Enrollment

If you are enrolled in Harvard College or Harvard Griffin GSAS you can register directly for FAS courses via my.Harvard, or you can cross register for select courses at other Harvard University schools, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Tufts University, and Brown University. Review cross-registration options for FAS students. 

Step 1: Enroll in courses via my.Harvard 

Follow the instructions to register for courses. (If you are interested in cross registering for a course outside of FAS, visit the cross registration page for details and instructions.)

Step 2: Request instructor permission

If your course requires instructor permission to enroll, request instructor permission in my.harvard. Required petitions for cross-registration or Independent Study must be approved for you to formally enroll in courses. 

 Important: Beginning with Fall 2024 Registration, instructors can cancel approved petitions for students who have not enrolled in a class and are not on the waitlist for a class.

Step 3: Enroll after receiving instructor permission

Receiving instructor permission is not the final step of enrollment. You must officially enroll in the course after you receive permission from your instructor. You are not enrolled in the course until you complete this step. 

 Important: Receiving instructor permission will not override you into a closed class. 

For registration, some courses, especially those offered annually and with generally predictable enrollments, you will select your section time as you register. Other courses with less predictable enrollments or space constraints (like lab courses), will prompt you to enroll in an untimed placeholder section when you register. You will be asked to submit section time preferences during registration. Sections will be finalized shortly after the end of registration. 

Timed sections

Choose a timed section (discussion section and/or lab)

• If a course offers a discussion section and/or lab, you should explore the list of available timed sections in my.Harvard and select one that best aligns with your schedule and preferences.
• Some courses with timed sections may offer an untimed placeholder section. A placeholder section is a temporary section without a meeting schedule that allows students who cannot make the available section meeting times to enroll in the course.
• If you cannot find a timed section that works for you, you can enroll in a placeholder section during registration or the add/drop period.
• During registration and the add/drop period, you can swap section enrollments if needed:
  • If you are enrolled in the course, you can select to edit an enrolled course to view additional sections. If the new section of interest has seats open, you can proceed with updating your enrollment.
  • If you wish to change your timed section in your Crimson Cart, you can switch into another section.
    • If you added a course with a timed section to your Crimson Cart and receive an error when you try to enroll, it’s likely the section you originally chose is no longer available and you will need to switch into a different section.   

Placeholder sections

Enroll in a placeholder section and submit your timed section preference

• Some courses will ask students to enroll in an untimed, placeholder section and submit preferred section times through my.Harvard.
• Instructors/department will review preferences and move students from placeholder sections to timed sections.
• If a course chooses to conduct sectioning outside of my.Harvard they will inform you of their process and add section assignment information in my.Harvard after registration.

Canceled sections

• If your section is canceled, your instructor or department will contact you offering you alternative available sections.  

Dropping a class (if applicable)

• If you cannot find a section time that works, you may need to drop the class.* 

*You will not lose previous instructor permission if you drop an enrolled course and re-add it to your Crimson Cart. 

About the lottery process

Some courses have enrollment limits or run course lotteries. Departments determine their own selection process, and you can check course Canvas sites and my.Harvard course descriptions for details about the process and the individual course deadlines.

Petition approvals: Remember that it can take some time for petitions to be approved, so be mindful of this as you approach the enrollment deadline. 

Courses that commonly run lotteries:

• GenEd courses
  Beginning August 2025, lotteries will not be run for incoming students. If you are an incoming student you can enroll in the course if you have an approved petition.
• Expository Writing (Expos)
• First-Year Seminars

About Limited Enrollment Courses and Waitlists

Limited enrollment courses are courses that only permit a specified number of students to register and require instructor permission to enroll. 

• You must also obtain instructor permission if you wish to join a waitlist; if you are granted seat from the waitlist, you will be automatically enrolled in the course.
• Instructors must opt-in to use waitlists - not all limited enrollment courses will offer a waitlist.
• Departments may reserve seats for students who meet specific criteria such as incoming (new) students or cross-registrants. A course may not appear full due to these reserve caps; however if you do not meet the criteria, you may be prompted to join the waitlist if the course offers one.

