Registration Hold

You may have a registration hold for two main reasons:

Advising holds - If you are in your first two years at USF, you will automatically have an advising hold. This is because you must see your major/COMS adviser before you are able to register. You need to see your adviser so that you can make sure that you are taking the classes that you need to take, both for the core and the major, and for any other programs of study that you want to accomplish while you are here (for example, study abroad or a minor). When you meet with your adviser for you advising appointment, your adviser will remove this hold. If you have an advising hold, it is important that you see your adviser before your registration window opens.

Student Enrollment Services holds - The second main reason why you might have a hold on your account is because of an issue with the Student Enrollment Services Office. Student Enrollment Services will put a hold on your registration if there is a problem with your financial account with the university. These holds usually happen if you are missing important paperwork (such as immunization records or financial aid forms) or if your tuition bills are past due. These holds cannot be cleared by anyone in the department. They can only be cleared by going to the office in person.

Why am I blocked from registering for a specific COMS course (pre-requisites, time conflict, etc.)? What do I do if I am blocked?

Other than advising holds and registration holds through the Student Enrollment Services Office, you may also be blocked from registering for specific classes because you do not have the appropriate pre-requisites or due to time conflicts. Pre-requisites (pre-reqs) are the classes that must be completed prior to enrolling in a class, and they are designed to help you be successful in the class. The majority of the time, if you are missing a pre-requisite, you are not allowed to enroll in the course. At times, however, a professor may decide that it is okay for you to enroll in a class without the pre-requisite. This happens rarely and is usually done on a case-by-case basis. The only way to find out if a professor will waive the pre-requisite is to talk with the professor of the course. Advisors cannot waive pre-reqs, only the instructor of the course. It is important that you carefully review the pre-reqs prior to designing your schedule to give yourself time to contact the instructor seeking permission to add the course without the pre-req. If the professor does agree to waive the pre-req, you need to take an add/drop form to the professor. The form needs to be signed by the professor of the course, your adviser, and then turned in to CASA. If there is a time conflict with classes that you are registering for, you need to check your schedule and find a class with no time conflict.