How to Register

A student’s social class signifies the year of anticipated graduation, based on a standard 4-year enrollment. All students admitted as first-year students are assigned a social class which is equal to four years after their entry to the college. You may read or hear social classes referenced by year of graduation (class of 2028, 2029, etc.) or by class description (social senior, social junior, etc.).

Example: A first-year student admitted in Fall 2025 has a social class of 2029.

Transfer Students

Defined as students who have enrolled as degree-seeking students at another college after high school graduation. Social class will be determined after transfer credit is awarded (college credits earned after high school graduation). Social class will be a projection of the earliest year the student can graduate, based on credits awarded.

Example: A transfer student admitted in Fall 2025 with 50 credit hours has a social class of 2027.

Re-Admitted Students

The social class is reviewed and adjusted to reflect time spent away from the campus.

Example: A member of the Social Class of 2026 withdraws from the College and returns after an absence of one year.  The student’s new social class is 2027.

How Social Class Affects Registration

Effective for the Social Class of 2008, registration priorities are based on social class, not by earned hours or academic class. This policy was approved by the William & Mary Board of Visitors. Other university services are now based on social class, as well. Credits earned during high school or through AP or IB testing do not affect social class and do not enhance registration priorities.

Tiered Enrollment is a process that academic departments and programs utilize to control enrollment in specific classes during registration. A department may opt to limit the maximum enrollment available in a course based on social class to ensure enough space for other social classes or incoming students later in the registration cycle. Tiered enrollment is only in effect for fall and spring terms. PATH enforces tiered enrollment maximums during registration processing.

Tiered enrollment is set by academic departments and programs. Students with questions about tiered enrollment should contact the department or program of the course.

PATH's goal is to provide successful registration in one course (or one co-requisite group of courses like a lecture and a lab) per student, per round. Registration occurs in multiple "rounds" continuing until all undergraduate student course selections and alternatives have been processed. This approach is designed to help students achieve the most optimal schedule possible. PATH will process one group entirely (multiple rounds of registration) before moving on to the next group and starting again.

If a student has a registration hold, they can still build a cart. However, PATH will not process any registration. Resolve any holds before carts close!

Within groups/social classes, PATH will assign each student in the group a random number. Registration is processed in a "snake" pattern, and the order reverses direction each round. The first students in the group to have registration processed in round one will be the last students in the group to have registration processed in round two. Remember, this pattern is repeated for each group, starting with students with priority registration, then social seniors, then social juniors, etc.

Familiar with fantasy sport drafts like fantasy football? PATH's rounded registration by group operates in a similar way!

During registration processing, student information in PATH is anonymized and randomized within groups/social classes. Within groups, W&M does not know the order in which student carts were evaluated. This protects the integrity of the registration process and ensures no outside influence on registration results.

Priorities are the way students indicate to PATH which course to try first, second, third, and so on. Students can prioritize their courses from First (Highest) through Ninth, or utilize the auto priority function. Detailed information about registration priorities, including video tutorials, is available on the Carts & Registration Priorities webpage.

PATH's goal is to provide successful registration in one course (or one co-requisite group of courses like a lecture and a lab) per student, per round. When PATH is processing registration for a student, it will start with the highest ranked course and any alternatives that have been set, and move through course selections until registration in one course is successful (or until all of the course selections for the student have been exhausted). PATH will then move on to the next student. 

Registration during add/drop periods happens in real time. If a seat is available in a course, a student may attempt registration themselves.

On the first day of the first add/drop period after schedules have been released, registration will open to students by social class. Social seniors gain access first, then social juniors join, etc., until all social classes are participating. Once a social class window has opened, it will remain open until the end of the add/drop period. Major restrictions are enforced on the first day of the first add/drop period. Starting at 8:00 a.m. ET on the second day of add/drop, major restrictions will not be enforced. Social seniors will be limited to registration in 18 credit hours at the start of add/drop. All other students will be limited to registration in 16 credit hours until the start of the semester.

Registration during add/drop periods happens in real time. If a seat is available in a course, a student may attempt registration themselves. 

The final add/drop period opens the day before classes begin for the semester. Most students will be eligible to register for up to 18 credit hours (fall/spring semesters only). 

Waitlists will be available on many (but not all) Arts & Sciences, Business, and Computing, Data Sciences & Physics courses at the start of the first add/drop period. Waitlist notifications will be sent a few times each weekday beginning with the first day of the first add/drop period.

Students will be limited to waitlisting five courses (five CRNs). Students exceeding five waitlist registrations will be dropped until they are returned to the maximum of five.

Because add/drop opens to students based on their social class, upperclassmen will have first access to course waitlists. Because field of study (major) restrictions will still be in place when waitlisting begins, upperclassmen majors will have first access to waitlists for major-restricted courses. Note that not all courses are major-restricted; individual departments determine the restrictions for each course they offer. Major restrictions will cease being enforced at 8:00 a.m. on the second day of add/drop.