Enrollment capacity: Starting with Spring 2024 registration, once a course’s enrollment capacity is reached, Harvard College/Griffin GSAS students will not be able to enroll in courses even if they had instructor permission approved. If you are selected through a lottery or other course selection process, you must enroll by the defined FAS date. 

 Important: Beginning with Fall 2024 Registration, instructors can cancel approved petitions for students who have not enrolled in a class and are not on the waitlist for a class.

During November or April registration week – no waitlists available:

• If you were not granted a seat before the class reached capacity, you may still submit a petition to enroll.
• Once your petition is approved, you can check back to see if another student drops the course resulting in a new open seat before registration is over. 

Starting open add/drop period – waitlist opens:

• During the add/drop period, check the Course Search to see if a limited enrollment course offers a waitlist. Courses that have waitlists will be indicated on the page for the course, in the course information section.
• If Waitlist Class indicates a "Yes", then there will either be a cap of students displayed as a ratio under Waitlist above the course description  (ex. 0/20 - there are zero students on the waitlist which has a cap of 20) or if there is no cap on the waitlist it will just show the number of students currently on the waitlist (ex. 0).
• If Waitlist Class indicates "No" there is no waitlist for the course.
• If granted instructor permission, you may add yourself to the waitlist of a course for up to 16 credits (typically 4 courses) until the end of the first week of classes.  

How to Waitlist into a Course

To waitlist into a course, you must:

1. Submit a petition to the instructor (during November or April registration or open add/drop).
2. Add yourself to the waitlist: After the petition is approved, you will need to take the second action of actively adding yourself to the waitlist (can only be done during open add/drop). Your Crimson Cart will display all of your waitlisted courses and your waitlist position number.
3. When a spot opens up, you will receive notification and be automatically enrolled into the course as long as there are no holds or time conflicts on your record.

Keep your waitlist status updated: If you elect to "drop if enrolled", you will be automatically dropped from a course of your choosing and enrolled in the waitlisted course. Be sure to keep your waitlist status up to date; if you change your mind about a course, remove yourself from the waitlist before you are automatically enrolled. Please refer to Waitlists in my.Harvard for more information on this feature.

Enrollment Limits

Ordinarily, Harvard College students may take 20 credits each term (5 courses, 4 credits per course).

Exceeding credits

Harvard College students may not enroll in more than 24 credits (six courses, 4 credits per course) in one term without Administrative Board approval. 

Petition for Max Units/Credits: You can submit a petition to take six courses through my.Harvard if your enrollment limit meets the eligibility criteria. You can access the form in my.Harvard. Under the Student Home tab, select Documents, and Petition for Max Units/Credits.

• First-year, first-term students can access the petition for a fifth course once they are enrolled in courses adding up to 16 credits. You must obtain approval from your Resident Dean.
• All other students can access the petition for a sixth course once they are enrolled in courses adding up to 20 credits. You must obtain approval from your Resident Dean.  

Reducing credits

Ordinarily, no Harvard College student may work at a rate less than necessary to maintain a yearly average rate of 32 credits passed. 

• Harvard College students unable to manage a full-time course load due to significant and prolonged disability-related needs may qualify to take a reduced number of courses each semester. Accommodations are individualized and are determined through an interactive process. Once approved, the accommodation will apply to all remaining semesters. You must communicate with the Disability Access Office if your disability changes in a way that impacts your accommodation.
• You should discuss your academic progress with your Resident Dean and Concentration Advisor when considering a reduced course load. 

Students’ Financial Obligations in the Event of a Leave of Absence or Requirement to Withdraw

All amounts are in US dollars. Harvard in its sole discretion reserves the right to change these rates at any time upon 30 days prior notice to students.

* For Dudley Cooperative meal plan charges, inquire in the Dudley Community Office, 1 Oxford Street, (617) 495-2256, ududley@fas.harvard.edu 

† Student Services Fee.

Email: enrollment@fas.harvard.edu

• for questions about course enrollment or fees

Email: myharvard_support@harvard.edu 

• for technical issues with my.Harvard