General Registration Assistance

Recommended Class Loads
For undergraduate students, a class load of 16 credits per semester (or 4 classes that are 4 credits each) is the recommended class load, unless otherwise discussed with your major adviser.

Reduced Study Loads
If you are an undergraduate who is also a financial aid recipient, a student athlete, an international student, or live on campus, and you anticipate being registered in fewer than 12 credits, you will need to contact your advisers in those areas to ensure you are meeting your academic goals and eligibility requirements.

You must be enrolled in at least one class to be considered a registered student at USF (in addition to having paid registration fees). However, to be at full-time status as an undergraduate student, you are expected to be registered for 12 credits approved by your college or school.

• Credits. It is also referred to as a unit or credit hour. Students need a minimum of 120 credits, as well as completion of all core, major, and other requirements, in order to be eligible for graduation. 
• Section. A section is a group within a class. It can offer alternative times, days, and instructors in which a class can be taught.
• Class Standing. This is based on the number of credits you have earned, which is reflected under 'Earned Hours' on the academic transcript. Class standing is defined as:
  • Freshman: 0-29
  • Sophomore: 30-59
  • Junior: 60-89
  • Senior: 90+
• Registration Access Time. The registration access time determines what date and time you can start registering for classes. It is based on the number of credits a student has earned, which is reflected under 'Earned Hours' on the academic transcript. It does not include the credits a student is currently registered in.
• Registration Error. A class may have certain restrictions and/or requirements placed on by the department/school/college offering the class. You can view the list of registration errors here. We recommend following the instructions on how to add a class if you come across certain registration errors.
• Waitlist. This means the course has a waiting list. If you see a second set number under a course's status in your class search results, this indicates that there is a waitlist for the class. You may add yourself to that waitlist but you will not be officially registered unless an instructor or administrative staff manually registers you.
• Cross list. This indicates that two different course sections are combined into one class (or "cross listed"). The number under Cross List Actual refers to the actual number of students registered for the class compared to the number allowed (Cross List Maximum).

Depending on the class you are trying to register for, please follow these steps:

• Check to see if there is a waitlist for that class. If there is, place yourself on the waitlist to be considered for a seat in the class.
• If the class is under the following College/School and there is no waitlist (or the waitlist is closed), follow the respective steps:
  • For the College of Arts and Sciences classes, email the instructor of the class and see if s/he is willing to sign you into the class. You may just have to wait until the first day of class to talk to the professor.
  • For the School of Management, find another section that is open or another class that works with your schedule. Please consult with your major adviser or somundergrad@usfca.edu if you need assistance.
• Register for a back-up class.
• Speak with your major adviser (for College of Arts and Sciences students) or somundergrad@usfca.edu (for School of Management students) to see what alternative classes you can take that will help you fulfill your major or degree requirements.

Please visit this website for a complete list of registration error explanations and what to do. 

If you wish to register for more than 18 credits in a semester (the maximum), you must seek approval from your college or school dean's office.

• For College of Arts & Sciences, you must go to your department/major adviser for approval first. Then, contact Associate Dean Luey at lueym@usfca.edu with proof of approval and copy your department/major adviser.
• For School of Management, you must contact Associate Dean Pachinger at pachinger@usfca.edu.
• For School of Nursing and Health Professions, contact nursing@usfca.edu for more information.

If approved, you will need to pay for every credit over 18. Refer to the Academic Tuition & Fees to see what the cost per credit is.

NOTE: You must have taken at least one (1) semester at USF and have a 3.5 GPA or above for consideration.

A class may be canceled by the dean of the college or the department offering the class at any time before the class starts. When a class you registered for is canceled, you will be notified via email.

If you need assistance with finding another class or fixing your schedule, contact your department or major adviser.

The deadline to make credit changes for variable credit classes is Census Date. Variable credit classes are classes that offer a range of credits (e.g., 0-4) a class can be taken for.

Only courses being taken as electives can be taken Pass/Fail. All coursework undertaken to fulfill a specific graduation requirement (e.g., major requirement, minor requirement, core, foreign language requirement, etc.) must be taken for a letter grade.

The deadline to make grade option changes (e.g., Audit, Pass/Fail, Credit/No Credit) is Census Date. You must obtain the instructor’s written approval (either a signature on a completed Registration Add/Drop form or an email confirmation with a completed Registration Add/Drop form attached).

The drop deadline does not impact aid policies. However, if you are registered for less than 12 credits in a semester or plan to be, talk to the Financial Aid Office to understand how that may impact your financial aid and Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). Please review USF’s SAP policy for more information.

You must add your lecture and lab at the same time. For example, Physics (PHYS) 120 has a co-requisite of PHYS 120L. 

To find both the lecture and lab for a science class, make sure you select the correct subject in the 'Subject' section and ALL in the 'Attribute' section.

NOTE: If you choose Core B2 Sciences in the 'Attribute' section, the lab section will not show. Once you select the class and the lab, be sure to verify that it will fulfill the Core B2 requirement.  

CORE classes are a part of the core curriculum, a collection of six required areas totaling 44 units, and are required for all undergraduate students pursuing a bachelor's degree. You can tell what CORE (as well as major and minor) requirements a class counts towards by looking carefully at the course attributes. For example, if you want to know if a class counts towards a CORE B2 Science requirement, the course attributes will specifically list "Core B2 Science" as an attribute. If it does not explicitly list "Core B2 Science", it does not count towards that particular CORE requirement.

Find a CORE Class
Go to myUSF Dashboard >> Banner Self-Service (Student) >> Student Services Landing Page >> Registration Landing Page >> Register for Classes. From there, choose the 'Term', click on 'Advanced Search', then go down to the 'Attribute' section and choose the CORE class category you would like to see classes for.

NOTE: For some core classes (i.e., science and foreign language), there is a lab or practicum component attached that requires you to simultaneously register for both the lecture and lab/practicum.

It is important that you speak with the department of the major you are interested in switching to. Many departments require students to speak with them prior to filling out the Change of Academic Program (COAP) form. Failure to do so will result in your form being denied.

You can change your major by completing the COAP form online.

Make sure you read the instructions to the COAP form carefully before you proceed with filling it out.

You would need to fill out the Transfer Credit Request form. Once the form has been submitted, the Office of the Registrar will review your request and respond back to you.

In the meantime, it may be advisable to not register for classes you think you may receive credit for.

Please contact or meet with your CASA academic success coach if you don't plan to register for the next semester, or plan to drop all of your classes in the current semester. You must submit a leave of absence or withdrawal form.