courses

Check your program requirements

You can find degree requirements and specific requirements for each program in the Academic Calendar.

You can also review your program requirements in the Academic Progress Report (APR) and consider how and when you can fill any major, minor, concentration, or specialization course requirements.

If you need help with degree requirements or course planning, review the information on your faculty’s website. Connect with your academic advising office if you have additional questions.

Build your saved schedule

In Workday, saved schedules are draft class timetables that you can create before you register to help you plan out your courses.

After logging into Workday, you can create multiple saved schedules, in case one or more of the courses on your first saved schedule are full. You can add lectures, standard timetables, and other course components to existing saved schedules.

For the Winter Session, you must create a saved schedule for each term separately.

Learn how to create a saved schedule and more in Workday through course registration tutorials.

Review additional considerations

Some students, including international students and those who are receiving awards or funds from student loans, must register in enough credits to maintain their immigration or funding eligibility.

If these scenarios apply to you, review the pages below and make sure you meet your registration requirements:

Get ready for registration

Learn how to register for courses in Workday. You should register for both your Term 1 and Term 2 courses at the time of your registration appointment.

Below are tips to help you with course registration:

Courses fill up quickly, so register for both terms as early as you can.
Have multiple saved schedules ready in case courses are full.
Troubleshoot and resolve issues in your saved schedule before your registration appointment.
If you are blocked from registering for a course because a pre-requisite is missing from your account, connect with your Enrolment Services Advisor for feedback.
Check for and resolve any holds on your account.
After you register, you can add or drop classes until the course change deadline.

Common registration issues

If you’re having trouble registering, make sure you meet the following requirements:

You are eligible to register for the session and meet any required prerequisites.
You are registering on or after your registration date and time.
You have paid your acceptance or registration deposit, if applicable.
You have paid any other outstanding fees.

Learn how to troubleshoot your course registration. You can only access this function if your course registration is open.

If a course is full

Courses may fill up, particularly those required by the program. Follow the tips below if your course is full.

Learn how to get on the waitlist in Workday.
Check the course schedule regularly as additional seats often become available later in the registration period.
When a course is full and does not have available waitlist seats, it will be listed as “closed”.
Contact the department offering the course to check if other sections of the course will be released.
If you’re in your last year of study and need a specific course to graduate, your faculty or department will usually help to enrol you. Contact your academic advising office for more information.
Enrolment Services cannot register students into classes that are still open or that are already full.

Additional resources

If you have questions

For help on planning your degree or choosing your courses, please contact your faculty’s academic advising office.

If you’re having problems with registration, read the Workday tutorials first. If you still have questions, please connect with an Enrolment Services Advisor.