Waitlist Procedures

The class I want to take is full. What do I do?

When a Communication Studies class is full, you should put yourself on the waitlist. The waitlist procedure is outlined in the following question.

As a Communication Studies major please follow the waitlist procedures when registering:

• You must be signed up for a full load of classes (16 units). This means that if you are waitlisted for one or more classes, you still need to be registered for "back-up" classes.
• In case you are waitlisted for a class, you should attend that class on the first day. If your "back-up" class is scheduled for the same time, you should first contact the professor of the course you are waitlisted for to find out how realistic your chances are in regards to getting into the class. We don't want you to miss a class that you are registered for if there is no chance of you being added from the waitlist.
• Make sure that the professor knows that you are in class, and talk to the professor about your chances of being added to the class.
• The goal is to keep our classes at their enrollment limits (which differ for each class), while also making sure that all students who need a class to graduate are able to take the class.
• If a professor decides to overload a class (usually by a max of 2-3 students), students will be added based on seniority, with priority going to graduating seniors who need that particular course to graduate.
• If you were dropped from the course by the Student Enrollment Services Office, you must clear your holds with Student Enrollment Services and then you should see Marvella at the Center for Academic and Student Achievement (CASA) at UC 3rd floor. She will verify that you were previously enrolled in the course, and if there is room, you will be re-admitted to the class.
• You may be getting an e-mail request from some professors for more information about why you want or need to get into the class you are waitlisted for. If you do receive one of these messages, be sure you respond to the professor as soon as possible with an explanation.
• Each professor will inform the Department Chair which students should be added to the class. You will then receive a message from the Department Chair indicating that you need to drop your "back-up" class. Be sure to check your @usfca.edu email address each day for the week prior to and the week when classes begin.
• You have 24 hours to drop your back-up class, after which the Department Chair will add you to the class that you waitlisted for. If you do not drop your back-up class within the 24 hour window, you will not be added.