Register for courses

Eligibility

If you are enrolled in Harvard College or 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. View cross-registration options for FAS students. 

How to enroll

You can enroll in courses directly through my.harvard. 

Step 1: 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: 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 be formally enrolled in courses. 

Step 3: 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. 

Lotteries, petitions, and enrollment limits

Some courses have enrollment limits or run course lotteries. Check course Canvas sites and my.harvard course descriptions for details about the process and the individual course deadlines. Remember that it can take some time for petitions to be approved, so be mindful of this as you approach the enrollment deadline. 

Simultaneous enrollment

Harvard College students may not enroll in courses that meet at the same time or at overlapping times, except in two cases:

1. When one of the two courses has been granted a waiver from the Administrative Board petition process by a subcommittee of the Standing Committee on Undergraduate Educational Policy (EPC).
2. When you have received permission from the heads of both courses and approval from the Administrative Board to enroll in the two courses simultaneously. 

Following the registration deadline, Harvard College students may receive an email notification from the FAS Registrar's Office asking you to correct your schedule in my.harvard by dropping one of the courses. If you receive the notification:

• Your course has not been approved by the Office of Undergraduate Education and
• You need to drop one of the courses in my.harvard or obtain permission from both instructors and the Administrative Board

Visit the Office of Undergraduate Education website to learn more about simultaneous enrollment. 

Key dates and deadlines

There are several deadlines you should be mindful of during the course registration period to avoid being charged fees or receiving disciplinary action. It is your responsibility to review the dates and deadlines for the current semester on the Academic Calendar. 

Course registration

• Check-in deadline – You cannot register for your courses until you check in online.
• Course registration deadline – You must be registered for a minimum of 8 credits to avoid being charged a late registration fee. While the standard rate of work is 16 credits, being registered for a minimum of 8 credits will avoid a charge on your account. You will need instructor permission to enroll in courses after the deadline.

Add/drop/withdrawal

• Third Monday – Last day for Harvard College students to add/drop a course (without a fee)
• Fifth Monday – Last day for Harvard College students to add/drop a course (with a fee), change their schedule without Administrative Board approval, and change a course's status from letter-graded to Pass/Fail or from Pass/Fail to letter-graded.
• Seventh Monday – Last day for GSAS students to add courses, change grading option to or from SAT/UNS for designated language courses, and register for a minimum required course load, withdraw from an academic program, or submit an application for non-resident status for the term without being subject to disciplinary action.
• Ninth Monday – Last day for GSAS students to drop courses. Withdrawals completed after this date require a petition and will be recorded as WD on your transcript if the petition is approved. 
• Eleventh Monday – Last day for Harvard College students to withdraw from a course (the withdrawal will be recorded as WD on your transcript). Learn about withdrawing.

Associated fees

Late fee waivers

Fees for late check-in, late course registration, and change-of-course petitions are waived only when the University is responsible for the difficulty or when the situation involves a serious illness of the student (usually including hospitalization) or a death in the student’s immediate family. It is your responsibility to meet the deadlines on the Academic Calendar to avoid being charged late fees. 

Late registration fee

$40/week

Registration is not complete until you have enrolled in your minimum required course load – typically 16 credits (equivalent to four Harvard 4-credit courses) To avoid being charged a late registration fee, Harvard College and GSAS students must be enrolled in at least 8 credits by the course registration deadline (if waiting on instructor approval for some courses). While the standard rate of work is 16 credits, being registered for a minimum of 8 credits will avoid a charge on your account.

• If you are registered for fewer than 8 credits by the course registration deadline you will be charged $40 per week. 
• Failure to complete the course registration process may subject you to disciplinary action and an involuntary leave of absence.

Late add/drop fee

$10/submission (after third Monday)

Harvard College and GSAS students who add/drop courses after the third Monday deadline will be charged $10/submission.

$25 plus $10 change-of-course fee (after fifth Monday)

Harvard College students who wish to add/drop courses after the fifth Monday deadline must receive approval from the Administrative Board. Students will be charged $25 plus the $10 change-of-course fee. 

Change of grading basis

There is no cost for Harvard College and GSAS students to change the grading basis of a course. 

Overdue declaration of concentration

$25 for first week overdue, $50 thereafter

An overdue declaration of concentration will make a Harvard College student liable for a late fee of $25 for the first week, $50 thereafter, and for disciplinary action, including requirement to withdraw. 

Holds

There are a variety of holds that can prevent you from enrolling in courses. Students should visit my.harvard to see what holds may exist on their student account that may prevent them from registering for courses. Failure to clear the hold by the course registration deadline is not a legitimate reason for a late fee waiver.

Removing holds

Step 1: Select the To-Do items in my.harvard to learn more about each hold. 

Step 2: Resolve your hold with the office that initiated it. For example, if you have a UHS hold you must contact University Health Services directly to address the hold.

Change of Grading Basis

Harvard College and Visiting Undergraduate Students

Harvard College and Visiting Undergraduate Students must submit a grading basis change by the Fifth Monday deadline.

Before submitting a petition:

• You must be enrolled in at least one letter-graded course 
• It must be between the first day of classes and the Fifth Monday of the term

Submit a grading basis change petition

Approval Process

Grading basis change requests must be approved by the course instructor, your advisor, and your Resident Dean. As long as you submit your request by the deadline, it is ok if it is approved after the deadline.

If you change your mind about a submitted grading basis change, your petition status will determine your next steps:

• Pending status: You may cancel your petition in the my.harvard Document Center by clicking View prior submissions. 
• Approved status: Once the petition is approved, you cannot submit another petition to reverse the decision. Please submit a ticket to enrollment@fas.harvard.edu for assistance. 

Pending Petitions

Instructors, advisors, and Resident Deans will be provided time beyond the deadline to respond to pending requests from students who have submitted petitions by the Fifth Monday deadline. Approved petitions will be processed nightly.

• If you have not declared a concentration: You should contact your advisor with questions about your petition
• If you have declared a concentration: You should contact your department's Grading Basis Change approver with questions about your petition. 

Petitioning after the Fifth Monday deadline: If you do not submit a grading basis change by the Fifth Monday deadline and still wish to change the grading basis of a course, please talk with your Resident Dean about petitioning the Administrative Board. 

GSAS

GSAS students may only petition to change a grading status for language courses.

Withdrawing from Courses

Harvard College students can submit withdrawals between the fifth and eleventh Monday. A notation of WD will be permanently recorded on your transcript. Harvard College students cannot file withdrawal petitions after the eleventh Monday of the term.

GSAS students can submit withdrawals between the fifth and ninth Monday. To withdraw from a course after this date, an approved Petition to Withdraw must be submitted to the Office of Student Affairs. A notation of WD will be recorded on your transcript for the course if the petition is approved. 

Prepare for Your First Week of Classes

• Review the Academic Calendar and familiarize yourself with key dates and deadlines. 
• Confirm that you can access your course Canvas website through the my.harvard Course Catalog.
• Review your classroom locations. Classroom location changes naturally take place during the enrollment period, so check your course meeting location in the my.harvard Course Catalog.

Related Forms