Waitlist Information
The waitlist feature in the registration system allows students to place themselves in line to enroll in a closed class (maximum enrollment reached) as seats become available. This tool is designed to give students a chance to get into closed classes. It is not intended to assist students in getting a "preferred" schedule.
Students may waitlist classes during registration and drop/add via the Register & Drop/Add link in the OneStart Student Center.
Students are placed on the waitlist in the order in which they requested to waitlist the class. The first person to submit a waitlist request will be in the top position. When a seat in the class becomes available, the registration system will fill the opening with the first eligible person on the waitlist.
Waitlist requests may be viewed in the OneStart Student Center by clicking Class Schedule Details and then selecting List View. Students are responsible for monitoring their active waitlist requests. After the last day of waitlist processing, all unsatisfied waitlist requests will expire. Check the Official Calendar to determine the last day of waitlist processing for each term.
Waitlist Instructions
Note: Students are advised to enroll in available classes prior to submitting any waitlist requests.
- Log into OneStart ( http://onestart.iu.edu) with your IU username and passphrase.
- Click Go to Student Center link.
- Click Register & Drop/Add.
- Choose the correct term and click Continue.
- Click the radio button next to Class Search.
- Enter the department (e.g., SOC-S) in the Subject box and catalog number (e.g., 100) in the Catalog Number box.
- Uncheck Show Open Classes Only and click Search.
- In the search results, find the closed class section you would like to waitlist and click Select Class.
- Check the Waitlist? box. If you are enrolled in a class that you would like to drop from your schedule if the waitlist places you, enter that class number in the Drop if Enroll field.
- Click Enroll.
- Click Finish Enrolling.
- Review any success or error messages. A Success message will indicate your position on the waitlist. An Error message will explain the reason you are unable to waitlist the course.
Waitlist from Shopping Cart
- Log into OneStart ( http://onestart.iu.edu) with your IU username and passphrase.
- Click Go to Student Center.
- Click Enrollment Shopping Cart.
- Choose the correct term and click Continue.
- Check the box to the far left of the class you would like to waitlist.
- Replace the N in the Waitlist? field with a Y. If you are enrolled in a class that you would like to drop from your schedule if the waitlist places you, enter that class number in the Drop if Enroll field.
- Click Enroll.
- Click Finish Enrolling.
- Review any success or error messages. A Success message will indicate your position on the waitlist. An Error message will explain the reason you are unable to waitlist the course.
Waitlist Tips
- Enroll in available classes prior to submitting any waitlist requests.
- Waitlist position is displayed on the class schedule. Check your waitlist request daily either until you are placed in the class or until waitlist processing ends.
- After the last day of waitlist processing, all unsatisfied waitlist requests expire. Consult the Official Calendar to determine the last day of waitlist processing for the term.
- Waitlist requests may be added or dropped, but they cannot be modified.
- If you no longer wish to take a course you are on the waitlist for, you must drop the waitlist request in order to be certain that you will not be placed in the class. Waitlists may be dropped via the Register & Drop/Add link in the Student Center.
- During waitlist processing, if you are enrolled in a class that you intend to drop using the waitlist and Drop if Enroll tools, attend the class in which you are enrolled. If your schedule permits, attend your waitlisted class as well. If your waitlist request has not been satisfied by the end of waitlist processing, you will remain in the original class for the semester.
- If the waitlist places you in a course that you later decide to drop, you must consult the refund schedule listed on the Office of the Bursar's Fee Refund Schedule for the applicable refund amount.
- After waitlist processing has ended, if you would like to add a course in which the waitlist did not place you, follow Late Drop/Add procedures.
Important Things to Know about Waitlist Processing
Email Notifications
E-mail is official IU communication. Pay close attention to any courtesy e-mails you receive from waitlist@indiana.edu or reghelp@indiana.edu. They will contain important information that is specific to your registration and waitlists.
Regardless of e-mail notifications, you are responsible for monitoring your active waitlist requests through the last day of waitlist processing.
Drop if Enroll
The Drop if Enroll feature allows students to specify a class they wish to drop if they are successfully placed in their waitlisted class. Drop if Enroll classes will show on the student's class schedule with a status of Enrolled, but will be listed in the Drop if Enroll column on the waitlisted class.
Time Conflicts
OneStart Student Center will not allow you to enroll in classes with time conflicts. If your waitlisted class overlaps with a class you are already enrolled in, the waitlist will not place you into the class without a corresponding Drop if Enroll for the conflicting class.
Multiple Waitlist Requests
A student can place multiple waitlist requests for the same course if it is a single course with no related components. Related component courses (i.e., courses that consist of a lecture and lab or discussion, etc.) are not eligible for individual component waitlists if a student is already enrolled in the course.
Requesting A Waitlist Prior to Enrolling in An Open Section
When a student requests a waitlist and later adds an open section of the same course, the waitlist request is automatically removed from the student’s schedule.
Example: A student waitlists a closed section of a course. The student then enrolls in an open section of the same course. The registration system, seeing that the student has found an open section of the waitlisted course, will conclude that the waitlist request has been satisfied and will remove the student from the waitlist.
Contact Info
For waitlist questions, call the Registration Help line at (812) 855-0121 or send e-mail to RegHelp@indiana.edu. We try to respond to e-mail inquiries within 24 hours.
